Cheap flights from London to Tampa

November is the cheapest month for this route, and the price calendar shows fares for every month from September through August, so you can compare a winter trip with a summer one before you decide. Late spring and the summer school break push prices up, and the weeks around Thanksgiving and Christmas are the busiest of the year for flights into Florida. Midweek departures from Heathrow or Gatwick are usually quieter than Friday and Sunday, and booking well ahead matters more in the busy months than in November.

Ten airlines appear on this route: British Airways, American Airlines and United Airlines are the familiar transatlantic names, alongside Swiss, Austrian, Lufthansa, Lufthansa City Airlines, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss Air and Iberia Express. Direct flights exist, so you can skip a connection when the schedule suits you; the other options sell one-stop itineraries, which add hours to the trip but often cost less. What comes with the ticket varies as much as the airline does, so check whether a checked bag, a seat choice and a meal are in the fare or added later. Read the fare rules before you compare, because the headline price rarely shows the whole cost.

Tampa International is the airport you land at, on the western side of the city and a short drive from downtown. It is a compact, easy-to-navigate terminal, so you can usually be at the curb or the rental desk soon after you clear immigration. Taxis, rideshares and hotel shuttles all run into the centre, and public buses serve the airport too, though they take longer with luggage. Coming off a long flight from London, the thing to watch is the connection: if your ticket routes you through another US city, you may clear customs at that first stop rather than in Tampa, so leave room in your schedule.

Currency

USD ($)

Power sockets

Type A, B · 120 V

Language

Samoan, Hawaiian, Chamorro, Carolinian, Spanish

Emergency number

911

Driving side

right

Calling code

+1

Internet domain

.us

Population of Tampa

385 k (2020)

Time zone

UTC-04 (America/New_York)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from — the city has five, and they are not interchangeable.
• On a connecting ticket, make sure both legs sit on one booking so a delay is covered.
• Confirm what the fare includes for checked baggage before you pay for seats.
• Have your ESTA or visa sorted for the USA before you book a non-refundable fare.
• Fly in November if you want the lowest fares of the year on this route.
• Compare a direct ticket with a one-stop option on the same dates before you commit.