Originally Posted by
Happy
Dont know your situation but if I am to redeem CO awards from EWR to whatever International locations, the portion of FLL or MIA to EWR is part of the award. There is no need to pay to get to EWR. I prefer mainline over CRJs.
Plenty of folks would fly indirect routes to their desired destinations on award tickets due to availability. Some folks actually deliberately seek for indirect routing such as SFO-JFK-HKG on CX F or J - the routing is allowed by AA because CX has published fare of such routing. It would be crazy in your mind but some folks like it because the routing maximizes the CX F experience they go after.
Personally I do not mind going out of the way through a hub to an international destination as long as I am flying business or first class. The more comfortable seats and the lounge access help to lessen the inconvenience of longer travel. More importantly it opens up a lot more options in finding award seats.
Just about all of the service from JAX to EWR is on very small Embraers (the 2/1 variety). So there may be award availability from EWR to our final destination - but not from JAX to EWR. Also - the mileage levels may vary depending on whether the award is out of JAX - or out of EWR. Suspect the planes flying out of FLL and MIA are bigger - and there is more reward availability.
My husband and I have traveled a lot over the last 40 or so years - and there aren't a whole lot of places left that I want to see. China is one of them - especially now that the high speed train from Shanghai to Beijing has opened (we like high speed trains). Reckon I should look at the DL and CO and partner connections for a flight there before deciding what to do with our MR miles before 9/30.
Funny when you talk about going "out of the way". When I was planning our trip to Japan - I thought EWR was "out of the way" - until I realized that the polar route was shorter than going "around the world". Still - going from here to Asia isn't much fun. Because most flights to Asia from the east coast leave early in the morning. It is theoretically possible to catch one of them if we leave here on a 6 am flight - but that means waking up in the middle of the night - and possibly missing our connecting flight if there are any delays. When we flew to Tokyo - we flew to EWR in the late afternoon - spent a night at the hotel airport - and caught a morning flight to Tokyo. Arrived the next day (international date line stuff). You pick up the "lost day" on the return trip - but it is still a disorienting experience.
FWIW - we once - after moving here - took a non-stop from MCO to London on Virgin Atlantic. Upper class reward ticket. Very nice experience. We lived in Miami for 20+ years - and the international service out of MIA was never that great when we lived there. Robyn