What I would do if i was flying down from uk , if use an airline like jet blue that offers good comp. items , like unlimited snack and drinks , personal tv at your seat and the such . The deals you get for the most part from airlines are small , the usually all run the same price . So if i had to pay a few bucks extra for an airline that's comfortable I would . That is probably a long flight .
Than if i wanted to save some money I would go on the forums and ask to see who is going to gen con , maybe pm some people and ask about splitting a room , a lot of times people are already sharing and dont mind an extra person to further drop the costs , also that's a good way to get to know some people so your not alone and have some drinking buddies .
If iam sharing a room I like to get a room at the venue usually , its nice to have the option to just go up to your room for a few minutes and just chill and get away from the crowed or maybe drop stuff off and pick up other stuff .