Need airlines suggestions for Legend Transatlantic

[bldsld]

Hi all,

As I have been late in booking air reservations, I am having a really difficult time getting from SFO to STT, and then back from LIS to SFO, using upgradeable fares for business class. Apparently, SFO is akin to Timbuktu, so it has become very problematical getting a round-trip fare. Delta and NWA can't even price it out, other than as 2 one-way fares.

Has anyone any suggestions for consolidators, or routing through certain cities where the fares can be booked as multi-city round trips? I am really quite surprised that it is so difficult. BTW, Continental has no upgrades available.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Regards,
Denyse

[mpfund]

I would ask the folks at www.flyertalk.com for advice. They are very knowledgeable and good about helping.

But, I think you have 2 problems:

1. You are trying to do an open-jaw. An arcane rule of open-jaw flights is that the non-flown portion must be less than either of the flown portions. I used www.webflyer.com, using their "milemarker" function to figure out miles. SFO to St Thomas is 3680, and St Thomas to Lisbon, which you are not flying, is 3610, giving you a cushion of 70 miles. However, this is a very small spread, and the airlines may be using different mileage charts.

2. In order to upgrade, at least on DL, you must use DL coded flights. While they do fly to St Thomas, they do not fly from Lisbon. Perhaps you could get a cheapie inter-European flight to an airport they do fly out of? If all else fails, AA has a decent biz class fare to St. Thomas for about $880. I am not familiar with NW rules.

I have probably confused/depressed you. I hope it works out!

[bldsld]

mpfund,

Thank you so much for the helpful information. I will check all of your suggestions right away.

Thanks again!

Regards,
Denyse

[Winner]

Last year we flew United San Francisco-Dulles-St. Thomas and Lisbon 0n Lufthansa to Frankfurt and then United Frankfurt-San Francisco I think I booked the flights on United's internet site; we upgraded to business (except Lisbon-Frankfurt) using miles. The fare was about $1500.00 for each of us. A call to United might be worth your while. Have fun--we had super weather and a smooth sailing. Love those days at sea!!

[bldsld]

Hi Winner,

Thanks for the additional suggestion. Unfortunately, United has severely restricted it's allotment of upgradeable seats, and there are none at present, despite the fact that there are available seats in business class for purchase.

I've spent about 6 hours dealing with various airlines today, and my unfortunate conclusion is that the people who are working at these difficult jobs haven't a clue what they can or cannot do. I spoke with Continental today on 4 separate occasions, and was bemused by the 4 completely different answers I received to the same questions, thus causing my upgrades to become lost. I am sure it is not just me noticing how difficult the process of using miles has become, regardless of your elite program status, and regardless of the airlines.

And to add to the growing list of candidates for the Darwin award, the young male reservationist at hotels.com hadn't a clue how to spell Lisbon, nor did he realize it was the capital of Portugal, or that there is a country called Portugal. He told me that he was from Texas and thus didn't need to know the capital of Portugal!!! Had my computer been working at the time, I would have gone online. Needless to say, I am without air or hotels at this time, and not really caring a whole lot as I ponder the absence of literacy in this country.

Regards,
Denyse

[CruisinMatt]

Denyse, I hope all works out for you. I had a horrible time finding something decent for this cruise as well. Here's what I ended up with

Saturday March 26th
Chicago Midway - San Juan on ATA (I know risky)
San Juan - St Thomas on Cape Air
We get in at 2:30 - ended up booking one night at the Holiday Inn.

Saturday April 9th
Lisbon - London On British Airways Club Europe
London - Chicago Ohare on British Airways Club World (somehow managed to get the upper deck! ;))

Still no hotel booked yet in Lisbon as I am still researching it. We'll mainly be shopping.

I agree that flyertalk.com is very helpful - beware the forums are heavily moderated. :)

[mpfund]

I am not sure what CruisinMat means about the Flyertalk boards being heavily moderated. I do know they have no patience for cross posting -- so do not post your same question on the DL and NW board -- I would suggest a general board such as TravelBuzz. At least with Flyertalk whole threads do not disappear with no explanation as they do on CC.

A cardinal rule of "gaming" the airline system is to keep calling -- if you don't like the first answer, gracefully get off the phone and call back. I would let the hotel problem wait -- the flights are far more important and you can figure out the hotel situation later.

I sympathize with your frustration dealing with the clerks -- but remember, for now, they hold your future in their (incompetent) hands!

[Jane Pond]

Actually, this thread reads as one on FlyerTalk! As a USAir CP, I read it a lot.

Can you fly USAir, it's safe til June. You can try a codeshare with United, SFO to Philly and then to STT and perhaps return from LHR on United. This is a guess. I know it can get complicated. Both USAir and United are in the Star Alliamce and pernaps you can use SpanAir or one of the other airlines.

Jane in PHL (who is double booked for FLL to be sure not to miss the QM3 in February)

[CruisinMatt]

I am not sure what CruisinMat means about the Flyertalk boards being heavily moderated. I do know they have no patience for cross posting --

I didn't mean for what I said to sound negative ;) One just has to be sure to read all of the "stickys" before asking questions otherwise you'll be referred back to them. This happened to me on the Delta Skymiles forum and I had to kindly tell them that my question truely was not answered in the sticky.

Sorry! :)

[Martita B.]

Denyse, if all else fails, you might want to give Kristy a call at "Best Fares" (she's quite good-- located in Dallas)
The # is: 1 800 718 7776 ex.1076

She has helped me several times with diffcult flights.
MB

[CeeJay11]

We have also had a dreadful time trying to arrange for flights for this cruise. We finally had it all arranged - United from Toronto to Washington, D.C., and then United to STT. However after booking the flights, United changed the time of the first flight and we could no longer make the connection with the second so now we must fly to Washington, then to Charlotte, and then to STT. 3 flights in one short day - yuk! The things we do to get to the Legend :)

Coming back was a little easier - Continental from Lisbon to Newark, and then a connecting flight to Toronto. So far the airline hasn't changed these flights.

Good luck Denyse. Your New York friends told us you were on this cruise. We'll look forward to meeting you.

CeeJay

[mpfund]

Matt, you are right. I had forgotten how quickly the regulars jump on newbies who ask obvious questions! But, I think Denyse will be well treated as hers is one of those challenges that tend to intrique that board's regulars.

[CruisinMatt]

CeeJay, are you also going on the Crossing in March?

[bldsld]

Hi all,

Thanks for the really great suggestions everyone! I've got reservations now on Delta, although it is costing more than double the cost of the cruise!!! I should have booked this earlier; my fault for being so delinquent in waiting.

Ceejay, the upgrades, as well as special business class fares, are not available on the LIS-EWR flight. Again, procrastination has limited my selections. BTW, we will be flying to STT with our NY friends!

Regards,
Denyse

[CruisinMatt]

Denyse, what did you wind up with on the return flight? BA has some great World Club rates.

[bldsld]

Hi Matt,

On the outbound, we're booked on Delta SFO-JFK, on the 24th. On the 27th, we fly from JFK to San Juan, and connect on American for a short flight to STT. We're not using miles for this, we are booking a decent business class rate.

On the return, we're booked on Air France as a codeshare (very early A.M.) to CDG, then Delta to JFK, then JFK-SFO. On the AF segment, we're in coach. For the balance of the trip, we're using miles to upgrade. The total cost per R/T ticket is right around $3400 each (double the cost of the cruise!!!). ;-)

We do not have any miles for BA. What exactly is Club World?

Thanks,
Denyse

[CruisinMatt]

Club World is BA's "Business", quite nice, almost similar to first on some airlines. Trust me, you got a better deal that I did ;) I'm well over $4000 on airfare alone.

Have you found a hotel in Lisbon yet? I have a few written down but have not finished my research yet. We want to do some heavy shopping for the most part, there is a huge mall called Columbo I read about. I had thought about booking at a resort near the ocean, but I'm sure the weather will not be hot enough for that!!!

[bldsld]

Matt,

I'm now holding a reservation on BA, although it adds another $800 to each ticket. The good thing about it, however, is that we get a non-stop out of LHR to SFO. Anyway, I'll decide tomorrow what we're going to do. I'm holding both Delta and BA and will sleep on it.

We haven't picked a hotel yet. I'm not as interested in shopping as I am seeing the sights. I will be interested to hear what your search turns up. I'm just happy to be able to get in and out of SF! I'm sure the hotel will be alot simpler than the flights were.

Denyse

[bldsld]

Love those days at sea!!

Ah, yes, but your SA cruise on the Pride sounds absolutely fantastic! Want to trade???????????? ;-)

Have a great cruise, Winner. We'll be looking forward to your report before we head off to do the TA in late March.

Regards,
Denyse

[Winner]

Sorry, Denyse, but no trade this time! We did overnight in Lisbon due to early connecting flight the next day, at the Lisbon Marriott. It's nearish to the airport and a pretty decent hotel but not centrally located for touring. We just wanted a place to stay before heading home and couldn't find flights for the day we disembarked. The price was pretty good; we even opted for concierge floor and snacked free for dinner. After Seabourn for 13 days, who needs more food?

I'll post after our cruise and before yours.

Winner

[CeeJay11]

Denyse -
So glad to hear you have your flights pretty well finalized. Its always worth the hassle once you get to the ship. Are you staying at the Marriott Frenchmen's Reef in St. Thomas? Maybe we'll see you there before the cruise.
We are staying at the Pestana Palace in Lisbon for 2 nights before flying home - one of our friends taking this cruise found this hotel and it looks really special.
Only a couple of months until we go. :) By then our ugly winter weather will be almost over.
CeeJay

[bldsld]

Ceejay, thanks for the hotel information. What can you tell me about it? Perhaps we will book our 3 nights there. We're not staying in St.Thomas at all, quite intentionally. Rather, we are flying to NY on the 24th to stay with our friends for a couple of days, and then the 4 of us are all flying together out ofNY to meet the Legend on the 27th.

Winner, I agree---an airport hotel wouldn't work for us for touring, although I might book the airport Marriott on our final night, given the early series of flights the next morning. By the way, how did you fare during the recent storms? I know the North Bay was hit quite hard.

Denyse

[norm2002]

I'm now holding a reservation on BA, although it adds another $800 to each ticket.
Denyse

Hi Denyse

I can highly recommend BA Club World for TA flights. Most of their flights have proper sleeper seats in Club. You can check on the BA website (www.ba.com (http://www.ba.com/)) what they are and if they have them on your flight. I think there are only one or two other airlines that have sleeper seats in Business class eg Singapore Airlines.

I'll wave to you from the Pride - maybe we can get the Captains to arrange a rendezvous mid-Atlantic. :)

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

Just taken this from the BA website (edited)

Cabin re-design update

Selected British Airways flights are now fully fitted with our re-designed cabins, offering more space, comfort and luxury than ever before.

More comfort and luxury

The new Club World features our unique six-foot, fully flat bed, 30% extra personal space, in-seat laptop power and personal phone, taking business class to another level.

The following destinations feature the new Club World cabins.

Atlanta
Barbados
Bermuda
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Houston
Los Angeles
Mexico
Miami
Montreal
New York (JFK)
New York (Newark)
Philadelphia
Phoenix
San Francisco
Seattle
Toronto
Vancouver
Washington DC (IAD)

[bldsld]

Hi Norm,

So nice to hear from you! Yes, I see that the sleeper seats are now in business class. Do you have any idea what seats they now use in that funny in-between category, World Traveller Plus? Are they the seats with legsrests that used to be in business class about a year or so ago?

BTW, can you tell me where Chelmsford is, and how far it is from LHR?

Thanks so much. Hope you are well!
Denyse

[norm2002]

Hi Denyse

Never tried World Traveller Plus but this is what I found on the BA website
What is the seat size in World Traveller Plus, including the seat pitch?
Seat pitch is 38-inches, which is the distance from the back of your seat cushion (where it meets the upright support) to the back of the seat in front of you.
Seat cushion width is 18.5-inches.
Angle of seat maximum recline is 7".
Overall length of seat back upright is 26-inches.

Our World Traveller Plus offers the benefits of a separate economy cabin with fewer seats (a maximum of 5 rows) and seven inches extra legroom (seat pitch 38 inches), giving you more space to relax and stretch out. Your seat is not only wider and more comfortable, it comes with additional recline, adjustable headrest, 4 way lumbar support, footrest and legrest. Your personal in-seat entertainment system provides a wider choice of on screen entertainment with 18 channels of the latest blockbuster movies and TV entertainment as well as interactive computer games*
If you need to work, your seat is equipped with laptop power point and individual phone.
Before your journey, enjoy double the hand baggage allowance to World Traveller and extra Executive Club BA Miles and Tier Points when you fly World Traveller Plus.



If it's not ridiculously expensive Club World is great, particularly for such a long flight - about 11 hours isn't it? I collect BA miles and will be using BA Club to fly to MIA in March. Seabourn UK gets very good rates for BA - it may be worth asking Seabourn at Blue Lagoon if they have access to those rates.

Oh yes, Chelmsford is about 70 miles from Heathrow. Not easy by public transport but I can check, if it helps.

[bldsld]

Hi Norm,

Thanks for the info. It doesn't appear that the seats recline much at all. The price difference is, of course, substantial. For the one-way LIS-SFO, connecting at Heathrow, World Traveller Plus is about $800 p/p, while business is just under $2500 p/p. We have never flown coach for such a long flying time, so we're tempted just to go for it and bite the bullet. We have no BA miles, so I can't do an upgradeable fare.

My cousins have moved from London to Chelmsford, so I was wondering how far it would be to visit them for a night, but it sounds like a bit of a shlep for them to come to the airport to get us for just one night.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know what the Delta configuration is in business/first? Do the seats turn into sleeper seats?

Thanks again, Norm, and everyone else who has weighed in on this topic.

Denyse

[Host Dan]

Hi,
We are booked from Lisbon to Paris (Air France), Paris to NY (Delta upgraded business first, no the seats aren't true sleeper) NY to Tampa (Song). Cost was about $1500 pp plus 15,000 Delta FF miles each..
Hope this helps!
CruiserDan

[cruisecrazyone]

Oh you lucky Legend sailors! We are soooo jealous! Truly the Pestana Palace in Lisbon is very special and it is right next to super "trolly" transport all around the city. Eric will be so much fun as he was with us in December on Pride. Bon Voyage to all! Champagne wishes, caviar dreams, and endless Seabourn cruises for all of us!

[Jane Pond]

I recently traveled on BA from PHL>LHR>Dubai and back. There was a 5 hour LHR break, but I advise that at least, the World Club Plus looked more comfy than my WC seat in the back. Had I but known about the fare/seat configurations!

Jane (did survive, however<G>)

[Host Dan]

Cruisecrazyone,
Pestana Palace? We are booked!
CruiserDan

[CruisinMatt]

CruiserDan, you're also on the March crossing? Glad to hear it ;)

[mcboo]

Cruiserdan,
Make sure you keep Eric on his toes when it comes to trivia.
Just ask Cruisecrazyone (Donna) about our December Pride sailing.
mcboo:):)

[bldsld]

I broke down and booked LIS to JFK in business class on BA, as it just sounded too good to pass up! We also managed to buy 2 first class seats on the return on Delta from JFK-SFO at a surprisingly good fare. The outbound from SFO is a decent (not great) rate, also first class from SFO-JFK, and then to STT a few days later. All this and no miles used to upgrade. Amazing, actually, but the upgradeable coach fares were only negligibly less expensive than the special First Class fares.

However, anyone who says the transatlantic crossing is a cheaper sailing must be swimming to the ship and back!!! ;-)

Denyse

[CruisinMatt]

Denyse, just curious if your LIS - JFK flight is non-stop, or are you connecting in LHR? :confused:

[bldsld]

Matt,

I'm connecting at Heathrow. It's LIS-LHR, LHR-JFK, JFK-SFO. It's going to be a looooooooooooong day!

BTW, I've booked 2 nights at the Sofitel in Lisbon. Friends from NY (whom you will meet on the cruise) have stayed there several times, and said it was quite nice, and well located as compared to some of the other hotels I was considering.

Denyse

[bldsld]

Oh you lucky Legend sailors! We are soooo jealous! Truly the Pestana Palace in Lisbon is very special and it is right next to super "trolly" transport all around the city. Eric will be so much fun as he was with us in December on Pride. Bon Voyage to all! Champagne wishes, caviar dreams, and endless Seabourn cruises for all of us!

Donna, I understand the cruise is not sold out, so there is still plenty of room if you would like to join us! Of course, Daneite can't promise to leave us any champagne from the previous leg of the cruise....;-)

Denyse

[CruisinMatt]

Denyse, sounds like you might be on my flight out of Lisbon on Saturday. I was looking at the Sofitel as well but I still have to sit down with my map of Lisbon and get it all stright in my mind.

[Host Dan]

I will definately make sure Eric is on his toes! Most of the winning team "The comeback cruisers" will be on board again! Should make for a very interesting cruise!
Looking forward to meeting you, CruisinMatt!
CruiserDan

[CruisinMatt]

Hmmmmm, maybe I should get a group of "Seabourn Novices" together as a team..... ;);) How many teams are allowed in this trivia? Is it a daily event?

[mcboo]

Hmmmmm, maybe I should get a group of "Seabourn Novices" together as a team..... ;);) How many teams are allowed in this trivia? Is it a daily event?

Matt,
The more the merrier. There is plenty of room for all that want to play.
Have fun.
mcboo:)

[bldsld]

Denyse, sounds like you might be on my flight out of Lisbon on Saturday. I was looking at the Sofitel as well but I still have to sit down with my map of Lisbon and get it all stright in my mind.

Matt, are you on the 8:20 flight to Heathrow on the 9th?

[CruisinMatt]

Denyse, yes that's the one!

I just got off the phone with Seabourn to book a transfer in St Thomas, apparently they can no longer provide sedans, only 6 passenger vans. She recommended just taking a taxi....interesting.

[bldsld]

Matt,

We're just going to grab a cab or van when we get to the airport. I believe that is, in fact, your best bet. STT isn't a particularly difficult location to get from the airport to the ship, so transfers aren't really necessary, IMHO.

Did you book the Sofitel? I see from several of our seasoned posters that the Pestana Palace is an excellent hotel, for a more luxe experience. Frankly, after 11 glorious days on Seabourn, regardless of how beautiful the hotel is, you will feel like you are slumming it when the first bar tab is put in front of you to sign!!! ;-)

Denyse

[cruisecrazyone]

Dear bldsld--thank you for your official invitation to the crossing! Trust me, at that price we would be there if it fit our schedule. Unfortunately, I just got my new and "improved" (not) schedule for Nov. and we will, also, be unable to keep our preliminary res for that crossing--it sails one week too soon! ARGGHHH!!!! Wish I could retire right now! Truly, nothing can compare to being on Seabourn but the Pestana Palace is very nice. CruiserDan, check out availability of rooms as some are nicer than others there. Bon Voyage wishes to all of you extremely lucky Seabourn sailors!

[bldsld]

Cruisecrazyone,

Would you recommend changing our res from Sofitel to the Pestana Palace? We were just planning to tour and sleep, but re-entry into the real world is always so difficult post-Seabourn cruise, would it make the real world a bit less painful?

Thanks,
Denyse

[CruisinMatt]

Denyse, we've decided to stay here: www.hotelvillarica.com Much more modern and less posh than the Sofitel, but it's the style we like and the location is key.

I'd say if you are able to indulge in Pestana Palace - go for it!! It looks awesome! :)

[bldsld]

Matt, we're going to keep our reservation at the Sofitel. It has a great location for walking, but we may have lunch at the Pestana Palace.

Your hotel looks nice!

Denyse

[cruisecrazyone]

You will truly enjoy dining at Pestana Palace. It is an old palace on gorgeous grounds with several dining venues including a wonderful Asian gazebo. The spa is outstanding. The suites come in several varieties as they all have been added on to the palace itself. We really enjoyed our limited (4 nights) there but it was over a year ago so we cannot really vouch for it in comparison to other properties reviewed by more recent experiences. At any rate you will have a fabulous Seabourn crossing experience and that is all that really matters! Champagne wishes, caviar dreams, and endless Seabourn cruises for all of us!

[JoAnne B]

The Radisson near the airport is very nice and public transportation is easily accessible from it. You can book a jr. suite at a very good rate at their website.

If you prefer intown, the Avenida Palace is a great "classic" hotel. The location near the train station is great, but the can be noisy if you like open windows. Some of the junior suites are larger than most suites and have two large bathrooms. This one must be booked early as it is often sold out.

With respect to BA, do be aware that they are very rigid about carry-ons, even in Club World. They made hubby check his rollerboard, although it is easily within acceptable standards and never questioned by any other airline. They hassled me about carrying my CPAP machine along with a roller board. When I explained that it was necessary medical equipment that could not be checked, the gate agent told me I should just stay home. Needless to say, I scratched BA off my list.