Teamscoop

Hi folks

I'm planning a US trip in 2020. Any comments on whether this would be workable?

Outbound: London -> Chicago -> Indianapolis. Regarding the long haul only, cash purchase Economy and upgrade to WT+ with BAEC points. Local flight doesn't matter although hopefully our luggage will be ticketed through...
Inbound: Miami -> London. Cash purchase WT+ and upgrade to Club with BAEC points.

I'll have 170 - 180k points by then. I'm guessing because of the mixture I would need to ring BA to book?

Does this seem like a plan or is it full of holes?

Thanks for your time....

T

lavajava

Hi welcome. Short reply from my phone.. the Y ticket would need to be booked into an upgradeable booking class. I don't see any issues provided award availability is there. Also, not sure why you would fly to Indy, I think last time I drove from indy to ord in the snow, it took a couple of hours.

armouredant

Make sure your LHR-ORD leg is at least booked into the economy N booking class (not O, Q, or G).

Teamscoop

Thank you. I'd have to hire a car one way as we plane to be in Indy for 3-4 days without a car and then drive on to Key West. I will look into a one way hire once I get a comparison flight cost.

gustavmahler

Is this trip just for you, or more than one pax? With this number of Avios you could book a straight redemption in CW both ways. If two people, then an Amex 241 redemption would do that, too.

Miami can be difficult for CW Avios seats (almost impossible in First without other instruments), and the upgrades from WTP come out of the same buckets. However, you could have some creative routing to get your long haul into Club if there's availability from say NYC, ATL, DFW etc. Additionally, WT-WTP is probably not a great use of Avios. It can still be quite a lot, so if you could book WTP both ways, then I think you'd be better off. Incidentally, there are sometimes some great WTP deals if you can start in Europe.

Also, always check that there's availability on the exact flights you want to upgrade before booking. You can do this but searching for straight redemptions on ba.com.

People here are quick to respond and have wealth of information (much more than me!) so just ask if you have any questions.

Teamscoop

Thank you! It will be for two adults.

gustavmahler

Chicago is a band 5 redemption and Miami band 6, so CW would be 60k+75k per person on peak dates for a straight redemption. So with an Amex 241 voucher you'd do it all in for 135k and about £1,300 total in fees so that could be an option. NB with a 241 you can only have BA flights, so connecting to Indy would need to be on a separate ticket. However, as pointed out above, driving might be an option.

Don't forget FLL to Gatwick, that could work, too. The other LGW destinations in FL are Tampa and Orlando.

Good luck!

mikeyfly

If time rich consider booking straight into Cash J by looking at routes starting beyond Heathrow.. You'll usually bag a deal over Easter / July / August / end of November if you plan carefully.

armouredant

This is true. Here's GOT-LHR-ORD-IND/MIA-LHR-GOT in premium economy all the way through for £650 in Jan 2020. You can mess with this itinerary a little bit to push the flights apart and create an overnight (<24hr) stopover in London either or both ways for more convenience, for example. There are similar fares available out of OSL, ARN and AMS, maybe DUB and others, too. Both longhaul legs here could be upgraded to business, availability permitting, so use a tool like BA.com or ExpertFlyer to figure that out before you book.

birdiedouble

Is there a particular reason you're driving from Indy to Key West? I like to drive, but a 1400 mile/20+ hour drive in the middle of a holiday would test me.

b00mer89

Was going to say that's a 2 day drive no matter how you slice it(yes I know it's doable on gallons of coffee and no breaks, but you're also wiped when you arrive), unless you split with other adults and then everyone is miserable. Also keep in mind that is 20 hrs of straight road time, not counting fuel/food stops.

Teamscoop

We've a lot of stops on the way [like the Sierra Neveda brewery in Ashville NC] plus visiting friends, so it's a long 3 week road trip really.

I'll have to start some planning soon!.....

T