A Platinum Flight for $1400

[Grooba]

I've just priced out a run ex-HNL earning 1080SC for $1350.

No idea about the OP's cryptic clues but there are plenty of nice fares available if you know how to work the system.

 

[Grooba]

Great find by the OP but isn't the hop to Sally in J?

Yep. There are 2 sectors that book into J.

 

[hummel]

Interesting thread for sure, I might have a crack at breaking down the clues.

Now.. how cheap can we get to Hawaii for

 

[burmans]

the first 2 are correct, but the rest is completely wrong, still waiting for the big guns to reply, then perhaps a few more clues, this flight appears to be very date sensitive, the date is in the clues.

OK so let's do this step by step, guess this depends on who you think first president was, Washington WAS or Huntingdon HTS. Suggest probably the first is what OP meant.

 

[LuisT]

How do people book these?

I put them into AA and I'm not even in the same ballpark ($5k+)!! Am I really just that far off with the routings?

 

[DC3]

OK so let's do this step by step, guess this depends on who you think first president was, Washington WAS or Huntingdon HTS. Suggest probably the first is what OP meant.

Why do I get an awful feeling that Sally is SAL (San Salvador) and is the turn-around point?

 

[burmans]

Why do I get an awful feeling that Sally is SAL (San Salvador) and is the turn-around point?

Must admit that's what I was thinking too.

 

[arraitch]

Why do I get an awful feeling that Sally is SAL (San Salvador) and is the turn-around point?

Me three! It happens to fit a certain desert destination with the next clue: "and mirror what she speaks".

 

[an*g-bne]

Whilst I haven't worked out the route, "before Julius leaves us" makes me think it has to be a July date to get the cheap fare. A summer break fare?

 

[rockyroad]

"and mirror what she speaks".

After arriving SAL, come back via the same "mirror" route?

SFO to SAL is not direct.

 

[rockyroad]

Yep. There are 2 sectors that book into J.

Sure thing. The non US AA sectors are not in F. They book into J.

 

[alieninperth]

How the h*ll does the mutli city booking work. I cant get anything to work.

 

[Rallygirl]

I have never done this, and after reading all of the above I think I was on the wrong track for the last part. My thoughts at some silly time last night were:

take the prickly fruit - HNL

to the saint of animals, SFO

who nearly hits the first president, i thought this was an airport just near Washington, so potentially Baltimore

then see not quite all of Sally for just an hour, SAL

and mirror what she speaks. I thought this was a mirror of the acronym WSS, thus SSW. This is an airport called Stuart Island in Washington, so maybe Seattle?

and drop the prickly fruit off, just before Julius leaves us. Then back to HNL in July

you have enough flights for a volleyball game. I had no idea of this part and was going to check on AA website but can't do it.

I hope this might help someone out there. Good luck all.

 

[dfcatch]

I have never done this, and after reading all of the above I think I was on the wrong track for the last part. My thoughts at some silly time last night were:

take the prickly fruit - HNL

to the saint of animals, SFO

who nearly hits the first president, i thought this was an airport just near Washington, so potentially Baltimore

then see not quite all of Sally for just an hour, SAL

and mirror what she speaks. I thought this was a mirror of the acronym WSS, thus SSW. This is an airport called Stuart Island in Washington, so maybe Seattle?

and drop the prickly fruit off, just before Julius leaves us. Then back to HNL in July

you have enough flights for a volleyball game. I had no idea of this part and was going to check on AA website but can't do it.

I hope this might help someone out there. Good luck all.

I thought "before Julius leaves us" was a reference to "us" being "U.S.", which would make sense given that HNL is as close to the edge of the U.S. as you can get.

Of course it may be a reference to July

 

[Must...Fly!]

Was thinking the mirror is LAS?

 

[straitman]

I'm hopeless at these cryptic puzzles but I'm having fun following you mob :!:

 

[rockyroad]

Was thinking the mirror is LAS?

The AA multicity booking engine has 6 of what I call "major sector" slots. For a return or mirror booking you have 3 major sectors outbond and 3 major sectors inbound. The booking engine then breaks those major sectors into smaller minor sectors as long as there is not a point to point flight available. Key is to use major sector city pairs which do not have a direct flight between them.

A major sector of HNL to SFO results in minor sectors of HNL to LAX and LAX to SFO. That forces the booking engine to add in another sector or via city to the major sector city pairs, which means your SC earn rate goes up.

With this route you get 2 smaller sectors for each of the major sectors resulting in 6 flight sectors each way or 12 sectors in total as there are no direct flights between the major sector cities.

You get to choose from several variations inside each of the major sectors. Selecting the right minor sector 3 city pair is important to obtaining max SC earn. This link become your bible Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Status Credits. After awhile you can directly read the QF SC earns from the AA city to city flight mileage and add them up mentally.

Have fun.

 

[DC3]

So, The mirror = the return trip is a mirror image of the route to SAL (ie, the same routing, but in reverse)?

 

[rockyroad]

The mirror = the return trip is a mirror image of the route to SAL (ie, the same routing, but in reverse)?

Correct.

Major Sectors as disclosed

HNL SFO

SFO to ???

??? to SAL

SAL to ???

??? to SFO

SFO to HNL

 

[DC3]

"who nearly hits the first president": The first President of the Republic of Texas was Sam Houston

To nearly hit Houston, Texas, the location is probably DFW.


Edit: These may be the three pairs (HNL-SFO, SFO-DFW and DFW-SAL). Now to select intermediate destinations to give 6 segments each way