Dicksbits

When we will get some decent OneWorld offers from Europe to across the pond? Seems a bit bereft atm. Obviously no one is mystic Meg here, but any guidance for number TP is welcome! Been out of the loop for a while obvs!

Newly Wed

I've been trying for a few days and on various different dates but with no luck. Is there an alternative transcon route I should look at? We don't need to return via NYC. Anything that gets us the full 140 TPs is just as good.

Chiller3333

Here's a list of all flights that are over 2,000mi, don't know how current it is (FAI still shows up while not being available in the winter):
https://travel-dealz.eu/deal/tier-point-sweet-spots/

hearingdouble

Not sure when you were looking, but yesterday I was able to book an itinerary including JFK to LAX on a Saturday, LAX to SFO on the Monday, and then SFO to JFK on the Thursday (all in October). A321T on both transcons and 40 TP for the LAX-SFO leg too. One week out of the office, 2 days in LA, 3 in SF, 2 in NY, enough TP to renew Gold in one trip.

dougzz

I think that it’s only JFK and BOS that have the better trans-con product, there maybe some wide-bodies MIA-LAX, bit uncertain in that. If you take an ordinary cross US flight like say PHL-PHX it’s a noticeably poorer seat.

xenole

SFO has it as well.

dougzz

I found this, at present the LAX-MIA is a 777, is I think a better seat, sure one of the regulars will chip in if that’s not true. I think Miami is preferably to JFK in that it allows for better chance of sleep on the longer flight, but that’s personal preference.




There’s nothing TP run about this, you should really use the find a fare clinic thread.

dougzz

But to JFK or BOS right?

I checked a random day for MIA-SFO and it was 737 MAX on all 4 flights.

Newly Wed

Thanks all. Really helpful.

It is a TP run. We're only going the long way to California to get Mr NW closer to renewing GGL. After 15 years of accruing 5,000+ TPs a year through business travel he is now retired so we need to think more strategically as I don't want to lose our jokers. He is GFL so it is the jokers we really value.

CT-UK

This isn't supposed to sound funny or sarcastic, but If you are willing to drop £10k on a a very bad TP run and £30k plus on a holiday don't you think Jokers aren't that important? You could spend that £10k a lot better just booking good deals as and when they come up

Newly Wed

Yikes, my £30k holiday is going to haunt me forever on FT!! I suppose we all have our own motivations and whilst I am uncompromising with regard to luxury travel Mr NW draws certain lines re: cost so the jokers do matter especially as we have school age kids and travel in peak periods. Four weeks in New Zealand came at a price and using a joker for 4xF flights to Sydney was the difference between going and not going. Likewise, 8xJ tickets to take our extended family to South Africa for Christmas is prohibitively expensive and the jokers make it happen. We don't have the flexibility to book the good deals as and when they come up so its either pay premium prices or use jokers.

We are going to CA in August and the fare is £2.5k whether we fly direct for 280 TPs or combine it with a car and make the stop on the East coast for 1,120 TPs. That's almost half way to renewing GGL for a trip we are doing anyway so is it really a bad run and not worth doing? Mr NW will need at least one other pure TP run and I am currently looking at how to get him to Bogata and back from Quito for maximum TPs. I will do my research on that one before coming back to this thread for help.

RichieMc

So I've got a SOF-LHR-ORD-RDU-DFW-LHR-SOF planned for Thanksgiving in November. Comes in at just over £1'000. It's not the most impressive TP run, but it's a trip I was going to make anyway, and it compares favourably vs the direct flight at £2800 and only 280 TPs. I can even add one more 40 point leg on the way home, but I like the idea of getting a longer overnight flight from DFW vs the too short JFK flight. I can deal with the London layovers and will just sleep at home. What I'm wondering is if I can skip the nights at the start and end in SOF. The positioning flight LHR-SOF on the 21st gets in at 12:35, with the first flight of the run SOF-LHR leaving at 13:30. On the way back, the LHR-SOF lands at 13:00, with the return SOF-LHR leaving at 13:50. Kind of tight but not insane connections on one hand, but they are on the same plane so I can't really miss it. It should be possible to get off the plane and go through SOF as a transfer passenger without immigration or security. Just not sure about bags. Not a prob for the last leg as I can drop checked bags at home on the 28th. But I would definitely need a checked bag to get from London to US.

Using the separate ticket for LHR-SOF-LHR, will they let me check my bag all the way LHR-SOF-LHR-ORD? Can I get away without the overnights on SOF? Or at least get out of one of them?

I hope this is clear, but as I'm a new user, I can't post links or pics yet.

circusboy

I have a QR credit to be used and I fear this will be my last chance before it expires. So I found OTP-ORD for €1928, not great but the best I could find before the credit expires.

I'm looking at a decent TP run in the US, or two. After ORD i'll be heading to IAH at the end of the month and could start from either. Any ideas or runs starting in the US? I'm happy to do the work, just need help with known starting points.

So far I've got DCA-FAI, but it's messy. I need something with a similar number of TP's but shorter stops.

omk298

I'm fairly sure you won't be able to check your bag back to the airport you're departing from, and BA won't check through on separate tickets.

I think you're staying in London between SOF and ORD you can just check in your bag when you go for the LHR-ORD flight.
SOF used to be possible for returning on the same plane, but I don't know if Covid has stopped that being possible - I'll be trying to find that out in June.

​​

RB211

The core AA Transcon routes are JFK-LAX and JFK-SFO, where you're all but guaranteed to get the A321T three class plane. (IROPS with the unavailability of a backup would be the only reason not to - all flights are scheduled as Transcons with the A321T.)

From time to time other official Transcons on A321T planes are marketed, like JFK-SNA, LAX-BOS and MIA-LAX. But these will have non-Transcon two class planes doing some (the majority?) of the flights.

In addition, other non-Transcon service widebody (777) flights are scheduled, MIA-LAX being one of those, which may have three class service, although the lines can be blurred here, with the word Transcon sometimes being used.

Hopefully that muddies the waters sufficiently!

rb211.