Advice on flights
Thanks in Advance
I would expect that first class tickets would run in the $6000 to $15000 range. Most likely from the midwest you will have to make a connection. Mine were in L.A. and San Francisco. I saw flights from Chicago in the summer were closer to $20,000 in first class.
Quote: SoulChaserIn the hopes that COVID goes away quickly, I've booked a dream vacation to Australia next year. I've always told myself that if I ever flew internationally, that it would be in 1st class. I know it will be a while before I actually book any airline tickets, but was wondering if anyone here had recommendations on which would be the best airline to fly. Right now I'm leaning towards British Airways or Qantas. (I live in the Midwest if that makes a difference). I realize it would still be a chunk of change, but I'm planning on getting the airline credit card, and bonus miles that come with any initial offer, and using (buying?) miles until I get what I need...Is that still the smart way to do it, or has that changed as well?
Thanks in Advance
Send a PM to terapined. He worked in the industry until his recent retirement.
Soulchaser..... I've flown 17 hour flights in cheapo class. Although not great, I couldn't imagine spending the extra $5-10k to be in first class.
Have fun down under!
Quote: SOOPOOSend a PM to terapined. He worked in the industry until his recent retirement.
Soulchaser..... I've flown 17 hour flights in cheapo class. Although not great, I couldn't imagine spending the extra $5-10k to be in first class.
Have fun down under!
I agree with you. Economy sucks for a long flight but not enough where I would spend an extra $5,000 to fly first class.
Quote: SOOPOOSoulchaser..... I've flown 17 hour flights in cheapo class. Although not great, I couldn't imagine spending the extra $5-10k to be in first class.
I have flown both on United - coach from both LAX and SFO to Sydney, and first class from Auckland to Honolulu (it was a free upgrade - I was scheduled Auckland-LAX-SFO, but the Auckland-LAX flight was full, so I was offered an upgrade for the first leg if I switched to Auckland-Honolulu-SFO). First class was good, but I agree with SOOPOO; it's not "$5000 more" good, especially when you hit the turbulence (which affects first class just as much as it does coach), and you probably will at some point as it's hard to detect clouds during the night portion of the flight, which is a good chunk of the flight in the towards-Australia direction.
http://gc.kls2.com/cgi-bin/gc?PATH=chi-lax-syd-lhr-chi%0D%0A&RANGE=&PATH-COLOR=red&PATH-UNITS=mi&PATH-MINIMUM=&SPEED-GROUND=&SPEED-UNITS=kts&RANGE-STYLE=best&RANGE-COLOR=navy&MAP-STYLE=
btw it might be worth looking at a rtw ticket as sometimes they aren't that much more than a return, also for me it meant a better luggage allowance.
Quote: charliepatrickMany years ago I bought a bargain round-the-world ticket from London, LAX (for Las Vegas), Sydney, Hong Kong (for Macau). The leg from Los Angeles was an overnight flight leaving LAX after 10pm.
AFAIK, that's SOP for flying LAX to SYD, ABCDE - er...
Anyway, nonstops from LAX or SFO to Sydney leave around 10 PM and arrive early in the morning two days later (e.g. if you leave at 10 PM on Tuesday, you land at around 6 AM on Thursday). No, I don't know why they don't leave at 10 AM and land at 6 PM instead, especially as the flight would be in daylight, so the pilot can fly around/over any serious cloud formations.
Quote: SOOPOOSend a PM to terapined. He worked in the industry until his recent retirement.
Soulchaser..... I've flown 17 hour flights in cheapo class. Although not great, I couldn't imagine spending the extra $5-10k to be in first class.
Have fun down under!
I didnt realize the cost would be *that* much more... thats why I was wondering about getting the airline credit card and hoping earning miles would make it more feasible. Given that it's probably only going to be a once in a lifetime thing was what had me considering first...
I appreciate the thoughts and advice from everyone. Please, keep it coming!!
The upcharge is mostly for space. A first class seat costs $5,000 because you’re taking up the space of five economy seats at $1,000Quote: SOOPOOSend a PM to terapined. He worked in the industry until his recent retirement.
Soulchaser..... I've flown 17 hour flights in cheapo class. Although not great, I couldn't imagine spending the extra $5-10k to be in first class.
Have fun down under!
These days I only fly business going overseas. I’d rather not go to Australia than sit in economy for 14 hours. However, I always pay with miles (usually only about 30k extra each way, which is an incredible value )
You don't have to fly FC to enjoy FC amenities. Some airlines don't even offer FC. Look into business class, they still have the lie down seats and even suites. If you are on a business class fare, your domestic flight will or should automatically put you in FC for that portion. However, during the Covid era, you are currently not able to enjoy the experience like the pre-covid days. Also the type of A/C you are on can make a difference, as well as where you are seated. Sone BC seats are better than others. My favorite is the last row in BC, window. Nobody behind or next to me.
In my opinion, the biggest benefit to fly BC is enjoying having access to their private lounges in the airport. Full bar and full gourmet meals are all inclusive.
Youtube has plenty of bloggers critiquing the different airlines in every class. Sam Chui is my favorite blogger when it comes to critiquing airlines.
Quote: SOOPOOI put in Chicago - Sydney for this summer. Lowest 1st class round trip was around $13k. That’s a LOT of miles to build up to get that flight for free. Why not use the extra $10k for on the ground upgrades?
You need to be careful with rates.
For flights in July delta shows
Msp to syd is
Three hundred thousand miles for main
But only twice as much for first.
In cash first is six times main fares.
So get the card and spend like mad!
Quote: SiegfriedRoySome people don’t know this. Make sure you buy a visa for Australia as it is required. As a US citizen, it’s not a county where they let Americans just come visit without a visa.
You get a visa to enter Australia electronically. This started sometime in the mid-1990s. In 1992, I had to get a physical visa put into my passport (fortunately for me, at the time, this consisted of driving a mile to the ferry building, taking a 45-minute ferry ride, then walking a few blocks to the Australian Consulate; the hardest part was getting a photo for it); by 2002, the E-visa program started.
There's a story about that: in 2002, when I went through customs at SFO to board my plane, I was told I didn't have a visa. Attempts to show proof to the contrary were answered with, "When was the last time you checked?" ("This morning"), "Contact your travel agent" ("I got it directly from the Australian E-Visa website"), and, "I just go by your passport number" ("So explain why you are entering a 10-digit number into your computer when my passport number only has 9 digits" - my guess is, the last 3 digits were similar to the last 4 digits of a phone number he knew) "Oh, there it is..." In 2011, they just scanned my passport, and some sort of OCR read my passport number and confirmed the visa,
A better way to spend your money is to acquire a five-night package at Marriott. Their hotel at Circular Quay in Sydney has a lounge on the top floor. Your package includes a pass to that lounge. That's breakfast, snacks for the day (pilfered from the buffet) and all the wine, cheese and assorted bon bons that you can eat in the afternoon and evening. The flight is one day of your time. The week in Sydney is worth more.
In mid July there are first class tickets to Sydney for 72k miles each way (American Airlines). Or pay $7,000 each way. You will not find a better value than getting 10 cents per mileQuote: SOOPOOI put in Chicago - Sydney for this summer. Lowest 1st class round trip was around $13k. That’s a LOT of miles to build up to get that flight for free. Why not use the extra $10k for on the ground upgrades?
I open at least one new credit card per year, for which I get 50 to 70k miles, plus 1 mile per dollar on purchases. Adds up quick...I have 350k on American
Quote: Ace2I open at least one new credit card per year, for which I get 50 to 70k miles, plus 1 mile per dollar on purchases. Adds up quick...I have 350k on American
What are the annual fees? United keeps sending me mailers to sign up for its card, but after the first year, I think it's something like $90/year.
Besides, I put everything on my two Vegas cards (Caesars Rewards (1% back) and MLife (3% back, I think)).
$90 sounds about right. Usually it’s not charged the first year and you can cancel the card before then. Either way, $90 is immaterial when 50k miles can get you a one-way first class overseas ticket worth $5,000Quote: ThatDonGuyWhat are the annual fees? United keeps sending me mailers to sign up for its card, but after the first year, I think it's something like $90/year.
Besides, I put everything on my two Vegas cards (Caesars Rewards (1% back) and MLife (3% back, I think)).
Air miles is the only kind of reward program I participate in since the value is huge ($ thousands per year)
The credit card option is great but one can also just purchase miles (preferable during a sale or bonus event) for a redemption and still save money over a paid ticket. Of course you will need to decide what carriers or group of carriers you would like to fly to begin the credit card bonus churn/earn. When thinking about this type of travel, some people also calculate the miles that would be earned on a paid ticket vs redeeming miles.
Not really a "deal", but here is one real example of a paid trip to Australia from the midwest:
Cathay Pacific: ORD-HKG-SYD-HKG-ORD ~$5,500 (Business class) (Dec 1-15 2021)
Melbourne can be had for similar price and JAL via Japan is also available in this price range.
One minor correction - there has for a long time been a Southwest kiosk at the Baltimore airport - which is the hub for any flight I take. So every time through BWI I go to the kiosk and sign up for a new card, get Southwest bonus miles, switch my credit card usage to that card to generate enough billing to qualify for the miles, and then close it. Three times I have opened a new card at BWI to get the points. So if I fly Southwest, lets say to LAS, I also fly for free.
Only once in my life have I ever flown first class. When the vendor who wanted to sell my bank some software flew me out to their home office. They got the deal, but ever since I appreciate the money or points I save by flying coach to be worth more.
Quote: fantom
Only once in my life have I ever flown first class. When the vendor who wanted to sell my bank some software flew me out to their home office. They got the deal, but ever since I appreciate the money or points I save by flying coach to be worth more.
When I was travelling a lot on business I used to get a free first class upgrade on any flight where a first class seat was still available. I would guess that 80% of the flights were first class. Now I only travel about once a month and the cheapest airlines so I don't get any major perks anymore.
[-"
Because I use to travel for a living, I was fortunate to be elgible as Marriotts Lifetime Titanium Elite member, almost 1500 nights at a Marriott during my travels. Although I really don't travel much anymore,, its nice to always be upgraded to a suite.
When I traveled, my hotel accomodations were the most important thing for me. A nice hotel in a nice location was very important. The airline or class of service not as important.
. Welllll.... Took 8 night Greek cruise.... due to some computer error (I’m convinced that’s what happened) I ended up with one of those big suites for only an extra $200 a person. We were directly under the captains quarters. Had front view. And side balcony. Two sleeping rooms and living room. Plus a concierge who knew us and helped us individually. Private room for just the ‘big suite holders’ with espresso, desserts, snacks 24/7. Private computer, etc... maybe that’s where you could get more bang for your buck if you want to spend some extra thousands?Quote: SoulChaserI should have mentioned, I'll be going there for a cruise (assuming we can even do that by then), so upgrading the ground experience wont be worth it, since it would only be for one night on either side of the cruise max. I'm thankful the visa was mentioned though...
Less than you would think.Quote: VegasriderCruise? That’s an industry that needs a lot of help.
Quote: unJonLess than you would think.
Why would you say this? I mean, some were shuttered for the better part of the entire last year?!? And now, coming back, are giving discounts to just get the ships half full? What am I missing?
Quote: SOOPOOWhy would you say this? I mean, some were shuttered for the better part of the entire last year?!? And now, coming back, are giving discounts to just get the ships half full? What am I missing?
I’m saying it from the point of view of their liquidity runway and how they all managed to successfully hit the capital markets over 2020.
Quote: VegasriderA 7 day cruise could turn out to be a 30 day cruise with mo option to get off.
That doesn't sound bad to me.
Quote: DRichThat doesn't sound bad to me.
Me either, except on a lot of those ships, people were confined to their rooms, and just got fed via trays in the hall. That would get pretty old, even if they unlocked the internet access. 30 days at sea, operating the full ship as a little world in itself, sign me up.
If the ship does not have an open and operating buffet and a casino, what's the point? I'm jumping off and taking my chances with the Coast Guard!
Quote: fantom
If the ship does not have an open and operating buffet and a casino, what's the point? I'm jumping off and taking my chances with the Coast Guard!
I would be laying by the pool drinking Pina Coloda's until they physically dragged me off the boat.
Quote: beachbumbabsMe either, except on a lot of those ships, people were confined to their rooms, and just got fed via trays in the hall. That would get pretty old, even if they unlocked the internet access. 30 days at sea, operating the full ship as a little world in itself, sign me up.
Nice to see you!
Quote: SoulChaser....but was wondering if anyone here had recommendations on which would be the best airline to fly.
Spirit is cheapest, but they charge and extra $35 if you want a co-pilot.
Seriously. United Flight Attendant, who flies a long route, told me they all enjoy flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. They arrive with little or no jet lag after a long flight.
"The 787 is different, and Boeing engineered it so passengers could fly 16 hours and still feel (relatively) refreshed. On United's Dreamliner, you'll feel like you're traveling at 6,000 feet above sea level, not much higher than Denver. Most other planes make it feel as if you're breathing at 8,000 feet, and because less oxygen reaches the bloodstream at higher altitudes, you're more susceptible to headaches and fatigue. The difference between 6,000 and 8,000 feet is not important if you're flying from, say, New York to Chicago, but over 16 hours it adds up. The 787 also has a better air filtration system and more humidity than comparable planes, so you're less likely to land with chapped lips or dried skin and nasal passages. (Don't expect the 787 to actually feel humid, though—even with the improvements, the plane is still about as dry as Phoenix in summer.) “Our passengers will arrive less fatigued, and most experience a significant reduction in jet lag," said Ron Baur, a United vice president."- Article
Hopefully, they now have plans for that contingency. I know the cruise lines have been working with the CDC regarding operating procedures.Quote: VegasriderCruise ships are nest eggs for diseases. Not just Covid but other infectious stuff. And for some reason, they are treated like 2nd class citizens once someone tests positive, you are held hostage on the ship that cant gain access to a port. Covid-19 needs to be at zero before that industry gets back on track. A 7 day cruise could turn out to be a 30 day cruise with mo option to get off.
I had a friend whose parents both got Covid on what turned out to be an 'extended' cruise. Fortunately, they both fully recovered.
I have actually been floating Carnival a loan for the past year. Had booked a cruise scheduled in August. After that was cancelled, I booked one for Feburary that was also cancelled. I've got another one scheduled for May. I'm not holdimg my breath.
The good news is that if you take your refund in future cruise credits, they give you $300 or $600 (depending on the length of the cruise) in onboard credit on your next cruise.
The bad news is that they were actually going to pay me to go on the Feb cruise. The cruise was $950, but I was going to get $1,500 in casino cash. It you count onboard credits, I will be getting paid for my May cruise. Assuming it actually sails.
There were offering crazy good deals last summer, but these have dried up now, at least for me.
Quote: beachbumbabsMe either, except on a lot of those ships, people were confined to their rooms, and just got fed via trays in the hall. That would get pretty old, even if they unlocked the internet access. 30 days at sea, operating the full ship as a little world in itself, sign me up.
Welcome bank BBB! Once you don’t have in the US responsibilities.... they have 100+ day round the world cruises!
Quote: TankoSpirit is cheapest, but they charge and extra $35 if you want a co-pilot.
Seriously. United Flight Attendant, who flies a long route, told me they all enjoy flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. They arrive with little or no jet lag after a long flight.
"The 787 is different, and Boeing engineered it so passengers could fly 16 hours and still feel (relatively) refreshed. On United's Dreamliner, you'll feel like you're traveling at 6,000 feet above sea level, not much higher than Denver. Most other planes make it feel as if you're breathing at 8,000 feet, and because less oxygen reaches the bloodstream at higher altitudes, you're more susceptible to headaches and fatigue. The difference between 6,000 and 8,000 feet is not important if you're flying from, say, New York to Chicago, but over 16 hours it adds up. The 787 also has a better air filtration system and more humidity than comparable planes, so you're less likely to land with chapped lips or dried skin and nasal passages. (Don't expect the 787 to actually feel humid, though—even with the improvements, the plane is still about as dry as Phoenix in summer.) “Our passengers will arrive less fatigued, and most experience a significant reduction in jet lag," said Ron Baur, a United vice president."- Article
Unique
Backwards facing
Seats in business class
On UAL dreamliner fleet
Try that?
Again, there are hundreds of YouTube videos on what the BC and FC experience is like for every airline and for every type of A/C. And if you fly BC, take advantage of their lounges. Again, plenty of videos out there on the private lounges too.
In general, economy on long international flights is better than domestic economy. However, to places like Australia, the cost to upgrade is not worth it.
If you really want to fly first class/business on an international flight, go to a poor country. It will be MUCH cheaper. Like Mexico, the Philippines, Argentina.
Finally, if there is an "economy plus" or whatever it's called, I have found those upgrades to be worth it.
Trivia Time! QANTAS is an acronym for what?
I have had the pleasure of flying to Sydney first class on Qantas twice (once from LA, once from Dallas) and it is a treat, but I did that on miles. Not sure I would pay for it. I think business would be fine.
Be on the look out for cheaper ways to pay for a better seat. As an example: American biz class one way from SYD to LAX or DFW can run $5000. But.. if you book Auckland to Sydney to LAX or Dallas, the cost is as low as $2500 sometimes. So I buy a coach ticket from whatever city I'm in in Australia, over to Auckland. Spend the night at the airport hotel, then catch the flight back (domestic first class) to Sydney and on to AA (biz). It's the exact same plane, half the cost plus the coach seat to Auckland and lots of extra frequent flyer miles.
ETA: You can no longer use miles to get into first class on Qantas. They offer up the open first class seats to auction for those who are members of their frequent flyer program and who bought a business class ticket. They literally sell the upgrade at the gate.
Quote: rsactuaryQueensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services
Winner winner!
I have a cutoff got First or Biz. if the flight is longer than 4 hours, I do it. I can afford it. It's like power windows. once you have it, it's hard to give up.
When I flew to Australia/NZ (did both same trip), I flew a combination of United and Air New Zealand biz/first. Was satisfied with the flights. United used to have terrible customer service. They've improved quite a bit over the years.
Flattering statement for ArgentinesQuote: Wizard
If you really want to fly first class/business on an international flight, go to a poor country. It will be MUCH cheaper. Like Mexico, the Philippines, Argentina.
Quote: SoulChaserRight now I'm leaning towards British Airways or Qantas.
Caveats: I haven’t read all of this thread and I’m drinking, but since this is a Las Vegas forum, My joking recommendation is Qantas. You know, they never had a crash.
Quote: TinManCaveats: I haven’t read all of this thread and I’m drinking, but since this is a Las Vegas forum, My joking recommendation is Qantas. You know, they never had a crash.
Well then how about a response like a typical Vegas slot ploppie...they're due then. :-)
Quote: TinManCaveats: I haven’t read all of this thread and I’m drinking, but since this is a Las Vegas forum, My joking recommendation is Qantas. You know, they never had a crash.
I believe they have had more than one but no fatalities in about 70 years.
