Best routing to maximize time on PS
 

My base is SFO, I have to do JFK and DEN in the same week. I tried the .com site and it keeps routing me via LAX. I want to maximize my time on PS.

Here is where I need to be, leaving from SFO:

Mon, Tue: NY
Thu, Fri: DEN

Do I travel Tuesday night, spend the day in SFO or travel on Wed?

Not sure I fully understand the question, but my guess is you're flying something like:

Sun: SFO-DEN
Tues: DEN-SFO
Wed: SFO-JFK
Fri: JFK-SFO

As you probably know, PS is only on the JFK route...so as far as "maximizing your time" I'm not quite sure what you mean.

What I will say...is if you're based in SFO, I'd certainly want to bail out of DEN and come home for a night so you don't need to pack a week's worth of clothes. Furthermore, I prefer to fly during the day (as opposed to red eyes), so I'd take the late morning flight(s) to JFK which will get you there around 6-7p...check-in to the hotel and be ready for meetings the next day.

Book two roundrips:

SFO-JFK on PS. Sunday through Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Early east coast flights to the west coast get you back early enough in the morning.

SFO-DEN. Fly either Wed night or Thur morning depending on what time you need to be in DEN.

Just tell United.com you don't want to connect. Or perhaps direct SFO-JFK is sold out in which case they are routing you through LAX. LAX-JFK is PS also.

This is the type of routing I am thinking about. I cannot leave from JFK before 6pm. Don't want to do the red-eye on Tue night because the PS flight is routed via LAX and only gets to SFO two hours earlier than the morning flight on Wed morning.

Have to be in DEN before 7am. So it looks like I have to travel on Wed, spend a few hours at home take the 7pm to DEN.

There is a 6:09 JFK-SFO. I arrived in SFO a little after 8pm on that flight a few days ago.

EDIT: OK, I arrived maybe 8:30 or 8:45.

Are you talking about the Flt# 905 leaving at 6:10p and arriving at 9:41pm?

How long did it take you to get to the airport at that time? I will be in Manhattan and cannot leave before 4pm, will that be enough time to make the 6:10pm flight?

JFK has the AirTrain, so if you leave right at 4 you might make it in time. Just don't take a car and you can avoid the traffic jams at that time.

That's a long way to go on the A or C (or E depending on where you start) from Manhattan to get to the AirTrain. I've never made that trip personally but IMO that would be cutting it close, i.e. leaving at 4pm for a 6pm flight at JFK.

edit: oops, C's terminus is at Euclid, don't use that! :D

That's the flight I'm talking about. I did it on Sunday, and I left for JFK from midtown in a taxi at 4:40. (I wasn't checking any bags).

EDIT: I actually landed in SFO at 9pm.

Here is the official response from the website
http://www.mta.info/mta/airtrain.htm

It takes about an hour to Jamaica from most parts in the city and about 15 min from Jamaica.

Tis true. I've taken the subway to JFK/AirTrain several times (all during the day - I'm not sure I'd recommend the subway at night - it goes through some less-than-choice areas of town).