Sam - DFW

I was hoping to get some help with a MR I am planning for 3/3-3/4.

I found a decent fare to FRA from LAX 3/3 - 3/4. Since I don't live in LA, I will be flying from DFW. I cannot get to LAX in time on Saturday, so I am flying to SNA Saturday morning instead of LAX Friday night.

So far $518.10 all-in:

3/3
1053 dfw-sna
346 sna-ord
84 ord-fra

3/4
83 fra-ord
615 ord-lax
2402 lax-dfw (actually 3/5 just after midnight)

I tried to put 1062/1784 sna-stl-ord instead of sna-ord which would have necessitated flight 359 dfw-sna Saturday morning. Earlier flight same cost dfw-sna and same cost for sna-stl-ord as sna-ord, but when I substituted sna-stl-ord the price jumped a lot.

The only way I see to get more miles here without changing start/end is to substitute something between ord-lax, but when I tried dfw (ord-dfw-lax) it jumped a lot again.

Can I do any better than what I have already?

TIA,

Sam

LRD

FRA-ORD-SEA-DFW works, but you've only got 25 minutes to make the turn in SEA.

PDX also gives a few more miles, but requires an overnight.

skye1

Something that worked very well for me is that you can add segments on your "destination" end instead of stateside, via AA codeshares on DB, to nearby German rail stations. An easy way to get a list of stations is just to type in Germany in the "to" field. AND, I've found that the fares are the same as or less than just going to FRA. You can easily add one to Manheim, for example, that gets you there & back in plenty of time for return flights to the US, with a little time at the very good A/C in FRA.

Sam - DFW

wow!

i pulled a $366++ lax-sfo-dfw-fra-mhg-fra-ord-dfw-lax with a nearly 3 hour layover at aa.com, BUT i would have needed to leave Friday night (and spend several hours at lax before my saturday flight) AND it probably would have shot through the roof when i added dfw as start and finish since dfw is already in there (don't fares go up considersably when a the start/end city is visited during MR?). anyway fare was same w/ or w/o mhg so that adds 1000 base miles (2000 total) for free.

with my current plan, i am in fra 3 hours and although the train is only 30 minutes each way, that takes considerable time off a 3 hr layover. the only way (it seems) to extend layover (w/o an extra day) is to come in via dfw and leave to ord.

if i was not in dallas, this would be good. however, i am trying to avoid 6+ hours overnight in lax and the backtracking through here makes the fare jump.

great suggestion though.

LRD

You do realize, of course, that DB segments only earn 250 EQM?

Sam - DFW

did not realize that, but 250 eqm free each way is still good - and breaks up the craziness of the mr.

still, not something that works for me.

thanks for pointing out the eqm though.