CO_Bulkhead

I have an interesting dilemma and was wondering if someone would chime in with advice.

This morning I put on hold 2 F seats LHR to JFK (oneway award) for next spring. I really wanted two oneway award seats from CPH-LHR-JFK but BA has not yet released availability on the CPH-LHR flights for my particular day. If is available for virtually every other day that month. I am travelling late June 2012.

I have 5 days until the hold on the LHR-JFK segment expires and to pray that BA opens up the seats.

If BA does not, I will have to ticket the LHR-JFK flights and pay over $250 each in taxes and then purchase seperately the CPH-LHR flights. Right now you can buy the CPH-LHR segment on BA.com for 79 pounds each.

Here is the problem. When I asked the agent on the phone to combined the reservation ... purchase CPH-LHR and then use the award for LHR-JFK she said sure, but the BA segments were not 79 pounds, they were closer to 500 pounds each - AA did not have access to any other fare buckets.

Is there a way to make all of this work without me spending a ton of money. I would like to avoid paying the UK luxury tax. Ideally I want to ticket the whole thing CPH-LHR-JFK using the award, but don't mind spending 79 pounds plus a small amount in taxes if I have too.

Finally as a disclamer - there are no other oneworld routings that will work. My back is against the wall with flying through London. I am on a cruise that docks in CPH the morning I want to fly home. The cruise company said the earliest flight I can take out of CPH is at 11:00am. The only OneWorld connections that work are BA or AA via LHR.

Thanks for your help.

JJeffrey

Since your flight isn't until June 2012, I wouldn't worry at all about BA releasing your CPH-LHR flight. It might not happen in the next 5 days, but I'd be really surprised if it didn't open up at some point (coming to/from MMX, I've done CPH-LHR, both paid and award, seemingly 100's of times over the past 4 years).

If it were me, to avoid the luxury tax I'd ticket it from some other European city that has award availability to connect to your LHR-JFK flight. Check ARN, BRU, AMS, MAD, etc., pretty much anywhere.

Then, using the BA site, keep an eye on the CPH-LHR flight you want over the next year. When it opens up, give the EXP desk a call to make the change.

izzik

Are you intent on flying BA? If so, wouldn't you have to pay the fuel surcharge anyway (aside from APD)? Would the APD be an issue with a connection?

UserMark

1. When the 5 day hold expires, try holding it again for 5 more days. The flight (or another flight later that day) will most likely still be available.
2. Book the CPH-LHR-JFK for a different day, and change days later. The flights will surely open up for your day at some point.
3. Check CPH-LHR in coach.

AZbba

to avoid the change fee that's what I'd do... book cph/lhr another day and change it when availability opens up. Then since you have origin to destination you can change it if say cph-mad-jfk opens up.

Oh and don't forget your stopover in jfk and free one way to hawaii

CO_Bulkhead

Thanks for all the tips.

1) I will fly AA from LHR to JFK so will not pay BA fuel surcharge on that route.

2) Am I understanding everyone correctly? If I were to ticket today CPH-LHR on June X and LHR-JFK on June Y, there is no change fee to move LHR-CPH to June Y when it is available? I am AA Platinum.

3) Awesome idea for the add on flight - Hawaii or anywhere really for that matter!

JJeffrey

CPH-LHR on June X and LHR-JFK on June Y is not possible on one All-Partner award.

However, if a CPH-LHR flight the day before is available, and the connection is under 24 hrs., then you could do that, and change to your desired flight when it opens up for no fees.

tkelvin69

FYI - you can link a paid ticket to an award to avoid the APD out of LHR. I've only done this when having PNRs that AA can see and ask the tariff department review the connection to exclude the charge. You should be able to purchase CPH-LHR connecting to LHR-JFK award without the APD (I think the connection needs to be < 24hours - the info is in another long thread).

mikelat

As you're EXP, wouldn't you have the option to book the existing tickets and then re-deposit at no fee if/when the other flights come available? I guess there is a risk that the award seats for TATL wouldn't be immediately available again, but just wondering if it'd be another option.

jbalmuth

+1

That way you've locked in the F seats on the LHR - JFK segment, and more or less got the right pricing (i.e. no UK APD). Then the EXP desk can make the itinerary change later (presumably at no charge as long as you remain EXP)

ijgordon

OP needs to update his signature if he wants to get useful information; some of the advice that was posted above assumes free award redeposits, which is only an EXP benefit.