slider34

Almost don't want to post asking for help but I've looked for the past couple weeks with minimal success.

I have a good bank of points (good for me anyway)...

500K AA miles
200K BA Avios
75K in Southwest Miles
100K in Thankyou points
50K AMEX membership rewards
100K Chase UR
Numerous hotel points

So now trying to use them. Based out of Omaha so I know that has it's challenges but would like to get my wife and my daughter to Paris and Barcelona (and back) next July 26th (give or take a day either way) and come back on August 1st or 2nd. Quick trip I know.

I've looked every day and the best I can do is get 3 Business class seats on AA from ORD to MAD. Being in Omaha, my best bet outside of OMA is Dallas or Chicago as my starting point. Any other airlines and I take 2 flights before I even leave the US!

Getting home from Barcelona, Madrid, Paris or even London is more difficult. I know 3 business class is going to be hard but am I missing any partners or options I'm not thinking of using? Don't mind a train or a quick flight once I get to Europe but don't want to spend half my time traveling once I get there either.

Thoughts? Prefer out of Omaha, next prefer is ORD, next is Dallas. After that, I'd probably wait till 2017 and book more ahead of time.

sonofzeus

Are there non-stops from OMAHA to NYC/JFK?

Lost

Maybe look at a flight out of MCI to a hub, too.

Gardyloo

Where in Europe do you want to go? It's a big place.

You can't see Iberia flights on AA's website but can on BA's, so check there if you haven't. Also wait until the dust has settled after AA and US merge schedules this weekend and then look at transatlantic routes out of Charlotte; there are a couple of OMA-CLT flights daily.

Looking for 3 TATL business class seats on the same flights in summer is a big challenge. Give some thought to splitting up your party and you might find more success.

LondonElite

I think three business tickets TATL nine months out is certainly achievable, but you'll need to be flexible, especially in the summer. Declaring that you must travel on a certain date will lead to disappointment, because you'll probably not get those seats. As Gardyloo rightly points out, AA does not show all partner availability, so try using ba.com for this, and then calling in to AA.

slider34

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I did check BA and there isn't anything within a few days that I was looking at. (Iberia specifically).

I can get to NY from Omaha but a direct flight is extremely expensive out of Omaha and/or a lot of miles. Of course beggars can't be choosers. That's why I would prefer Chicago or Dallas because it's an easy and/or cheap flight. Saver miles from Omaha direct to anywhere else is tough to come by without spending a lot or using anytime type miles.

I check daily and there were some options when it was 330 days out but we weren't sure it would work. Now that we are, flights are gone.

Gardyloo

Sorry I missed the Barcelona/Paris bit. Speed v. haste I suppose.

Although it makes planning very hard, it's often the case that business seats open up very close to the flight date in summer as the YM computers (all programmed by Hogwarts graduates) decide there aren't going to be a bunch of people with fat wallets showing up at the last minute.

I'll also mention that AA Vacations (air + hotel) delivers prices that are way, way below (as in half or less) the stand-alone business fares; so not knowing your price sensitivity, have a look there if you want to think about using cash instead of miles. Even if you no-show at the hotel you might be thousands ahead. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premi...vacations.html

slider34

Thanks, that's good to know about last minute. That might be an option, put a hold on hotels via points and hope to see seats open up. Last minute would be ok and if it works out it works out and if it doesn't well it doesn't!

farbster

I would not do both cities in the same trip. Don't forget, your travel days are mostly wasted. So in your whole trip, you'd have three wasted days (coming and going and the transfer). I wouldn't waste my points/money to go to Europe for that short of a time.

If you must go to Europe, I'd try to find one destination and stick to that. That might make the planning a bit easier.

Instead, I'd find some good routes where you could use your Avios out of Chicago and go somewhere in the USA/Canada. Might be much better considering your short time.

MSPeconomist

I agree. Go to one place in Europe and perhaps plan a day trip or two. For example, from Paris, you can easily take trains to Versailles, Fontainbleu, the champagne area, Caen, Disneyland, etc. Renting a car enables you to explore the countryside and small villages such as those along the Seine that are associated with impressionist painters.

From Barcelona, you can go to some coastal resorts, the cava producing region, and some Catalan smaller towns also associated with art. Taking the train to Valencia would also be an option.

sonofzeus

I've heard the Euro food in NYC is fabulous.

The legit theater is great, too. 9-)

travellingwineO

If you can't find any way to use the AA miles to get to ORD (or JFK or ?) and use your BA Avios to get from OMA to your ORD/JFK, etc. You'll need to look at an award chart but short to medium flights are usually the most efficient use of Avios. There is also the option of looking at BA for your TATL flight too- lots of availability/flexibility though the surcharges are high.