lehcar

I'm considering joining the new BA Avios Program and purchasing a RT airfare with BA. Over the next 5 years I will have to travel to UK once a year, so I figured I might aquire enough points to put towards a 6th UK trip that will include my family. I did some researching and found that it is difficult to book Avios award seats from SFO to UK. Is it easier to do a Avios + Cash booking? How does it exactly work? I'd like it to be simple for me to redeem points (even with "cash") and book the seats I want for myself and family members. I have no flexibility in dates since it will be a trip to attend my graduation.

My other option is to stick with United Airlines. Airfares are slighlty lower, even with economy plus. Though I am disappointed that the aircraft doesn't have personal monitors (this will help my kids get through the flight) as well as tend to have the worst luck with flight delays and lost luggage with United.

rkkwan

UA is using 777s for SFO-LHR. About 60% of them already have AVOD-type personal screen, and the conversion is continuing.

lehcar

i'll be traveling a 757 this time around to UK. do you think UA will ever go down the path of US Airways, which decided to discontinue showing movies/shows on all domestic flights? i've been traveling since i was a little kid... all i remember is those movies saved me from insane boredom.

rkkwan

All of UA's 757s that cross the Atlantic have free AVOD in all seats. Good system with plenty of movies of choose from. Free, and there's no plan to start charging on these pre-merger Continental aircraft.

Gardyloo

I would <i>strongly</i> encourage anyone living on the west coast to look very closely at the BA program prior to joining. Under the Avios scheme, redemption rates are on a per-sector basis, such that flying from, say, San Francisco to Venice via London "costs" two Avios totals - one "cost" to London and another from London to Venice. The number of Avios required for such a trip is significantly higher than the miles required when using other airlines' FF programs. The US west coast is in a different distance "band" from the eastern US and Midwest, so it takes more Avios to fly to London from SF than it does from New York.

In addition, one is always charged British Airways' very high fuel surcharges in addition or ordinary taxes and booking fees (e.g. seat selection) when using BA, or any of its partners on most routes, even if the partner wouldn't charge fuel surcharges on mileage redemption trips made using their own programs/miles (e.g. American Airlines.)

When using Avios on domestic US trips, the same point-to-point counting method applies (e.g. SF to Las Vegas via LAX will require two separate calculations.) In addition, if you want to use Avios for domestic first class, it will require three times the Avios required for economy, since Avios are structured on a three-tier class system, economy, business and first class. In the US, where carriers usually have two service classes, economy and first, you need to spend the Avios for first class. By comparison, in Europe, BA doesn't offer first class on shorthaul routes, so there you could ride up front in business class at 2x the Avios of economy. One more case where US flyers using Avios get zapped.

San Francisco is a United hub, and United and its Star Alliance partners have pretty decent mileage programs of their own, and in addition many of the Star Alliance carriers are improving their cabin conditions rapidly, so if I were in your shoes I'd probably stick with United, or, if I wanted to use BA's nonstops in the future, go with American Airlines' mileage program instead. Cheaper redemption rates than BA for the most part (some exceptions) and you're free to use AA miles to ride on BA if you want. I think you'd also amass miles faster on AA than on BA, but that would depend on your flying patterns, credit card affiliations, etc.

lehcar

Thanks for the input...Gardyloo you have me sold. When I had to say goodbye to my old BA mileage program account, I was very reluctant to continue with Avios.

I will probably be able to book cheaper flights on United and its partners (compared to BA). I am hoping the extra savings should be enough towards saving up for future airfare or upgrades in addition to the better use of mileage points.

Crossing my fingers I will have lots of luck with United getting my luggage to MAN without losing it at domestic stopovers. This was one of my initial reasons for wanting to go BA...I would rather lose my luggage at my stopover in LHR than in the US.