I just received the airline tickets in the mail for my flight back home in October. I'm returning to attend my nephew's wedding on October 18. I had quite a time booking this flight. The closest airport to Harrogate is Leeds Bradford Airport, but since there are no flights to the U.S. from that airport, I'll have to change planes in London. Since I booked a free flight with United using all those miles I logged while flying to and from Tokyo, I have an additional change in Chicago. On the flight to the U.S. I have a long layover in London -- four hours! I wonder if that will be long enough for me to pop into town before taking off. I'll probably be too anxious to risk it.

It really seems as if it was eaiser to fly from Tokyo to Baltimore. Harrogate is just not that conveniently placed for air travel to the U.S. As an alternative to Leeds Bradford Airport, I could have flown out of Manchester International. But it would be a good 2.5 to 3 hour drive to Manchester Airport and Brad would have had to take off work to take me there and pick me up. (The travel agent recommended against taking a train to Manchester Airport because rail travel here is so unreliable.) I guess my best bet, then, is to fly out of Leeds via London. If I were paying for the flight, I could fly direct to BWI from London via British Airways, so that's what I'll recommend to visitors from Maryland.