Travel Issues
Jun 6, 2018 | 5:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CLE
Posts: 1,891
Travel Issues
Backstory, grab the popcorn, please.
I need to spend one day in NYC and possible one night and then fly to London. I will fly out of PIT. I need the most economical way to do this. I need to be in London on 11/11/18, (WWI closing rememberance ceremonies; history nerd) but would like to spend a total of six nights in London. I need to get fitted properly for a Schott leather jacket at their flagship store. It is a gift to me for maintaining a huge weight loss and eliminating several life ending diseases. Schott store has the largest selection and my body type is difficult to fit. Plus after getting kicked to the curb after slaving for 25 years in cubicle hell, I managed to find a new employment situation where Im treated like a human being.
Ive been looking at fares from all the major air carriers. I only have 10k Delta miles, so its going to be a cash fare. It seems the prices are way high spending a day and a night in NYC versus taking the earliest flight from PIT and taking the latest flight to LHR. Please, help me make sense out of this. Even when I price a OW to NYC and then a day later flight to LHR and return PIT. Id like to stay with the legacy carriers.
So, PIT-NYC-LHR-PIT. Or PIT-NYC. NYC-LHR-PIT.
How do all you FF manage out there, Im getting quite the headache.
Ill keep working at this until m6 eyeballs crash.
I need to spend one day in NYC and possible one night and then fly to London. I will fly out of PIT. I need the most economical way to do this. I need to be in London on 11/11/18, (WWI closing rememberance ceremonies; history nerd) but would like to spend a total of six nights in London. I need to get fitted properly for a Schott leather jacket at their flagship store. It is a gift to me for maintaining a huge weight loss and eliminating several life ending diseases. Schott store has the largest selection and my body type is difficult to fit. Plus after getting kicked to the curb after slaving for 25 years in cubicle hell, I managed to find a new employment situation where Im treated like a human being.
Ive been looking at fares from all the major air carriers. I only have 10k Delta miles, so its going to be a cash fare. It seems the prices are way high spending a day and a night in NYC versus taking the earliest flight from PIT and taking the latest flight to LHR. Please, help me make sense out of this. Even when I price a OW to NYC and then a day later flight to LHR and return PIT. Id like to stay with the legacy carriers.
So, PIT-NYC-LHR-PIT. Or PIT-NYC. NYC-LHR-PIT.
How do all you FF manage out there, Im getting quite the headache.
Ill keep working at this until m6 eyeballs crash.
Jun 6, 2018 | 5:42 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 22,919
Have you looked at
PIT-NYC-PIT
NYC-LHR-NYC
as separate tickets?
In NYC you have several airports.
Do any airlines fly PIT-LHR non stop?
Route
And am sure you know FT is not a TA or have a secret source of cheap fares.
PIT-NYC-PIT
NYC-LHR-NYC
as separate tickets?
In NYC you have several airports.
Do any airlines fly PIT-LHR non stop?
Route
And am sure you know FT is not a TA or have a secret source of cheap fares.
Jun 6, 2018 | 5:49 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 34,998
Do you have good credit? Can you charge $3K within two or three months? If so, consider applying for this card immediately, and hope that AA will have SAAver award seats available for your dates of travel when your bonus miles finally post:
https://secure.fly.aa.com/citi/ccpage-plat
(You can easily check current availability for your desired dates of travel at aa.com -- no AAdvantage account or log-in required.)
https://secure.fly.aa.com/citi/ccpage-plat
(You can easily check current availability for your desired dates of travel at aa.com -- no AAdvantage account or log-in required.)
Jun 6, 2018 | 5:51 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CLE
Posts: 1,891
Have you looked at
PIT-NYC-PIT
NYC-LHR-NYC
as separate tickets?
In NYC you have several airports.
Do any airlines fly PIT-LHR non stop?
Route
And am sure you know FT is not a TA or have a secret source of cheap fares.
PIT-NYC-PIT
NYC-LHR-NYC
as separate tickets?
In NYC you have several airports.
Do any airlines fly PIT-LHR non stop?
Route
And am sure you know FT is not a TA or have a secret source of cheap fares.
Jun 6, 2018 | 5:52 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CLE
Posts: 1,891
Do you have good credit? Can you charge $3K within two or three months? If so, consider applying for this card immediately, and hope that AA will have SAAver award seats available for your dates of travel when your bonus miles finally post:
https://secure.fly.aa.com/citi/ccpage-plat
(You can easily check current availability for your desired dates of travel at aa.com -- no AAdvantage account or log-in required.)
https://secure.fly.aa.com/citi/ccpage-plat
(You can easily check current availability for your desired dates of travel at aa.com -- no AAdvantage account or log-in required.)
Jun 6, 2018 | 5:59 pm
#6
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 102,617
You can unfreeze and refreeze your credit history/reports, although there might be a small fee for doing this.
Jun 6, 2018 | 6:04 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 34,998
If you must pay cash, then I would look at a PIT-NYC one-way (unless DL suddenly drops the mileage needed for that flight to under 10,000 miles -- stranger things have happened); and then price an open-jaw ticket NYC-LON-PIT, using the "multi-city" booking engine at various online sites, including the airline sites, as well as online travel agents.
Jun 6, 2018 | 6:17 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CLE
Posts: 1,891
OK; understood. Do you have any points anywhere that are convertable to airline miles (e.g., Starwood Preferred Guest points, Amex Membership Rewards points, Chase Ultimate Rewards points)? A PIT-LGA one-way on AA in November is currently available for just 7,500 AA miles, or 7,500 BA Avios. If your current job requires travel that involves frequent hotel stays/car rentals, that is another easy way to amass FFP miles.
If you must pay cash, then I would look at a PIT-NYC one-way (unless DL suddenly drops the mileage needed for that flight to under 10,000 miles -- stranger things have happened); and then price an open-jaw ticket NYC-LON-PIT, using the "multi-city" booking engine at various online sites, including the airline sites, as well as online travel agents.
If you must pay cash, then I would look at a PIT-NYC one-way (unless DL suddenly drops the mileage needed for that flight to under 10,000 miles -- stranger things have happened); and then price an open-jaw ticket NYC-LON-PIT, using the "multi-city" booking engine at various online sites, including the airline sites, as well as online travel agents.
Jun 7, 2018 | 4:22 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: CLE
Posts: 1,891
Jun 7, 2018 | 11:33 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Not here; there!
Programs: AA Lifetime Gold
Posts: 34,998
If you're willing to connect between NYC and LON, Icelandair is running a pretty good sale between those two cities. For JFK-LGW/LHR on November 9, and LGW-JFK on November 17, the roundtrip is $369 (no checked bag included, but a carry-on is allowed); or $463 with a checked bag and a carry-on allowed. You would still have to get yourself between PIT and NYC, with either cash or miles.
Edited to add: For the return, you might also take a look at Wow Air, which will fly you one way from LGW to PIT via KEF on November 16 for $381, including one checked bag and one carry-on.
Edited to add: For the return, you might also take a look at Wow Air, which will fly you one way from LGW to PIT via KEF on November 16 for $381, including one checked bag and one carry-on.
Last edited by guv1976; Jun 7, 2018 at 11:43 am