Originally Posted by
usulbaggins
I am in a similar place. About the same dates but for Europe. Ideal is IAH-LHR direct. Not likely to happen in June....so I am open to flying TATL to AMS/FRA/MUC or from EWR/IAD/ORD.
Will need 4 tix. Have about 200K miles with United and another 350K with Chase which can be transferred as needed.
As of right now, I intend to focus on getting first acceptable route outbound on United or partners as a one way. The return can be on United, Air France, Singapore or (God forbid) BA.
Am I planning this right?
I usually find better availability on partners to Europe than on United metal, but I'm usually looking for J awards during the summer months. If the non-stop isn't available when your dates open up, something to keep in mind is that when you book a trip that far in advance, there will be some schedule changes between when you book and when you fly. So you can book a connecting flight and cross your fingers that a schedule change occurs that changes the times by a significant amount (it can't just be a few minutes) as when that happens the agents have some flexibility in booking you on United flights that don't have award availability. But of course, be prepared to fly the itinerary you book - there are no guarantees that you'll be able to improve on it.
I'm usually booking for 3 or 4 people as well and it's tough to find that many seats. Definitely start checking as soon as your dates are available and expert flyer is very useful.
For the return, with the fuel surcharges, BA and AF are not a great way to use miles/points (IMO), so I hope you can find availability through UA!