Nephroid

I'm currently planning on flying my Mom and family to Paris for a milestone birthday. 7 PAX on round trip EWR-CDG departing 3/25 and returning 3/30.

I'm trying to maximize chances & number of folks who can sit in businessfirst, particularly on the outbound leg. How would you book the flight to maximize value?

Here's what I'm working with: United GS status, ~800k mi in MP account + ~200k Chase and other points that can be converted, 8 GPU's. Want best value but cash is not a constraint.

Option 1: Pay Cash & Use GPUs for outbound - Latest search shows UA57/UA56 economy round trip (W fare) at $1,239 and earning about 5,200 miles. I can burn 7 of my 8 GPU's to upgrade the outbound redeye segment.

Option 2: Book unavailable businessfirst award saver using miles (I inventory is 0), confirm seats in economy and hold out for waitlist to clear (PN-1 upgrade). Business savers on EWR-CDG run about 57.5k mi per leg, so this would deplete my account, if they all clear. Cost of paying to sit up front is about $3,200 round trip, so this seems like a good tradeoff in my mind.

I'm currently leaning towards Option 2 but wanted to get some additional thoughts. Are there any creative alternatives that I'm missing? I've been a pretty heavy business traveler for over 10 years but have always relied on my company's travel agency. Have never really taken advantage of the advanced booking techniques on my own.

Thanks for your thoughts!

John

jhayes_1780

Option #3:

Book yourself and mom in C or F, send the rest to Y... maybe burn some awards for blocked middles in Y?

While it doesn't maximize C/F time, its does create some additional comfort for those left behind, and seems it would be quite attainable (rather then playing GPU/miles roulette).

bmr12

Given the fixed dates and one non-stop flight/day, you don't have a lot of alternatives.

I'd be thinking about what happens when upgrade space or I space doesn't open for that many people--what will happen with those "left in the back"? As a GS, you can pull them all up to E+ if you are still in E+. If you are booked in C, however, you probably cannot get free E+ for 5 or 6 other folks.

Get everyone booked with what they are willing to tolerate, then apply instruments/miles to try to secure upgrades for as many as you are willing to pay. Also, no point in paying for W+ fares if lower ones are available if you aren't going to use GPUs for them.

JVPhoto

I agree with JHayes....book Mom in C/F, Dad too and then yourself I would say. Family is only blood! I'm sure they can manage 6.5 hours in E+.

Managing the upgrade expectations of 7 people is not something I would be inclined to do.

FWIW in putting in 4 awards for EWR-CDG there is space flying through ZRH in J, coming back though it would have to be CDG-EWR-ORD. But I can see the appeal of the n/s.

Nephroid

Sounds interesting. Does this actually result in an empty middle seat?

How can you do this?

Thanks!

transportprof

Have you considered distributing the 7 pax over different routings and even different carriers to all get available I/IN award space?

LX, LH, and AC could all offer reasonable connecting service into CDG. And if the 7 are not all originating in from same house, it might not be a problem to group them into subsets - e.g., parents, siblings who would each take a particular routing together.

Unless you're paying for an extra night's hotel ahead of time in Paris, or booking an apartment that's accommodating, morning arrivals into CDG often lead to arriving before your room is ready, walking around the streets like a zombie. Compare this with landing in FRA, MUC or ZRH, taking a shower in the LX or LH lounges, and then arriving CDG mid-day and getting directly into your hotel rooms in the afternoon.

channa

If you're willing to connect, you can pay $2,000 for LO in J via WAW.

Probably not much more than what UA wants for their nonstop in Y.

jhayes_1780

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ats-2-pax.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ward-seat.html

Seems if there is any pushback, just tell them however many passengers are POS. @:-)

JVPhoto

On two occasions I've fallen asleep at Cafe Beaubourg killing time for my room to be ready.

If OP provides some more details about the trip and willingness to break up the travelers it seems like this is a doable trip.

LaserSailor

Mom and anyone who fought in a war fly in J. Flying a drone doesn't count.

The rest fly Coach out of respect.

Getting instrument upgrades for 7, even in March, slim-to-no chance.

PVDProf

Is everyone originating EWR? If not, it might make sense to look at connecting options in Europe to get more availability. Also, is everyone able to fly Y in smaller natural groups? (e.g., no young kids).

When each of my parents retired, I used miles for a trip in LH F which helped make the flight truly special and beyond anything either of them had ever done. It would involve a connection, but you could do miles or buy J +GPU for you and Mom.

If you really just want everyone to travel together on EWR-CDG, then seven upgrades is a lot, but you could GPU one way and use miles+$ the other.

SeamusSA

keep in mind that award seats are opened at a snail's pace and most often as singles or pairs. If you have multiple pax on an itinerary awaiting UG, they will only clear if there are are enough open award seats for all - i.e., if two seats are opened and there are three on your PNR, the system skips you and jumps to the next one or two person PNR.

Nephroid

That's a good point and a rational argument for breaking up the reservations. I HATE planning for large groups.

Nephroid

Thanks, all.

Some great suggestions here. Unfortunately, 4 of my group are youngish kids who wouldn't do well bouncing around the EU on their own (ages 4-17). With a large group of inexperience travelers the fewer connections the better. Plus dates are fixed b/c of spring break.

2 of my GPU's are going to expire at end of the month anyways so I'm going to burn them.

My plan is now to split out parental units into their own awards itinerary. Use miles for YNs + expiring GPU's on outbound and book IN fares on the return (waitlist and hope they clear).

Kids will ride in back with me in E+ on YN award fares. May still split up reservations to maximize upgrade chances, but not really holding my breath.

I do hate the EU am zombie shuffle. I once flat out fell asleep on a bench outside a Starbucks in Geneva to be woken up by a Ferrari roaring down the street. Thought it was going to run over my toes!

Nephroid

Thanks! Going to save these for the future.


nice sig, btw.

"Yo Farva! What's the name of that place with all the crazy crap on the walls?"