Jzlerner

Hello people.

Thought I'd share my tier point run which started accidentally but will end up with me being BA gold by the end of the summer. Just a little point to mention, I'm based in Tel Aviv and London so frequently fly between. Also, I've noticed and previous travel agents have confirmed that starting in a country like Israel massively reduces taxes for unknown reasons which you will see below. Here goes:

TLV-LHR basic economy 20TP £300
TLV-LHR roundtrip premium economy 180 TP £600
DUB-LCY club Europe 40TP £50
TLV-JFK VIA LHR roundtrip premium economy 360 TP £750. (my family paid a few pounds more to fly direct LHR-JFK!) Shows the extra taxes as I'm flying nearly double as long for cheaper.
And finally TLV-LHR-MIA-JFK-LHR-TLV in business (one connection domestic first) 600TP £2000.

Total cost: £3650
Total TP: 1200
DUB-LCY not really necessary but those extra 40 points got me to bronze before my NY trip.
Also bear in mind, these were flights I was anyway taking and the upgrade costs from going from economy to these classes was only about £1200 total
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higham44

I have found a TPR itinerary using ITA Matrix that looks appealing, which is a mix of BA and AA flights (DUB-LHR-BOS-LAX-PHX-BOS-LHR-DUB). BA are not accepting calls for new bookings for another month, BA website only accept 6 flights on its multi-city system (with min 120 min transfer times between flights). Should I try calling AA, but if so will I be able to get the required TPs as I would by booking with BA?

Advice re how best to go about booking this itinerary please.

Jzlerner

If AA are happy to book it for you then you can credit it to BAEC and will earn all the TP/Avios as normal

ISTFlyer

You could call AA or even use Powetools/Bookwithmatrix -> AA.com through ITA Matrix and pay online.
As a reminder AA's schedule change, cancellation and COVID-19 flexibility policy is different than BA's.

If you would like to book in BA stock, you could still call Bremen or another contact center outside the UK or use a travel agent.

higham44

I've just called AA and the guy there says that his system can only accept six segments in building a multi-city itinerary, whereas mine has seven. Frustrating.

ISTFlyer

Which is totally wrong, you could HUACA and speak to a different agent.

David_Doyle

Assuming that the 120 minute transfer isn't an issue for your booking, can't you enter the following into Multi-City?

1) DUB-BOS
2) BOS-LAX
3) LAX-PHX
4) PHX-LAX
5) LAX-BOS
6) BOS-DUB

The results should present DUB-LHR-BOS connections and the reverse for (6)

higham44

I did HUACA and was informed that you can have 14-16 segments. A bit of a difference from what I was first told!

I assume that internal Business flights (A321 Sharklets) with Booking Code I receive 140 TPs?

RichieMc

Yes

dougzz

Twice you’ve asked and twice I’ve answered in regard ITA Powertools. Is there a reason or a problem with using it. Yes the 3 class internal flights from coast to coast in USA are 140TP in business, as are other 2000+ mile flights in what is typically referred to as Domestic First.

higham44

I appreciate you repeating your answer - thank you. I did try Powertools but there was a problem using it.

I have had much more success getting through to AA on the phone (a very helpful agent in Mexico City) compared to BA. TPR here I come!

ermis177

Quick question. Can i book the BUD-HNL if i call the gold line or no?

MaxFlyer

Yes but it would speed things up if you have your flights lined up otherwise it could be a long call trying to find your ideal itinerary and price.

ISTFlyer

I guess that ermis177 was speaking about BA's decision of prioritizing customer service calls to sales calls.
So the answer is yes, however, calling BA Bremen or a call center of another country would decrease the wait times.

ermis177

Yes that's exactly what i meant. I was not sure if they will accomodate my request or no. Many thanks