Travel question of the day: Simon Calder on the best time to book a trip to New York

Have a travel question that needs answering? Ask our expert Simon Calder

New York City might be one of the world's most popular destinations but you can still bag a bargain break (Shutterstock)

Q I’m looking to travel to New York City in February 2017. When’s the best time to book?

Meera Gunzi

A You could buy now and lock into a particular fare - probably around £450 return - but personally I would wait until the end of the year, not least in case plans change. It’s infuriating being locked into a non-refundable, non-postponable trip if something else comes up.

February is an off-peak month for leisure travel, apart from modest surges in demand caused by romantic travellers on Valentine breaks, and a small number of families on half-term trips.

So, assuming you are happy to fly from an airport in the London area, I would wait to see what British Airways and Virgin Atlantic decide to offer in their now-traditional New Year sales. Both airlines have periodic pushes to try to fill their spare capacity, and I would expect to see some good deals for your travel dates. If Heathrow and Gatwick are equally easy for you, the cheapest deals are likely to be on British Airways from the latter. Gatwick fares tend to be lower than Heathrow, though BA has only one flight a day from the Sussex airport.

I would also check what Norwegian is charging from Gatwick, though it is an even less frequent flyer.

Finally, can I persuade you to travel via Iceland? February is a great month to be there, with the chance of seeing the Northern Lights, and if you stay 24 hours or more on the way out then you pay only £13 in Air Passenger Duty, compared with £60 more if you fly direct.

Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder