Brits Cash In as Dollar Drops

British travellers are snapping up bargain flights to America as the pound hit a record 14 year high against the dollar this week, rising above $1.99 on currency exchanges and almost breaking the key $2 rate.

Leading travel company Thomson has seen a surge in air fare bookings to Florida, with families eager to take advantage of Thomsonfly's 7 night flight-only offers in February priced from just £219 per person¹ and 14 night flight deals from £239².  No fuel charges apply, with the only 'add-on' charged being Gordon Brown's miserly airport passenger duty.  In addition, accommodation-only bookings in the region have escalated as customers are packaging up their own breaks with rooms available from £25 per night³.

Sales of short city breaks to the US have also increased, with Thomson Tailor-made reporting a 20% increase in bookings compared to the same time last year.   As expected, New York holds the top spot for travellers looking to pick up some bargains, with Las Vegas and Boston both also proving popular.

Derek Jones, Thomson sales director commented: "The rise of the pound against the dollar has seen many savvy travellers booking their 2007 holidays across the Atlantic as they take advantage of the fantastic prices now available.    Not only that, once on holiday you can save even more money as eating out, shopping and entertainment are all much cheaper.

He concluded: "As in previous years, there has been a strong trend towards customers packaging their own breaks and America is no exception.  Not only have we seen the increase in flight and accommodation booking separately, but over the past few weeks our website has seen a huge increase in customers viewing our Florida pages to source information, watch videos and read reviews prior to booking.

¹Price per person, departing Manchester on 16th February 2007 – book on www.thomsonfly.com

² Price per person departing London Gatwick on 17th February 2007 - book on www.thomsonfly.com

³ Per room per night from 16th Feb, at the Howard Johnson Maingate East, Orlando - book on www.thomson.co.uk