US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Any advantage to buy a TA ticket early?

I'm going to FCO in Jan and I can't see any reason to buy the ticket today. My travel dates are a little flexible too.

The Q fare (want to use my CP upgrades) is $680 + taxes now. Since FCO is slower in Jan I don't see that going up. However, a fare sale may bring it down but most sales are for W and V tickets.

I'm thinking to delay the purchase until Sept. or when the winter sales go into effect. Who knows, a mile promo may also come along. Of the few there have been recently, most had a stipulation that you had to but the ticket within certain dates.

Also by delaying, I can get a better gauge on which days still have 6 row 1 seats available and what the envoy loads are like. I may pick the flights depending on those factors.

All of this tells me there is no hurry to buy the ticket today.

Have I missed anything?

mileshound, my thinking mirrors yours :)

I'm also waiting to book transAtlantic, for the same reasons. I'm flexible with travel dates and plans, and I actually prefer Europe in the off-season when it's cooler and the crowds are gone.

I'd be shocked if Q fares get any higher than what they are now! I usually travel with another CP, so we get to be each other's companion for the UG certs and simply "have" to do Europe at least twice a year :)

The only thing you have missed is if you are using miles for other travel companions (besides the two you are doing) and can confirm envoy now and get the Row 1 seats. Otherwise, no.

I disagree - chances are that the upgradeable buckets won't be used in any fare sale so you might as well confirm yourself now. If the fare goes down, AFAIK you can still get a credit for the difference - but double check that as it may not apply to Transatlantic flights.

I believe (but am open to correction) that you clear the 7-day upgrade window in order of when you put in your upgrade request, something that can't be done until you buy the ticket. Ergo, if other CPs don't share your logic and are buying now, you could be waiting at the gate for a seat (and surely not in Row1 at that point) and be just out of luck.

FWIW.

If I buy a ticket now for January, I would use miles. When I use my Upgrade certs, I buy B fares. Makes life simple.

The Q fare is $680+ taxes and the B fare is $2293 + taxes. Not a hard choice there. No sense to use miles for the ticket when I have the certs. I wasted them last year and vowed not to waste them again. Also, my travel is way down and I probably will never be a CP again. The trip was planned for march until I realized i may have no air or hotel status then. :mad:

I'd be surprised if I don't clear outbound on a Wed or Thurs in Jan. and returning on a Tues. If I use miles I blow the 80K plus I don't get the 20K fo the trip. I'll use the 100k for FC on LH. The wife is also going so double that, plus I'm using the companion portion of the ticket so i get full value there.

It is interesting that the flight I'm looking at now only has 5 envoy seats taken on the 330. I could upgrade w/ miles or a Y/B today. I'm not doing that, but it shows how the demand is low (ie price may drop, upgrade easier).

Interesting point about the upgrade queue order. I need to think about that.

The other thing that ticks me off is the website. I want to take the earlier flight to PHL since it is winter. I can't get the website to give me that option. I need book by price so I get the Q fare. A 1 1/2 hour connection in PHL in the winter vs hanging out in the Envoy lounge is not pleasing to me....especially if I have to do an upgrade dance at the gate.

So far the theory of delaying is not working.

Price just went up by $50 for the Q fare.

It is difficult to be patient. With all that is going on in England and Europe, there may be a big fall sale.

My theory is to buy the ticket now if I'm willing to pay that price, and if the price does happen to go down, then I get the voucher for the difference in fare.

The Q fare is $680+ taxes and the B fare is $2293 + taxes. Where are you travelling from, and what dates?

According to the US Fare Calculator (http://fs.usairways.com/abs/fareQuote.do), I don't find these numbers anywhere.

For instance, PHL-FCO on Aug 2, a Q fare is 1200 + taxes, and a B fare is $1632 + taxes.

On Jan 7, the Q is down to 702 abd the B is still 1632. (Dates picked at random)

Where are you travelling from, and what dates?

According to the US Fare Calculator (http://fs.usairways.com/abs/fareQuote.do), I don't find these numbers anywhere.

For instance, PHL-FCO on Aug 2, a Q fare is 1200 + taxes, and a B fare is $1632 + taxes.

On Jan 7, the Q is down to 702 abd the B is still 1632. (Dates picked at random)


ALB-FCO

I recently went thru the same decision process for travel in late Jan: PIT-CDG, then LGW-PIT. I found a few things that some here may know, but I did not. On the Q fare (this one at least) the open jaw did not cost any more than r/t to either city (both r/t's were roughly the same cost). Also, I called CP line to book since I was having trouble with the Q fare and open jaw on the website. I actually saved money since by booking on the website, it forced Q fare on my PIT-PHL cnx, thereby increasing the price. When CP booked it, they were able to give me the cheapest fare bucket (I forget the code) on PIT-PHL and PHL-PIT, but put me in Q on the transatlantic. I ended up paying about $670 with all the taxes. They have me in the upg queue on the domestic portion using normal CP upgrade, and on the transatlantic portion using the certs. By calling, I was also able to book my PIT-PHL flight with a longer (4.5 hr) cnx time in PHL, since I do NOT want to take any chances sitting on the ground in PHL waiting for a gate while my transatlantic flight takes off.

I booked my TA tickets for December a few weeks ago to make sure we had those flights. Since I fly US enought I had no problem taking a voucher for the fare differences which should come in a month or two.

Just as a FYI that I found out about when I looked at an open-jaw between CDG and LHR, it was pretty darn cheap to throw in a BD segment (40 bucks more) in between rather than add it on separately, as I was already paying all of the necessary taxes on the longhaul segments for the two countries.

-JC