I try to do our my booking on CO.com, as we need the miles to stay elite.

We commonly fly CLE-SAN to spoil our granddaughter. Since we've seen about all the museums in San Diego, I thought flying CLE-LAX-SAN, with a stopover in LAX to check out some of their museums would be interesting. I know CO flies this route, with the LAX-SAN leg on, I think, American Eagle, as when I search on CO.com for round trips CLE to SAN, sometimes a few flights including LAX show up. In fact, when I search using Continental Airlines Timetable, quite a few of the American Eagle flights are listed. However, when I search on CO.com for a multiple destination ticket with a stopover in Los Angeles, it consistently reports it cannot find such flights.

What is the best way of booking such a flight, while at the same time using CO.com so we get the maximum miles?

That is a GREAT question! ^

I've wondered the same thing but never thought to post it. My situation is such that I would like to fly EWR-IAH-CDG for Christmas to take advantage of the low winter Z fares and earn beaucoup EQM's, but alas, I can't get the co.com search engine to even display that routing.

I believe that the problem is that American Eagle codeshares are only allowed if IMMEDIATELY connecting (within 4 hours) to a Continental flight. If you are making a stopover (for more than 1 day), you cannot book the codeshare flights.

Stay elite? Huh? Maybe I'm missing something, but doesn't one get the same ELITE miles no matter HOW the flight is booked--whether on continental.com or not? I mean, sure, you get 1000 bonus miles when booking on continental.com, but those aren't elite miles. Therefore, what does continental.com have to do with your needing miles to stay elite?

Discounted economy fares earn 100% EQM on co.com, unlike tickets in the same booking class that are booked elsewhere, where they earn 50%. Makes a potentially massive difference!

Why not just drive down from LA? Its a fairly easy drive outside of rush hour - I often do this so I can get back to CLE quicker on the direct flights.

If you don't want to drive it, you'd have to pay for LAX-SAN on AA or UA, as has been mentioned, the codeshare is for connections and cannot be booked as standalone.

If you were to book the whole ticket as a UA or AA ticket, you could book it all as one circle trip. Since you want to fly CO, and CO doesn't serve LAX-SAN, it would likely fare higher, as you'd be paying for an open-jaw on CO and a one-way on UA or AA. This is where CO's west coast weakness is can cost you.

Faring Example (UA or AA ticket):

CLE-ORD-LAX (1/2 RT CLE-LAX)
LAX-SAN (1/2 RT LAX-SAN)
SAN-ORD-CLE (1/2 RT SAN-CLE)


Faring Example (CO + UA/AA segment):

CLE-LAX (1/2 RT CLE-LAX)
LAX-SAN (1-WAY LAX-SAN)
SAN-IAH-CLE (1/2 RT SAN-CLE)

So, in the first example, since you're flying wholly on UA or AA, UA or AA will essentially cut you a break on that stopover, charging you half the RT on that segment (probably about $75 more than the open jaw) since you're flying the whole ticket on UA or AA. But if you book CO, and combine an AA or UA segment, you get hit with a one-way on that segment, or about $250 extra over the straight open jaw.

My suggestion: Drive it. It's a couple hours in a one-way rental car. Alternatively, choose a West Coast stopover point in a market where you can get a cheap one-way fare on your alternate carrier. If the fares in that market are one-way fares, you won't be penalized for flying a different carrier on that portion of your trip. For example, while AA charges $250 for LAX-SAN, they charge only $65 for SJC-LAX-SAN. So a SJC stopover will likely be cheaper. But if you really want to beef up the miles, AS is a CO partner and lets you fly SJC-SEA-SAN.

Thanks for the information.

I used Amtrac the first time. It was fairly quick and economical, and I think Amtrac miles can be transferred to Continental.

You can put an itinerary together by using the multiple destination option. I get prices ~ $2500-2600 for that routing, with the domestic legs in "D" and the international legs in "Z". Is that in the ballpark?

In order to get NonePass� miles for Amtrak "flights" you have to be connecting with a CO flight at Newark.

However, Amtrak's program, Guest Rewards, permits transfer of points to the Continental program, but only in blocks of 5,000.

Not entirely true, since mileage is also available for certain Acela and MEtroliner trains:
http://www.continental.com/onepass/e...B97A80F79784C3
Though that won't do you much good between L.A. and San Diego.

Thanks, but I was hoping to get the same $1300-1400 fare routing through IAH. Someone over on airliners.net said that the only way to do it is to call the 800 number, because the multi-destination feature prices it out differently than if it is booked "correctly". I guess since Z earns 150% no matter how it is booked, I'll be OK calling.

Yes, I know that. I thought the original poster was reluctant to book via phone or at a ticket office with Continental and felt obligated to book on-line ONLY. (Yes, I know those latter ticket-buying options cost more, but that--as I was merely pointing out--has nothing to do with elite qualifying miles.) Carry on.

I am trying to book a flight for the next year on continental.com (discounted economy fares earn 100% EQM on co.com, unlike tickets in the same booking class that if booked elsewhere they would earn 50%) in order to get EQMs.
My itinerary is MXP-EWR(stopover)-LAX-EWR(stopover)-MXP but there is no way to book this itinerary on co.com. I tryed also on expedia (even if EQMs would be only 50% that way) but with no result.
I don't want to loose the EQMs and the bonus miles I will receive booking on co.com but I have no idea how to do it. Any suggestion?

by the end of Oct all fares will be 100% EQM.

However what you need to do is a multi destination trip, it should work.

i price dit out and WOWSER IT IS CHEAP!!!!! 1 Adults (age 18 to 64) $577.64
Additional Taxes/Fees $91.50
Total Price $669.14


This is Feb 5th MXP-EWR
Feb 26 LAX-EWR
FEB27 EWR LAX

amazing price!