advice for flight from Boston to London

[lindacat]

I am traveling to London from Boston one way next August for a transatlantic cruise. There are six of all together and three are older with mobility issues. I had seen a deal for a credit card which gave enough miles for a one way ticket to London on American airlines and now 4 of the 6 of us have enough miles to pay for our one way ticket. I had planned on booking the tickets next week when we are 330 days out. I was going to go direct with AA for the FF tix and through Choice Air for the same flight for the other 2 seats.

 

Currently there is a BA flight available for the dates and times we like for only $468. per person. With the current turmoil with AA I am confused as to what I should do. I am considering forgetting the FF tix and buying all six tix on BA through Choice Air everyone says that I should decide....

 

Does any one have any suggestions or advice?

[SFCAcruiser]

...

 

Currently there is a BA flight available for the dates and times we like for only $468. per person. With the current turmoil with AA I am confused as to what I should do. I am considering forgetting the FF tix and buying all six tix on BA through Choice Air everyone says that I should decide....

 

Does any one have any suggestions or advice?

If indeed this is a "real" BA flight and not a code share flight "operated by" American Airlines, then your concern about AA's current labor problems is unfounded. Once you redeem your AA mileage points for an award on BA, AA is essentially no longer involved. In one sense, AA only acts as a sort of travel agent that books your flights but does not actually fly them. If BA makes some changes, such as canceling your flight in advance, then AA would need to be involved to re-book you.

[Zach1213]

So you're basically looking for a flight almost a year out, correct? I would base absolutely nothing on the current labor situation. A year from now, things will be different. Heck, a year from now, BA could have serious labor issues and you would be wishing you had booked on AA. We just don't know the future, so book what you think works best for you, and hope for the best.

[Gardyloo]

I am traveling to London from Boston one way next August for a transatlantic cruise. There are six of all together and three are older with mobility issues. I had seen a deal for a credit card which gave enough miles for a one way ticket to London on American airlines and now 4 of the 6 of us have enough miles to pay for our one way ticket. I had planned on booking the tickets next week when we are 330 days out. I was going to go direct with AA for the FF tix and through Choice Air for the same flight for the other 2 seats.

 

Currently there is a BA flight available for the dates and times we like for only $468. per person. With the current turmoil with AA I am confused as to what I should do. I am considering forgetting the FF tix and buying all six tix on BA through Choice Air everyone says that I should decide....

 

Does any one have any suggestions or advice?

Not knowing your exact dates, and looking at AA award availability in mid-August, I can see 7 (or more) coach seats available for mileage redemption for a number of days between Aug. 10 and Aug. 20. In particular, I can see availability for several days on the morning AA departure from Boston to London, which arrives in the evening in London. Most people (us for sure) find the morning flights eastbound to be way, way easier on the system than the overnight flights. You don't need to try to "sleep" on the plane on the short overnight flights (due to tailwinds flying east over the Atlantic) and by the time you get through Heathrow and into a hotel (we always book a room at an airport-area hotel using Priceline - never more than $100 for a 4-star) it's around 11 PM local time, so a quick pint of beer in the hotel bar and it's off to a real bed for a good sleep. The next day jetlag is almost never an issue.

 

I don't want to (again) raise the issue of Choice Air, but do your homework and do just a short search on this board and you'll be able to judge for yourself. $468 is about 1/3 what BA would charge for a straight one-way ticket from Boston to London, so I'd look very closely at the terms and conditions, penalties for changes or cancellations, things like that.

 

As for AA's current labor troubles, by next August things will be totally different; I wouldn't hesitate a minute to book on AA for next year. But of course you need to use your own judgement.

[Valley Girl of VA]

I would also check out what the fuel surcharge is on a BA flight. Sometimes those charges are almost the same as a purchased ticket. I do not know if it is applicable to London but it is to other European airports.

[Zach1213]

I would also check out what the fuel surcharge is on a BA flight. Sometimes those charges are almost the same as a purchased ticket. I do not know if it is applicable to London but it is to other European airports.

 

BA is just about the worst in Europe, in fact. Definitely something to consider. Look at the full price of the ticket, not just the base price. Good advice.

 

I've caught some incredible fares on BA even with the surcharges, but other times it has been ridiculous. Definitely something to fully consider.

[lindacat]

Thanks for the advice. We were looking at morning flights around the 29th of August. I know that they are not yet available, but to try and get 4 seats using FF miles I thought I needed to be ready to book when they are released next week. I know that there is some danger to Choice Air, but the prices for a one way ticket are much better than anything I can find direct through the airlines.

[6rugrats]

Thanks for the advice. We were looking at morning flights around the 29th of August. I know that they are not yet available, but to try and get 4 seats using FF miles I thought I needed to be ready to book when they are released next week. I know that there is some danger to Choice Air, but the prices for a one way ticket are much better than anything I can find direct through the airlines.

There is no guarantee that award seats will be released next week; in fact, there may never be any available on certain flights. Or, you may not be able to find four. Who knows?

 

I would avoid BA simply because of the very fuel surcharges. I wouldn't worry about AA for next August.

[Twickenham]

I know that there is some danger to Choice Air, but the prices for a one way ticket are much better than anything I can find direct through the airlines.

 

Icelandair BOS-KEF-LHR, $407 taxes included. Bookable now on their website.

[SFCAcruiser]

I am generally not a OneWorld flyer, so I am asking just for my own knowledge: Is the fuel surcharge high for BA award flights when booked with AA miles?

[Zach1213]

I am generally not a OneWorld flyer, so I am asking just for my own knowledge: Is the fuel surcharge high for BA award flights when booked with AA miles?

 

Yes. If you're on BA, you'll pay BA prices for it. That has always been my case, at least, having used my AA miles on BA a couple times now (most recently two years ago ORD-LHR-IST and return).

[Gardyloo]

I would also check out what the fuel surcharge is on a BA flight. Sometimes those charges are almost the same as a purchased ticket. I do not know if it is applicable to London but it is to other European airports.

Since January this year, airfares shown for sale in the US must be shown inclusive of taxes and fees, including fuel surcharges.

 

There is no guarantee that award seats will be released next week; in fact, there may never be any available on certain flights. Or, you may not be able to find four. Who knows?

This is correct, but, surprisingly to me, AA is showing 7 seats in the "T" award bucket (economy redemption) for many transatlantic flights right at the 330 day mark, as I mentioned above. (I use Expert Flyer to look for mileage seats.) I suspect the OP will get four, provided they have a little flexibility (+/- a day or two.) Looking at the weeks between 8/10 and 8/20/13, it appeared that AA was not releasing T inventory on some days in the week, typically Fridays.

 

I am generally not a OneWorld flyer, so I am asking just for my own knowledge: Is the fuel surcharge high for BA award flights when booked with AA miles?

Yes, or with Alaska miles or even BA miles (Avios.) On transatlantic flights, the difference can be in the hundreds, or over a thousand dollars on business-class or connecting flights (BA to London, then BA onward.)

[marco]

Check this out. Last year when we flew to Europe is was nearly $200 less pp to fly all on Air Canada, Bradley (Hartford/Springfield) to Montreal, connect and on to our European destination than it was on ANYTHING out of JFK/Logan/Newark. Getting to/from Bradley is a cakewalk compared to JFK/Logan/Newark, and if you are going to do longterm parking it's a LOT less at Bradley compared to "the big three". The first flight was on a small plane and we were boarded in 30 seconds and in Montreal, it's to the left for entering Canada, to the right to the international departure hall, no additional security, lines, check-ins, I think we were off of our plane and at our international departure gate in 5 minutes. Pretty much the same coming home. One line for entering Canada, one line for flights to the US, one for "other" destinations. Customs and immigration for "flights to the US" were effortless.