AF/FB : Missing 3 Status Flights : Route Suggestions
 

Good Evening,

I hope you're all good since ages (disapeared in the wonderful world of "expats" !).
I am back in the "block" and I have a question to share in case you have ideas or suggestions a good deal / route as i'm lost once again and haven't been much back here ... :(

Silly but true : I would need to make "3" status flights to keep my status by 31/12/2014 ;-)
I could do "4" flights if easier, cheaper etc.

Do you have any suggestion for a quick easy trip with short connections ?

DEPARTURE : PARIS
RETURN : PARIS (but unofficially other last leg "ZYR, or SXB" is ok too!

IDEALLY : i would depart and comeback to and from PARIS BUT would/could skip the last leg if something in the return flight is with a "AF/TGVAIR" last segment
Travel Date could be "IDEALLY" : 23-25-26 DEC... 30/31 Could do to...

I tried to play on for instance on some simple :
- CDG-NICE
- then a return on NICE BRUXELLES (ZYR/ STRASBOURG SXB) (aka : NCE-CDG then CDG-ZYR by train that i could skip or actually "checkin without making" the travel itself as i already did sometimes and stay in Paris)

but nothing came up on AF website or i have everything by plane or , "no travel available on these dates" or such.. (AF website is not very could on "multi segments")

or of course any other route on a busy airport (so i can travel back fast) in France or Europe (Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux)
- PAR-LYON
- then LYON STRASBOURG (via CDG train) or LYON BRUXELLES (via CDG train) but nothing came up on the AF website.

All the rest interests me too (AMS/BER/LDN/MUC ...

Ohh and ; am i'm not french resident, so French National Flights would do to...
1 OUTBOUND : PARIS - TOULOUSE/NICE (OR other) //
2 INBOUND : TOULOUSE or NICE to PARIS (via Amsterdam or Nice or no matter where...)


Thousand thanks for your precious and kind help if one of you has access to ! :)
Alex

Just call the Platinum Service line, for sure they'll come up with more and better options than the buggy website.

Thanks wuzziduzziman ! :)

Ok i'll try that, but recently i have never had the chance to have a representative on the phone expert in helping "segmenting" for some "flying geeks-passionate-flyers" ;)
I'll check and remain at disposal of tips.

I have to admit, I never approached them with specific segment optimizing/hunting requests, however they have been a great help on coming up with complex routings. The kind of routings I'd been never able to book online.
Good luck!

yes exactly cause online, even something "simple" or what seems not "too too complicated" (as the route i was mentioning) are really hard or impossible to figure out...

I am not quite sure what you are looking for.

There are tons of 3 segment itinerary..

CDG /DUS/ LYS/ CDG
CDG/AMS/XXX/ CDG
CDG/NTE/ AMS/CDG
and so much more...

Thanks carnarvon !

Sorry for confusion...
It's more to see the best availability/timing combination deal or so given it's for soon... I don't really care the destination actually... :)

Then CDG/AMS/xxx/CDG or CDG/XXX/AMS/CDG are certainly the routings with most choices and availability, CDG and AMS offering more destination than any other city in AF/KLM network.

Remains the odd good deal via NTE, LYS, MRS etc...

Hare a look at the map on AF website and be creative!:D

The difficult part is going to be finding something with a good price.There are three factors:

- Christmas time
- Booking very close to departure
- Same-day return

All of which drive up the ticket price.

The first two you kind of have to accept, and it may be possible to find one specific unpopular route that is still somewhat affordable. The last one is going to be more difficult.

One possibility you may consider is to depart a saturday and return a sunday. With AFKL that means the cheapest round-trip fares can be used. Otherwise a minimum stay of a few days is required to use the discounted fares.

Another option is to use two nested return tickets if you can find them very cheap. Eg:

CDG-XXX ticket 1 day 1
XXX-CDG ticket 2 day 1
CDG-XXX ticket 2 day 2
XXX-CDG ticket 1 day 2

That would allow you to do two roundtrips, with a return on two separate days.

In any case, be very careful of the MiNi fares. They are available as cheapest option, usually sold through 3rd parties without a warning, and earn no segments whatsoever.

In the same line of thought, saving the hassle of having to fly two round trips:

Saturday : CDG/XXX/CDG with dummy XXX/CDG choosing the cheapest date for the flight (can be mini as long as CDG/XXX is not.

Same Saturday : XXX/AMS/CDG/XXX with departure from XXX long enough after arrival from CDG with rpevious ticket to allow for delays or irrops and dummy CDG/XXX choosing the cheapest date for the flight (can be mini as long as XXX/AMS/CDG are not.

This of course can be done via AMS on the outbound instead of the inbound...