LAX <-> CDG Advice Please
Jul 27, 2015, 5:27 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Programs: American, United, Southwest
Posts: 8
LAX <-> CDG Advice Please
Hi,
We are planning a family trip (2 adults, 2 teens) from Los Angeles to Paris next June. Here's the miles we have:
Wife: 205k AA Miles
Wife 195k Starwood Miles
Me: 56K AA Miles
Me: 5k Delta Miles
Me: 106k Chase Points
We'd love to travel business class, and we'd love to go non-stop, but AA doesn't do nonstop and I'm having a hard time figuring out which routes and dates will allow us to make this work. We are open to flying to London and taking the train to Paris, or even flying to Amsterdam and taking the train to Paris.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Also, in terms of trying to book this, what do people recommend? Should I put all the miles into my Wife's account and book 4 tickets through her, or should we put half into mine from Starwood and book from two accounts?
Thanks in advance!
We are planning a family trip (2 adults, 2 teens) from Los Angeles to Paris next June. Here's the miles we have:
Wife: 205k AA Miles
Wife 195k Starwood Miles
Me: 56K AA Miles
Me: 5k Delta Miles
Me: 106k Chase Points
We'd love to travel business class, and we'd love to go non-stop, but AA doesn't do nonstop and I'm having a hard time figuring out which routes and dates will allow us to make this work. We are open to flying to London and taking the train to Paris, or even flying to Amsterdam and taking the train to Paris.
Any advice would be appreciated!
Also, in terms of trying to book this, what do people recommend? Should I put all the miles into my Wife's account and book 4 tickets through her, or should we put half into mine from Starwood and book from two accounts?
Thanks in advance!
Last edited by hypermiler; Jul 27, 2015 at 5:30 pm Reason: Added chase points info.
Jul 27, 2015, 6:36 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,573
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
While AA does not fly LAX-CDG nonstop, AAdvantage partner TN does. But TN award-seat availability cannot be displayed on aa.com; you must call AA.
Similarly, IB offers a seasonal LAX-MAD nonstop, with connections to both CDG and ORY; but IB award seats also cannot be displayed on aa.com.
Yet another possibility is LAX-YYZ-BRU on AA/9W. Again, you must call AA to book 9W.
But your bigger problem will be finding four SAAver seats in either Business or Economy on the same flights. So I would hold off on transferring any Starwood points to anyone's AAdvantage account yet, and consider splitting your party into two groups of two.
If you cannot find sufficient seats at the lowest award tier with AA or UA miles, I would look for LAX-LON flights on Virgin Atlantic at delta.com.
Note that AA, DL, and UA permit one-way awards. But DL one-way awards originating from Europe have hefty surcharges. So if you're going to redeem DL miles for VS, just make it one-way LAX-LON, and use AA or UA miles to come home.
While AA does not fly LAX-CDG nonstop, AAdvantage partner TN does. But TN award-seat availability cannot be displayed on aa.com; you must call AA.
Similarly, IB offers a seasonal LAX-MAD nonstop, with connections to both CDG and ORY; but IB award seats also cannot be displayed on aa.com.
Yet another possibility is LAX-YYZ-BRU on AA/9W. Again, you must call AA to book 9W.
But your bigger problem will be finding four SAAver seats in either Business or Economy on the same flights. So I would hold off on transferring any Starwood points to anyone's AAdvantage account yet, and consider splitting your party into two groups of two.
If you cannot find sufficient seats at the lowest award tier with AA or UA miles, I would look for LAX-LON flights on Virgin Atlantic at delta.com.
Note that AA, DL, and UA permit one-way awards. But DL one-way awards originating from Europe have hefty surcharges. So if you're going to redeem DL miles for VS, just make it one-way LAX-LON, and use AA or UA miles to come home.
Jul 27, 2015, 7:14 pm
#3
Moderator: American AAdvantage
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Maître-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Just be aware LON-LAX will incur significant Airline Passenger Duty costs if you are not connecting in LON (connection must be 23:59 or less). Using BA, which offers more award space via LON, is quite costly because transatlantic BA awards incur high "YQ" charges.
Iirc, 9W also flies EWR-BRU.
BRU is easy: Zaventem /BRU airport has local trains connecting with the main train terminal, where you can get a fast ride on Thalys to Paris. Don't buy your tickets in Rail Erope in the US, as they suppress discounted European rail fares; book via http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/.
See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europ...urchasing.html
Do consider splitting your family into 2 x 2; it gives you much better chances of finding seats.
Iirc, 9W also flies EWR-BRU.
BRU is easy: Zaventem /BRU airport has local trains connecting with the main train terminal, where you can get a fast ride on Thalys to Paris. Don't buy your tickets in Rail Erope in the US, as they suppress discounted European rail fares; book via http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/.
See http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europ...urchasing.html
Do consider splitting your family into 2 x 2; it gives you much better chances of finding seats.
Last edited by JDiver; Jul 27, 2015 at 7:27 pm
Jul 27, 2015, 8:20 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 29,573
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
"Iirc, 9W also flies EWR-BRU."
Yes; but unfortunately, AA no longer flies LAX-EWR nonstop.
"Iirc, 9W also flies EWR-BRU."
Yes; but unfortunately, AA no longer flies LAX-EWR nonstop.
Jul 27, 2015, 8:23 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,719
You'll be way ahead financially if you reserve the option of flying INTO London (and perhaps taking Eurostar to Paris for fun), but DEPARTING from any station BUT London. The UK does not charge APD to arriving passengers but hits departing pax hard, especially when they're on premium tickets.
Urge flexibility, not only with the 2 X 2 strategem suggested by others but with arrival / departure cities. You can arrive at LHR, BRU, AMS, FRA, MUC, MAD and take a train or separately booked discount flight to CDG / ORY. Loosen up on that front and you have a far better chance of getting all four of you over there in business class.
Urge flexibility, not only with the 2 X 2 strategem suggested by others but with arrival / departure cities. You can arrive at LHR, BRU, AMS, FRA, MUC, MAD and take a train or separately booked discount flight to CDG / ORY. Loosen up on that front and you have a far better chance of getting all four of you over there in business class.