fortress

Hello FT members.

It's been a while I've been here. It's because I haven't done much travel in the last couple of years and the few travel done was with avios so been downgraded to blue.

I'm trying to make Silver from my next trip to the US for 2 conferences and I need advise on the cheapest way to achieve 465 tier points on this trip. I currently have 135 points.

This is my proposed itinerary and I would really appreciate your help is piecing together what flights to pay cash, what flight to use avios and what class of flights when paying cash.

Just to say I have about 100k avios to play with if it will help in reducing my total cash outlay and also get me the required tier points.

This is the order of my itinerary:

31st May - LONDON (LHR/LGW) > CLT (don't mind connecting in NYC)
3rd June - CLT > SEA (thinking of flying first on AA as i get 210 pts)
5th June - SEA > IAH (not sure why the tier pt calculator is showing as zero. thinking of paying cash and fly AA or choose any other airline)
10-12 June - IAH > LONDON ((LHR/LGW) (don't mind connecting flight too)

Just to add that if possible, I would like to fly CW return to London on 10 - 12 June as I will have a few suitcases . Can't seem to find availability from any US airports within 2-3 hours on Houston. If CW not available, I can do WT+

I understand this is very complex but will appreciate any tips.

Thanks!
Fortress

FlyerTalker39574

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, it is odd that the calculator is showing zero TPs, but if it's under 2000 miles, which it is, then it's going to be 40 TPs in AA First, and 5, 10 or 20 TPs in Main Cabin. [But I had forgotten that this is an Alaska flight, so no TPs unless codeshared and that will be tricky to arrange].

CLT to SEA - almost certainly in terms of what you will get on a given ticket, you would be on 140 TPs, not 210 TPs since the ticketing buckets will typically relate to BA's "business" listed fare classes. So AA will sell First but in fare bucket D (inter alia). First at 210 TPs is now confined to some trans Continental flights where AA runs Main Cabin, Business and First cabins.

For the other points, do have a look at the main TP thread, which is available via the Dashboard on the rare occasions that it isn't near the top of the forum list of threads.

fortress

Thanks corporate-wage-slave and richardwft. Could it be that SEA - IAH is showing zero because there is actually not a direct flight between those 2 airports? I've just tried to book on AA website and there's a stopover so its SEA-DFW and DFW-IAH. Wondering if I'll get 40 points or 80 points if I book it.
There doesnt seem to be any availability from ORD-LHR on any of my dates. In fact no airport in the US has CW/WT+ availability to London on 10-12 June. I would need to travel back on either of those dates.

Thanks again for your input.

Cymro

How about

DUB-JFK-CLT
IAH-LHR-GOT

All on one ticket for €2,650? That gets you 360 TPs.

Add CLT-LAX-SEA for 140+40 and SEA-XXX-IAH for a further 80 and you get to 620. Do this as a separate ticket for roughly $1,600.

You only have two BA-operated flights in there, however, so you may want to book your long hauls on BA codes - which are a little more expensive. Alternatively, positioning flights to DUB and from GOT would get you the required four flights on BA metal/codes.

All of the above book into I class except for the CLT-LAX, which is in D.

The two-ticket solution earns more TPs, and is slightly cheaper, but it can all be done on one ticket with a non-stop to SEA, getting you 580 TPs.

fortress

Wao! Thanks Cymro. I'll book this. Quick question on the return IAH-LHR-GOT. My final destination is LHR, can I stop there?

Also I should add that I've already flown BA metal 4 times this year to Europe so that removes the need for lots of BA codes. I'm thinking to amend your suggestions to be:

1. LHR-DUB-JFK-CLT
2. CLT-SEA and SEA-DFW-IAH
3. IAH-LHR

Is this better booked on the phone to BA or I can book online on BA / AA website. If I can achieve 580 points with £3000, I think that will be a good run
Thanks again!

Cymro

It's going to be more like €4k but ...

1. I'd fly to DUB the night before on a separate ticket (probably a good use of avios). I'm not sure that you can even route LHR-DUB-PHL-CLT on one ticket (and it's highly likely to be much more expensive than two tickets here).
2. CLT-SEA seems available on a non-stop and in fact the prices seem lower.
3. Amending the IAH-LHR-GOT leg to IAH-LHR adds €1,600 to the cost of the flight. It's possible, of course, and well... tight connections sometimes get missed, but BA is unlikely to check your bag through to LHR only. So you'd have to chase after your bag. ARN is the same price and gives you more options for turning around, so I'd do that instead of GOT. Alternatively you could add a stopover for €150 + APD and get a short-haul business flight to ARN or GOT on a weekend in the future.

mickeyjaw

Your hold baggage will be through-checked to GOT so you can only get off at LHR if you travel hand baggage only.

Also, if you intend to get off at LHR:

* Book direct, not through a travel agent or your travel agent will get fined by BA for you skipping the last leg and they are likely to chase you for the money.

* Don't make a habit of doing this or you'll also get into trouble with BA.

Cw novice

Would ex INV be an option, I have an INV-LHR-ORD-BOS-JFK-LHR-INV trip for holidays which yields 440tp, that's before flights to CLT and SEA, plus positioning to INV are factored in, think before I added the hotel flights priced to £1400 for the trip.

Apologies just saw your dates and itinerary and it's certainly not a viable option for ex INV.

fortress

I've heard airlines frown at skipping a leg but I may have to try that if that saves me 1600. Do I just tell the staff at IAH to check my bags to London? Also when you say book direct, is this booking on BA or with AA for all of the flights?
Thanks

fortress

This looks really good but can't those prices for the dates I want to travel.

Thanks all for your contribution. I've now priced the following and will be booking on AA.com or calling BA (extra £35 ouch!)

1. DUB-JFK-CLT
3. IAH-LHR-ARN

Total - £2494 Business class (could be £2315 if I stop over in DFW on the way back to Europe)

2. CLT-SEA and SEA-DFW-IAH
Total - £808 Business/First class on AA

Now I need to hope BA will check my bags through to LHR and not take it to ARN.

FlyerTalker39574

Very unlikely. Just book a separate, later ARN-LHR and not risk it.

fortress

Sorry didn't get that. Do you mean to book ARN-LHR as a separate one-way ticket? That makes the initial ticket go up significantly. Or do you mean select a later connecting flight to ARN (e.g evening)? What happens when we get to London anyways? I tell them I need my luggage? If anyone has skipped a leg successfully please let me know.

Thanks!

Cymro

If you're on the 8 p.m. flight out of Houston, you'll get to Stockholm around 5 p.m. That means you can collect your bag and fly back to London on the 9.20 p.m. flight on another booking for around £75 - so fly the entire ticket, collect your bag and check it back in, then have dinner in or near the airport before flying back to London.

If that seems like too much hassle, pay for a stopover and collect your bag in London, then fly to Stockholm for a day or a weekend in a few weeks or months' time and still save a fortune over just booking IAH-LHR.

fortress

Thanks both! Got a plan now. I'll let you all know how it goes.