LON to LAS
 

Hi all, do you think that I could get the following routing on a redemption or will 'computer say no'?

LHR/LCY-FRA LH C
FRA-SFO LH F (maybe stop over here)
SFO-LAS UA Y (no C on this route it seems) or US C

There is a direct United flight that goes LHR-SFO and has F class so I'm worried that they'll try to push me towards that (which is massively inferior right?) or even worse say any route via SFO is backtracking. Would taking the first leg out of City throw them off the scent maybe?

If it's not valid as above I was thinking was maybe a separate ticket in LH Y for LHR-FRA which would save me a ton of APD (am I right that I'd get charged full £80 APD for having a connecting flight out of FRA in F?). Only thing I'm worried about with that is missing the connection in FRA, as both tickets would be on LH would they re-protect me if that happened?

I suppose the only other option would be to go in either C or F on the United flight, would anyone recommend that or is UA just too rubbish to contemplate? If I went that way I'd prob be able to do a C+M redemption meaning I'd have enough miles for a return (at the moment I'd be coming back on VS with VS miles which is nice and direct but very naughty on taxes and fees)

This will be no problem at all. Just ask for all the individual sectors individually when you call e.g "I want to fly LHR to FRA" (wait for them to give you the flight options and pick one). Then say "from that flight I want to connect to SFO" (again pick the flight you want) "and finally I want to fly on to LAS".

I find it best not to give them the option to say "we have a direct flight with United Airlines"

Good luck.

Redemption sounds fine if there is space available as usual. If no space is available LHR-SFO, the other redemption should be fine.

LHR-SFO can either be 747 or 777 equipment. As you're in the front it shouldn't matter, but unless it's a refitted 747 they can be very... tired. 777 should be newer and nicer, but this is UA...

SFO-LAS is a TED (single class service) route... hence no F/C. Even when TED is removed, if the aircraft booked is an 32S, it's a single class A320 with extra E+ seating in it.

TED over US F. I'm honestly not sure which is worst...

I'd go from LCY if you really want to go on LH

Have you considered via the cesspit of LAX on NZ? The downside of that is of course LAX. SFO is much more civilised.

UA isn't so bad in F

There's nothing more direct since the demise of MAN-LAS

Yes, you pay the full whack on a through ticket.

LH would be under no obligation to look after you on 2 separate PNR's. You are much better off on a single booking/ticket for the sake of a few quid, or doing an overnight in FRA to ensure that you make the connection.

UA F isn't as bad as some people make out.

They usually have the 777's on in winter and switch to the 747's with the summer timetable.

The 777's are better just because there are fewer seats and the cabin isn't usually crawling with upgrades.

No, but compared with say NZ in J via LAX I wouldn't touch UA with a bargepole. Another alternative would be LX in J or F to LAX via ZHR.

As you say though, travelling in F on UA isn't a hardship and if I wanted to get to LAS, then I'd happily do it. I would personally try to get NZ (J), LH (J), LX (J or F) ahead of UA.

I'd sooner do LH in F myself these days, but at the end of the day, I'd rather have the experience of SFO at the other end (UA also has an arrivals lounge there too by the way) over LAX any time.

There's also a LH flight to SFO via MUC too BTW

SFO as an arrivals/transfer airport is a nice experiance - especilly if you're in a rush to get somewhere!

There's also a direct airside link now between the UA terminal and international terminal too (so if you are travelling UA F you can head to the International First Class lounge).

About time too. The shuttle bus was a complete pain, either never running or there being such a queue it was quicker to go landside and go back through security :rolleyes: It comes out just near the RCC AFAIK.

My TED experiences have all been quite good and the food selection is better than in US-F. You wouldn't be guaranteed big seats on TED, but then again, the planes are likely to be newer 320s, while the US craft could be old 737s or slightly older 319s or 320s.

For such a short flight, I'd probably just use US, but this is a tough decision! :D

Thanks for all your replies on this. Deff not too fused about a 1 class TED flight for the hop to Vegas, it's only 1.5 hrs or something so it doesn't really mater. Lounges are an interesting point though. If I was flying in on LH in C or F would I get arrivals lounge (or Red Carpet Club) access in SFO or would that only be on UA?

I think I want to avoid LAX as it's horrid, also I doubt there will be any NZ availability as this is a short notice booking (start of next month probably). LH seem to have good availability on short notice always so that (along with the wanting to try the FCT at FRA) was why I thought LH in the first place.

LX is a interesting one but I've no idea about availability as they don't show up on the ANA tool. What do people think about the FCT? Is it worth making a point of using LH via FRA to get it or is the seat on LX so much better that it's worth trying via Zurich

As for the UA direct option, I'm kinda tempted but part of me says don't do it as I want to make this a real trip to remember (I only have miles for this sort of thing once every couple of years) and I can see myself sitting in a smelly UA lounge and wishing I was in the FCT!

Finally the other option that people mentioned would be to forget the F seat and go C on either LX, LH or UA. What do people think about these products compared to say VS C? (which is the only premium cabin I've ever flown so far). I'm kinda paranoid about the lie flat seats being impossible to sleep on as you slide down them which is no problem for the outbound but if I returned on a *A carrier would be an issue.

Btw is it still possible to do a cash and miles F ticket on LX?

C+M is still possible on LX. Sign up for expertflyer for the basic £3/month subscription and you can check LX availability.

Having done both the FCT and the FCL in MUC, I actually have a slight preference for MUC, mainly because the FCT is so flipping painful to get to and you need a good few hours to enjoy it, but by all means go for it.

Personally I wouldn't bother with VS, the product is too inconsistent these days.

Or else you could save your £3 and ask here ;)

On the F v. C seats thing, it's very subjective. I find I both sit and sleep better on the LH C seat - other will disagree. The LH F seat is nice enough, but I find it a bit lumpy at the joints for sleeping on - as I tend to sleep on my front. The problem with F is that once you go there, there's no going back... there was a thread about this recently.

I did FRA-MCO in LH C before Christmas, and found I spent the whole flight mentally pointing out the deficiencies in the C service compared to F! :D