I knew First Class was expensive, but….
Apr 23, 2009, 11:55 pm
#16
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: AA 1MM
Posts: 3,182
With LAX-LHR r/t somewhere north of $18k in F, I think the 125k spent on LAX-LHR-BCN-LHR-ORD-LAX (stop intended) was well worth it.
Apr 24, 2009, 4:42 am
#17
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: JFK/LGA
Programs: AA EXP/5 MM, BA Blue Bayou, HH LT Diamond
Posts: 5,827
Apr 24, 2009, 4:53 am
#18
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 610
Surely, you're joking. Perhaps you ought to read up a little on how SWUs / VIPs are used, availability issues, etc. And I've rarely run into all that alleged staff travel in full (international) First.
Still joking? Not comparable, IMO. Flexibility is fine with full miles award travel, and the change fees are not as onerous as, for instance, I class travel. For the difference (miles vs. ~$15,000) many of us can handle the differences.
Still joking? Not comparable, IMO. Flexibility is fine with full miles award travel, and the change fees are not as onerous as, for instance, I class travel. For the difference (miles vs. ~$15,000) many of us can handle the differences.
Also I don't understand why is 1A block for the crew on AA?
also u simply can't expect to just rock up to the airport and just tell the agent I need to be on this flight, deduct the miles from my account? the certainly of getting on the flight and the flexibility to change/refund etc... is part of the cost.
I seriously don't think u can value the miles by just comparing it to a Full F class ticket.
Apr 24, 2009, 4:54 am
#19
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,077
Sure does make my AONE3 for $6641 USD sound great: 42000 flight miles, 15 segments with only 5 segments in J and all the rest in F.
Apr 24, 2009, 6:32 am
#21
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: DCA, EGE, IAD
Programs: MR LTT, BA Gold, AA LTP, UA Silver
Posts: 6,077
1. Advance booking of 7 days is required for travel originating in TC1 - 1 hour advance booking required for travel originating in TC2/TC3.
2. Minimum stay: 10 days (Except for travel originating in SWP, HKG, or Japan where there is no minimum stay requirement for A or D class). Maximum stay: 12 months.
3. Books into A (D or Y class where First or Business class is unavailable respectively) which is much more readily available than award inventory.
Where:
TC1: N & S America
TC2: Europe & Africa
TC3: Asia & Oceania
Apr 24, 2009, 7:03 am
#22
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SJU no more... DCA/IAD/BWI for now
Programs: AA GLD 1.7M and counting slowly
Posts: 265
I'm still feeling pretty good about a OW trip I took last year... 180,000 miles for First Class... I remember pricing it out just for grins -- I think it came out to about $31,000. Pity they changed the rules on that award 
. Part of the trip was DCA-ORD-LHR-HKG-JNB, got to spend the day in both London and Hong Kong, and didn't have it count as a stopover. Now, if I had just gotten nicer weather, it would have made for a better story! 
. Part of the trip was DCA-ORD-LHR-HKG-JNB, got to spend the day in both London and Hong Kong, and didn't have it count as a stopover. Now, if I had just gotten nicer weather, it would have made for a better story!
Apr 24, 2009, 8:45 am
#23
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 610
Well I think for people who can afford to pay 25K for a F Class ticket, the savings to get an AONEX will not appeal to them. Whereas for the rest of us it is a no brainer which one to go for.
Also those people will prob won't care about status/miles etc...
Also those people will prob won't care about status/miles etc...
Apr 24, 2009, 10:35 pm
#24
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: NY
Programs: AA Plat 1MM, IC RA, HH Gold
Posts: 2,791
1A on the 777 is a pilot rest seat because unlike airlines like CX, there are no private, bunk rest areas available for the pilots.
On many JFK-LAX flights, F is full of celebrities. Companies do spring for F although probably not at full fare prices. Staff/non-revenue travel is an employee benefit but the 1A pilot rest seat is not considered staff travel. If a crew is deadheading to work/return from a flight and there are seats available in F, then they are entitled to sit there as well.
On many JFK-LAX flights, F is full of celebrities. Companies do spring for F although probably not at full fare prices. Staff/non-revenue travel is an employee benefit but the 1A pilot rest seat is not considered staff travel. If a crew is deadheading to work/return from a flight and there are seats available in F, then they are entitled to sit there as well.
Apr 24, 2009, 11:18 pm
#25
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: DC Metro (WAS--DCA/IAD/BWI)
Programs: AA Plat 2MM, OW Sapphire, QF Bronze, Marriott Silver, Starwood Gold; National Emerald
Posts: 2,533
150k miles and $194.60 got me DCA-ORD-YYZ-LHR-NRT-HKG-SYD-MEL-SYD-CHC-ZQN-AKL-LAX-IAD in Business Class. (took 33 days for it, and the routing got me RTW to boot) 
Couldn't come up with a good estimate of the bought fare cost, as I thought the OW fares were too high to be directly comparable.
Steve
Couldn't come up with a good estimate of the bought fare cost, as I thought the OW fares were too high to be directly comparable.
Steve
Apr 24, 2009, 11:54 pm
#26
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Orange County, CA
Programs: AA LT PLT, DL PLT, HH DIA, IHG PLT, Hertz PLT, Bonvoy GLD, Avis Pres Club
Posts: 1,265
Full fare F tix in ultra-premium cabins like CX, SQ, and EF are almost never worth it except to top-level executives who compare the cost to private jet travel.
I certainly have not taken a formal poll, but I would venture to say most of those ritzy F class tix are probably filled 40% award seats, 50% corporate& other discounted prices, and 10% full fare. Just a wild guess...
Apr 25, 2009, 4:27 am
#27
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 610
1A on the 777 is a pilot rest seat because unlike airlines like CX, there are no private, bunk rest areas available for the pilots.
On many JFK-LAX flights, F is full of celebrities. Companies do spring for F although probably not at full fare prices. Staff/non-revenue travel is an employee benefit but the 1A pilot rest seat is not considered staff travel. If a crew is deadheading to work/return from a flight and there are seats available in F, then they are entitled to sit there as well.
On many JFK-LAX flights, F is full of celebrities. Companies do spring for F although probably not at full fare prices. Staff/non-revenue travel is an employee benefit but the 1A pilot rest seat is not considered staff travel. If a crew is deadheading to work/return from a flight and there are seats available in F, then they are entitled to sit there as well.
Apr 25, 2009, 4:34 am
#28
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: LHR
Programs: Ex-NWA Plat
Posts: 1,480
Stuff there is to die for: http://www.jenggala-bali.com/
Came back with 19 kg in my hand, full of goodies!
Apr 25, 2009, 8:21 am
#29
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: AVL
Programs: AA/BA/DL/US Air
Posts: 426
@25,000+ per ticket saved, can buy a lot of Flexibility at $100 per shot. 200,000 miles + $307.40 tax +$40 Ticketing Fee, got us two First/Business ATL-MIA-CDG-LHR-DME-ORD-ATL. One week in Paris and one month in Russia. I Booked 3/25/09 for 5/19-6/24/09 trip. It listed $25,000+ per ticket to purchase.
Last edited by ncvet61; Apr 25, 2009 at 8:35 am
Apr 25, 2009, 11:27 am
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Brooklyn, NY, USA
Programs: DL SM Plat, B6 TrueBlue, UA MP, AAdvantage
Posts: 10,008
WARNING: This post contains no useful information, but here it is anyway…
I called the EXP desk and booked my first partner award for a trip from JFK to DPS (Bali) with a 3 day stopover in Hong Kong (All on Cathay, F to/from HKG and J to/from DPS). The trip is in October and I priced the flight on AA.com to see what was the price of the fare my 135K miles got me. I was shocked to see a price of $25,374.00. Isn’t that insane for a flight 5+ months away, even in first/business?
What’s the highest Fare for a flight with one stopover that you were able to use your miles for?
Best Regards....
I called the EXP desk and booked my first partner award for a trip from JFK to DPS (Bali) with a 3 day stopover in Hong Kong (All on Cathay, F to/from HKG and J to/from DPS). The trip is in October and I priced the flight on AA.com to see what was the price of the fare my 135K miles got me. I was shocked to see a price of $25,374.00. Isn’t that insane for a flight 5+ months away, even in first/business?
What’s the highest Fare for a flight with one stopover that you were able to use your miles for?
Best Regards....
But here's the funny thing. Your itineray, in international F, costs about $1.24 per mile. And that's in FC with lots of space, fancy schmancy service, elaborate meals, etc.
Were you to book a seat on Southwest Airlines SFO-LAX, the cost, at the full fare, which is $319.20 (but in coach, obviously) would be 95 cents a mile.
At that cost per mile, if you extrapolate the same distance as your JFK-HKG-DPS, you would be looking at a fare on WN of $19,395.20. That's in coach without much more than a soda and some pretzels.
Hmmmm...maybe that's why WN makes so much money.
Last edited by TWA Fan 1; Apr 25, 2009 at 12:16 pm