Using the help of some FTers over in the AA forum, I was able to book a great award for two people. The award started in SFO, went the YVR, and then used BA for J class to LHR and on south to Africa etc. AA just pulled the first leg as Alaska is not OW. So, now the choice to leave it as is and buy a ticket one way to YVR from SFO, thus assuring BA J service, or to route via JFK and risk getting AA old J seats etc. etc.

Questions - 1) are there any OW flights into YVR from California? the map on the OW site shows one, but I cannot find it. 2) is it worth the hassle to get a BA nonstop YVR-LHR vs. the AA routing? - LAX-LHR not available at the moment.

Thanks - BZ

QF goes to YVR from SFO, but it is seasonal. There are no other direct OW flights.

The QF flights I see for my date - 12/13 are code shares - I assume with AS. Those WONT work - right? It would have to be on QF metal...?

BZ

No, I mean QF metal. Sorry but I don't have access to their schedule now. IIRC they fly their own metal in summer and around Xmas.

QF metal is on Wed/Fri/Sun only and only in the summer and around Xmas. 16-Dec-07 is the first flight for the Xmas season. Could you change your flight date? Looks like QF operates SFO-YVR-SFO until 27-Jan-08.

Any reason you can't do AA SFO-DFW-YVR?

Only because it is a little crazy to add that on top of the rest of the itinerary (and my girlfriend needs to work a bit that day). Its likely best to hope for the newer seats on the JFK-LHR 777, and for the LAX-LHR flight to open up.

BZ

There is some info missing here. Since you mention only AS and BA, I assumed the award was an all partners award. If so, than AS is OK. If it is a oneworld award, then you need 2 ow airlines other than AA. The suggestions offered here will depend upon the type of award you have.

If you're not planning on stopping in LHR on the way to S. Africa, you could always go around the back way (SFO-HKG-JNB) with CX.

It would only be about 2500 miles further than SFO-YVR-LHR-JNB, and would avoid an unpleasant LHR transit...

While theoretically possible, availabilty is difficult and the mileage would be a lot more. The routing would need a 2nd ow airline in addition to CX to be a valid ow award. And you must be careful about the schedules as a transit could be considered a stopover thereby making the mileage accounting much higher. Can't do it as an all partners award since routing to Africa must go via the Atlantic. Also, mid-december is prime travel time such that any awards for 1, let alone 2, will be very difficult.

Presumably the OP already has a second OW carrier (as it was a OW award to begin with, there must have been at least BA + another)...

As for the stopover question: CX flights to JNB generally leave late in the evening, allowing easy <24-hour connections from either SFO inbound.

Availability, well, that likely will be a problem... but stranger things have happened, and if you don't ask, you don't get. (although, two J-seats to JNB is asking an awful lot)

OP here - it is a OW award for 2x pax. The routing is:

YVR-LHR-LUN

LVI-JNB-CPT

CPT-JNB-MAD

MAD-BRU-JFK-SFO (this I will try and change).

So - AA, BA, and IB are being used. CX availability has been nil. I had a great CPT-LHR direct, but switched to the IB flight to achieve OW - this allowed for 2 stopovers in Africa.

After looking at fares etc - I'll likely do the YVR thing, and buy a ticket from SFO there. 10+ hours in Club World seems better than 2x AA flights in recliners. The one way far to YVR is about $160.

Its a shame AS is not OW. Im now looking for a way to incorporate an IB flight in Europe only, and getting my CPT-LHR nonstop back. Then again, avoiding LHR is pretty great...

Thanks for the suggestions.

You have an open-jaw in the middle and origin-destination surface. One of those will have to go.

Really? This is how they are holding it now. With the open jaw in the middle, and at the end. Did the agent simply not catch it?

So, you're saying that I must depart and return from the same airport if I want the open jaw in the middle?

Thanks - BZ

You have two open jaws (LUN-LVI and SFO-YVR) while you are allow one. The agent made a mistake. You could hope for the best and see if ticketing will catch it or not. You are set if it is ticketed that way.