as posted by <b>Wally</b>,

<i>The only way you can get AA miles with BA is if you fly AA to Europe and transfer to BA once in Europe.</i>

not true.......

You earn some bonus miles for booking through the &quot;vacations&quot;, but the flight themselves usually just earn the same.

Explain AA. Did AA start giving miles when you cross the pond on BA, I don't think so.

Thanks about the bonus miles. I realize that the hotel bookings may or may not earn miles. I know that some of them may get bonus miles.

You can fly BA from Canada or the Caribbean to the UK and earn AA miles. Just not from the US.

1. 1 exception - JFK-MAN, BA metal, but ust be booked as AA flight. Yu get AA miles per AA rules.

2. As <b>rkkwa</b> already posted, any fligths from Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, Barbados will also earn AA miles but a 25% for most cheaper fars I don't think it's worth the trouble of extra connection.

Also, with the new Open Sky agreement, this may all change come April 08. The 2 airlines may actually be allowed to have a full alliance agreements like all the other alliances had for years. We will have to wait and see.

Here's another question I didn't think to ask.

Right now I'm leaning toward DL. But, is there any major difference between connecting with DL in ATL or JFK? I have a feeling ATL would be preferred, but is it easier/more reliable to connect with DL in JFK or CO in EWR?

I have never connected internationally at JFK.

The connection itself will be easier at EWR or JFK because the terminals are smaller and gates closer together. ATL is just huge.

The issue is with delays. ATL, while busy, is less prone to delays than EWR or JFK. And a delayed inbound can easily mean missing your connection and being stuck at the NYC area for a day.

Are you certain that you are getting a better overall cost with a vacation package? If so, have you really checked out the hotel?

I've looked at the different hotels offered by both CO and DL, and then what it would cost with airfare and hotel separate (at some different hotels).

The savings are usually in the range of $200-300 in favor of the package deal.

I know that with some other European cities, you can actually save money the other way.

However, if anyone knows a good 3 star in London--preferably in the Kensington area--that is reasonably priced, I'm open to hearing.

We can earn AA miles flying on BA Bermuda-London.

Why don't you go on AA via Miami if you want to earn AA miles. Have you flown across the pond on AA? We have - plenty of times and we prefer AA to BA. More leg and FACE room on AA.

I don't know when you are travelling but I found a fare $718 (all incl.) between MCO and LHR flight dates 22 Sept - 16 Oct .... via Iceland on Icelandair.

6 hours to Iceland and 2 1/2 hours to London and the transfers at Keflavik are simple and a breeze and the airline is lovely - it serves excellent coffee!!

Do you find AA via MIA easier to do than DL via ATL?

I suppose MIA vs ATL is not really the issue for my tour group...it is LHR vs LGW. All of the people we know going to the UK say to fly into LGW. Much easier, not a disorganized mess, and not as many threats.

I actually have AA, CO, and DL miles. As long as one of them gets credited, I&quot;m happy.

I did go to the AA Vacations website and find a package for $1245 per person for 11 nights of hotel. It connects from MCO to ORD to LHR.

What would be the advantage of this, given that it is LHR?

How does AA's trans-Atlantic service fair when compared to CO or DL?

I have not flown transatlantic on CO or DL so I don't know.

Another thing to consider - immigration and customs at the point of entry back in USA from UK. I hear MIA is pretty bad and lengthy. We have been to JFK (AA International Arrivals from LHR - several times)and BOS (Terminal E from KEF on Icelandair) and they were good. I don't know about ATL or ORD. What is MCO's international arrivals like?

As for LHR vs LGW ... LGW's North Terminal (BA) is okay - never been to LGW's South Terminal but I hear it's busy. BA go to LHR's T4 but I don't know about it as we haven't been there in a decade. AA uses LHR's T3 - it's good but the departure is very very busy: expect long queues for AA morning checkins (there are about 6-8 AA morning flights out of LHR to various points in USA!) and security. Also T3 has large planes, hence more people. Icelandair uses LHR's T1 and it's good too - T1 uses smaller planes, less people.

Mind you, we travel a lot and are used to lengthier waits - check-ins and security - and we do not get frazzled out. We get to either LGW or LHR more than 3 hours before departure. What we really like about LHR T3 arrivals is that after a lengthy walk from AA gates (10-15 mins), through passport controls (we hold UK passports), the bags are already out on carousal, and we are out within 30 mins of landing!

The $1245 package deal sounds very good for 11 nights (are they all in London?) - hotels in UK cost a bomb now because of the exchange rates. Now you can decide whether to use LHR. I must add that we find AA transatlantic (on 777) comfortable - better than BA. Icelandair uses 757 but they are good. Your group might get the kick out of landing in Iceland twice! Layover is 1:15 outbound and about 2:00 inbound but all you do is to walk to the other gate.

rkkwan: your turn! Have you been on CO transatlantic and which UK airport/terminal?

I've just been talking to my friends, and we found out that we'll have to postpone our trip until this coming July. Too many schedule conflicts.

I guess this means the price is going up and that we should put away another $500 or so?

I suppose when it comes to connecting airports, ATL, EWR, and then ORD are the choices that we are looking at. Likewise, it seems that LGW is preferred over LHR, but if LHR is cheaper...well...

We are all US passport holders, but I like the part about our bags waiting at the carosel should we choose LHR. I also saw that on the AA schedule there is a 2:00 PM flight to ORD, which means we wouldn't have to wake up super early on the return voyage.

What would really be nice is if AA opened a new flight between MCO and RDU. I would connect there in a heartbeat.

What about Icelandair?

I have flown CO in and out of LGW, but that was when they used the South Terminal. They've recently moved to North, so I can't comment. [For those who fly business class, they can now use the super-lush Emirates Lounge for departure.]

I've also flown their EWR-BRS route. Nice little airport in Bristol. Other trans-Atlantic routes I've used CO for are IAH-CDG, IAH-AMS, EWR-MXP.

Icelandair is off the radar, as no FF miles can be earned. Plus, none of us like the idea of taking a narrowbody across the Atlantic.

I didn't see the flexibility with Icelandair that we saw with AA, DL, or CO.

My wife and I feel differently about waiting for luggage. Years ago, there was security in the area, and I can remember having to prove that the bag I was carrying away was mine. But today, I can't think of a single airport that has good security, and most of them have none, so we worry that someone will walk off with our bag of trophies, or our bag of dirty laundry. So we prefer to be there before our bags arrive, so all we have to worry about is some ramp thief.