TimFrawley - Yes I can see the dilemma as I am also a BA Exec Club member UK based. Here are some suggestions -
1.First get a cheapie return flight to Spain - BCN for example on easyJet (50 quid). From there, try the following:

2. Buy return full fare economy from BCN to MAD. Costs about 100 Pounds.

3. Returning to London. Get another cheapie but oneway to AMS on easyJet. (50 quid)

4. From AMS, get cheap return to Helsinki.

5. Buy a fullfare domestic return on Finnair from Helsinki to ? (Sorry don't know my geography)

5. From Amsterdam, buy oneway biz class from AMS to MAN on Cathay Pacific

6. From MAN, get oneway full fare on BA to London.

OR you can get a cheapie return from London to bangkok. Now till 16 Dec, you can get fares as low as 300 Pounds on various other airlines.

1.From Bangkok, get a normal business class return fare to Jakarta. Fare for this is around 400 Pounds.

Fly BKK-SIN on Cathay Pacific
Connect in SIN to Jakarta on Singapore Airlines and return immediately on QANTAS.
Stay overnight in Singapore. Return to Bangkok next day on Finnair (thrice weekly).

2.Returning to Bangkok, get a return on Canadian Airlines to HongKong. (200 Pounds)

Returning to UK, just do a unrestricted full fare economy between London and Manchester. For about 200 Pounds. Or take oneway on BA and back by train! 100 Pounds.

How's the math so far?

[This message has been edited by Celestar340 (edited 10-06-1999).]

timfrawley, your BA restrictions only apply to UK members - their program for US members is rather more generous.

Celestar340, I would connect in Bilbao instead of Barcelona. That's because IB's flights between Barcelona and Madrid are shuttle: no boarding pass receipts, and even the ticket is "open" (no date or flight #).

[This message has been edited by johna (edited 10-14-1999).]

a saturday night stay over in tallinn, estonia from helsinki is $109US. and it's a y class fare. i think a same day might be $261. it's cool to visit the old ussr. (clearly i've been...recently)

[This message has been edited by lonman (edited 10-14-1999).]

I've made all my bookings for the 100K promo, and have qualifying fares on all five carriers which apply to Cdn+ and AAdvantage credit.

I did YEG-YVR this past weekend (C$130).

I will pick up BA on my trip to Chile, flying into EZE for a weekend (C$290).

Then I will do CX between YVR-JFK (C$475), and pick up AA (codeshare on IB) to BCN for a long weekend in Spain (C$600). IB full fare to Mallorca (C$180).

Going flights will be credited to my Cdn+ account. And all returns to my old AAdvantge account, which the agent at AA kindly reactivated to ensure that the August 31st date noted in the Sweepstakes rules (and which he was not cerain applied to the 100K promo, but just in case...) wouldn't invalidate any flights on their program.

As you can see, the cost of getting 100K + about 9K in flight mileage (12K on Cdn because I get a 50% loyalty bonus), on these two oneworld partners in this promo will be C$1,675 (about US$1,100), including all airport, customs and other inclusive fees and taxes. (Hotel nights not included.)

For this investment, I will get at minimum two J-class tickets to South Africa (using SAA or BA from AAdvantage) and/or Australia/New Zealand (on CP/QF from Cdn+) worth about C$6,000 each. Not a bad return on the "investment", not to mention the well needed Spanish sojourn in late November as an escape from the first waves of winter up here.

Hi All,

I am going for a triple. CP, AA and BA Canada starting out of Vancouver. This will have to involve splitting some flight credits with the oft-posted caveats.

Itinerary

Airline Routing Credit Comments
AA RNO-SEA (AA)
CP YVR-YYJ (AA)^
CP YVR-LHR r/t (CP) to get CP gold
IB LHR-MAD-BIO r/t (CP/AA/BA)*
BA LHR-ARN r/t (BA)
AY ARN-HEL r/t (CP/AA)*
BA LHR-LYS r/t (CP/AA)*
AA YVR-SFO r/t (BA)
CX YVR-JFK r/t (CP)
CP YVR-Y?? r/t (BA)

Total cost. Was c. C$3,100 US$ 2,200 for air fares alone but have to add C$120 for a short CP web special segment. Plan to minimize costs otherwise.

^ return segment was meant to be credited on BA but CP's computer system will not handle this
* will have to send in boarding passes to make sure the flights are credited as planned

------------------

i had no problem with ay crediting. i split an itinerary from arn-hel with ba on the outbound and cp on the return. did it at check in and it was smooth...flying.

anybody have any experience with a split itinerary for cp? i put the # in only on the last segment, and sent the boarding passes in for the other two. has anybody had success with them yet using this or any other method other than single segment tickets? i'm dying to know.

Shareholder, where did you find a $180CDN fare between Madrid & Mallorca? They quoted me more like $240US, but that was full fare coach. Perhaps you have a Saturday night? Anyway, I decided to go with Bilbao (same price) instead. This was purely a mileage run, and I was flying home from Spain the next morning - I figured at least if the return canceled, I could drive back from Bilbao but not Mallorca!

As for total costs, my 100,000 x 2 bonus will run me $1,700US. That counts extra airport transportations and a $90 flight I would have taken anyway, but not hotels. And it would have been $500 less if IB hadn't screwed up (it was so clear I'd never see my MAD-BCN shuttle credits that I figured I'd better take another roundtrip), as did CP (printed my return with the same FF# as the outbound, and then couldn't figure out how to change it...and CP refused to change it when I called the next day). Still, a bargain for 208,000 miles (counting the paltry flight miles). Plus my second airline is BA, so I'll get to fly the Concorde, which I've always dreamed of but could never afford (yes, I know it's old and cramped, but it's the Concorde!)

Shareholder:

You mentioned having your AAdvantage account reactivated, making sure to have August 31st in the record.

Is there a requirement that you be a member of the specific FF program prior to August 31st in order for the 100k bonus to apply?

I will be going to the UK in December, and I joined BA, IB and CP so that I could possibly make 100K in one of these programs in addition to AA? Am I out of luck?

Also, if anyone out there could give guidance on a 5th segment. I am planning LAX to YVR on Canadian-$250, YVR to JFK on Cathay-$350, JFK to LHR on AA-$349 (so I can hopefully upgrade), a quick same day LHR-MAN on BA-$215. I need one more segment to make the 100K. I would like to stick it somewhere from LHR or MAN so that I can fit the flight in the weekend.

Also, I am under the assumption that the 100K bonus is for 5 FLIGHTs (segments), and not round trips?


However, if I needed to be a member in a specific FF program as of August 31st, then I will only be able to make the 100K on AA, and so my segments vs. RT is not relevant.

Thanks.

Just back from my 100K trip to Spain. The BCN-PMI was 25100 Pts in full economy, which is about C$225 or US$150. My mistake on original fare though it is cheaper with class of service not eligible for point accumulation on IB.

Warning about that CX flight between YVR and JFK which I just got off (the return). That cheap fare is in M-class and apparently does not accrue miles on AA, but does on CP. (I was upgraded tonight and my boarding card has a J-class imprint, though it was credited to CP and not AA. CP was the original FF number on my file, and the one used on the outbound flight. They say they could not change it to AA because the original fare did not qualify and computer would not accept it. Not sure about that.

Also, my recollection of the rules posted on AA website indicate the flight can be on any of the participating oneworld parnters, as long as the ticket is marketed by (i.e. sold as a published fare) and on a oneworld aircraft (if a codeshare).

Not sure what to do except write AA for clarification and ask CP to transfer credit to my AA account due to problem with CX's computer system.

Also, the AA flights were codeshares JFK-BCN and on IB aircraft. The boarding passes printed out with the proper FF numbers (CP outbound/AA return) but the flight numbers indicated IB's id and number and not AA's. I am told AA should read and credit these as AA flights, but I wonder. Also, will CP's read this as IB or AA. Checked CP site and the outbound flight on Thursday has not yet been posted. (BA sent the info to CP within days and my BA flight was credited before I got home two weeks ago.)

Will call CP and AA tomorrow to enquire, particularly since I was upgraded on CX and this J would be an eligible mileage gathering fare for AA. (Though I still interpret the rules differently.)

This promo certainly shows all the problems and weaknesses of the oneworld alliance: quality variances of inflight and on ground service, mileage eligibility of various fares in different programs, etc. Though I must say showing my CP Gold card helped at check- in and getting into lounges, some of the more important benefits.

Then there is the matter of JFK: shame on you America, and New York. This is not a gateway fit for human beings, and no amount of "coming in 2002" is going to change what should have been addressed at the beginning of this decade. Only Delhi and Bombay are worse airports in my experience... But that's another story altogether.

Happy flying all.