Keep Skymiles tix for Euro segments or buy cheap alternative?
May 22nd, 2015, 06:57 AM
#1
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Keep Skymiles tix for Euro segments or buy cheap alternative?
Going to Venice/Verona in September--got biz class (United miles) flying SFO tp LHR on Virgin Atlantic (upper class); scheduled to connect at LHR with Alitalia flights to Rome and then from there to Verona.
It makes for quite a long travel day, getting in at 10 p.m. (I'd stay at Verona airport hotel). Most economical alternative I've seen is Germanwings from LHR -Cologne-VCE. Only about $110. A stop in Cologne but I think same plane.
I would give up the (FC) tix LHR-FCO-Verona tix-- and I'd actually rather fly into VCE since I can stay there for two nights before heading to Verona for language school for a week.
Any problems ditching the European segments? (I am returning on Turkish Airlines). Other suggestions?
It makes for quite a long travel day, getting in at 10 p.m. (I'd stay at Verona airport hotel). Most economical alternative I've seen is Germanwings from LHR -Cologne-VCE. Only about $110. A stop in Cologne but I think same plane.
I would give up the (FC) tix LHR-FCO-Verona tix-- and I'd actually rather fly into VCE since I can stay there for two nights before heading to Verona for language school for a week.
Any problems ditching the European segments? (I am returning on Turkish Airlines). Other suggestions?
May 23rd, 2015, 03:01 AM
#2
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How many separate tickets are involved? If you have 3 separate tickets -- 1 from SFO-LHR, a different ticket from LHR-Verona(VRN), and a third ticket back to the States on Turkish, then you can certainly dump the LHR-VRN portion. (And you probably should change your plans -- that is a tortuous itinerary, with a decent chance of falling apart with a missed connection in Rome.)
The Germanwings flight departs about 2h 40min after the scheduled arrival of the Virgin flight. Virgin arrives at Terminal 3, Germanwings departs from T2. It's a decent plan <b><u>IF</b></u> you will only have carry-on bags or if Virgin Atlantic has has an interline baggage agreement with Germanwings. In either of those circumstances, you can connect to the Germanwings flight without having to go through immigration or re-check baggage. However, if you have bags and they can't be checked through, then you will have to go through UK immigration, pick up your bags, go from T3 to T2, then re-check your bags before the Germanwings counter closes 45 mins before the flight. Heathrow is one of the most dysfunctional major airports in the world -- last week it took me 1h 15min to get through immigration using Fast Track -- so there will be some days when you'd miss the flight.
The Germanwings flight departs about 2h 40min after the scheduled arrival of the Virgin flight. Virgin arrives at Terminal 3, Germanwings departs from T2. It's a decent plan <b><u>IF</b></u> you will only have carry-on bags or if Virgin Atlantic has has an interline baggage agreement with Germanwings. In either of those circumstances, you can connect to the Germanwings flight without having to go through immigration or re-check baggage. However, if you have bags and they can't be checked through, then you will have to go through UK immigration, pick up your bags, go from T3 to T2, then re-check your bags before the Germanwings counter closes 45 mins before the flight. Heathrow is one of the most dysfunctional major airports in the world -- last week it took me 1h 15min to get through immigration using Fast Track -- so there will be some days when you'd miss the flight.
May 23rd, 2015, 08:13 AM
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I assume the VS and AZ flights are on the same Skymiles award tix (and the OP mistyped UA in the post, but had it correct in the title). Definitely won't work with checked bags as I cannot see why VS would short-checked the bags to LHR only.
May 23rd, 2015, 12:17 PM
#4
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Thanks Don and rkk - Yes SFO-LHR-FCO-Verona are all on an award ticket, getting me into Verona at 10:15 p.m.
Germanwings would also get me into VCE 2 hours earlier.
TA return is a separate purchased ticket.
Germanwings would also get me into VCE 2 hours earlier.
TA return is a separate purchased ticket.
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