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Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:11 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Prospero
Welcome to the thread—but please read this bit first
New to the thread? Welcome! If you are asking about obtaining tier points in the current sale, please read the following posts first.
  • from DUB, IL28SALE - to US reported here, e.g. JFK - €1140, LAX - €1395, HNL - €1395, needs to be booked by 27 Jan, see linked post for valid travel periods
  • from CPH, IL28SALE - to US reported here, e.g. JFK - £804, LAX - £1149, HNL - £1220, needs to be booked by 27 Jan, see linked post for valid travel periods
  • from BRU, IL28SALE - to US reported here, e.g. JFK - £1344, LAX - £1367, HNL - £1465, needs to be booked by 15 Jan, see linked post for valid travel periods

If your question is not answered there, or you want more help, please do post in the Business Class IL28SALE fares: DUB/CPH/BRU to North America thread and join in.

In the rest of this wiki, we keep track of other prices, as well as useful reference information for those planning tier point runs.

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This is a community-maintained wiki post. Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below!

This thread lists attractive tier point (TP) runs under £3 per TP grouped within different (departure) geographies

Please note the following:
  • Current availability is not guaranteed.
  • All prices include taxes.

Please use the following convention when adding tier point runs to this wiki post:

Price per Tier Point | Total Price | Total Tier Points | Route | Booking Classes | Booking Channel | Credit | Notes (if applicable) | Airlines

Please remember to:
  • Convert currencies to GBP, rounding to the nearest pound.
  • Post full routes and full booking classes.
  • Note any restrictions on booking in the Notes section.

North & Central America
£0.75/TP | £685 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-SAP-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I/I/A/A | aa.com | JimmyTheJock | AA
£0.78/TP | £713 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-SAL-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I/I/A/A | aa.com | Filthy Monkey | AA (Updated 29 July '14)
£0.78/TP | £718 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-PTY-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I/I/A/A | aa.com | onobond | AA updated 04 Oct 14
£0.96/TP | £1080 | 1120TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-LIM-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I//I/A/A | aa.com | Lorcancoyle
£1.01/TP | £909 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-GCM-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I//I/A/A | aa.com | Pinkcat
£1.02/TP | £909 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-BZE-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I//I/A/A | aa.com | Pinkcat

£0.81/TP | £504 | 620TPs | PTY-MIA-MCO or LAS -LAX retrun | I/A/A/A/A/I | aa.com | Chris1979 |
£0.89/TP | £823 | 920TPs | SAL-MIA-LAX-HNL-LAX-MIA-SAL | I/A/A/A/A/I | aa.com | Filthy Monkey | Long layovers | AA (Updated 29 July '14)
£1.81/TP | £561 | 310TPs | SJU-MIA-LAX-LAS | I/A/P | aa.com | xenole | Itinerary can be reversed for same price/TPs | AA
£1.51/TP | £1397 | 920TP | SJU-MIA-LAX-HNL-LAX-MIA-SJU | aa.com xenole (Updated 11th Dec 2014) - price seems to be pretty consistent throughout 2015

£1.08/TP | £335 | 310TPs | PLS-MIA-LAX-SFO | I/A/A | aa.com | abitwild | AA (Updated 29 July '14)

£0.93/TP | £288 | 310TPs | SFO-LAX-MIA-PLS | A/A/I | aa.com | abitwild | AA (Updated 29 July '14)
£1.35/TP | £323 | 240TPs | SFO-PHX/LAX-LAS | A/A/A/A | various | AA
£1.56/TP | £970 | 620TPs | SFO-LAX-MIA-CUN-MIA-LAX-SFO | A/A/I/I/A/A | aa.com | chris1979/courtster | SFO can be changed to LAS for same price/TPs | AA
£1.44/TP | £534 | 370TPs | SFO - LAX - LAS - MIA - PLS | A/A/A/I | aa.com | theultimateflyer | AA (Updated 31 July '14)

£1.05/TP | £566 | 540TPs | LAX-CLT-NAS NAS-CLT-LAX | A/A/A/A | chris1979 | US

£1.20/TP | £505 | 420TPs | PBI - LAX - PBI | P | aa.com | Cymro | AA

£1.38/TP | £581 | 420TPs | SEA-MIA-SEA | P/P | aa.com | OWBA | AA
£1.44/TP | £776 | 540TPs | SEA-PHL-DCA-PHL-SEA | A/A/A/A | usairways.com | OWBA | US
£1.57/TP | £282 | 180TPs | SEA-CLT-ATL-CLT-SEA | K/K/K/K (economy) | usairways.com | OWBA | US
£1.27/TP | £230 | 180TPs | SEA-PHX-EWR-PHL-SEA | K/K/K/K (economy) | usairways.com | OWBA | US
£1.14/TP | £205 | 180TPs | SEA-CLT-TPA-CLT-SEA | K/K/K/K (economy) | usairways.com | angatol | US
£1.30/TP | £353 | 270TPs | SFO-CLT-JFK | A/A | usairways.com | frb98mf | US

£0.97/TP | £640 | 660TPs | LGA-BOS(or PHL)-PHX-LGB-PHX-BOS(or PHL)-LGA | A/A/A/A/A/A | usairways.com | alexbellamy | US
£1.07/TP | £640 | 600TPs | LGA-BOS(or PHL)-PHX-LGB LGB-PHX-JFK | A/A/A/A/A | chris1979 | US
£0.86/TP until 6 March, £0.98/TP after | £764 (£668 until 6 March) | 780TPs | LGA-PHL-LAX-PHX-LGB-PHX-LAX-CLT-LGA | A/A/A/A/A/A/A/A | hipmunk.com (you can enter exact flight #s using ITA route language; hipmunk loads the flights into usairways.com) | HPN-HRL | US
£1.31/TP | £784 | 600TPs | JFK-CLT-PHX-SJD-SJD-PHX-JFK | A/A/A/A/A | usairways.com | KARFA | US

£0.98/TP | £215 | 220TPs | BOS-JFK-DCA-MIA-SJU | A/A/A/I | aa.com | HPN-HRL | Itinerary can be reversed for same price/TPs | AA

£1.05/TP | £423 | | 400TPs | RIC-DFW-SJU-DFW-RIC | A/I/I/A | wenzlydale | AA

£1.51/TP | £815 | 540TPs | PDX-PHL-BOS-PHL-PDX | A/A/A/A | usairways.com | OWBA | US

£1.76/TP | £740 | 420TPs | DFW-ANC-DFW | P/P | aa.com | OWBA | AA

£1.04/TP | £1001 | 960TPs | YYZ-PHL-PHX-HNL-PHX-PHL-YYZ | A/A/A/A/A/A | matrix | kellytoronto | US

Europe
£1.33/TP | £319 | 240TPs | JER-LGW-MLA-LGW-JER | J/R/R/J | ba.com | skipcool3 | BA
£1.96/TP | £471 | 240TPs | JER-LGW-MLA-LGW-JER | I/I/I/I | ba.com | continentalclub | Sat Night Stay | BA
£1.62/TP | £259 | 160TPs | JER-LGW-AMS-LGW-JER | J/R/R/J | ba.com | joejet | BA
£1.66/TP | £398 | 240TPs | JER-LGW/LHR-HEL-LHR/LGW-JER | J/R/R/J | ba.com | KARFA | BA
£1.98/TP | £139 | 70TPs | LHR-DME-LHR | ? | ba.com | stewaran BA

£2.14/TP | £513 | 240TPs | BOD-LGW//LHR-HEL-LHR//LGW-BOD | I/I/I/I | ba.com | Avnu | BA

£2.35/TP | £376 | 160TPs | LHR-HEL-LHR | I/I | ba.com | lorcancoyle | BA
£1.69/TP | £271 | 160TP | LHR-HEL-LHR | I-I| ba.com | Herman ze German| also needs 15.000 Avios to reduce price by £100, otherwise £2.31/TP | BA
£2.26/TP | £181 | 80TPs | LGW-JER-LGW | R/R | ba.com | BA
£1.55/TP | £248 | 160TPs | LGW-MLA-LGW | R/R | ba.com | LDNConsultant | BA
£2.49/TP | £199 | 80TPs | LGW-AMS-LGW | R/R | ba.com | BA
£1.69/TP | £270 | 160TPs | LGW-RAK-LGW | I/I | ba.com | nufnuf77 | BA
£2.60/TP | £104 | 40TPs | LGW-RAK-LGW | O/O | ba.com | lorcancoyle | HBO fare, only midweek, Nov-14 to Mar-15, o/w slightly cheaper at £2.45 | BA

Far East, South & Central Asia, Middle East, and Australia
£1.59/TP | £891 | 560TPs | CTS-HKG-DPS-HKG-CTS | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | TEX277 | CX (overnight connections required)

£1.06/TP | £594 | 560TPs | TPE-KUL-DEL-KUL-TPE | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Oct 2014
£1.13/TP | £400 | 360TPs | TPE-KUL-SIN-KUL-TPE | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | chongcao | MH
£1.25/TP | £452 | 360TPs | TPE-HKG-SUB-HKG-TPE | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | SinoBritAsia | CX
£1.27/TP | £457 | 360TPs | TPE-HKG-DPS-HKG-TPE | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | TEX277 | CX
£1.27/TP | £459 | 360TPs | TPE-KUL-BKK-KUL-TPE | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£1.32/TP | £474 | 360TPs | TPE-HKG-CGK-HKG-TPE | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | TEX277 | CX

£1.97/TP | £315 | 160TPs | CAN-HKG-TPE-HKG-CAN | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | SinoBritAsia | KA/CX

£1.39/TP | £471 | 360TPs | SIN-KUL-KTM-KUL-SIN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | qasr | MH
£1.41/TP | £476 | 360TPs | SIN-KUL-DEL-KUL-SIN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | qasr | MH
£1.49/TP | £504 | 360TPs | SIN-KUL-TPE-KUL-SIN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | qasr | MH
£2.12/TP | £309 | 160TPs | SIN-KUL-KCH-KUL-SIN | D/D/D/D | malaysiaairlines.com | qasr | MH
£1.81/TP | £650 | 360TPs | SIN-KUL-DXB-KUL-SIN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | Wozza2404 | MH

£1.85/TP | £740 | 400TPs | BKK-DOH-DWC-DOH-BKK | D/A/A/D | qatarairways.com | Wozza2404 | QR

£1.22/TP | £442 | 360TPs | DEL-KUL-BKK-KUL-DEL | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£1.31/TP | £736 | 560TPs | DEL-KUL-NRT-KUL-DEL | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | Seshy | MH - updated Oct 2014 ( book by Nov 5th 2014)
£1.13/TP | £630 | 560TPs | DEL-KUL-PEK-KUL-DEL | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | GinFizz | MH (book by Nov 5th 2014)

£1.13/TP | £630 | 560TPs | PEK-KUL-KTM-KUL-PEK | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | GinFizz | MH (book by Oct 31st 2014 - but seems to reappear every few months)

£0.69/TP | £259 | 360TPs | BKK-KUL-TPE-KUL-BKK | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£0.73/TP | £265 | 360TPs | BKK-KUL-DEL-KUL-BKK | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£1.17/TP | £421 | 360TPs | BKK-KUL-NRT-KUL-BKK | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£1.62/TP | £584 | 360TPs | BKK-KUL-DXB-KUL-BKK | Z/J/J/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | chiefwiggumpi | MH

£1.65/TP | £914 | 560TPs | ICN-KUL-SYD-KUL-ICN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | armagebedar | SYD can be changed to MEL for same price/TPs | MH

£1.59/TP | £255 | 160TPs | BEY-AMM-AQJ-AMM-BEY | D/D/D/D | rj.com | DeanB | RJ

South America


Africa


Europe<->North & South America
£0.62/TP | £778 | 1250TPs | JER-LGW//LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL-PHX-JFK/EWR-LHR-HEL-MAN | J/I/I/A/A/A/I/I/I | BA Call centre | hawklx | book by 4-Dec-14, travel by 3-Jan-15, other restrictions apply | BA/IB/AA/US/AY

£0.82/TP | £853 | 1020TPs | MAN/NCL-LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL-LAX-JFK-LHR-MAN/NCL | J/I/I/A/A/I/I/J | BA Call centre | Jamier45 and nufnuf77 | book by 4-Dec-14, travel by 3-Jan-15, other restrictions apply | BA/IB/AA/US
£0.74/TP | £853 | 1160TPs | MAN/NCL-LHR-JFK-PHX-HNL-PHX-JFK-LHR-MAN/NCL | I/I/A/A/A/A/I/I | BA Call centre | Jamier45 and nufnuf77 | Book by 4-Dec-14, travel by 3-Jan-15 | BA/AA/IB/US

£1.29/TP | £1732 | 1340TPs | DUB-LCY-JFK-PHX-HNL-PHX-JFK-LCY-DUB | J/I/A/P/P/A/I/J | BA call centre | diamond club freeloader | BA/US, exemplar dates 16-20 Jul 2015
£1.56/TP | £1750 | 1120TPs | DUB-PHL-PHX-HNL-LAX-CLT-DUB | I/A/A/A/A/I | BA call centre | EDIflyer/dutch_122 | US/AA
£1.56/TP | £1625 | 1040 TP | DUB-LCY-JFK-PHX-LAS-PHX-JFK-LCY//LHR-DUB | J/I/A/A/A/A/I/J | BA or AA | Calchas | Expires 23 Sept 2014

£1.88/TP | £1449 | 770TPs | DUB-LHR-JFK-LAX-LAS/SFO-JFK-LCY/LHR-BRU | J/I/I/A/I/I/J | BA or AA | Lorcancoyle | BA/AA (#4029)

£1.21/TP | £1640 | 1360TPs | AMS-HEL-LHR//LCY-JFK-LAX-HNL-LAX-BOS-LHR-HEL-BRU | I/J/I/I/A/A/A/I/I/I | LHR T5 Zone E | Cerebus | AY/BA/AA
£1.86/TP | £1942 | 1040TPs | AMS-LCY-JFK-LAS-LAX-SFO-JFK-LCY-AMS | J/I/A/A/A/A/I/J | aa.com | LDNConsultant | BA/AA

£1.51/TP | £1817 | 1200TPs | BRU-LHR-BOS-LAX-HNL-LAX-BOS-LHR-BRU | I/I/A/A/A/A/I/I | aa.com | JimEddie | Sat night stay required | BA/AA
£1.78/TP | £1640 | 920TPs | BRU-LHR//LCY-JFK-SEA-JFK-LCY//LHR-BRU | I/I/A/A/I/I | BA call centre | stifle | Sat night stay required | BA/AA
£1.85/TP | £500 | 270TPs | BRU-PHL-PHX-IAH-CLT-PHL-BRU | R/R/R/R/R/R (US Airways' equivalent of BA O Class) | usairways.com | BA0197 |Sat night stay required/ other ex-EU destinations similarly priced/ Winter Holiday times | US

£1.33/TP | £1990 | 1500TPs | ARN-HEL-LHR//LCY-JFK-PHX-HNL-PHX-JFK-LCY//LHR-HEL-ARN | I/J/I/A/A/A/A/I/J/I | Agehall | ILR28AP fare | AY/BA/AA/US

£1.43/TP | £1492 | 1040TPs | MXP-LHR/LCY-JFK-PHX-SEA-PHX-JFK-LCY/LHR-MXP | J/I/A/A/A/A/I/J | aa.com | ringingup | BA/AA

£2.18/TP | £1349 | 620TPs | PRG-LHR-LCY-JFK-ORD//DCA-JFK-LCY-LHR-PRG | J/I/A/A/I/J | BA call centre | ringingup | BA/AA

£2.61/TP | £2189 | 790TPs | IST-LHR/LCY-JFK-EZE-MIA-LHR-IST | I/I/I/I/I/I | aa.com | nth_utsera_sth_utsera | BA/AA

£2.25/TP | £225 | 100TPs | OSL-LHR-JFK//BOS-JFK-LHR-MAN | S/O/O/O/S | ba.com | perthflyer | Book by 19/11/14 for travel up to March 2015. Sat. night stay req. | BA/AA

Europe<-> Far East, South & Central Asia, Middle East, and Australia
£2.19/TP | £1231 | 560TPs | CDG-DOH-KTM-DOH-CDG | I/I/I/I | qatarairways.com | nth_utsera_sth_utsera | QR
£2.25/TP | £1255 | 560TPs | DME-DOH-SGN-DOH-DME | I/I/I/I | qatarairways.com | continentalclub | QR
£2.73/TP | £1257 | 460TPs | GOT-LHR-SIN-BKK-HKG-LHR-GOT | J/I/I/I/I/J | ba.com | lorcancoyle | BA

Africa<->Rest of the World
£2.19/TP | £1842 | 840TPs | CAI-LHR-JFK-EZE-JFK-LHR-CAI | D/D/D/D/D/D | aa.com | nth_utsera_sth_utsera | Transatlantic must be AA metal | BA/AA
£1.67/TP | £667 | 400TPs | CAI-DOH-BKK-DOH-CAI | qatarairways.com | Phil the Flyer | ex-CAI via DOH to MXP, FCO, ZRH, FRA all currently available for between GBP1.70 and GBP1.80/TP | QR

£2.92/TP | £1405 | 480TPs | JNB-SYD-PER-SYD-JNB | R/I/I/R | qantas.com | beardoc | Note that R is premium economy and not business (FARE NOW DEAD)

Upgrading Using Avios (UUA)
Summary guide to bookings which can be upgraded with Avios:
  • BA issued tickets (can include other carriers) ^
  • TA issued (on BA stock) booking with only BA flights ^
  • TA issued (on BA stock) booking with other carriers
  • Tickets issued on non-BA stock
TA has to issue the ticket in the country of your BAEC membership as well.

Notes
  • The ITA Matrix tool cannot be used to book tickets.
  • Some TP runs can be booked online at aa.com. Be sure to use the Sort by schedule option in order to locate the exact flights you found on the ITA Matrix tool.
  • A guide to using the ITA Matrix tool can be found here.
and externally here: http://hackmytrip.com/2012/01/introd...-to-using-ita/

AA 2,000+ mile routes (210 TPs in F)
DFW - ANC, SJU, HNL
JFK – SEA, LAS, SAN
LAX - BOS, FLL, IAD, MIA, YYZ, HNL, MCO, TPA
MIA – SFO, LAS, SEA, SLC (from March 2015)
ORD – SJU, ANC, HNL

US Airways 2,000+ mile routes (210 TPs in F)
PHX- SJO, BOS, EWR, ANC, HNL, JFK and PHL
PHL- SAN, LAX, LAS, SFO, PHX, PDX and SEA
CLT -SAN, LAX, SFO, PDX, SEA and SMF
DCA - LAS
RDU -LAX
SMF - BWI
There are also once a week flights from CLT to BGI and from ATL to SMF

oneworld Codeshares for the BA LCY-JFK Flights
BA1 - IB4601, AY5401, AA6229, and US7408
BA2 - IB4600, AY5402, AA6228, and US7410

BA3 - IB4685, AY5403, AA6231, and US7409
BA4 - IB4684, AY5404, AA6230, and US7411

To enter into the matrix:
Outbound - BA1, IB4601, AY5401, AA6229, US7408, BA3, IB4685, AY5403, AA6231, US7409
Inbound - BA2, IB4600, AY5402, AA6228, US7410, BA4, IB4684, AY5404, AA6230, US7411

All should earn 210 TPs, but avios earning will differ depending on codeshare booked.

BA/AY short haul+ routes (earn 80 TPs in CE one way)
LHR to Athens (ATH), Bucharest (OTP), Gran Canaria (LPA), Helsinki (HEL), Istanbul (IST), Kiev (KBP), Kos (KGS) due to start May 2015, Larnaca (LCA), Mykonos (JMK), Santonrini (JTR), Sofia (SOF), and St Petersburg (LED).

LGW to Algiers (ALG), Bodrum (BJV) due to start late April 2015, Dalaman (DLM) due to start late April 2015, Fuerteventura (FUE) due to start 13 December 2014 (does not show as a short haul+ route on BAEC calculator but that seems to be an error), Heraklion (HER) due to start late April 2015, Lanzarote (ACE), Larnaca (LCA), Las Palmas (LPA) due to start March 2015, Madeira Funchal (FNC) due to start March 2015, Malta (MLA), Marrakech (RAK), Paphos (PFO), Rhodes (RHO) due to start late April 2015, Tenerife (TFS), Thessaloniki (SKG), and Tirana (TIA).

LCY to Mykonos (JMK) and Santonrini (JTR) - both for June to September 2015.

MAN to Helsinki (HEL) operated by BE for AY.

LGW to Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH) due to start September 2015 - although this route will be flown wil A320 aircraft and CE/ET cabins, as noted here have been advised that it will attract longhaul TPs, so 140 TPs each way in J.
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BA Tier Point runs | 2014 master thread

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Old Jan 5, 2013, 12:35 pm
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Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
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Arrow BA Tier Point runs | 2014 master thread



This thread is a continuation of the hugely popular BA Tier Point runs thread. This is intended to be a starting point for finding key origin and destinations to tailor your tier point runs, but you will still need to do some leg work to find the correct dates and flights. Also, don't forget that with some of these fares there will be a positioning cost associated to get to the start of the tier point run.


Acknowledgments
Special thanks to corporate-wage-slave, Stez, JonWB and all our members who supported the old BA Tier Point runs thread.


Unlike Avios points which can be earned through a multitude of activities, Tier Points can only be earned through the pursuit of flying and are earned on all commercial BA and oneworld fares (subject to a few exceptions). The number of Tier Points you accrue is entirely dependent on the fare class (or selling class in BA lingo) your tickets are booked in. Below is the full earning chart which covers BA flights and oneworld partner flights. For the purpose of maximising your Tier Point earning, it is recommended you focus on the two right hand column (business and first class)




BA/AY short haul+ routes:

MAN-HEL on AY code (BE metal)
LHR-DME on S7 code (BA metal). Note: BA code accrues at Club World rates
LGW-SKG and LGW-PFO are seasonal routes



List of BA/other long haul, 6,000 miles and over:

BA: LGW - MRU
BA: LHR - CPT | EZE | HND | NRT | SIN



AA: DFW - NRT | ICN
AA: DFW - ICN | NRT
AA: JFK - HND
AA: LAX - PVG
AA: ORD - PVG | NRT



CX: HKG - JFK | LAX | ORD | SFO | YVR | YYZ | JNB


IB: MAD - EZE | SCL | MVD


JL: NRT - BOS | CDG | JFK | LHR | ORD
JL: HND - CDG



LA: SCL - MAD | FRA
LA: SCL - AKL | SYD



MH: KUL - AMS | CDG | FRA | LHR (from 01 Feb 2013)


QF: BNE - DFW | LAX
QF: MEL - LAX
QF: SIN - FRA | LHR
QF: SYD - DFW | LAX | JNB | SCL



RJ: AMM - ORD | DTW


Starting your run from Continental Europe
Here are a few popular examples to give you a flavour of what can be achieved at a relatively respectable price. Note, any fare prices shown in this post are indicative and reflect the rates checked at the time of writing. Fares do vary considerably, so check this thread from time to time for prevailing fares/offers/promotions etc

Naturally, to get to the most cost advantageous origin, positioning flights (and most likely, overnight accommodation) is an inevitable factor. Athens is the flavour of the moment for cheap (I class) transatlantic flights in business class. Thanks to the BA/AA Joint Business Venture, it is now possible to construct connections within the United States for very little extra. However, the lowest I class fares usually come with stop over and Saturday night stay restrictions, but it is possible to spread out your itinerary by constructing connections of up to 24 hours, if you prefer a trip that is gentler on the body.



Note, 210 Tier Points are earned on Club World London City flights between LCY and JFK in lieu of the 140 Tier Points typically earned for the equivalent Club World flights between LHR/LGW and North America.


North American domestic first/business class runs
Central America and the Caribbean have become hot spots for TP earning frenzies out of the United States in recent years. AA's Instant Upgrade fares from the west cost to Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Nicaragua amongst many other destinations in the region deliver excellent Tier Point yields. So much so, that with a little bit of planning and of course time, it is possible to rack up TPs at an alarming rate.
Planning and booking tips
  • If you're old school, like me, the first step is to download and immerse oneself in AA's flight schedule: The current timetable is available, here.
  • Familiarise yourself with AA.com's Multi-City booking tool. Don't leave more than 24 hours between flights
  • Select city pairs (if possible) in excess of 2,000 miles apart (see diagram below)
  • Avoid AA codeshare flights on non-oneworld metal. There is no TP credit on these flights
  • 757 - As fantastically racy as these aircraft are, the first class seat requires a health warning. Think very carefully before committing yourself to a 5 hour red-eye 757 flight. Row 1 on the 757 is also worth avoiding.
  • 777 - Yes the big birds do operate on a few domestic routes (eg. MIA-LAX). Like their senior, and more petite 767-200 siblings which ply the JFK-LAX transcon route, seats on these aircraft are sold as business as well as the usual first and economy classes
  • MCO - As American Airlines' low yield focus city, Orlando is your friend
  • Schedule changes - AA routinely gives its domestic timetable a jolly good shake (twice a year) so if you've booked your flights with plenty of advanced notice, expect a few changes to happen between now and the date of departure
The following diagram illustrates American Airlines' current domestic city pairs greater than 2,000 miles apart. Note, the forward cabin on flights serving SJU and YYZ are sold as business rather than first class. Anchorage is typically a seasonal route. Routes are subject to change so again downloading the lastest timetable from aa.com is recommended.



Looking at the example below and having taken a LAS-MIA-SJU excursion myself last year, I enjoying the experience immensely. While not working the system with the same zeal as others and with that failing to join the ranks of the Managua GGLs, the two days R&R spent on the ocean front proved to be a splendidly rewarding by product.

Something to be aware of with premium cabins on flights operated by American Airlines: flights operating entirely within the United States are marketed as first class; those operating outwith the US are marketed as business class.



I've highlighted the LAS-LAX-MIA-SJU routing not because it is the best earner. There are other routings that yield a greater sum of TPs and invariably at a better price but because this is a such gentle itinerary. The outbound legs can be accomplished in a single day, albeit with an early start. The inbound is even easier and a noon start is possible, a beneficiary of the westerly routing where the changing time zones work in our favour.

Note, the flights between MIA and SJU are sold as business class and thus accrue 40 Tier points. For those planning a trip from the Midwest or East Coast to San Juan, it is worth considering DFW as a connection point, since DFW and SJU are in excess of 2,000 miles apart.


Royal Jordanian deals between the EU and the Far East
While at the time of writing, this option may not represent the best TP earner, RJ flights between Europe and the Far East do still offer amazing value if you are travelling between the UK and HKG or BKK. Discounted fares beating the current price indicated below are often available when RJ's seasonal fare sales are running. Another way of looking at RJ for travel to the Far East is the AMM connection offers an opportunity to accrue double the number of Tier Points you would otherwise earn travelling direct on BA.



Note: since RJ's AMM-HKG currently operates with a technical stop at BKK, and continues onwards to HKG with the same flight number, the AMM-BKK and BKK-HKG sectors count as one for the purpose of TP accrual.


London Gatwick short haul premium leisure fares
Closer to London, BA's own premium leisure Club Europe fares are not to be sniffed at. Same day hops between Gatwick, Amsterdam, and Jersey are popular by virtue of the absence of Saturday night stay restrictions on many LGW discounted Club Europe fares. AMS sectors typically price out at around £100 per sector (in R class) and at around £90 to/from JER (again in R class)



Pro-active online upgrades (POUG) and airport upgrades offer additional opportunities to squeeze a few extra Tier Points out of deep discount economy BA tickets.


Irregular operations
Irregular operations come part and parcel with air travel. Expect the best but prepare for the worst. In other words, allow plenty of wriggle room in your travel plans, think twice about short connections at MIA during the hurricane season, or at JFK in winter, or at ORD at any time other than spring and fall, noting Chicago's spring and fall seasons while lasting no more than a week each Mother Nature is inclined to blast Chicagoland with her wrath during these short seasons.

Although AA tend to be very helpful rearranging flights, they do often work on the basis of getting you onto the next available service irrespective of fare class. So, for example, If you face a weather related delay they are particularly unwilling to more than that. However if you look at Expert Flyer or KVS before approaching the Admirals Club agent then you can be proactive in making suggestions. Note, in rebooking AA flights, there is a risk of instant upgrades ending up as business or worse, economy. If the next available flight is sold out in first, AA are often open to requests for a seat on the following flight that has seats available in first class. This may involve joining the stand-by list. Working with Gate Agents or AAdmirals Club staff pays dividends. It pays to check revised booking class(es) with the agent. This is your only opportunity to ensure the flights are rebooked into the same class as your original booking (A and/or P), and your Tier Points post as planned.

Last edited by Prospero; Oct 29, 2014 at 5:43 pm
Prospero is offline  
Old Jan 1, 2014, 3:46 am
  #2  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dubai
Posts: 821
Im trying to book a trip to NYC and Boston(with a TP run in between) with BA and my starting point is GLA via London however i want to mix up travel classes so fly economy out and PEC back.

Is there a booking system anywhere that will allow me to price that up as BA doesnt seem to allow it on a multi-city option?

I

Thanks in advance
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:14 am
  #3  
 
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We probably need to update the QF map at the top, as they don't fly SIN-LHR/FRA anymore, they now go via DXB.
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:16 am
  #4  
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Originally Posted by Hannibal Lecter
But not EWR-LAX? I believe it's normally a three-class plane sold as two-class, I'm not sure though.
Correct, EWR-LAX counts as two-class, but I was replying to
Originally Posted by Calchas
Why not throw in a JFK-LAX segment for another 210 TP?
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:19 am
  #5  
 
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Originally Posted by flashware
We probably need to update the QF map at the top, as they don't fly SIN-LHR/FRA anymore, they now go via DXB.
Also AA now have a direct flight LAX-PBI that is over 2000 miles.
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:36 am
  #6  
 
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There are some AY short haul routes that are 2000+ miles e.g. HEL-TLV and HEL-APG(no J?)

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Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:41 am
  #7  
 
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Would be useful to have a Qatar map as well.
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 6:15 am
  #8  
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Originally Posted by Moomba
Also AA now have a direct flight LAX-PBI that is over 2000 miles.
There are quite a lot missing actually, I don't think it was intended to be an exhaustive list. OGG and LIH have AA flights over 2k, and then there are all the US Airway flights.

For US Airways (from March 2014) note that PHX isn't as far west as one would like. PHX to PHL is 2075 miles unofficially, PHX to DCA and CLT are well short!
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 7:11 am
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
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After "not caring" for ages, Mrs opalfruit has just told me that she's decided that she wants to try and get Gold before Feb 8th.

She needs 430TP. Based in LON. Weekends/evenings free. What should she do?
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 7:20 am
  #10  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Jersey
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Getting some good prices today from here

JER-LGW-MLA £321 - 240 TPs - £1.34/TP
JER-LGW-RAK £350 - 240 TPs - £1.46/TP
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 7:36 am
  #11  
 
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Lgw-Rak, £252rtn including 'europeoffer' voucher and current sale. £1.58/TP
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 7:39 am
  #12  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
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Originally Posted by opalfruit
After "not caring" for ages, Mrs opalfruit has just told me that she's decided that she wants to try and get Gold before Feb 8th.

She needs 430TP. Based in LON. Weekends/evenings free. What should she do?
Not really possible without a silly budget and you would have to do hotel stops unless you camp like I once did. Probably a mad combination of Jer-Ams. However, I would advise against this with the current weather we have been having and the poor performance of Gatwick
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 8:32 am
  #13  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 10
First of all a Happy New Year!

That thread and the community helped me last year to get my ba silver so i searched the i-net for a nice fare out of europe to lift me to gold and i want to share that find with you to help someone else^

LUX-LHR-JFK-LAX RT found for my dates in Oct-Nov

Books J/I/I/I/I/J with the option of flying the new AA Trancon A321 that gives 640 TP at 1490BP. The rate is 2.32 BP / TP

Farecode is IV14EUS
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 9:25 am
  #14  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
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Originally Posted by Luckies71
First of all a Happy New Year!

That thread and the community helped me last year to get my ba silver so i searched the i-net for a nice fare out of europe to lift me to gold and i want to share that find with you to help someone else^

LUX-LHR-JFK-LAX RT found for my dates in Oct-Nov

Books J/I/I/I/I/J with the option of flying the new AA Trancon A321 that gives 640 TP at 1490BP. The rate is 2.32 BP / TP

Farecode is IV14EUS
If you booked that on a 2 class flight from JFK-LAX and back, in J/I/A/I/J it would cost the same and net 780 TPs.
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Old Jan 1, 2014, 10:07 am
  #15  
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Originally Posted by Wozza2404
If you booked that on a 2 class flight from JFK-LAX and back, in J/I/A/I/J it would cost the same and net 780 TPs.
And if you did LUX-LHR//LCY-JFK//EWR-LAX it would come up with 920
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