Why fly direct ... ?

[Cruiser Elite]

Just trying to explain 'why'.

Oh well, even if others don't get it, I will still give it a try.

Oh most others do get it totally.

 

[Deleted member]

Oh most others do get it totally.

I do, even if I don't do it myself.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

Booking flts - AFFer Style 101:
1. Decide on primary dep and arr ports
2. Secure plan to achieve above movement
3. Spend a significant number of hours attempting to convolute above movement
4. Secure plan for updated convoluted movement
5. Spend every waking minute from booking time to dep time attempting convolution of above convoluted movement
6. Most importantly - NEVER attempt to discuss / explain convolutation of above movement with non AFFers - they won't get it!
Hands up if this is not your standard Modus Operandi?

 

[harvyk]

Booking flts - AFFer Style 101:
1. Decide on primary dep and arr ports
2. Secure plan to achieve above movement
3. Spend a significant number of hours attempting to convolute above movement
4. Secure plan for updated convoluted movement
5. Spend every waking minute from booking time to dep time attempting convolution of above convoluted movement
6. Most importantly - NEVER attempt to discuss / explain convolutation of above movement with non AFFers - they won't get it!
Hands up if this is not your standard Modus Operandi?

To be honest, even step 1 is kinda optional, I have planned trips around what flights I want to take me "there" rather than where "there" was going to be.

 

[JessicaTam]

To be honest, even step 1 is kinda optional, I have planned trips around what flights I want to take me "there" rather than where "there" was going to be.

I agree, I would delete step 1.
My booking YVR-PTY started as LAX-UIO. :shock:

 

[drewbles]

My next trip:


My most stupid routing within a 14 day period was MEL-AKL-SYD-LAX-LAS-LAX-LAS-ORD-LGA-MIA-SJU-MIA-JFK-ORD-LAS-LAX-DFW-BOS-DFW-LAS-LAX-SYD-AKL-MEL (A touch over 36,000 miles):


Just a tad shorter than the other, the Star MegaDo4 tied in with a work trip: MEL-SYD-LAX-FRA-ZRH-SFO-AUS-ORD-DFW-BOS-ORD-LAS-LAX-SYD-MEL


The sad part is, the next trip is actually the most 'direct' I could get for the best price, and it's still flying pretty much every other day!

 

[wandering_fred]

A rather related - but different set of planning steps...
1 - How many miles/points/SCs are required for (re)qualification?
2 - Is there somewhere/someone I need to visit?
3 - Do have return legs paid for I haven't used?
4 - How long will the family accept my being absent?
5 - From the normal "cheap" starting points, what are the best deals?
6 - Is there a better place to start?

So PER to the USA became - broken down by international stops
(PER-HKG-CMB) remnant
(CMB-HKG-JNB) #1
(GBE-JNB) #2 (not credited anywhere :shock:)
(JNB-HKG-LAX) #3
(LAX-ORD/ORD-PHX-TUS/TUS-LAX) #4,5,6
(LAX-HKG-JNB-HKG-CMB) #3, 2
(CMB-KUL-PER) #7
Credit ~60K to CX ~4K to AA including cabin/status bonuses

Including JNB was only marginally more expensive than exCMB to the USA.

You CAN be creative when wandering

Fred

 

[Fiches Mouser]

A rather related - but different set of planning steps...
1 - How many miles/points/SCs are required for (re)qualification?
2 - Is there somewhere/someone I need to visit?
3 - Do have return legs paid for I haven't used?
4 - How long will the family accept my being absent?
5 - From the normal "cheap" starting points, what are the best deals?
6 - Is there a better place to start?

So PER to the USA became - broken down by international stops
(PER-HKG-CMB) remnant
(CMB-HKG-JNB) #1
(GBE-JNB) #2 (not credited anywhere :shock:)
(JNB-HKG-LAX) #3
(LAX-ORD/ORD-PHX-TUS/TUS-LAX) #4,5,6
(LAX-HKG-JNB-HKG-CMB) #3, 2
(CMB-KUL-PER) #7
Credit ~60K to CX ~4K to AA including cabin/status bonuses

Including JNB was only marginally more expensive than exCMB to the USA.

You CAN be creative when wandering

Fred

I am so into your nested strategy. How do you do the CMB "stopovers"? Do you stay a day or two? Or cut it fine with a connection on two different PNRs?

I'm about to embark on a year of nested bookings, meaning long journeys everywhere in J, as I build up to CX Gold.

 

[wandering_fred]

I am so into your nested strategy. How do you do the CMB "stopovers"? Do you stay a day or two? Or cut it fine with a connection on two different PNRs? I'm about to embark on a year of nested bookings, meaning long journeys everywhere in J, as I build up to CX Gold.

In Sri Lanka I would normally spend a couple of days, though on this trip both were simple overnights, the 2nd in the transit hotel. Negombo has some relatively inexpensive (and reasonably clean 2*) hotels. [plug] And the other parts of the country are worth exploring [end plug]. And I have had the opportunity to explore the ins and outs of parts of the Sri Lankan dental system. But that involved two multiple weeks stays.

As I mentioned elsewhere, part of the wandering is to visit more (new) countries, and would therefore attempt to get a few days at least at one point of the trip. I trust CX to honor CX connections on two tickets, and AA has a (somewhat hidden) policy of resolving OneWorld mis-connects. OTOH I don't normally accept two hour (or less) connections except on the same ticket and in an airport I'm comfortable navigating.

In the USA it is so expensive to get the AA segments added to the international PEY/J segments (though a TA helps), it is just simpler to book separate tickets. So far no issues with CX BA or QF in that respect (in the last ten years). Be aware AA (and apparently the other USA airlines) are playing silly games with domestic multi-segment tickets at the moment.

Happy to discuss further aspects of wandering

Fred

 

[Mattg]

I'm a definite advocate of "why fly direct when you can connect?"!

These are a few of the routings I've used to get from Australia to Europe, and vice versa:

 

[prozac]

I'm a definite advocate of "why fly direct when you can connect?"!

These are a few of the routings I've used to get from Australia to Europe, and vice versa:

Points or cash? If points was it an AA trick fare?

 

[Mattg]

Points or cash? If points was it an AA trick fare?

Two of them were points (as part of a QF oneworld award booking). The second was a series of one-way cash fares.

 

[ruben38]

I'm guessing most of those posting here aren't travelling with children. I have 3 kids and it's hard enough to wrangle them through a single flight, let alone some of the crazy routes mentioned in this thread! The most direct and the least time in the air is definitely the best in my book. I would only book a connecting flight if it was significantly cheaper or no other option.

 

[snabbu]

I'm guessing most of those posting here aren't travelling with children. I have 3 kids and it's hard enough to wrangle them through a single flight, let alone some of the crazy routes mentioned in this thread! The most direct and the least time in the air is definitely the best in my book. I would only book a connecting flight if it was significantly cheaper or no other option.

I wouldn't say most, but all.

There's no way anyone in their right mind would book crazy routings like these with kids/family in tow.

 

[Moindardt]

I wouldn't say most, but all.

There's no way anyone in their right mind would book crazy routings like these with kids/family in tow.

Actually I totally disagree. We have 4 kids aged 9-13. It started with mileage runs to get my oldest to WP so we would have 3x WP+1, so we could all go into the lounges. After all the hassles of my wife and I flying J/F and them in Y, I proposed flying some weird incredibly indirect flights that I could piece together when they were on sale, but would mean we all fly in J or F. Basically it is worked on a financial basis as premium flights earn far greater points hence offset the cost. If you can reduce the cost of the premium flights, you actually reach a cost neutral position with flying Y. If you really work it, the net position is cheaper than flying deep discount Y but all the benefits of status earning. This is easier to do with younger kids because many premium flights have 25-33% off for 2-11 year olds.

My wife reluctantly agreed and now everyone is happy to play along. They treat the flights as much, if not more, of a holiday than the actual holiday itself. Treated like kings and queens, movies on a bigger screen, sleep in beds, pj's, wife with champers and the kids with mocktails, the list goes on. The FA's love it and go out of their way to spoil them rotten. When my 13yr pulls out her WP card for the lounge, she almost bursts with DYKWIA'ness. They have all gotten fascinated by where we might go, how we can twist it and what planes/airlines we can do it with. They read travel reviews and comment on how they would like to try out J on xyz airlines but only on the 777-300 not 777-200, because it doesn't have the new seats. They have also been far more fascinated about "other" destinations, not just Disneyland and New York and normal kid stuff.

They have encouraged me to turn trips we were taking anyway, into MR's, and listen patiently to all my tales of trying to bend these weird routing rules to suit what we need to do. The first flight in September I am using 6 of my SWU's to upgrade from Y to J. Hopefully they will all clear. When we land in LA, the 3 youngest will hit Executive Platinum (my wife and oldest will be Plat and WP). On the way back, they will all be EXP and using their SWU's so they should all clear. We are going to LAX but going to tack on a trip to JFK or HNL because it only increases the price by $100 but the SWU's cover them for up to 3 legs on one side of the trip and it adds 6000 miles on. They are pushing me to find somewhere else like South America or Europe. eg SYD-LAX-LHR-MAD or SYD-LAX-MIA-GRU (Annoyingly I can do it on QF not AA). I know we can do SYD-LAX-MIA-SXM but we will see if we can find something more exotic.

It was not cheap to get started, but was offset by the first leg earning over 350k AA miles between the 6 of us. If we had have all been EXP, it would have been about 500k. The devaluation and revenue based points will actually be beneficial because net points for premium travel will probably increase and the availability will also increase and still costs heaps less than QF.

If use a valuation of EXP and AA miles, like thepointguy, we actually earn money (not really but just making a point). Purely on a cost of flights less value of points, it is less than a deep discount Y ticket.

YMMV

 

[mushez]

I wouldn't say most, but all.

There's no way anyone in their right mind would book crazy routings like these with kids/family in tow.

Think you are in the wrong place to use the word "no way anyone .... would".

Think what you should have said is "few would"

 

[straitman]

I wouldn't say most, but all.

There's no way anyone in their right mind would book crazy routings like these with kids/family in tow.

Think you are in the wrong place to use the word "no way anyone .... would".

Think what you should have said is "few would"

There are a lot of people here not in their right mind by your definition snabbu. :shock:

I have mentioned this previously but will do so again. I have a daughter & SIL who travel with 11yo & 5yo who backpack the world housesitting. They do a lot of long haul and short haul flying and the kids have no issues. They travel on which ever airlines and take whatever flights fit their itinerary. Some flights are direct and some are the long way around. The kids read books and use iPads and love the experience. See: No Set Address

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Think you are in the wrong place to use the word "no way anyone .... would".

Think what you should have said is "few would"

Given the context of this forum, I'd even venture to say "most ... would"! My youngest daughter usually asks "which routing" when I say we're off on holiday! The oldest two don't come much anymore but have been known to complain of a basic routings like a OOL-SYD-MEL-PER and return when they didn't want to go in the first place (but the deal was too good to pass up, and they understood that).

 

[mickeyc747]

To get home from the HKG lounge run in June I am flying HKG BKK CMB MLE CMB AUH SYD NTL BNE airlines flown are RJ UL EY OT QF

 

[gizzard]

My upcoming trip to Europe:

MEL-xSIN-xHKG (SQ J - LifeMiles points, when you could)... -xDBX-LGW (EF F - QF points)

LGW-xLIS-xIST-(MLE)-CMB (TP/TK J - LM points)

CMB-xSIN-MEL (SQ J - SQ points)