Flying Yazata

Okay, so the return is probably most still in the works in terms of the itinerary.

That decision essentially comes down to comfort and what's doable on an eastbound return to Europe. A departure from LAX/SFO/SEA with one 40 TP leg (if assuming that TPs are to be maximised) and a same day overnight TATL crossing essentially means leaving 5-7 AM in the morning from the West Coast. An overnight stay of course makes it possible to depart later, enjoy any lounge(s) or just otherwise select any flights more broadly. I suspect you'd get most appreciation from the majority of participants by doing SEA-SFO/LAX-JFK-LHR on the return, if it's from SEA. For a Bay Area DO, the tactic would probably be SFO-LAX-JFK-LHR. That would then include AA Flagship Business and JFK T7 CCR.

However I still underscore my original comment regarding I(ndia) class availability on those AA Flagship Business services with convenient schedules and how that will be an inventory availability issue for a large group. Especially now since we seem to be over 50 and just spilitting that theoretically 50/50 makes the groups large. That means in reality only a handful will make it onto the same flight, which in any case will cause scattering. Based on that, my personal suggestion is prioritising the westbound travel for both DOs.

Why? There's more capacity on the TATL widebody flights and they're frequent, especially on LHR-JFK. And there's also a multitude to BOS and MIA, from where AA Flagship Business can be done. Thus even with 2-3 flights, participants would be able to arrive at a layover gathering/event in a quite timely manner. The DO destination would then probably be reached in multiple clusters and within a slightly larger timeframe, but on the same day. Of course skipping any "intraline event" gives more flexibility, but I had the impression a layover event of some sorts was wanted.

The I(ndia) class availability for a tight eastbound timing is much more tricky with such large groups, if there would be e.g. a TWA Hotel meet-up on the inbound. But of course it could be an extra event for those wanting to do the TWA Hotel. Either way, what I wanted to convey with my aforementioned commentary was that I'd give priority for the outbound journey, in case a midway get-together is underscored in the plan.

I personally have been pondering finally in 2022 trying out the daytime eastbound TATL by BA from BOS or by AA from ORD, since I've already done the one from JFK. So I personally might route and time my own return onto a daytime return. And like I've previously said, I'm open to having others join me on any likely alternative routing, since there's going to be capacity constraints in both directions. Unless we book D(elta) class tickets like the Big Boys do.

El_Duderito

I absolutely agree with what Flying Yazata wrote. West Coast to Europe I prefer to leave early, even if that means a 6-7AM hop to LAX/SFO to get onto the transcon flight. Esp with the larger group there would be multiple West Coast to JFK party flights due to inventory restrictions. The JFK CCR or T7 F lounge could be a nice place to regroup and have dinner before the short hop across the Atlantic.

For the westbound there will hopefully be a large bank of ex-LHR flights that would connect to for instance LAX and SFO. I don't mind flying via JFK, BOS, MIA or even PHL (if there's longhaul equipment).
Realistically there will be some missed connections when tagging on a LAX-SJC/PHX/LAS/SEA segment at the end of a long day. Personally I prefer to overnight in LAX, sleep in and take the last flight the next morning/noon. Event-wise the first group event would have to take this into account.

ISTFlyer

Thank you both for your suggestions.
I'll take a deeper look in the upcoming hours and respond back.

Flying Yazata

This is also one reason why I think it's better to try time any event to the outbound journey to the US. There's so many different preferences for when it's humanly acceptable to wake up and probably not all want to wake up early on an assumed holiday. For instance, I could for the sake of DO attendance and route collecting/hunting/experience travel just fine red-eye LAX-MCO-LGA,JFK/EWR-LHR, but I know I'd probably be on my own or just with some other nutter. Thus it's better to do the initial mainstream itinerary as per most wishes and then there's deviations as per different aspirations and fare bucket availability at the time of booking.

Precisely. Cabin size isn't the main issue here on the crosscontinental flights - it's all about the fare buckets. Yes, AA Flagship Business on an Airbus A321 with a Flagship Service cabin layout is large in C, but there's mainly R(omeo), D(elta) and C(harlie) class pax. Or e.g. AAdvantage SWU loyalty upgrades. And the odd award redemption on some of the least popular departures.

The likelihood of the booking process to result in a working itinerary for as many as possible to attend any program in e.g. NYC or MIA, is greater from Europe to the US, since there's more business class seats, ample OW flights (not just from LHR) and critical I(ndia) class availability. Let's say somebody can't book within 24-48 hrs of T-330 opening up. For a person like that, there's at least an adequate chance of making it to NYC/MIA/BOS by e.g. AA from CDG or IB from MAD, despite not being booked as per the main itinerary.

Onwards from the East Coast to the West Coast there's probably a bigger timeframe for when one may arrive and yet still be on time for the DO event program, so I(ndia) class availability won't be a huge issue and one can also use other routes to make it there from any halfway event on the East Coast. I assume at least that any Seattle, WA or Bay Area program has at least 4-6 hrs spare time, before any roll call? Otherwise there will be issues reaching there JIT en masse.

I agree on the last point. However due to inventory implied scattering across a multitude of flights and routings, any rendezvous will be smaller on the eastbound journey.

There simply isn't enough AA Flagship Business services SFO/LAX-JFK with I(ndia) class discounted C seats, since these prime routes attract *cough* actual, properly paying passengers. Inventory on the flights is often 1-3 seats and on prime days/departures a round zero. I'm just being a realist here, since I understand why people like lie-flat, but revenue management kicks in here. So thus I suggested that it's best to have any midway rendezvous on the westbound journey to America, since then a larger portion of us may actually arrive there on time, within a 2-6 hr timeframe.

Speaking of an overnight hop to LON: if G-EUNA would still be in existance (RIP 2020), BA2 would probably be filled with FT'ers that night.

There's probably even ample time to alternatively make the 40 TP domestic leg before any NYC/BOS/MIA halfway event, if flying e.g. LHR-PHL-LGA and after the midway event/meet-up proceed directly to the destination, while the main itinerary would proceed e.g. JFK-LAX-SFO.

For the record: AA Flagship Business (these are 3-class A321 and 777-300ER services) and Business (these are 777-200ER services, currently none are scheduled as 787-8/9) cabins are operated on the following crosscontinental 140 TP routes in 2022 as so far published in the GDS:

JFK-LAX/SFO/SNA (I always keep forgetting the once daily John Wayne Airport... I mean Santa Ana... Erm, Orange County or whatever is now the name.)
MIA-LAX

None are scheduled to/from PHL currently.

Simon Schus

really re: no arrivals lounge access? I use Admirals Club lounges all the time as arrivals lounges whilst waiting for a pick up, to watch the a big sporting event (e.g., a game in the Euros, or last set in the tennis), or even waiting for bags in some cases (can track progress in the AA app, and in one case the Admirals Club just phoned down and asked for my bags to picked up and put aside whilst I watched something). The only time I had trouble was at the Flagship in LAX, but other than that I’ve had no trouble with Flagship or Admirals Clubs for arrivals.

I have never tried accessing a third party lounge in the USA on arrival.

ISTFlyer

For BAEC status holders, no Admirals Club access on arrival.
For an American Airlines Admirals Club lounge member who pays for an annual membership or someone who purchases a day pass, there is Admirals Club access on arrival.

Simon Schus

interesting… I am only a BAEC member and don’t have an AA credit card, and don’t use an AA account. I am guessing that this is not enforced when I go into some of those lounges (JFK Flagship, LGA, DCA, PIT, RDU, ORD being the ones I remember having done it in, and LAX being the one that pushed back but let me in anyway). Did this as both Silver and Gold. Even got the premium drinks vouchers loaded onto my boarding pass pre-pandemic. Used it for a glass of champagne in the club, and a bottle of water for the ride home.

for DCA, it is almost a weekly thing on arrival!

ISTFlyer

So, Flying Yazata , as you mentioned, we are planning to put a mid-way meeting point in the westbound as there would be people from the US joining us for only the US parts. Once this city is set ( probably would be New York based on our statistics ) I am not planning to change it. I can’t say Philadelphia or Boston and then change it to New York or something similar at a later stage so it would be precise from the beginning. There would be others who would book other US domestic fares and award tickets just for the events and meet-ups rather than focusing on Tier Points.

By the way, there aren’t any wide-body flights from PHL and as the S22 schedule for US domestic is still a placeholder, we are not considering PHL to be in the main itinerary. There is no guarantee that there would be a PHL-LAX flight on a wide-body next summer.

El_Duderito , for the eastbound, you are of course welcome to leave on Monday night and stay that night at an airport hotel in LAX. We are still working on the schedule thus I can’t comment if there would be an event on Monday evening but we have others that do not like waking up early so you wouldn’t be alone in your journey.

For your last post, Flying Yazata , I’ll agree with your points; we would be creating a schedule that has alternatives as you mentioned thus we wouldn’t have problems on alternative itineraries. I have dedicated a lot of time do those fare and scheduling analysis’s so we are not likely to run out of alternative schedules. That’s why we’ll offer free-of-charge ITA Matrix help sessions so that people could create alternative itineraries.

alex67500

Good news regarding BWC, it looks like both Do's will now be covered, giving a bit more security for people scared of booking so far in advance!

Nephoi

thanks. "

• You booked from 3 March 2020 onwards for travel due to be completed by 31 August 2022"

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb...uchers-refunds

that takes a lot of pressure of me

astutiumRob

I expect to be in BG _around_ the time of the DO, so my plan would be :
* LHR-SOF at some point, join up for the do
* on the SOF-LHR leg hope it involves an overnight so I can drop luggage aka laundry-mountain in London and pickup clothes etc needed on the TP run
* partake of (some of) the flights to/in the US, possibly diverging for some F&F/work meetings (MIA would be dead handy for a mini tp run to HOU via CLT etc),
* attempt to join back up before the return
* land back at LHR and dash into/out of own to swap DO luggage for "need it in BG and will have 32KGx3 luggage allowance so may as well carry 100kg of stuff" to SOF
and then the following weekend head back to London to recover

Much as I like and use Wizz, they really only make sense for HBO trips - Luton is a costly time-consuming nightmare for me when I can just get a tube to Heathrow, add on a case and a carryon, and the sub £10 saving over a BA price is just not worth the hours/struggle each way to the airport plus the landing at 3am issue

Been happy to BA out, Wizz back a few times, although it was only a £53 price difference between the Wizz HBO and the BA Business - even without a lounge at SOF that was worth it for the extra 60TPs and the catering on the plane IMHO - just waiting on my Day2 PCR all clear now

flipper118

What is a DO? I always thought it was along the lines of ‘we’re having a do on Saturday night, bring your own nibbles’.

alex67500

It's kind of the same thing except it's someplace other than London, we travel together in J or above, BA or other OW airlines bring the nibbles and bubbles, and we bring our status cards

Flying Yazata

That won't be an issue. Arrival from SOF is in the evening and the plan was to do the outbound TATL segment on flights that have an early NYC arrival for a halfway get-together. Thus you'd be departing the following day from LHR.

That pitstop on the return is really up to which TATL you've boarded. Remember to keep your options open for it. BA890 to SOF is in the afternoon only on Tue and Thu.

As I've previously pointed out, we're going to need to use a multitude of flights, so no need to worry about the timings of one specific TATL flight on the inbound/outbound for any pitstops in good ol' Londinium.

ISTFlyer

We are waiting your attendance, if you want we could provide you free ITA Matrix help based on your itinerary and work schedule so you could maximize the time spent with us.

The outsourced BA agents might not short-check bags from SOF to LHR.

Also BA doesn't operate flights to SOF on Tuesday and Thursday during the S22 season as it looks.