sk3

I'm checking on BA.com for you and wanted to double check your dates. 11/18 is a Friday, not a Wednesday. So is 11/18 correct? And also, is it that you want to fly on 11/18 arriving on 11/19 because your cruise leaves on 11/20 - or do you want to arrive at FCO on 11/18?

ALadyNCal

Sorry, s/b 11/16. Corrected OP.

sk3

Well that's fortunate since BA.com is showing availability for its LAX-LHR-FCO flights on 11/16. And from what I've read over the years, BA's TATL J product is supposed to be terrific. It's saying there are 8 reward seats remaining.

The SAN-LHR isn't showing availablility in business.

There may also be availability on IB, BA.com I've found to not be 100% reliable - that's why I call AA direct...

I'm now looking at your return date... BA.com is being really glitchy right now...

ALadyNCal

Thank you VERY MUCH for the availability notes.

1. I read somewhere that BA charges huge fuel fees -- is that true?
2. Someone noted that the LAX-MAD on Iberia is hard to get. I tried searching for it on qantas.com and didn't see anything, even for 1 seat, but don't know if qantas.com is the best place to try.

sk3

I'm happy to help, the LAX-FCO route is why I'm on FT.

Yes, as I pointed out above, flying on BA will cost you an add'l ~$800. That's why I choose IB and recommended it to you.

My experience is that IB's LAX-MAD is relatively easy to book if given enough lead time. But there IS more availability on BA.

As I've said, the easiest way to find out if IB is available is to call AA.

So I'll do it for you since you seem to be unable to - I'm doing it because now I'm curious!

I'll call in a few minutes and post back. Of course, if there is availability when I call, that's no guarantee that it will still be there when you call...

sk3

Ok, I just called. No luck with IB on either the outbound or the return. But of course that doesn't mean that something couldn't theoretically open up.

They did have the availability on BA that I'm seeing on BA.com for November 16.

For the return there's only availability in coach on the 29th, but there IS availability in business on the 30th on BA.

My 2 cents, I'd call and put these on hold for your 300K AA miles. And then continue to explore your other options.

About the high surcharge, that very well may apply to the other available carriers.

sk3

The specific BA flight info showing availability for 3 AA MileSAAvers:

Nov 16: Flt 268 LAX-LHR
Nov 17: Flt 546 LHR-FCO

Nov 30: Flt 549 FCO-LHR, Flt 269 LHR-LAX

LA2CDG

You also can do BA on the outbound and LH on the return (I think you can do a oneway on LH with UA miles) someone can correct me if I'm wrong.
There is also availability on LH outbound on the 16th with a one night in Munich. However, I'm sure the same day connection will open up between now and November.

andysiz

I am back, hoping to pick up the general wisdom of FT for a trip to Italy in April 2013. I'm hoping to get any and all recommendations, comments, info, help, etc. in planning this trip for 2 (my SO and me - both of our first times to Italy). As always, any help is very much appreciated!

Points/Programs:

350,000+ Delta Skymiles (would prefer to use these for flights)
150,000 Chase UR
150,000 Amex MR
100,000 Starpoints
60,000 United
180,000 AA
50,000 US Airways
280,000 Hilton
100,000 Cap1 Venture (should have this available as just approved)

Objectives:

-I'd like to get business class seats for 2 using Delta Skymiles. I'm assuming my best option is Alitalia...? What are the best routes (via CDG (AF) or via JFK or something else?) How is their availability for 2 biz seats in April? I'm looking 11 months out right now on expertflyer, and their availability does not appear to be all that great (I've looked primarily at LAX-CDG (AF) + CDG-FCO (AZ) or LAX-JFK (??) + JFK-FCO (AZ)).

-I'd like to save as many SPG/Chase/Amex/Hilton points to use for a separate trip across the Pacific for a resort vacation at a nice Hilton/Conrad property flying Singapore (using Amex MR-->Krisflyer) and/or Cathay (using AA and SPG-->AA as necessary) in premium cabins

-Because of the above, I don't mind exploring paying for hotels in Italy so long as they're reasonably priced (and the Cap1 points could be handy for this).

Plan:

-As the trip will likely be of short duration (9-10 days -- likely departing Friday and returning 9 days later on Sunday, maybe +/- one day both ends), I obviously won't be able to hit all the spots I'd like to. I'll probably focus on Rome/Florence/Tuscany, leaving Venice for a future trip -- that is, unless y'all convince me otherwise!

Many thanks to all who read and/or help.

clacko

why don't you look at what dl will sell you....you can look 12 mo out for purchased fares, so, in apr, you could see the routes to look at for awards in may....

Reindeerflame

Europe is very popular, and award seats are booked quickly, so lots of advance planning is helpful. Many people wait too late and are disappointed when awards are unavailable or expensive. During the last 2 years I booked two free AA award seats to Europe in October, one for 60000 miles and one for 40000 miles, using miles obtained from 2 AA credit cards. As I recall, my bookings were made the previous December or January.

Planning now for April 2013 is the way to go. I would book the air travel as soon as inventory becomes available and fill in the rest of the trip later. Some airlines allow one-way awards, which eliminates the need to wait until 330 days before the return trip to book.

Venice/Florence/Rome is a very nice introductory trip to Italy. Venice is unique, so if possible it should not be missed. I spent 2 nights in Venice, 4 nights in Florence, and 2 nights in Rome this past October, which was my GFs first trip to Italy. A bit rushed, but it worked. We used trains for intercity travel.

Musuems, including the Vatican, can now largely be booked on line, eliminating the need to wait in what are sometimes long lines.

ALadyNCal

I wanted to provide an update to our trip (which was in November). Although a couple of people advised me I would not be able to get FOUR business class seats together for our trip, I DID IT ^

The best advice I received was from Ari @ First Class and Beyond. He advised that I could get business class cheaper thru Air Canada -- that was very very helpful. Would highly recommend him.

We transferred SPG points to AC to get three seats on LH.
Four the 4th seat on LH, I used miles from my UA account for OW and miles from our friend's CO account for OW (it was his ticket). That got us all four together for the entire trip ^ I managed to get it ticketed in July, just before the AC redemption rates changed.

We also managed to get a great itinerary (for us) --LAX-FRA/FRA-FCO

If anyone wants to use Ari, here is his website
http://www.firstclassandbeyond.com/F...ices/Home.html

ALadyNCal

Please see the thread I started last summer (and just updated today). It might help you.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...ward-rome.html

Good luck

lwildernorva

I just did Florence and Rome in the middle of February. You could add on Venice, but I think that's pushing it. I flew into Rome, took the train the next day to Florence (90 minutes, point-to-point--even if you knew where you were going, you couldn't drive it that fast), stayed there five days, and then came back to Rome for a day before flying out. The proportion was about right, five in Florence and two in Rome felt right.

The main reason that works is because Florence lives a bit bigger than a city of that size would initially appear to be able to. Plenty of good shopping (Prada, Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton, tons of other shops in and around the historic area), lots of restaurants and nightspots (restaurants tend not to go much past 10 p.m. but there are a number of nightclubs open late), and a wide range of hotels. I stayed in a place called the Hotel delle Camelie. It's located right on the edge of central Florence, fifteen minutes walking from the Duomo and the Uffizi--keep in mind that most vehicles, with the exception of police, public service, and some taxis, are prohibited from central Florence anyway, another good reason to forget the idea of renting a car. I paid 40 euro a night for a clean, quiet bedroom with a queen-sized bed and a decent sized bathroom (although with the standard European mini-shower in it) but no other real amenities. True Continental breakfast only with tea, hot chocolate, or coffee with a little bit of fruit and a croissant. For two people and a trip a couple of months later, the price will probably be a little bit higher, but I don't think you'd go wrong staying here so long as you're looking for a reasonably priced place to put your head at the end of the day.

In Rome, I stayed both days at the Comfort Inn Bolivar on a redemption of 10K Choice points each night. You can get more information on Choice's European properties, which sometimes can be a great bargain redemption, from the Choice Hotels forum. The research is worth it because there are quirks--without status, you can only make a reservation 30 days out from arrival and there are sometimes dramatic swings in the number of points required for a night's stay (although I just checked and you could get this hotel first weekend of April 2012 for 8K points). Bolivar's like delle Camelie, with the exception of its location, not five minutes walk from the Roman ruins and about 1.5 miles from the Roma Termini train station, and its breakfast, which is a buffet with eggs, bacon, pastries, and other items in an enclosed rooftop setting. By the way, even if you don't stay here, there's a great little restaurant across the courtyard from the hotel, Ristorante Santa Cristina al Quirinale, which is worth the trip--no credit cards unless your tab's over 100 euro though.

The Leonardo Express will get you from Fiumincino to Roma Termini in about 30 minutes and for about 14 euro. The Eurostar from Rome to Florence, which also departs from Termini, can run as much as 60 euro, but go here about a week or less before your trip and you may find discount tickets. On the trip from Rome to Florence, I paid only 14 euro, but on the way back, because I didn't know the system well enough, I let a relative bargain at 27 euro pass me by, forcing me to pay 45 euro for a ticket at the Santa Maria Novella station in Florence.

Buy all your museum tickets in advance--to be sure, perhaps a week or two (or earlier) than your trip. April probably won't be as bad as the central tourist season, but there were lines for the Uffizi even when I was there in February, and I understand that in peak season, those lines might take a couple of hours to get through. Even if it's only 15-20 minutes, that's time taken away from sitting in a trattoria enjoying some pasta and a glass of wine.

Finally, one dirty little secret no one told me before I left: there's a lot more graffiti over there than you might expect. And although it's pretty much kept off the central tourist sites, you'll see plenty on the edges and during your train trips. Shouldn't really be that surprising since graffiti goes back to Roman and Grecian times, but it was just a bit of a shock. The graffiti is way counterbalanced by a walk across the River Arno in Florence to the Piazza del Michelangelo and its spectacular view back towards the Duomo, the Campanile, the Uffizi, and the Florence town hall, by the art you'll see in the Uffizi, the Accademia, and Il Bargello, and by gazing up at the Coliseum and realizing that as many as 50,000 people crammed in there nearly 2000 years ago when much of what we now think of as Western Europe was nowhere to be seen.

andysiz

Thanks all for the helpful responses.

@lwildernorva -- thanks so much for your detailed post. This is going to be very helpful in planning out an itinerary and getting through Italy!

@ALadyNCal -- thanks for pointing me to your prior thread. I'm going to try to avoid using AA miles, but won't leave it off the table.

@Reindeerflame -- I definitely agree re: Venice, from what I know, and I absolutely plan to visit there at some point in the near future. Many people have told me that for a 9-day vacation, it might be better to save Venice for a separate trip.

@clacko -- Unfortunately, Delta.com does not price out that far to April 2013 for paid tickets, and relying on Delta.com for award bookings leads to the notorious obstacle of dealing with....Delta.com (where they steer you to their overpriced DL-metal products or put you on expensive routes that cost double or more skymiles than necessary). I'll probably have to piece together an itinerary to get the low-tier 100k biz class redemption (per person) on their partners. The front runner would be LAX-CDG (on Air France), and CDG to FCO (on Alitalia). As of now, there does not appear to be frequent AF direct flights (Flight #65 and 66 -- I flew these this past November for trip to Paris) between LAX and CDG 11 months out, but I'm hoping they increase the frequency as the shoulder travel season approaches.