London a jolly good deal at $544 R-T on United

Demand for airline seats continue to sink, yet airfares remain steady. Train your eye for deals and then travel in the direction of that wind.

For instance, an airfare deal from United to London, England fits that tactic.

Maybe you’ve put off thinking of a trip across the pond due to the high cost? Today the price is quite affordable.

United’s base rate of $162 to London is valid on trips finished on or before April 2. The inclusive rate (all taxes, fees, surcharges) is $543.71.

The rate is valid seven days a week, based on availability. Give at least a one week advance notice of travel. Plan to stay one weekend to one month. Buy tickets through March 1.

I particularly like United’s routing to London. The departure from Atlanta to Washington D.C.’s Dulles Airport is 7:24 p.m. (arriving 9:08pm) — which can let you get in nearly a full day at the office. The departure from D.C. is 10:04 p.m. and arriving into Heathrow at 10:15am.

The return route is friendly with a departure from Heathrow at 3:20 p.m.; arriving D.C. at 7:48 p.m. The connection to Atlanta departs at 10:11 p.m. and arrives Hartsfield-Jackson at 11:59pm.

The affordable way to reach central London from Heathrow isn’t the Heathrow Express (a round-trip ticket starts around $45), but on regular Tube routes. Yes, this way will take longer (about 45 minutes) but costs far less at around £4, or under $8.

Board the Piccadilly Line at Heathrow to Hammersmith station. With your same ticket, cross the platform to board any eastbound District Line train to Victoria station - the most central station in London. From Victoria, take one more train (taxi’s are too pricey!) or walk to your hotel.

When it comes time to booking a hotel stay, sit back and watch SideStep.com do all the searching for you!

The Web site searches all of the major travel sites such as Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotels, and many, many more in seconds.

A quick entry for March dates in London reveals a very special hotel (a bit of a secret, actually) — Club Quarters in Gracechurch — situated in the ancient center of London and within a short walk to Tower of London and Tower Bridge (average nightly rate $111). Club Quarters has a few select locations around the world and is a private hotel used mostly by corporate travelers having partial ownership. With a murky economy keeping many of those biz travelers at home, the hotel can occasionally open up rooms during the week (common over weekends). You’ll find top amenities here.

Another fine choice in London at the same price point (about $111) is the Kensington Close Hotel. The Kensington neighborhood is my favorite for its central locale to all attractions and the easy walk to the Tube stations. The facilities at this four-stary hotel would narrow my choices down fast. It’s big with 550 guestrooms, but there’s a pub-grill on-site, a steakhouse, and a luxury health and fitness club with a 60-foot heated indoor pool, Jacuzzi, a fully-equipped gym, a steamroom and a spa for treatments and studio classes run throughout the day. Depending on the method of reservation, the cost to use the health and spa facilities can vary from free to about £5 per day.

See hundreds more hotel choices, in all price categories, at SideStep - http://www.sidestep.com