Mrs. rgoel and I are taking a couple day vacation to Europe during Thanksgiving (can't resist those cheap fares). We will be connecting from PHL to any of the following 3 flights. We are flying in business (upgraded via VIPOW, I am EXP).

My outbound options for Tues 11/25 are as follows:
RDU-LGW AA 174 6:50pm 777
ORD-LHR AA 86 5:05pm 777
BOS-LHR AA 108 7:05pm 777

Which would you recommend? My criteria in decreasing importance are as follows:
1. Upgradeability (probably not a huge concern this far out and being EXP)
2. In-flight comfort, service, entertainment
3. LGW vs. LHR - which is easier/cheaper/faster to get to downtown from?
4. Airport lounge availability and access

Of course, my vote is PHL-ORD-LHR because of the miles, but Mrs. rgoel still doesn't understand why anybody would take a mileage run in the first place.

Thanks.

The RDU-LGW service tends to be very good. AA runs this flight mostly for a major pharmaceutical company in RDU (Glaxo-Wellcome, sorry if I've misspelled their name). They typically fly 30+ people a day in J/F, so this makes the flight profitable. I took it last August in J and was extremely impressed by the professionalism of the cabin staff in both directions. They tend to live in North Carolina and are really happy to work this flight. Makes all the difference. On both legs, I was handed a gift-wrapped bottle of a decent wine at the end of each flight with absolutely no solicitation on my part. All around, I felt like the cabin staff enjoyed their work and respected their customers. I just returned from a first class Singapore Airlines trip and was recalling to myself how my trip last August RDU-LGW-RDU in J was in many ways as nice as the Singapore trip. I've heard horror stories about AA J/F ex ORD, BOS, JFK and have avoided these options. If you choose RDU, I hope your experience is as pleasant as mine was. The only complaint I had were the AA 777 J seats, but this has been widely noted and the great inflight service more than made up for it.

ORD-LHR for the best lounge experience and miles.

RDU-LGW for the shortest hop in a RJ.

BOS-LHR for the most convenient arrival time.

Plato congratulations on the 5000 mark. Anyone else with a higher number of posts?

LHR High speed rail to central London(Paddington Station)Operates little after 5AM-quarter to midnite.Every 15 minutes. Journey takes 15 minutes. Gatwick to same twice as long last time I checked.Prices=in pds-Rtrip Express class-22.50; !st class-37.80. Go on web site get 10% discount-get seats up to yr in advance. ON the return you can check your bags at the train staion, get them when you arrive US customs. The web site is= heathrowexpress.co.uk

Also, last time in AC@ORD, they had showers you could use- don't know about BOS/RDU.

Oh, we have people who passed the 20k mark some time ago...

Does the AC at LGW have showers?

What can you do at LGW for 5 hours of ground time?

There is an arrivals facility (though you probably need to be flying in business or first to use it.) However, if transiting to BA you'll be able to use the Terraces (Sapphire) or First (Emerald) lounge. Both are excellent and much less hassled than their LHR counterparts. LGW has become my transit point of choice over LHR.

1. AA's check-in facility at Paddington closed over a year ago.

2. Boston's AC doesn't have showers but the Flagship Lounge, which you could use as an EXP on an overseas itinerary, does. So does the AC at RDU.

I would think you'd prefer ORD or BOS, with their FLs, rather than RDU, with only an AC.

thanks for the advice everybody.

i went ahead and booked BOS-LHR - seemed like all flights were more or less equal, except that BOS is shorter for me and there is one more plane making the trip an hour after mine. so in case of trouble with my flight, there is some hope at least.

booked outbound tues night (PHL-BOS-LHR) and return sunday night (CDG-ORD-PHL) of thanksgiving week for $250 each plus taxes for a total of $338 each. was also able to confirm VIPOW upgrades at time of booking, so i'm a happy camper!

It's GSK, or GlaxoSmithKline. Also, the flight does well with a high cargo revenue load. This flight is also AA's most profitable European route and was also the only European route that made a profit in Q4 2002.

I will have 5 hours of ground time at LGW. I am an AC member, and I am GLD. Should I would like to shower there, is there a shower at BA's facilities I can use? Does the AC have showers?

Unless you are flying in J/F, you won't be able to get in the BA lounge. AFAIK there are showers there.

The A/C, I have not a clue.