I just learned that I have been selected by my employer to participate in an environmental project in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

http://www.earthwatch.org/expeditions/hamer.html

My rendezvous point is Durban, but I expect to arrive in S.A. via Johannesburg or Cape Town. My employer will pay my airfare and some other expenses, but flying YYZ to JNB or CPT and on to DUR will not be fun.

If I'm going to spend a day or more enroute, I want to maximize the FF miles I can collect and/or improve my chances of an upgrade.

I belong to the FF programs of AC, AA, and UA, but all at the basic level - I don't fly on biz much anymore.

I have virtually no miles in UA, so would prefer to collect Aeroplan or AAdvantage miles, where I have some small balances.

I will be travelling in mid-March 2004 and I'm looking for some suggestions for routings that would offer some chance of an upgrade; I know my employer will be booking a discounted Y fare, but I don't exactly know which fare class just yet.

I guess the obvious choices are to travel via London or NYC to Jo'burg or Cape Town and on to Durban, but how can I improve my FF mile collection and upgrade potential?

I will need to provide some imput on my preferred routing to my firm's travel agency by Nov 10, so any input is MUCH appreciated.



[This message has been edited by BondGuy (edited 11-05-2003).]