Hi all
Wow - this airmiles redemption lark is more like rocket science!
I have accumulated about 215k AAdvantange miles over the last few years and looking to book a trip to Delhi for a family trip.
Have currently got on hold 4 economy tickets at 160K miles plus of course being a Brit - a huge amount of tax/surcharges to pay on top of that for my selected dates in Dec using the AA site directly. I'm flying direct to Delhi from London Heathrow - Dec 15 and returning Jan 04. I have these on hold but need to complete purchase for these tomorrow! As it stands, direct cash flights would cost around 2.5K - 3K in GBP cash ... with the AA miles route it's 160K miles plus taxes of 1.2K GBP. So a chunk saved.
However I'm trying to understand if there is a smarter way to use my miles.
I have read about Etihad being another carrier that could be a route to Delhi from LHR but not clear on how to see the options. In fact via the aa.com site I only see BA or Finnair come up as carriers. Not sure the schedules would suit either as I imagine none are direct.
Another option which I'm not clear on is paying for full fare via BA and then using AA miles to upgrade - not sure if even possible.
Finally, another consideration I have is to get these economy tickets as the schedules suit my itinerary nicely and even though the surcharge is high it is still cheaper than paying cash and my miles are not really likely to be used in a hurry. So I'm thinking I could try to get upgrades to Business for the flight home. Trouble here is that there is no Business class seats available at present on AA.com .. and as per the AA staffmember I spoke to - she said to keep trying for these. However, with the pending change in miles required (30k currently to 42.5k per person) and the fact I need 4 of these(!) for my family I'm wondering if I need to just suck it up in economy - any thoughts on that welcome! Do Business tickets become available nearer the flying dates? would I get 4 of them? etc
Really appreciate any wise words of wisdom here
Cheers
damouse