Eighteen return destinations under £500 — this is the long-haul threshold. New York from £329, Bangkok from £449, Miami from £429, Toronto from £379. Full-service carriers with 23kg bag, meals, entertainment. Shoulder-season windows on BA, Virgin, Emirates, Air Canada and Norse Atlantic. Peak summer and Christmas fares typically sit £650–£1,200 on the same routes.
True long-haul at shoulder-season pricing
Long-haul troughs are narrower but deeper than short-haul
North America East Coast fares bottom out mid-January to early March (post-Christmas demand crash) and from late September through October (after US summer travel). Florida and Las Vegas cheapest October–mid-November, then again mid-January. Bangkok £449 sits in wet season (May–Oct) when humidity is high but temperatures still warm. Avoid Christmas fortnight, Easter, US Thanksgiving week (late November), and July–August at all costs — long-haul routinely sells £800–£1,200 then.
Staying sub-£500 on routes that often cost £700+
Transatlantic fares on Tuesday/Wednesday/Saturday run 20–30% below Friday/Sunday/Monday. Corporate desks release unsold inventory on Monday evenings, so Tuesday morning searches catch fresh low-price fares. For BA, Virgin and Norse the cheapest JFK bucket typically shows on Tuesday and Saturday departures in shoulder season.
Mid-January to early March and mid-September to late October are the only true sub-£500 windows for Miami, Orlando, Las Vegas and Chicago. February half-term, Easter and the US Thanksgiving/Christmas fortnight double prices instantly. If you have school-age kids this is brutal; if not, take advantage.
Norse Atlantic from Gatwick often undercuts BA from Heathrow by £100+ on JFK, LAX and Miami. One-stop via Dublin (Aer Lingus), Reykjavik (Icelandair) or Istanbul (Turkish) frequently beats direct BA on East Coast USA by £80–£150. For Bangkok, one-stop via Doha, Dubai or Istanbul can drop under £400 even in peak season.
BA's Boxing Day sale, Virgin's "Virgin Money" promos and Emirates' autumn mini-sales drop long-haul fares 25–40% for narrow booking windows. Airline pricing errors do surface periodically and can produce extreme bargains (past real examples: £179 JFK on Aer Lingus, £265 Bangkok on Turkish). Carrier-side price alerts (sign up directly on the airline's website) are free and flag genuine drops without sharing your data with third parties.