Looking to get to London using miles without paying fees
 

So I have enough miles scattered everywhere, need to be in London in March for a week, was hoping to go Biz class.

Will be Flying from SFO, not sure where I will be flying from London to yet.

I want to avoid the fees, and feel it would be better to bookened a little Euro trip since I think on BA I have to pay $400 one way.

Pretty to cheap to fly when I get to Europe, any suggestions on where I could fly to and out of to avoid these fees? I was thinking of SFO-Dublin but couldn't find anything on BA.com

Are my other options Iberia, Lufthansa, Swiss. Anything else?

It's a bit late to be looking for March, but theoretically dozens of options. What specific dates are you looking at?

Really? I always book last minute, this is pretty early planning for me.

I'm looking to leave March 3rd from SFO, return date still not set

5 weeks for a transatlantic business class award ticket is very short notice. Especially when you're on the West Coast, due to limited flights from the West Coast and difficulties lining up domestic availability. For example, there are number of flights from JFK and EWR with availability, but no availability in business or first to get to the east coast.

The following low-level options are available on March 3:
Lufthansa SFO-FRA
US Airways SFO-PHL-CDG, SFO-CLT-LHR
US Airways SFO-PHX-JFK, Air Berlin JFK-DUS
KLM SFO-AMS

I'd grab one ASAP, likely the Lufthansa or KLM

I am moving this thread over to the Information Desk as it has nothing to do with Mileage Runs. Please follow the discussion there.

Pat89339
Moderator, Mileage Run Forum

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

"I was thinking of SFO-Dublin but couldn't find anything on BA.com."

The ba.com website cannot display award availability on BA partner EI, which operates an SFO-DUB nonstop. Call the BAEC Service Center to check EI availability.

EI availability generally shows on United.com. Alas, not on March 3.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

EI award availability on united.com is often not identical to EI award availability via an Avios redemption. ;)

Since the route does not operate on March 3, it's unlikely Avios will have availability. It's only M,W, Fri, Sa, Sun until Summer. Expertflyer shows no business availability that entire week.

Looking to get to London using miles without paying fees
 

You will need to be flexible or wait around 15 days prior to departure. I would do the latter

Leaving LHR (or elsewhere in the UK) in business class will incur the luxury tax, IIRC currently about $107 for TATL.

UK Air Passenger Duty (APD) for transatlantic in premium cabins is now £134, going to £138 in March.

HMMMM, I just paid DL $107 to upgrade a LHR-MSP nonstop ticket for summer. The ticket has been reissued and looks OK. This should be the additional luxury tax to go from coach to business class.

If you were upgrading a paid ticket, the economy-level APD had already been factored into the ticket price. What you paid was the differential between the economy rate and the "standard" (i.e. premium cabin) rate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Passenger_Duty

That makes sense and explains the different numbers, although I'm a bit surprised that the luxury tax for coach tickets is so high.