Traveling to London is jolly good, but beware the outrageous prices

I went from Pittsburgh to London last week, for $434 round trip. The actual price of the ticket was $201, but the assorted taxes and fees brought it up to $434, less than a full-fare ticket to Philadelphia.

I flew on Air Canada through Toronto. The connection time in both directions was perfect.

Now that Air Canada has changed its schedules so you can connect in the same terminal, the minor irritation of changing terminals has been eliminated.

When I left Pittsburgh for Toronto on the first leg, I discovered that my checked bag was transferred directly to my flight to London, where I picked it up.

Returning from London to Toronto, you must claim your bag and then go through U.S. customs about 75 feet away. You then hand your bag to an Air Canada baggage handler, who puts it on your flight to Pittsburgh.

You must go through Canadian customs as well in both directions. By showing your boarding pass on the connecting flight, you are literally waved through and on your way.

Air Canada has nonstop flights to eight different European cities from Toronto. They fly the same aircraft that United and U.S. Airways use, except that theirs are newer and with more room between the seats.

When I went to pay for a drink before dinner, I also learned all the drinks are free. Since Air Canada is a member of the Star Alliance, you can also accumulate miles in the frequent flyer programs of either United or U.S. Airways.

The experience was so incredibly pleasant compared to changing planes in Philadelphia that I would gladly pay a bit more to use Air Canada again. Unfortunately the only inexpensive part of my trip was the airfare.

Although I have been traveling to London for more than 25 years, I am still a bit stunned at the prices of some things we take for granted.

Because I had booked my hotel room at a special rate, breakfast was not included. When I went to put the room service card on my door to order breakfast the next morning, I was taken aback at the price of 30 pounds ($59.10) for breakfast.

The next morning, I walked one block from my hotel, where I had a full English breakfast for 9 pounds ($17.73), still outrageous, but manageable.

I have also learned that "normal" restaurant prices are usually double that of the same meal found in a pub, and if you normally only have a sandwich for lunch, Pret a Manger should be your oasis. These shops found throughout London are similar to a Starbucks, except that they also have a large range of sandwiches and salads available, at what I consider close to American prices.

There are also many things unique to London that don't cost anything: The National Gallery, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and Speakers Corner for instance.

Although a bit pricey now, London is still a wonderful place to visit.

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