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Old Jan 1, 2014, 5:11 am
FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides
Last edit by: Prospero
Welcome to the thread—but please read this bit first
New to the thread? Welcome! If you are asking about obtaining tier points in the current sale, please read the following posts first.
  • from DUB, IL28SALE - to US reported here, e.g. JFK - €1140, LAX - €1395, HNL - €1395, needs to be booked by 27 Jan, see linked post for valid travel periods
  • from CPH, IL28SALE - to US reported here, e.g. JFK - £804, LAX - £1149, HNL - £1220, needs to be booked by 27 Jan, see linked post for valid travel periods
  • from BRU, IL28SALE - to US reported here, e.g. JFK - £1344, LAX - £1367, HNL - £1465, needs to be booked by 15 Jan, see linked post for valid travel periods

If your question is not answered there, or you want more help, please do post in the Business Class IL28SALE fares: DUB/CPH/BRU to North America thread and join in.

In the rest of this wiki, we keep track of other prices, as well as useful reference information for those planning tier point runs.

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This is a community-maintained wiki post. Please add important information to it or correct outdated information by clicking the "Edit" button below!

This thread lists attractive tier point (TP) runs under £3 per TP grouped within different (departure) geographies

Please note the following:
  • Current availability is not guaranteed.
  • All prices include taxes.

Please use the following convention when adding tier point runs to this wiki post:

Price per Tier Point | Total Price | Total Tier Points | Route | Booking Classes | Booking Channel | Credit | Notes (if applicable) | Airlines

Please remember to:
  • Convert currencies to GBP, rounding to the nearest pound.
  • Post full routes and full booking classes.
  • Note any restrictions on booking in the Notes section.

North & Central America
£0.75/TP | £685 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-SAP-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I/I/A/A | aa.com | JimmyTheJock | AA
£0.78/TP | £713 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-SAL-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I/I/A/A | aa.com | Filthy Monkey | AA (Updated 29 July '14)
£0.78/TP | £718 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-PTY-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I/I/A/A | aa.com | onobond | AA updated 04 Oct 14
£0.96/TP | £1080 | 1120TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-LIM-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I//I/A/A | aa.com | Lorcancoyle
£1.01/TP | £909 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-GCM-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I//I/A/A | aa.com | Pinkcat
£1.02/TP | £909 | 920TPs | HNL-LAX-MIA-BZE-MIA-LAX-HNL | A/A/I//I/A/A | aa.com | Pinkcat

£0.81/TP | £504 | 620TPs | PTY-MIA-MCO or LAS -LAX retrun | I/A/A/A/A/I | aa.com | Chris1979 |
£0.89/TP | £823 | 920TPs | SAL-MIA-LAX-HNL-LAX-MIA-SAL | I/A/A/A/A/I | aa.com | Filthy Monkey | Long layovers | AA (Updated 29 July '14)
£1.81/TP | £561 | 310TPs | SJU-MIA-LAX-LAS | I/A/P | aa.com | xenole | Itinerary can be reversed for same price/TPs | AA
£1.51/TP | £1397 | 920TP | SJU-MIA-LAX-HNL-LAX-MIA-SJU | aa.com xenole (Updated 11th Dec 2014) - price seems to be pretty consistent throughout 2015

£1.08/TP | £335 | 310TPs | PLS-MIA-LAX-SFO | I/A/A | aa.com | abitwild | AA (Updated 29 July '14)

£0.93/TP | £288 | 310TPs | SFO-LAX-MIA-PLS | A/A/I | aa.com | abitwild | AA (Updated 29 July '14)
£1.35/TP | £323 | 240TPs | SFO-PHX/LAX-LAS | A/A/A/A | various | AA
£1.56/TP | £970 | 620TPs | SFO-LAX-MIA-CUN-MIA-LAX-SFO | A/A/I/I/A/A | aa.com | chris1979/courtster | SFO can be changed to LAS for same price/TPs | AA
£1.44/TP | £534 | 370TPs | SFO - LAX - LAS - MIA - PLS | A/A/A/I | aa.com | theultimateflyer | AA (Updated 31 July '14)

£1.05/TP | £566 | 540TPs | LAX-CLT-NAS NAS-CLT-LAX | A/A/A/A | chris1979 | US

£1.20/TP | £505 | 420TPs | PBI - LAX - PBI | P | aa.com | Cymro | AA

£1.38/TP | £581 | 420TPs | SEA-MIA-SEA | P/P | aa.com | OWBA | AA
£1.44/TP | £776 | 540TPs | SEA-PHL-DCA-PHL-SEA | A/A/A/A | usairways.com | OWBA | US
£1.57/TP | £282 | 180TPs | SEA-CLT-ATL-CLT-SEA | K/K/K/K (economy) | usairways.com | OWBA | US
£1.27/TP | £230 | 180TPs | SEA-PHX-EWR-PHL-SEA | K/K/K/K (economy) | usairways.com | OWBA | US
£1.14/TP | £205 | 180TPs | SEA-CLT-TPA-CLT-SEA | K/K/K/K (economy) | usairways.com | angatol | US
£1.30/TP | £353 | 270TPs | SFO-CLT-JFK | A/A | usairways.com | frb98mf | US

£0.97/TP | £640 | 660TPs | LGA-BOS(or PHL)-PHX-LGB-PHX-BOS(or PHL)-LGA | A/A/A/A/A/A | usairways.com | alexbellamy | US
£1.07/TP | £640 | 600TPs | LGA-BOS(or PHL)-PHX-LGB LGB-PHX-JFK | A/A/A/A/A | chris1979 | US
£0.86/TP until 6 March, £0.98/TP after | £764 (£668 until 6 March) | 780TPs | LGA-PHL-LAX-PHX-LGB-PHX-LAX-CLT-LGA | A/A/A/A/A/A/A/A | hipmunk.com (you can enter exact flight #s using ITA route language; hipmunk loads the flights into usairways.com) | HPN-HRL | US
£1.31/TP | £784 | 600TPs | JFK-CLT-PHX-SJD-SJD-PHX-JFK | A/A/A/A/A | usairways.com | KARFA | US

£0.98/TP | £215 | 220TPs | BOS-JFK-DCA-MIA-SJU | A/A/A/I | aa.com | HPN-HRL | Itinerary can be reversed for same price/TPs | AA

£1.05/TP | £423 | | 400TPs | RIC-DFW-SJU-DFW-RIC | A/I/I/A | wenzlydale | AA

£1.51/TP | £815 | 540TPs | PDX-PHL-BOS-PHL-PDX | A/A/A/A | usairways.com | OWBA | US

£1.76/TP | £740 | 420TPs | DFW-ANC-DFW | P/P | aa.com | OWBA | AA

£1.04/TP | £1001 | 960TPs | YYZ-PHL-PHX-HNL-PHX-PHL-YYZ | A/A/A/A/A/A | matrix | kellytoronto | US

Europe
£1.33/TP | £319 | 240TPs | JER-LGW-MLA-LGW-JER | J/R/R/J | ba.com | skipcool3 | BA
£1.96/TP | £471 | 240TPs | JER-LGW-MLA-LGW-JER | I/I/I/I | ba.com | continentalclub | Sat Night Stay | BA
£1.62/TP | £259 | 160TPs | JER-LGW-AMS-LGW-JER | J/R/R/J | ba.com | joejet | BA
£1.66/TP | £398 | 240TPs | JER-LGW/LHR-HEL-LHR/LGW-JER | J/R/R/J | ba.com | KARFA | BA
£1.98/TP | £139 | 70TPs | LHR-DME-LHR | ? | ba.com | stewaran BA

£2.14/TP | £513 | 240TPs | BOD-LGW//LHR-HEL-LHR//LGW-BOD | I/I/I/I | ba.com | Avnu | BA

£2.35/TP | £376 | 160TPs | LHR-HEL-LHR | I/I | ba.com | lorcancoyle | BA
£1.69/TP | £271 | 160TP | LHR-HEL-LHR | I-I| ba.com | Herman ze German| also needs 15.000 Avios to reduce price by £100, otherwise £2.31/TP | BA
£2.26/TP | £181 | 80TPs | LGW-JER-LGW | R/R | ba.com | BA
£1.55/TP | £248 | 160TPs | LGW-MLA-LGW | R/R | ba.com | LDNConsultant | BA
£2.49/TP | £199 | 80TPs | LGW-AMS-LGW | R/R | ba.com | BA
£1.69/TP | £270 | 160TPs | LGW-RAK-LGW | I/I | ba.com | nufnuf77 | BA
£2.60/TP | £104 | 40TPs | LGW-RAK-LGW | O/O | ba.com | lorcancoyle | HBO fare, only midweek, Nov-14 to Mar-15, o/w slightly cheaper at £2.45 | BA

Far East, South & Central Asia, Middle East, and Australia
£1.59/TP | £891 | 560TPs | CTS-HKG-DPS-HKG-CTS | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | TEX277 | CX (overnight connections required)

£1.06/TP | £594 | 560TPs | TPE-KUL-DEL-KUL-TPE | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Oct 2014
£1.13/TP | £400 | 360TPs | TPE-KUL-SIN-KUL-TPE | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | chongcao | MH
£1.25/TP | £452 | 360TPs | TPE-HKG-SUB-HKG-TPE | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | SinoBritAsia | CX
£1.27/TP | £457 | 360TPs | TPE-HKG-DPS-HKG-TPE | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | TEX277 | CX
£1.27/TP | £459 | 360TPs | TPE-KUL-BKK-KUL-TPE | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£1.32/TP | £474 | 360TPs | TPE-HKG-CGK-HKG-TPE | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | TEX277 | CX

£1.97/TP | £315 | 160TPs | CAN-HKG-TPE-HKG-CAN | I/I/I/I | cathaypacific.com | SinoBritAsia | KA/CX

£1.39/TP | £471 | 360TPs | SIN-KUL-KTM-KUL-SIN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | qasr | MH
£1.41/TP | £476 | 360TPs | SIN-KUL-DEL-KUL-SIN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | qasr | MH
£1.49/TP | £504 | 360TPs | SIN-KUL-TPE-KUL-SIN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | qasr | MH
£2.12/TP | £309 | 160TPs | SIN-KUL-KCH-KUL-SIN | D/D/D/D | malaysiaairlines.com | qasr | MH
£1.81/TP | £650 | 360TPs | SIN-KUL-DXB-KUL-SIN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | Wozza2404 | MH

£1.85/TP | £740 | 400TPs | BKK-DOH-DWC-DOH-BKK | D/A/A/D | qatarairways.com | Wozza2404 | QR

£1.22/TP | £442 | 360TPs | DEL-KUL-BKK-KUL-DEL | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£1.31/TP | £736 | 560TPs | DEL-KUL-NRT-KUL-DEL | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | Seshy | MH - updated Oct 2014 ( book by Nov 5th 2014)
£1.13/TP | £630 | 560TPs | DEL-KUL-PEK-KUL-DEL | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | GinFizz | MH (book by Nov 5th 2014)

£1.13/TP | £630 | 560TPs | PEK-KUL-KTM-KUL-PEK | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | GinFizz | MH (book by Oct 31st 2014 - but seems to reappear every few months)

£0.69/TP | £259 | 360TPs | BKK-KUL-TPE-KUL-BKK | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£0.73/TP | £265 | 360TPs | BKK-KUL-DEL-KUL-BKK | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£1.17/TP | £421 | 360TPs | BKK-KUL-NRT-KUL-BKK | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | onobond | MH - updated Nov 2014
£1.62/TP | £584 | 360TPs | BKK-KUL-DXB-KUL-BKK | Z/J/J/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | chiefwiggumpi | MH

£1.65/TP | £914 | 560TPs | ICN-KUL-SYD-KUL-ICN | Z/Z/Z/Z | malaysiaairlines.com | armagebedar | SYD can be changed to MEL for same price/TPs | MH

£1.59/TP | £255 | 160TPs | BEY-AMM-AQJ-AMM-BEY | D/D/D/D | rj.com | DeanB | RJ

South America


Africa


Europe<->North & South America
£0.62/TP | £778 | 1250TPs | JER-LGW//LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL-PHX-JFK/EWR-LHR-HEL-MAN | J/I/I/A/A/A/I/I/I | BA Call centre | hawklx | book by 4-Dec-14, travel by 3-Jan-15, other restrictions apply | BA/IB/AA/US/AY

£0.82/TP | £853 | 1020TPs | MAN/NCL-LHR-JFK-LAX-HNL-LAX-JFK-LHR-MAN/NCL | J/I/I/A/A/I/I/J | BA Call centre | Jamier45 and nufnuf77 | book by 4-Dec-14, travel by 3-Jan-15, other restrictions apply | BA/IB/AA/US
£0.74/TP | £853 | 1160TPs | MAN/NCL-LHR-JFK-PHX-HNL-PHX-JFK-LHR-MAN/NCL | I/I/A/A/A/A/I/I | BA Call centre | Jamier45 and nufnuf77 | Book by 4-Dec-14, travel by 3-Jan-15 | BA/AA/IB/US

£1.29/TP | £1732 | 1340TPs | DUB-LCY-JFK-PHX-HNL-PHX-JFK-LCY-DUB | J/I/A/P/P/A/I/J | BA call centre | diamond club freeloader | BA/US, exemplar dates 16-20 Jul 2015
£1.56/TP | £1750 | 1120TPs | DUB-PHL-PHX-HNL-LAX-CLT-DUB | I/A/A/A/A/I | BA call centre | EDIflyer/dutch_122 | US/AA
£1.56/TP | £1625 | 1040 TP | DUB-LCY-JFK-PHX-LAS-PHX-JFK-LCY//LHR-DUB | J/I/A/A/A/A/I/J | BA or AA | Calchas | Expires 23 Sept 2014

£1.88/TP | £1449 | 770TPs | DUB-LHR-JFK-LAX-LAS/SFO-JFK-LCY/LHR-BRU | J/I/I/A/I/I/J | BA or AA | Lorcancoyle | BA/AA (#4029)

£1.21/TP | £1640 | 1360TPs | AMS-HEL-LHR//LCY-JFK-LAX-HNL-LAX-BOS-LHR-HEL-BRU | I/J/I/I/A/A/A/I/I/I | LHR T5 Zone E | Cerebus | AY/BA/AA
£1.86/TP | £1942 | 1040TPs | AMS-LCY-JFK-LAS-LAX-SFO-JFK-LCY-AMS | J/I/A/A/A/A/I/J | aa.com | LDNConsultant | BA/AA

£1.51/TP | £1817 | 1200TPs | BRU-LHR-BOS-LAX-HNL-LAX-BOS-LHR-BRU | I/I/A/A/A/A/I/I | aa.com | JimEddie | Sat night stay required | BA/AA
£1.78/TP | £1640 | 920TPs | BRU-LHR//LCY-JFK-SEA-JFK-LCY//LHR-BRU | I/I/A/A/I/I | BA call centre | stifle | Sat night stay required | BA/AA
£1.85/TP | £500 | 270TPs | BRU-PHL-PHX-IAH-CLT-PHL-BRU | R/R/R/R/R/R (US Airways' equivalent of BA O Class) | usairways.com | BA0197 |Sat night stay required/ other ex-EU destinations similarly priced/ Winter Holiday times | US

£1.33/TP | £1990 | 1500TPs | ARN-HEL-LHR//LCY-JFK-PHX-HNL-PHX-JFK-LCY//LHR-HEL-ARN | I/J/I/A/A/A/A/I/J/I | Agehall | ILR28AP fare | AY/BA/AA/US

£1.43/TP | £1492 | 1040TPs | MXP-LHR/LCY-JFK-PHX-SEA-PHX-JFK-LCY/LHR-MXP | J/I/A/A/A/A/I/J | aa.com | ringingup | BA/AA

£2.18/TP | £1349 | 620TPs | PRG-LHR-LCY-JFK-ORD//DCA-JFK-LCY-LHR-PRG | J/I/A/A/I/J | BA call centre | ringingup | BA/AA

£2.61/TP | £2189 | 790TPs | IST-LHR/LCY-JFK-EZE-MIA-LHR-IST | I/I/I/I/I/I | aa.com | nth_utsera_sth_utsera | BA/AA

£2.25/TP | £225 | 100TPs | OSL-LHR-JFK//BOS-JFK-LHR-MAN | S/O/O/O/S | ba.com | perthflyer | Book by 19/11/14 for travel up to March 2015. Sat. night stay req. | BA/AA

Europe<-> Far East, South & Central Asia, Middle East, and Australia
£2.19/TP | £1231 | 560TPs | CDG-DOH-KTM-DOH-CDG | I/I/I/I | qatarairways.com | nth_utsera_sth_utsera | QR
£2.25/TP | £1255 | 560TPs | DME-DOH-SGN-DOH-DME | I/I/I/I | qatarairways.com | continentalclub | QR
£2.73/TP | £1257 | 460TPs | GOT-LHR-SIN-BKK-HKG-LHR-GOT | J/I/I/I/I/J | ba.com | lorcancoyle | BA

Africa<->Rest of the World
£2.19/TP | £1842 | 840TPs | CAI-LHR-JFK-EZE-JFK-LHR-CAI | D/D/D/D/D/D | aa.com | nth_utsera_sth_utsera | Transatlantic must be AA metal | BA/AA
£1.67/TP | £667 | 400TPs | CAI-DOH-BKK-DOH-CAI | qatarairways.com | Phil the Flyer | ex-CAI via DOH to MXP, FCO, ZRH, FRA all currently available for between GBP1.70 and GBP1.80/TP | QR

£2.92/TP | £1405 | 480TPs | JNB-SYD-PER-SYD-JNB | R/I/I/R | qantas.com | beardoc | Note that R is premium economy and not business (FARE NOW DEAD)

Upgrading Using Avios (UUA)
Summary guide to bookings which can be upgraded with Avios:
  • BA issued tickets (can include other carriers) ^
  • TA issued (on BA stock) booking with only BA flights ^
  • TA issued (on BA stock) booking with other carriers
  • Tickets issued on non-BA stock
TA has to issue the ticket in the country of your BAEC membership as well.

Notes
  • The ITA Matrix tool cannot be used to book tickets.
  • Some TP runs can be booked online at aa.com. Be sure to use the Sort by schedule option in order to locate the exact flights you found on the ITA Matrix tool.
  • A guide to using the ITA Matrix tool can be found here.
and externally here: http://hackmytrip.com/2012/01/introd...-to-using-ita/

AA 2,000+ mile routes (210 TPs in F)
DFW - ANC, SJU, HNL
JFK – SEA, LAS, SAN
LAX - BOS, FLL, IAD, MIA, YYZ, HNL, MCO, TPA
MIA – SFO, LAS, SEA, SLC (from March 2015)
ORD – SJU, ANC, HNL

US Airways 2,000+ mile routes (210 TPs in F)
PHX- SJO, BOS, EWR, ANC, HNL, JFK and PHL
PHL- SAN, LAX, LAS, SFO, PHX, PDX and SEA
CLT -SAN, LAX, SFO, PDX, SEA and SMF
DCA - LAS
RDU -LAX
SMF - BWI
There are also once a week flights from CLT to BGI and from ATL to SMF

oneworld Codeshares for the BA LCY-JFK Flights
BA1 - IB4601, AY5401, AA6229, and US7408
BA2 - IB4600, AY5402, AA6228, and US7410

BA3 - IB4685, AY5403, AA6231, and US7409
BA4 - IB4684, AY5404, AA6230, and US7411

To enter into the matrix:
Outbound - BA1, IB4601, AY5401, AA6229, US7408, BA3, IB4685, AY5403, AA6231, US7409
Inbound - BA2, IB4600, AY5402, AA6228, US7410, BA4, IB4684, AY5404, AA6230, US7411

All should earn 210 TPs, but avios earning will differ depending on codeshare booked.

BA/AY short haul+ routes (earn 80 TPs in CE one way)
LHR to Athens (ATH), Bucharest (OTP), Gran Canaria (LPA), Helsinki (HEL), Istanbul (IST), Kiev (KBP), Kos (KGS) due to start May 2015, Larnaca (LCA), Mykonos (JMK), Santonrini (JTR), Sofia (SOF), and St Petersburg (LED).

LGW to Algiers (ALG), Bodrum (BJV) due to start late April 2015, Dalaman (DLM) due to start late April 2015, Fuerteventura (FUE) due to start 13 December 2014 (does not show as a short haul+ route on BAEC calculator but that seems to be an error), Heraklion (HER) due to start late April 2015, Lanzarote (ACE), Larnaca (LCA), Las Palmas (LPA) due to start March 2015, Madeira Funchal (FNC) due to start March 2015, Malta (MLA), Marrakech (RAK), Paphos (PFO), Rhodes (RHO) due to start late April 2015, Tenerife (TFS), Thessaloniki (SKG), and Tirana (TIA).

LCY to Mykonos (JMK) and Santonrini (JTR) - both for June to September 2015.

MAN to Helsinki (HEL) operated by BE for AY.

LGW to Sharm el-Sheikh (SSH) due to start September 2015 - although this route will be flown wil A320 aircraft and CE/ET cabins, as noted here have been advised that it will attract longhaul TPs, so 140 TPs each way in J.
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Old Jul 12, 2014, 4:05 am
  #3016  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: London, Cayman Islands
Programs: AA EXP, BA GGL/CCR, AMEX Cent, HHonours Diamond, Marriott Tit, Hertz PC
Posts: 492
Billinghamn,
If you use Avios from MIA-GCM then it's 9000 + £55 return, or 4500 + £3 for MIA-GCM alone. It's the most common way I use my Avios and I think it's fantastic value. Dates are usually wide open, Spring Break being the busiest time after the Christmas/New Years rush
sajgidda is offline  
Old Jul 12, 2014, 4:18 am
  #3017  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Programs: BAEC Silver, IHG Diamond
Posts: 7,765
Nice prices.

I'm still looking at a positioning flight from SJU-BOS.

On the day I want, it's SJU-ORD-BOS and that's coming in at 32500 + £13 in business (only thing offered) Vs. £223 in business/first SJU-MIA-BOS which yields 100TP etc.
I don't think I'll be blowing that many Avios on that flight!
Economy is about £60ish cheaper than business/first so would rather pay the little bit more for meals and 80TP.

Still want something better but paying £400+ to route via say DCA, JFK etc for a few extra TP isn't really worth It and the timings don't really work.
xenole is offline  
Old Jul 12, 2014, 5:23 am
  #3018  
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: North West, UK
Programs: BA GfL (GGL/CCR), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 1,998
Originally Posted by sajgidda
Billinghamn,
If you use Avios from MIA-GCM then it's 9000 + £55 return, or 4500 + £3 for MIA-GCM alone. It's the most common way I use my Avios and I think it's fantastic value. Dates are usually wide open, Spring Break being the busiest time after the Christmas/New Years rush
That's a good call - I had forgotten about using Avios in the US. I'll think about that - I'm still tempted by the full trip being on a single PNR, but to be honest AA are really good about rebooking you even if it's your fault for missing a flight aren't they.

Thanks for reminding me about that option.
billinghamn is offline  
Old Jul 12, 2014, 5:33 am
  #3019  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: London, Cayman Islands
Programs: AA EXP, BA GGL/CCR, AMEX Cent, HHonours Diamond, Marriott Tit, Hertz PC
Posts: 492
No trouble at all. If memory serves there are 3 or 4 flights per day on AA from MIA and another 3 on Cayman Airways. AA have been great in the past with rebooking me on the next Cayman Airways flight if something went wrong. If you fancy spending a night or two in Cayman, feel free to drop me a message. There's a few Cayman residents and ex-Residents on here

For the family trip this Christmas, the busiest and most expensive time of year to fly to Cayman, I had 3 return flights from Miami for 27k Avios and £150. I think it's the best £/Avios return I've ever managed
sajgidda is offline  
Old Jul 12, 2014, 12:41 pm
  #3020  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Hampshire/Phoenix
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 346
Originally Posted by typical
The answer you have received is right but let me offer some thoughts!

From London, there are four main good ways to do TP running:

1) Find a relatively cheap destination earning decent TPs for a single sector (which implies business class), and go back and forward a few times (RAK, MLA, JER and AMS have all been relatively cheap on a per-TP basis in the past - in general, flights in Club out of LGW tend to beat those out of LHR or LCY on a TP-value basis)

2) Get to a continental destination and do an "interesting" routing to another one, through London, but with the same criteria as the above - this should get more TPs so you might only need to do it once or twice to earn in the low hundreds (JER-MLA and JER-AMS are the classics here)

An interesting read. I am fairly new here and am BA Bronze, (180 TP) leisure traveller. Want to get to Silver asap fairly cheaply (retired) and I missed out on the last Sale, ended June 18, as was planning to go to PHX but didn't commit until it was too late. Had lots of advice then but wondered if I could get the 420 needed with just going to EU. Saw LGW-MLA which I would have to do twice plus another EU trip. Are there any other combinations that I could use. Am flexible withdates after Aug 24th.
Sorry for the rambling.

3) Look for a routing with several stops on (partly or completely) partner metal - the classic are the US-bound flights from the continent, especially the good old Hawaii run, but QR flights towards Asia count. These tend to be for people looking to earn in the 800+ TP range

4) Position yourself in the US and do a fully contained TP run across the US continent / down the East Coast. Of course best if you will find yourself there anyway, but sometimes very cheap positioning flights are possible... these tend to provide the best TP-value in their own right, but you have to get to the start line...

HTH.
sapper188 is offline  
Old Jul 12, 2014, 12:48 pm
  #3021  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Hampshire/Phoenix
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 346
Originally Posted by typical
The answer you have received is right but let me offer some thoughts!

From London, there are four main good ways to do TP running:

1) Find a relatively cheap destination earning decent TPs for a single sector (which implies business class), and go back and forward a few times (RAK, MLA, JER and AMS have all been relatively cheap on a per-TP basis in the past - in general, flights in Club out of LGW tend to beat those out of LHR or LCY on a TP-value basis)

2) Get to a continental destination and do an "interesting" routing to another one, through London, but with the same criteria as the above - this should get more TPs so you might only need to do it once or twice to earn in the low hundreds (JER-MLA and JER-AMS are the classics here)

3) Look for a routing with several stops on (partly or completely) partner metal - the classic are the US-bound flights from the continent, especially the good old Hawaii run, but QR flights towards Asia count. These tend to be for people looking to earn in the 800+ TP range

4) Position yourself in the US and do a fully contained TP run across the US continent / down the East Coast. Of course best if you will find yourself there anyway, but sometimes very cheap positioning flights are possible... these tend to provide the best TP-value in their own right, but you have to get to the start line...

HTH.
Apologies, I did a reply but put it half way down your piece, it is after question 2 I think. Senior moment!!!
sapper188 is offline  
Old Jul 13, 2014, 7:56 am
  #3022  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 115
I apologize if this has been answered before, or is incorrect to ask for commercial reasons, but does any one know of a good travel agent that understands the practical side of Tier point runs they could recommend? Thanks
enjoyingit is offline  
Old Jul 13, 2014, 10:45 am
  #3023  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 179
I "need" to get 160TP. I'm in MIA after about a week for 3 days and then in HEL for about 7 days.

I was thinking about HEL-LHR-HEL in J for around 600e but that would require on night in London (not interested atm.). I also thought about doing a short day trip MIA-MCO-MIA in F for around 350e but then I'm a bit short in TP.

Any other suggestions?
tentativetraveller is offline  
Old Jul 13, 2014, 12:15 pm
  #3024  
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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Posts: 17,007
Originally Posted by tentativetraveller
I "need" to get 160TP. I'm in MIA after about a week for 3 days and then in HEL for about 7 days.

I was thinking about HEL-LHR-HEL in J for around 600e but that would require on night in London (not interested atm.). I also thought about doing a short day trip MIA-MCO-MIA in F for around 350e but then I'm a bit short in TP.

Any other suggestions?
It's possible to do HEL-LHR-HEL without nightstopping.
Calchas is offline  
Old Jul 13, 2014, 1:06 pm
  #3025  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: UK
Programs: BA Executive Club Gold
Posts: 19
Originally Posted by billinghamn
I've just priced up the GCM-HNL route for Mar 2015 and since I'm going to be in MIA at that time, I had to include a positioning flight as well. This is what I found:

  • The GCM-HNL TP run is priced at about £880 for 920TPs as previously suggested
  • Getting to GCM from MIA is very expensive in comparison - in economy it is about £330 which would create a further 20TPs each way (I think), and in business it goes up to about £440. So this positioning leg makes it a lot more expensive
  • However you can tag the whole lot together on a business class ticket, which gives you some level of assurance - you can book MIA-GCM-MIA-LAX-HNL-LAX-MIA-GCM-MIA on aa.com for £1,223 and 1,000 TPs - not quite as good a £/TP but at least you get the whole lot on a single PNR
Cheers Billingham will try and play on aa.com for your Club/First suggestion
Much appreciated..
Windsor001 is offline  
Old Jul 13, 2014, 5:04 pm
  #3026  
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Join Date: Nov 2005
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Posts: 13,886
Originally Posted by sapper188
An interesting read. I am fairly new here and am BA Bronze, (180 TP) leisure traveller. Want to get to Silver asap fairly cheaply (retired) and I missed out on the last Sale, ended June 18, as was planning to go to PHX but didn't commit until it was too late. Had lots of advice then but wondered if I could get the 420 needed with just going to EU. Saw LGW-MLA which I would have to do twice plus another EU trip. Are there any other combinations that I could use. Am flexible withdates after Aug 24th.
Sorry for the rambling.
Unfortunately fares do bounce around and while the wiki holds some especially good fares, they may not be available for when you want to travel. So the best thing to do is to sit down with ITA and a list of destinations, look at the prices to go to various ones, and decide what you'd prefer to do! As noted, AMS, MLA, RAK and JER are the typical ones. Think about Finnair and Iberia too - both are probably worth a check, just in case. Ultimately the "best" run for you is going to be a personal thing.

(Though I am not an expert, I would say that 420 is quite a lot of TPs to do just within the EU on runs, in my opinion - I would expect long haul to be a cheaper way to collect them.)
typical is online now  
Old Jul 14, 2014, 2:32 am
  #3027  
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Hampshire/Phoenix
Programs: BAEC Silver
Posts: 346
Originally Posted by typical
Unfortunately fares do bounce around and while the wiki holds some especially good fares, they may not be available for when you want to travel. So the best thing to do is to sit down with ITA and a list of destinations, look at the prices to go to various ones, and decide what you'd prefer to do! As noted, AMS, MLA, RAK and JER are the typical ones. Think about Finnair and Iberia too - both are probably worth a check, just in case. Ultimately the "best" run for you is going to be a personal thing.

(Though I am not an expert, I would say that 420 is quite a lot of TPs to do just within the EU on runs, in my opinion - I would expect long haul to be a cheaper way to collect them.)
Thank you, being retired I am on ITA too much!!! We go to the USA every year for a holiday so will try to include the TP run, makes sense.
sapper188 is offline  
Old Jul 14, 2014, 5:36 am
  #3028  
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 179
Originally Posted by Calchas
It's possible to do HEL-LHR-HEL without nightstopping.
True, but then the cost is too much.
tentativetraveller is offline  
Old Jul 14, 2014, 5:52 am
  #3029  
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: UK
Programs: I go wherever the content takes me.
Posts: 5,698
Originally Posted by Calchas
It's possible to do HEL-LHR-HEL without nightstopping.
Would this not require POUGs? The cheapest I-class CE fares have a Saturday night stay, don't they?
paul4040 is offline  
Old Jul 14, 2014, 6:22 am
  #3030  
 
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 118
Apols if this has been asked before, but I can't find a relevant thread....

Please can someone point me to an idiot's guide to getting the best out of ITA matrix if such a thing exists?

I'm toying with the idea of a TP run ex-EU to west coast US, and would like if poss to incorporate LCY-JFK. My amateurish efforts in ITA aren't yielding any suitable routings.
Friederich is offline  


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