Originally Posted by imarks
* What is the best-value way to fly LHR/IST initially? Y would be fine.
* Do we have to fly the final LHR-IST segment?
* Would someone mind PMing me the email address for BA Istanbul?
* If I decided to splash out, how well would this itinerary work as an AONE4? It probably has too many flights without F to make this worthwhile, but is there a clever way to re-work it to take advantage of an AONE4?
* Have I missed out anywhere important?!
* Assuming we do the trip in one go, how long would this trip take, allowing for a couple of days in the key locations. This isn't purely a MR - we'd like to enjoy the places we visit and get a taste for future trips!
1. We found that a simple RT to IST on BA (or OK in our case via PRG) is the cheapest, but YMMV. Only a couple LCCs fly to IST and they all seem to use Sabitha airport, quite a distance from the city, and they all seem to arrive in the middle of the night.
2. Haven't been able to get a definitive answer on the "fly the last leg" question. I imagine it happens, but nobody wants to blether about it. Supposedly they could do dire things to you, like increasing the ticket price retroactively, but I doubt if any such thing occurs. Since it would be a BA seg and you're BAEC Gold you might want to weigh the upshot of not finishing the itinerary.
3. You have PM.
4. Moving up to A would increase the ticket price significantly and there aren't that many 3/4 class flights in your itin. I'd be inclined to spend the extra money on upgraded hotels or ground activities.
5. You could add a couple more European flights and increase your tier point yield. There are several >2000 mi segments available - DXB, TFS, TLV...
6. The timing is up to you. Bear in mind southern hemisphere seasons.
Sounds like a blast - happy planning!