Cheap flights from London to Washington

November is the cheapest month on this route, and the weeks around it in late autumn and early winter usually stay reasonable too. Summer is the opposite: July and August are peak family-travel months out of London, and the Christmas and New Year window fills up early. Midweek departures tend to cost less than weekend ones, and booking well ahead helps in peak season. If your dates are flexible, compare a couple of weeks either side of your first choice before you commit.

The airline mix on this route runs from full-service to lean. British Airways and Delta Air Lines are the familiar full-service names, with checked baggage and meals usually folded into the fare. Iberia Express, Vueling Airlines and Norse Atlantic UK sell leaner tickets where you pay extra for bags and seat choice, and Icelandair, Austrian, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss Air and Portug mostly appear on connecting itineraries through their home hubs. On a long transatlantic sector the difference in what is included can matter more than the headline fare, so compare the total with bags added.

Washington is served by several airports, and which one you land at shapes your arrival. Reagan National sits closest to the city and has its own Metro stop, which makes it the easiest for a downtown hotel. Dulles International lies out in the Virginia suburbs and is reached by a dedicated express bus and Metro link, or by taxi and rideshare. Baltimore is further north in Maryland, with train services into Washington alongside road options. Allow extra time at Dulles and Baltimore, and check which airport your fare actually uses before you book a hotel.

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 Washington

690 k (2020)

Time zone

UTC-04 (America/New_York)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from, because Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City are far apart.
• On lean carriers such as Vueling Airlines, Iberia Express or Norse Atlantic UK, add a checked bag and a seat before you compare totals.
• If your itinerary connects through a hub, keep both legs on a single ticket so a delay is the airline's problem, not yours.
• Sort your US entry requirements, passport and any travel authorisation well before departure.
• November is the cheapest month, but holiday weeks sell out early, so book ahead if your dates are fixed.
• Compare the total with bags included rather than the headline fare.