I'll be spending the first week of July in London, traveling the weekend before and the weekend after. I've looked on British Air & Delta & see prices of ~$1,400 and ~$2,200 per seat for economy plus. For the space and checked bag coverage this is minimum ticket I need.

It seems that current offers for travel in the near/upcoming weeks is a lot lower, but then I'm traveling in summer, which I presume are peak days.

Should I expect for new, low-cost deals to be offered if I wait? Are these the prices I should lock in? Should I make a combo deal with airline and hotel or book the hotel separately?

Normally, if you’re booking a trip for a week or so, you only get a cheap fare if you stay over at least one Saturday. Book a Monday through Friday flight, as many business travelers do, and the airlines gouge you. However, if you fly British Airways and book a package deal through its website (flight + rental car, hotel, etc.), you used to be granted access to the cheapo rates, leisure travel category. Good luck

I thought all international flights include a checked bag and carry on?

Not sure if they fly out of where you are, but have you looked into Iceland Air?

We went last April and they were among the lowest price we could find for our dates at that time.

They are pretty much a no frills airline, but I really didn't have any complaints.

You're paying peak-fares, use Google Flights to check flights prices and see the history of airfare fluctuations.

Keep in mind, UK airports are the most expensive in Europe for surcharges and taxes. Heathrow is the most expensive, Gatwick right behind. British Air is the dominant player at Heathrow, just about every airline has flights going in and out of there, they code-share with American Air so, if you have miles with AA you can apply them to BA.

Visit the Holland and Holland gun room.

Also, if you fly into Heathrow, take the train into the city, and the Underground from there.

I sincerely hope BA has got their feces assembled. We booked round-trip on BA in the spring of 2017. Return flight was a magnum Charlie Foxtrot. We ended up flying home on American—who took good care of us. It seems the trouble is that British Airways, which had a steller reputation, hired a CEO from a Spanish economy carrier. Service plummeted.

We went to London specifically to see Clapton at the Royal Albert Hall. I can recommend the Queen’s Gate Hotel, near the RAH, if that part of the city interests you. We walked downtown from there, not terribly close, but very doable.

Thanks for the tips. I'm working along on these.