[PREM FARE GONE] Qatar J Under $1500 r/t CMB-PHL next November
Mar 5, 2018, 6:40 pm
#76
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 7,390
I know FT is the worst place to get confirmation that I am not insane but to take advantage of this fare I am considering the following itinerary.
Outbound
PIT-LGA-YYZ (AA Y)
YYZ-LHR-MAA (BA PE)
MAA-CMB (UL Y)
CMB-DOH-PHL (QR J)
PHL-PIT (AA Y)
This sector will be purely MR over Memorial weekend and set me up for 2 weeks vacation in Sri Lanka and New Delhi. I'll arrive in MAA at 330am and depart on UL at 10am. I wonder how is international transit at MAA with separate tickets? Then I'd arrive in CMB around noon and depart 9pm back to the states.
Return
PIT-PHL (AA Y)
PHL-DOH-CMB (QR J)
Spend 7-10 days in Colombo
CMB-DEL (UL Y)
Spend 3-5 days in DEL
DEL-LHR-YYZ (BA PE)
YYZ-DCA-PIT (AA Y)
Around $2400 all in for the BA/QR sectors with AMEX IAP discount and QRSUBSCRIBER. Then a mixture of $$$/points for the positioning flights.Net me in $6,901 EQDs and 51,759 EQMs. Pretty much secures Platinum.
Half insane half genius?
Outbound
PIT-LGA-YYZ (AA Y)
YYZ-LHR-MAA (BA PE)
MAA-CMB (UL Y)
CMB-DOH-PHL (QR J)
PHL-PIT (AA Y)
This sector will be purely MR over Memorial weekend and set me up for 2 weeks vacation in Sri Lanka and New Delhi. I'll arrive in MAA at 330am and depart on UL at 10am. I wonder how is international transit at MAA with separate tickets? Then I'd arrive in CMB around noon and depart 9pm back to the states.
Return
PIT-PHL (AA Y)
PHL-DOH-CMB (QR J)
Spend 7-10 days in Colombo
CMB-DEL (UL Y)
Spend 3-5 days in DEL
DEL-LHR-YYZ (BA PE)
YYZ-DCA-PIT (AA Y)
Around $2400 all in for the BA/QR sectors with AMEX IAP discount and QRSUBSCRIBER. Then a mixture of $$$/points for the positioning flights.Net me in $6,901 EQDs and 51,759 EQMs. Pretty much secures Platinum.
Half insane half genius?
Mar 5, 2018, 8:04 pm
#77
Join Date: May 1998
Location: australia
Posts: 5,762
I certainly see the half insane but am struggling to see the genius half.
Then again 2 weeks ago I was in LAS and to get back to BNE I drove to LAX then flew LAX-LHR-CDG-ATH-CAI-DXB-BNE with overnights in hotels in CDG and CAI and a lovely 7 hrs overnight at ATH airport. So, together we can make up one fully insane person but I still can't see us getting close to one genius. Folie à deux perhaps
Then again 2 weeks ago I was in LAS and to get back to BNE I drove to LAX then flew LAX-LHR-CDG-ATH-CAI-DXB-BNE with overnights in hotels in CDG and CAI and a lovely 7 hrs overnight at ATH airport. So, together we can make up one fully insane person but I still can't see us getting close to one genius. Folie à deux perhaps
Mar 5, 2018, 8:53 pm
#78
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 7,390
I certainly see the half insane but am struggling to see the genius half.
Then again 2 weeks ago I was in LAS and to get back to BNE I drove to LAX then flew LAX-LHR-CDG-ATH-CAI-DXB-BNE with overnights in hotels in CDG and CAI and a lovely 7 hrs overnight at ATH airport. So, together we can make up one fully insane person but I still can't see us getting close to one genius. Folie à deux perhaps
Then again 2 weeks ago I was in LAS and to get back to BNE I drove to LAX then flew LAX-LHR-CDG-ATH-CAI-DXB-BNE with overnights in hotels in CDG and CAI and a lovely 7 hrs overnight at ATH airport. So, together we can make up one fully insane person but I still can't see us getting close to one genius. Folie à deux perhaps
I guess the genius piece is sustaining 3x EQD value building a rather convoluted itinerary that should work in theory to help secure Platinum status on AA in one swoop.
Mar 5, 2018, 9:23 pm
#79
was ShootinPutin11
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: AA-Plat, Hyatt-Globalist, Hilton-Diamond, Marriott-Titanium, UA-Silver, DL-Silver
Posts: 131
I know FT is the worst place to get confirmation that I am not insane but to take advantage of this fare I am considering the following itinerary.
Around $2400 all in for the BA/QR sectors with AMEX IAP discount and QRSUBSCRIBER. Then a mixture of $$$/points for the positioning flights.Net me in $6,901 EQDs and 51,759 EQMs. Pretty much secures Platinum.
Half insane half genius?
Around $2400 all in for the BA/QR sectors with AMEX IAP discount and QRSUBSCRIBER. Then a mixture of $$$/points for the positioning flights.Net me in $6,901 EQDs and 51,759 EQMs. Pretty much secures Platinum.
Half insane half genius?
Is the AMEX IAP discount better than on BA.com? So far I'm seeing QR for $1200 with QRSUBSCRIBER and YYZ-DEL for $1250 on BA.com (no discount code that I can find).
Mar 5, 2018, 9:30 pm
#80
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 7,390
We are on the exact same page, my friend. I'm considering doing basically the same thing, with a flight to India out of YYZ on BA PE, and then the QR flights in J. The only thing is trying to figure out my personal schedule in order to take advantage of the second flights to India/Sri Lanka. Nested flights would let me get two trips/vacations out of this instead of a vacation trip and a mileage run trip. I'm thinking BA outbound to India in May, outbound in QR in May (CMB-PHL), with QR return in August (PHL-CMB) and BA return in August.
Is the AMEX IAP discount better than on BA.com? So far I'm seeing QR for $1200 with QRSUBSCRIBER and YYZ-DEL for $1250 on BA.com (no discount code that I can find).
Is the AMEX IAP discount better than on BA.com? So far I'm seeing QR for $1200 with QRSUBSCRIBER and YYZ-DEL for $1250 on BA.com (no discount code that I can find).
AMEX IAP for YYZ-DEL quoted me $1187.XX IIRC when I called this morning. I have the figure written down at my work desk. Not a huge savings but the savings is enough to cover the MAA-CMB flight!
Mar 6, 2018, 7:31 am
#82
Ambassador: Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 7,390
Is the AMEX IAP discount better than on BA.com? So far I'm seeing QR for $1200 with QRSUBSCRIBER and YYZ-DEL for $1250 on BA.com (no discount code that I can find).
Mar 6, 2018, 8:50 am
#83
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 786
After walking around Negombo and seeing the open sewer canals and drains leading to the beach, looking at the color of the sea water and the huge amount of trash littered all over the beach and in the water there was no way in hell I was going in the ocean there although I saw a lot of tourists in my the water, eeeew.
Probably be fine if you stick the the hotel pools.
Mar 6, 2018, 6:57 pm
#85
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 790
I was there a few weeks ago on a layover to catch the KU deal to FRA, I stayed in a place a few blocks from the beach with a nice pool.
After walking around Negombo and seeing the open sewer canals and drains leading to the beach, looking at the color of the sea water and the huge amount of trash littered all over the beach and in the water there was no way in hell I was going in the ocean there although I saw a lot of tourists in my the water, eeeew.
Probably be fine if you stick the the hotel pools.
Jetwing Blue is a nice hotel on the beach.
Hilton Colombo is a hike from the airport, as is everything in the CBD, but an option if people want a big loyalty program hotel. The rooms are old (as of Feb 2017), but the lobby renovation is great.
Mar 6, 2018, 7:15 pm
#86
Join Date: May 2007
Location: ORD, DEL
Programs: AA (Plt Pro; 1.5 MM)
Posts: 6,185
(1) Would you explore on your own or get a tour? Is there another tour company I should be looking at (instead of +qatar)?
(2) Which part of the city do you recommend for the hotel? Here, I am more interested in Doha experience rather than a hotel experience. Thanks!
Colombo Questions: Similarly about CMB. Again, first time there. How many days are needed to get a good feel for the city? Which part of the city to stay in? For a first trip, would you stay within CMB or try to include other albeit nearby places?
Mar 6, 2018, 7:50 pm
#87
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 1,132
I thought the free stopover hotel program only applies if you have a long stopover forced by a lack of shorter connection?
[EDIT]Huh, interesting, I hadn’t been aware of the +Qatar program, thought their only program was for stopover hotel rooms due to connections... thanks for the link, Nikolaos, guess I’ll look at using it as part of my next flights with QR!
Last edited by crackjack; Mar 6, 2018 at 9:21 pm
Mar 6, 2018, 8:29 pm
#88
Join Date: Dec 2010
Programs: US CP, MR Plat, SPG Plat, HHonors Gold, National X
Posts: 917
Qatar extended the stopover program until the end of the year!! ^^^^
Tip Hat to Onemileatatime: Qatar Airways Extends Hotel Stopover Program Through December 31, 2018 - One Mile at a Time
Tip Hat to Onemileatatime: Qatar Airways Extends Hotel Stopover Program Through December 31, 2018 - One Mile at a Time