I'm thinking of spending a month in Europe - leaving in 2-4"ish" weeks, and I can be really flexible in leaving/returning dates. Right now, I can get the following flights, first class, milesaver award (90000 miles):

depart:bdl-ord; ord-fco

return:fco-ord;ord-bdl

It means an overnight in Chicago both ways, which is fine. It is also for 6 weeks, which is a little more than I was thinking. It also means "wasting" first class miles on an economy flight to/from ord.

What I would really like to do is to fly into Naples (Or to Sicily?), and return from Rome (or Florence?) When I spoke with AA, I got a rep who seemed pretty new, and wasn't really too helpful. Can anyone here offer me any advice on routing/aa-oneworld airlines I can look into before I call back?

Cyn

Okay, some basics.

90,000 miles gets you a business class, not first class award. On domestic flights where there's no business class offered, you're seated in first class unless there's no first class either (like on regional jets between BDL and ORD.)

AA offers two kinds of foreign travel awards using partner airlines - the &quot;all partners&quot; award, and the &quot;Oneworld&quot; award. With &quot;all partners&quot; the list of eligible airlines is longer; however with the &quot;Oneworld&quot; award the mileage requirements are different, the &quot;eligible airline&quot; rules are a bit more complicated, and the route construction rules are <i>very</i> different. But...

In your case, a Oneworld business award from BDL to Italy and back would only take 80,000 miles as long as the mileage between origin, stopovers, and destination (and back) is less than 9,000 miles. You have to use 2 Oneworld member airlines in addition to AA if AA is used at all; or just 2 if AA isn't included in the itinerary. You also can't use British Airways for transatlantic travel between the US and UK (Canada-UK is okay) but you can't do that on AA partner awards either (same story re Canada.)

So in your case, for example, you could fly BDL-(Dallas)-London Gatwick on AA, Gatwick-Naples on BA, surface to Rome, then Rome-Barcelona-Madrid on Iberia, Madrid-Miami-BDL on American, all for 80K miles, provided you don't stop over in Dallas outbound or Miami inbound (which would bump you over 9,000 miles &quot;net&quot; flying, into the 90K mile award bracket.)

Phone AA and tell them you want to use a Oneworld award for a routing to/from Italy, and they'll help you construct it. Why spend an additional 10K miles if you don't need to?

(BTW going BDL-DFW outbound, and MIA-BDL inbound means you're on proper jets with first class on the domestic routes too.)

Thanks gardyloo - I'll print this out and give them a call. You are so kind!

ok, a couple more questions:

I do want to fly first class (the ord/fco flight only has 2 classes of service - hence, the 90,000) - it can still be done using a oneworld award, yes?

Can I layover in Madrid or Barcelona?

No, ORD-FCO is served by a 767 with two classes of service, economy and business. No first class on overseas AA 767s. Same goes for MAD-MIA.

A Oneworld first class award on the same route would be 100K miles; a partner award would be 125K. However you'd be &quot;downgraded&quot; to business on the foreign carriers, since Iberia doesn't have first class any more, nor does BA on European routes; business is as good as it gets. AA only offers FC to London and Frankfurt for their transatlantic flights (sometimes to Paris) as those destinations are served with 3-class 777s. Everybody else gets 767s with 2-class service.

That said, most people (myself included) regard the business class service on AA's 767s to be excellent - far superior to FC on domestic itineraries. I don't think you'd find it a hardship.

Sorry, didn't answer your second question.

My mileage calculations are that although you'd be flying BDL-DFW-LGW-NAP//FCO-BCN-MAD-MIA-BDL, you'd only be charged for BDL-LGW-NAP//FCO-BCN-MAD-BDL, with stopovers (meaning more than 24 hours) in London, Barcelona and Madrid if you want. Total for that itinerary is 8689 miles, give or take a few, comfortably below the 9000 mile break point. Note if you stay over in the UK (LGW) you'll be charged the nasty UK passenger duty fee; if you just transit you won't. By transiting you'd save around 55 miles, since the great circle route between BDL and NAP pretty much overflies London anyway.

I'm on with AA right now - she's telling me its 125000 miles?

ok, now she's back - it's 80000. you saved me SO many miles!!!!!!!!

grrrr...now it's 100000 miles. Have to go bdl/rdu/lgw. (bdl/rdu is econ; rdu/lgw is first).

lgw/nap - business class
fco/madrid - business
madrid/miami business
miami/bdl domestic first.

I tried to get rdu/lgw in business, but she says only first is available, and thats why it has to be the 100000. I put it on hold, and am having her email me the itinerary so I can try and figure it out.

Would driving to Boston open any availability up? They have 2 or 3 flights to LHR and Iberia flies to Madrid from Boston, as well.

LOL - I am on the phone with AA right now looking at that very option! So yes, it's a possibility! Thanks!

Maybe too late for this, but the first rule of dealing with FF plans is, if you don't get the answer you want, hang up and phone back.

If I were you I'd hang tough on routings through DFW rather than ORD so you can ride in domestic F instead of cr@p AEaglets.

Don't mean to be a nudge, but 6 hours in AA F (RDU-LGW) is (IMO) so not worth the extra 20K miles. That would be the ONLY segment offering FC in the whole trip. If you want to go FC over the water, then routing BOS/JFK-LHR (AA) - FCO (BA) - MAD (IB) - LHR (IB) - BOS/JFK (AA) will get you Flagship Suites on the long flights, one of the best FC products over the pond. Just get yourself to/from BOS/JFK at the start and end.

It's highly likely that any 767 you'd ride on will have AA's new business class seat, which is far superior to their old business chair. Many of the 777s are also being fitted out with the new &quot;J&quot; chair.

Oh, nudge away!

This is whereI'm at right now:

Depart: <b>AA</b> BOS 1:40-RDU 3:45/6:45-LGW 7:00am/ <b>BA</b> 9:45 Naples 1:30

Return: <b>IB</b> FCO 8:00am - MAD 10:20/1:40pm - Bos 3:35.

It's economy BOS-RDU; first RDU-LGW, everything else is business, for 100,000 miles. This time, the fellow was really helpful, and spent probably a half hour on the phone with me trying to get things to work out. There seems to be no business class on the outbound flight, and no first on the return. Do you think I should pursue it some more?

Can I get from LHR to NAP on BA?

Unfortunately, BA only flies to Naples out of Gatwick.

<i>Unfortunately, BA only flies to Naples out of Gatwick.</i>

Which is why I urged routing through DFW, as AA still flies from Dallas to Gatwick. Connecting AA &gt; BA is much easier at LGW than at LHR.

But connecting via DFW seems worse to me than connecting via RDU. You save on one end, but get bitten on the other.

My guess is that our OP is looking for a LHR flight so that they could take an ex-BOS nonstop, which would be better. Indeed, I would probably just book the ex-BOS nonstop and spend a night or two in London before catching the Gatwick flight. Then again, I really like London, but if the OP was okay with overnighting in Chicago, London might be even better.

I can't see wasting a business (domestic first) award on a crummy 2 hour RJ flight to RDU, vs. a real FC seat to DFW, but will concede that if NAP is the destination the total elapsed time might be less if flying on a Friday or Saturday, Otherwise it's quicker or at worst a wash going BDL-DFW-LGW-NAP since the connecting BA flight to NAP would be the same and the departing BDL flight (either to RDU or DFW) would be roughly the same time.

Another possible routing:

BDL-JFK/BOS AA
JFK/BOS-MAD AA or IB
MAD-NAP IB

FCO-LHR BA
LHR-BOS/JFK AA
BOS/JFK-BDL AA

Gardyloo - I SO agree about the crummy RJ flights - I HATE those planes! Also, I can't get from BDL to JFK on AA - there was a flight years ago, but they discontinued it. Delta has recently started going, but that doesn't really help.

travelgourmet - what is an &quot;ex-BOS&quot;?

AAFF - thanks for those suggestions. I'll call them back in a bit to see what we can work out. It really does bug me to have to use the extra 20000 miles when there is only one segment in first. I am ok with BC all the way.