Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

"Don't worry about going via Dublin etc. unless you need to for seat availability - you won't save airline imposed fuel taxes that way."



Au contraire!



BAEC redemptions on EI TATL flights have minuscule surcharges. (The surcharge on the EI intra-European flight is likely to be higher than the surcharge on the EI TATL flight.)



"My goal is to wait until AMEX offers another incentive to transfer to BA and drop more points there then feed into Iberia or other options."



That might be a mistake. The MR => BA Avios conversion ratio is changing (and not in a good way) at the end of this month. You would need a post-September 30 conversion bonus of 25% just to equal what you could get if you convert now. (Of course, if there should be a transfer bonus of 40% or 50%, you would do better than if you transferred now without a bonus.)