Dr Jabadski

2 week trip to Israel in September (with checked suitcase). Booked nonstop (JFK-TLV) award flights on American 11 months ago for over 150,000 miles each way in biz. Also read on one of the blogs a few months ago about a Delta/Virgin award sale and booked JFK-LHR 11 hours-TLV and TLV-LHR 10 hours-JFK on Virgin for 70,000 Delta miles each way in biz. All can be cancelled with miles redeposited, taxes/fees refunded, and no fees or penalties.

I like London, thought those layovers would give me enough time to go into the city, walk around, have a meal and get back to the airport. Also liked using less than half the number of miles, the very rare great redemption value for Delta miles and was looking forward to my first Virgin biz flights.

Now, after reading about airline delays/cancellations, baggage problems and crowding in general in London, I’m thinking I’d be out of my mind to take the connecting flights (thus more than doubling the chances of a problem).

Wondering what others think. Should I take the connecting flights? Should I just accept having to “spend” an outrageous amount of miles and take the nonstops? Thank you.

jrl767

imo you have two reasonable options:

1. AA nonstop out, VS/DL with LHR layover on return (minimizes if not almost completely eliminates likelihood of your checked bag not arriving with you)
2. DL/VS round-trip; with two changes of clothes in your carry-on (should see you through four or five days in the event your checked bag gets sidetracked)

MADPhil

It's also worth considering whether hanging about an airport or travelling to and from central London when you don't have to is a good idea with the COVID situation. Spending more time on the non-stop probably doesn't increase the risk much Certainly consider jrl767's #1 option so you are less likely to spend your time in Israel in quarantine.

Dr Jabadski

Thank you. Right now I'm leaning toward AA nonstop out, VS/DL with LHR layover on return. Hopefully that way I can directly compare AA and VS jammies .

lhrsfo

I think that there are two separate issues here. Baggage and the situation in London.

The current baggage situation in T3 (the home of VS and DL) there are currently quite a few problems. It's not entirely clear whether they are continuing or whether they stem from a complete breakdown of the system a few weeks ago and they are still overwhelmed by the backlog. But I am reasonably confident that, by the time schools have returned in mid-September things will have got a lot better - staff recruitment will be 2 months further on, and demand will be lower anyway. Of course, that's just idle speculation but then that's what FT is all about anyway.

As to London, COVID is over (at least for the time being, and that's unlikely to change unless there's a major problem next winter), so you don't have to worry about that. However, COVID has left an unfortunate legacy of needing to book things, rather than just walk in. But otherwise you will simply not be aware that COVID was a thing.

GUWonder

I have been using LHR for overnight connections on flights to and from the US a decent bit. With priority check-in and priority security screening at LHR to get airside at LHR, it’s been fine enough for me at T3 even when otherwise I was being told to expect worse — with the rush with lots of US flights. Is LHR T3 priority screening (to get airside) much worse in the late afternoon and evening?

I haven’t had a transit bag end up delayed at LHR yet this year. However last quarter at LHR, I’ve had my personal record long European wait to board a bus to disembark a landed flight. Substituting away from BA is better for me at LHR.