What has become of AA flights to Europe? All BA now.
 

We're working on flights from the East Coast to Paris/Nice, and everything seems now to be on British Airways. Is AA no longer flying those routes?

Our plan is to use miles from California to the East Coast and then pay for the onward tickets. But reviews of the BA Club World business class seats aren't stellar; seats appear to be narrow, but the beds are lie-flat. AA seats are broader, but nary a flight can I find.

AA has multiple daily flights from JFK and CLT to CDG.

Don't know why you are having trouble finding flights. AA flies (AA metal) to CDG from SFO, Boston, Miami, O'hare, JFK, CLT, DFW, and Philly.

<i>We're working on flights from the East Coast to Paris/Nice, and everything seems now to be on British Airways. Is AA no longer flying those routes?</i>

AA doesn't fly to Nice, and has no partners flying Paris-Nice, so AA will route you through London, since BA <i>does</i> fly to Nice. If you just want to get to Paris and then take the train or fly on some other airline on your own nickel, then AA can help you. Adding Nice plops you onto BA's lap.

What's your thinking on the east coast stop? Are you staying over there for some time before flying on to Europe? If not, then the price of tickets from the west coast to Europe will probably be less than the east coast + miles total if you assign even a low cash value to your miles (e.g. under 1.5c per mile.)

East coast to Europe redeye flights are too short and too badly timed to be worthwhile in business. Take one of the daytime flights in coach (I like AA90 from Chicago), overnight in London (learn about the free bus routes around Heathrow), and continue at leisure the next day.

Just about all of the flights I've researched go on BA, not AA. Will keep looking.

I need to fly business in order to have a flat bed. My severe cervical spine arthritis makes sitting up for prolonged periods very painful.

The flights I mentioned are all on AA. I fly AA to the UK and continental Europe a few times every year and haven't been on BA metal in years.

When do you plan to fly? Two of you? You fly out of SMF if memory serves, right?

Not knowing dates, I just looked at some sample fares between SFO or LAX and Nice. Itineraries on Iberia to Nice via Madrid (better seats than BA's Club or on American metal to London (<i>way</i> better seats than BA) then BA to Nice, are around $600 more for a round trip than Iberia from the east coast (Boston or JFK.) It would take 50,000 AA miles per person (round trip) to position to the east coast to catch the Iberia flight, so the $600 difference represents 1.2c per FF mile redeemed. (Actually it's a bit less, since you'd earn more miles flying from California v. from the east coast.)

But timing is important, and if you need to break the trip on the east coast, so be it.

April. Two of us. SMF. I'm looking at a possibility, SMF to O'Hare, then CDG. We're hoping to score free tickets or upgrades, but it's certainly become difficult since the merger with USAirways. I'll check out Iberia; thanks.

<<Don't know why you are having trouble finding flights. AA flies (AA metal) to CDG from SFO, Boston, Miami, O'hare, JFK, CLT, DFW, and Philly.>>

Because they're looking for award flights. AA may be pushing award travelers toward its partners, or just offering code shares.

If you are going to Europe on a oneworld alliance mileage award, DO NOT FLY BA TO HEATHROW. There is no worse deal possible. BA separates the "seat license" from the "fuel fee" and that means it makes you pay for the "fuel fee" as part of the fees and taxes not covered by the mileage award. This runs $400+. It's why an award trip to Oz through Qantas can cost less than $150 per but an award trip to (or thru) LHR on BA will cost over $700.

<i>We're hoping to score free tickets or upgrades, but it's certainly become difficult since the merger with USAirways.</i>

That's not what you said before:

<i>Our plan is to use miles from California to the East Coast <b>and then pay for the onward tickets.</b></i>

So which is it? Getting two business class mileage seats on AA metal to Paris in the spring is something of a rifle shot. Remember CDG is something of a fortress hub for Air France and Skyteam (Delta, KLM) so I'd be looking at flights from US gateways to London, then connect either to BA or buy a separate ticket for the final legs.

Coming back, try to avoid any layovers in the UK of greater than 24 hours as those will add UK departure taxes (air passenger duty) to any award or purchased tickets, which for business class can be quite expensive.

If you buy tickets this is moot as the taxes and fees are built into the price.

BigRuss: >><<Don't know why you are having trouble finding flights. AA flies (AA metal) to CDG from SFO, Boston, Miami, O'hare, JFK, CLT, DFW, and Philly.>>

Because they're looking for award flights. AA may be pushing award travelers toward its partners, or just offering code shares. <<


To clarify -- I posted that because the OP was talking about <u>revenue</u> tix transatlantic and FF tix domestic only. She was asking about transatlantic routes avoiding BA. Therefore she would have LOTS of options. If the plot has changed - so would the responses.

Thanks for the advice. We found a good flight from SMF to CDG via Chicago, leaving at the civilized hour of 11:15 a.m. Can't believe it.

<i>Thanks for the advice. We found a good flight from SMF to CDG via Chicago, leaving at the civilized hour of 11:15 a.m. Can't believe it.</i>

Good on ya. Bon Voyage!

Glad that you found what you wanted. I assume you already know that domestic business class in Europe is nothing more than (barely) glorified economy seats? We just flew BA from Heathrow to Athens and the seating was very narrow. I'm only pointing this out because you posted that you have back issues.

Not back issues: cervical spine (neck mostly) arthritis. We'll be flying business class for our last trip to Europe on AA, then economy down to Nice on Air France. Interestingly, Air France actually has good deals for seniors with regard to changing flights or cancelling, unlike their U. S. counterparts (other than Southwest, that is).

However...I remember flying business class from Heathrow to Nice on BA, and it was quite good. That was part of an AA upgraded fare.

I remember now that the BA flight was actually first class, with the connecting business-class flight.