Alaska Partners to Europe
Apr 8, 2019, 12:15 pm
#16
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
I'd probably choose BA, solely because you'll get a more direct flight from the WC, versus having to connect in ORD/JFK/LAX/DFW. Plus in the small chance that your plane is swapped last minute, you will end up in economy, whereas BA has more or less standardized PE across their Long Haul fleet. And as a 75k you will get lounge access in LHR for flying on BA.
Forced W to Y downgrade ORD-LHR 789 to unrefitted 788
Forced W to Y downgrade ORD-LHR 789 to unrefitted 788
Apr 8, 2019, 12:18 pm
#17
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: PDX
Programs: AS MVP Gold 100K
Posts: 2,329
Apr 8, 2019, 12:29 pm
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2017
Programs: AS 100K, Marriott Titanium, Delta Gold, United Silver
Posts: 250
Good points all; thanks! Thinking it through a little more, realized that I wouldn’t get points for the first leg on American, where I connect through DFW or wherever. So, BA might be the better choice after all
Apr 8, 2019, 12:50 pm
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Well, I may have been too optimistic about my travel options. We book our travel through Concur and with whatever settings my company has, neither Condor nor Icelandair show up as an option. It looks like I can go with either AA or BA. From the earnings chart for Alaska, it looks like they’re fairly evenly matched for points accrual in premium economy. Anyone have any experience/preferences between the two? I’m most interested about the hard product. Sleep is far more important to me than whatever food or drinks they might serve on the plane
Concur allows the ability to block certain airlines. This seems to be turned in by default for some carriers (probably they block the ones that pay lower commission). In other words, your company didn't necessarily request that those carriers be blocked -- Concur probably just did it. They can be unblocked. Your company just has to ask Concur to do it.
Also you can call a travel agent at Concur -- they are quite good in my experience! They may be able to see and book the ones that you can't see. They are a full travel agent and at the very least should be able to see all published fares. So you can price out your trip in matrix, and if it meets your company's travel restrictions, call them with the information at the bottom. At the very least, they should be able to get you that same fare. They may even have something cheaper.
Apr 8, 2019, 1:23 pm
#20
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SEA
Programs: AS 100K, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 876
If you can get on an A380 the BA premium class is about equivalant to a AS FC seat. Not a true lie flat, but not a bad way to fly while still following company rules. Being in PDX its a shorrt hope to Vancouver to catch it from there. They have a straight flight into heathrow and its easy to connect on from there.
Apr 8, 2019, 1:38 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,009
Any opinions/recommendations as to the best option among the Alaska partner airlines for a premium economy class seat to Europe? My company won’t pay for business class. Alternatively, anyone have any insights as to ease and reasonable cost of an upgrade to business/first? I’ve successfully bidded for an upgrade on Iceland air before - not sure if there’s options like that on some of the other partners.
Well, I may have been too optimistic about my travel options. We book our travel through Concur and with whatever settings my company has, neither Condor nor Icelandair show up as an option. It looks like I can go with either AA or BA. From the earnings chart for Alaska, it looks like they’re fairly evenly matched for points accrual in premium economy. Anyone have any experience/preferences between the two? I’m most interested about the hard product. Sleep is far more important to me than whatever food or drinks they might serve on the plane
AA to Europe routes here ---> Where exactly does AA fly to Europe? Which routes have good business seats?
BA will have many options from USA gateways
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portla...tional_Airport
If it was easy and reasonable cost for an upgrade to business/first we would all be doing that. Many frequent flyers are looking for upgrades trans Atlantic. Some will have instrument (SWU's, etc ) and many ff miles to burn.
Apr 8, 2019, 1:50 pm
#22
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
If you can get on an A380 the BA premium class is about equivalant to a AS FC seat. Not a true lie flat, but not a bad way to fly while still following company rules. Being in PDX its a shorrt hope to Vancouver to catch it from there. They have a straight flight into heathrow and its easy to connect on from there.
FYI this flight arrives into LHR T3 and only goes to a A380 during the summer months I believe it starts May 5th and switches back to a 747 October 1st.
Apr 8, 2019, 4:23 pm
#24
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
We used to use concur too. It's a giant pile of crap.
Concur allows the ability to block certain airlines. This seems to be turned in by default for some carriers (probably they block the ones that pay lower commission). In other words, your company didn't necessarily request that those carriers be blocked -- Concur probably just did it. They can be unblocked. Your company just has to ask Concur to do it.
Also you can call a travel agent at Concur -- they are quite good in my experience! They may be able to see and book the ones that you can't see. They are a full travel agent and at the very least should be able to see all published fares. So you can price out your trip in matrix, and if it meets your company's travel restrictions, call them with the information at the bottom. At the very least, they should be able to get you that same fare. They may even have something cheaper.
Concur allows the ability to block certain airlines. This seems to be turned in by default for some carriers (probably they block the ones that pay lower commission). In other words, your company didn't necessarily request that those carriers be blocked -- Concur probably just did it. They can be unblocked. Your company just has to ask Concur to do it.
Also you can call a travel agent at Concur -- they are quite good in my experience! They may be able to see and book the ones that you can't see. They are a full travel agent and at the very least should be able to see all published fares. So you can price out your trip in matrix, and if it meets your company's travel restrictions, call them with the information at the bottom. At the very least, they should be able to get you that same fare. They may even have something cheaper.
Apr 8, 2019, 4:32 pm
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
FYI, Concur is just a software that can be configured however your company travel agent wants. However, it is not a travel agent and does not have the ability to book tickets. Various corporate travel agencies use the concur platform to allow employees to book tickets - for example, my company uses CWT. Your complaint is with your company travel agent, not Concur.
The software is still a giant pile of crap, though.
More importantly, unless your company policy restricts travel on those airlines, you should ask someone to get them un-blocked from your search.
Apr 8, 2019, 4:39 pm
#26
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Seattle, WA
Programs: Alaska Airlines
Posts: 659
I used to work for Concur like 15 years ago it was my first gig in software testing. This was well before the acquisition by SAP so so I don't know the quality of the application now but I was always pretty proud back then that most user "issues" submitted for bug investigation were actually the software properly following the clients' travel policies and the user submitting the issue it was just some frustrated person trying to get around the policy and book something specific.
Of course this was before I started chasing miles & status... and now I look at corporate travel & expense systems as the devil
Of course this was before I started chasing miles & status... and now I look at corporate travel & expense systems as the devil
Apr 8, 2019, 4:45 pm
#27
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: PDX/HIO
Programs: AS MVPG; Hertz Pres; Tanquery Million Minier
Posts: 375
Apr 8, 2019, 4:49 pm
#28
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I used to work for Concur like 15 years ago it was my first gig in software testing. This was well before the acquisition by SAP so so I don't know the quality of the application now but I was always pretty proud back then that most user "issues" submitted for bug investigation were actually the software properly following the clients' travel policies and the user submitting the issue it was just some frustrated person trying to get around the policy and book something specific.
Of course this was before I started chasing miles & status... and now I look at corporate travel & expense systems as the devil
Of course this was before I started chasing miles & status... and now I look at corporate travel & expense systems as the devil
One time I booked a hotel reservation, flew across the Atlantic, and found that my hotel reservation had been automatically canceled by (I assume) the software because I did not act on an email asking me to confirm (I was over the Atlantic at the time). I found myself in Helsinki with no reservation and most of the hotels full. When I got back I told my employer that regardless of policy, I would not be booking through concur any more. I could either make my own reservations and they could reimburse me or they could find someone else to go.
Apr 8, 2019, 4:55 pm
#29
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Denver
Programs: AS, AA, UA, Hilton, Marriott, Caesars DE
Posts: 2,070
Apr 9, 2019, 1:01 pm
#30
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: SEA
Programs: UA SP, DL SM MM, AS 75K, SPG Platinum, Hyatt Diamond.
Posts: 2,596
That would be sad, with loss of AF and KL it's already pretty crappy service to Europe. Condor has been working ok, I've booked business on them 5 times now, really enjoy the bucket load of miles I get, though not sure what to do with those miles, because AS partners never have much available for "vacation" routes in business or first. BA often has availability, but I don't consider 80K miles AND $1,000 much of an award.