Company required stopovers that aren't 'on the way'

[Lan]

Hi again!

I have a business trip to LA coming up. At the time of booking flights, the cheapest flight (on an airline known *not* to regularly crash or carry live stock in the passenger area ) was via Tokyo... however since Japan has become a 'no-go' zone for my company, I'm now flying SYD-HKG-LAX...

Now I'm def not sad about the 600 SCs I'm now earning, instead of the 360... however... I am having flashbacks to the 80's when my father travelled a great deal for work. Direct flights all the way. Not to mention flying F for every o/s trip...

Oh how I miss direct flights.

FYI, I do think it's ironic that per hour, my billable time flying will be more than the cost of a direct flight to LA. But logic isn't a strong suit in certain organisational departments :shock:

So I wanna know... what's the strangest stopover your company has required you to take since the GFC? What was so out of the way? Do share!

 

[trippin_the_rift]

So I wanna know... what's the strangest stopover your company has required you to take since the GFC? What was so out of the way? Do share!

My company sent me to Las Vegas on this routing:

BNE-SYD-AKL-SYD-LAX-LAS .. all 'connections' ...

All employees who fly for work are required to maintain top-tier status. It's a condition of employment.

My boss is a little strange though.

 

[Awesom Andy]

Only a "little" strange?

And considering that they are all connections, I guess you couldn't have skipped the SYD-AKL-SYD sectors...

 

[Fantic125]

The best one I've had (and I still can't believe it was the cheapest fare!) is Taipei, Taiwan to Tampa, Florida.

TPE-NRT-YVR-DFW-TPA (overnight stop in DFW for 10 hours)

 

[Febs]

I would've thought most of us would be choosing to make the additional stopovers ourselves.

I know my employer would rather I fly direct, but if the cost is similar and I can stopover somewhere interesting or earn more SCs, I will.

 

[simongr]

I would've thought most of us would be choosing to make the additional stopovers ourselves.

+1

Why fly direct when you can connect? I actively seek out connections but also try to add a business reason for them. Note I am in house staff so billable hours lost through travel. So if I am going to the UK I schedule other people to work in HKG so I can add in a couple of days reviewing their work on my way to the UK. And hey if I am flying to the UK, why not fly to the US on a round the world ticket for a conference. And if I am doing a RTW why not pop into Cyprus to see the folks for a couple of days which involves routing SYD-HKGx-DXB-AMM-LCAx-LHRx-JFKx(friend in New York)-MIA-ATLx-MIA-JFK-DFW-LAX-SYD

 

[elbarto]

Hi again!

FYI, I do think it's ironic that per hour, my billable time flying will be more than the cost of a direct flight to LA. But logic isn't a strong suit in certain organisational departments :shock:

Hence why the Australian Government has recently changed its policy from cheapest fare, to cheapest practical fare. E.g, the direct routing should be chosen over the cheaper, indirect routing

 

[gumpy]

I get questioned on my flights if i connect... my boss isn't a fan of it even if it saves costs... The last connection I did was BKK HKG SYD, he was like why would you go to HKG first? Fortunately there was a business reason in that it meant I could stay in BKK 2 hrs longer for the meeting.

 

[NM]

My strangest was well before the GFC. It was the week following the Sydney Olympics and availability of seats eastbound from Australia was almost non-existent. I had a short-notice booking to get to RDU (Raleigh Durham in North Carolina). The only availability to get me to RDU in time was to travel BNE-SYD-SIN-FRA-LGW-RDU. Was booked as a LONE4 as the only other option was a combination of lots of one-way Y fares that was more expensive than a DONE4 (not that there was any D availability to be found at the time).

Generally, I am not required to make stopovers unless there is no availability on direct flights. From time to time I have been known to book non-direct routing if it suits me better (timing of flights, my choice of carrier etc) or if its a significant saving. But non-direct routing is my choice not company imposed.

 

[samh004]

My boss is a little strange though.

I think I might have met him :-|

 

[Lan]

Some of those stopovers are amazing! And by amazing I mean insane. And by insane I mean healthy for your SC balance...

I wonder if Q will run another double SC offer in May-June like last year... I know there was one on offer recently... I'm hoping for another...

 

[jamesatfish]

A few years ago when I was doing contract work for a multinational IT company the company mandated travel agency booked me a DONE4 to get from Canberra to Herdon, Virginia (about 5 minutes from Dulles Airport) then home via further business in the EU.

They managed to book CBR-MEL-SYD-LAX-DFW-ATL as part of the DONE4, then switched me over to Delta for ATL-BWI (at additional cost on a non-interlined ticket), then paid for a cab to drive me the approx 100kms from BWI to the office near IAD.

Just to further my enjoyment they then booked the next leg to Ireland as BWI-LHR-DUB thus requiring a further 100km cab ride to the airport and a 90 minute rushed connection in LHR rather than just going for something simple like IAD-JFK-DUB (as this was when Aer Lingus was still a full OW partner).

 

[gumpy]

A few years ago when I was doing contract work for a multinational IT company the company mandated travel agency booked me a DONE4 to get from Canberra to Herdon, Virginia (about 5 minutes from Dulles Airport) then home via further business in the EU.

They managed to book CBR-MEL-SYD-LAX-DFW-ATL as part of the DONE4, then switched me over to Delta for ATL-BWI (at additional cost on a non-interlined ticket), then paid for a cab to drive me the approx 100kms from BWI to the office near IAD.

Just to further my enjoyment they then booked the next leg to Ireland as BWI-LHR-DUB thus requiring a further 100km cab ride to the airport and a 90 minute rushed connection in LHR rather than just going for something simple like IAD-JFK-DUB (as this was when Aer Lingus was still a full OW partner).

Why would they do this??? I don't understand, did you ask them wtf? this and the guy that had to travel to and from sydney as part of connections is the dumbest thing I've ever seen... Like did the company feel bad about not using all the flights on the DONE4?

 

[jamesatfish]

Why would they do this??? I don't understand, did you ask them wtf? this and the guy that had to travel to and from sydney as part of connections is the dumbest thing I've ever seen... Like did the company feel bad about not using all the flights on the DONE4?

Unfortunately this trip was before I got into sites like AFF and started understanding a bit more about the airline world. I was only QF PS at the time, had never been to the company's US offices so didn't know how far things were from the airports or whether there were more direct routes, and was still naively assuming the company travel agents knew more about company travel than I did.

This was also when there was a 20 sector limit on *ONE4 fares rather than the current 16 sectors, so they had no shortage of sectors for the ATL-BWI/IAD/DCA leg if they'd wanted to book AA on that sector. I really don't know what happened - I just got given the booking reference and told to get on an aircraft, which is what I did.

 

[ozmille]

I did BRU-FCO (4hour wait) -YTO (3 hour wait)-YUL instead of BRU-YUL at the same price. This meant I was waiting in FCO and YUL as long as the direct flight. This was before I had discovered the world of the Frequent Flyers and good connections...

 

[malmacdowall]

About 12 years ago I was sent on my first international trip, a shocker...
MEL-SYD-Bali (11hr wait for connection)-FRA Germany- schipol Amsterdam-CDG Paris....

And all before I knee about FF miles and membership... Ah such a newb then

 

[coolumbla]

Fortunately( or not) circle Asia fares even with stopovers are cheaper than a single return to Singapore or bkk and I can get in some talks in china on the way

Currently syd sin cmb sin hkg pek pvg nrt syd for a trip to Sri Lanka

Oops
Off to check if cx posted yet

C