Betsy

I'm thinking about buying a ticket on British Air from San Francisco to Paris in May for a total of $476 RT (including taxes and fees) through Orbitz. There's a connection through Heathrow to a British Midlands flight operated by Lufthansa to Charles de Gaulle. Based on recommendations on this board, I'm choosing a flight that has three hours to lay over at Heathrow. Other than that, is there anything else I need to know about this itinerary?

I'm not especially excited about flying with BA due to comments here, but other airlines and routes are $900 and up for this time period. Should I grab this or wait for the next round of sales?

Flyboy

I think I would take it; particularly if the mileage credit is worth anything in an affiliated program for you (something that I don't know because I don't fly BA.) It's an outstanding price for May, which is a wonderful time to be in Paris. There really is no guarantee you will be able to come close to matching this fare at some later date. With lots of room for the cost to go up and little or no room for it to go lower, it would seem like a good move to lock in now.

Marilyn

Hiya Betsy! I think it sounds like a good fare, although I noticed in today's paper some Lufthansa/United sales to Europe that were ultra-cheap. $204 one-way SF-Paris based on round trip, but that doesn't include taxes and fees, so maybe it's about the same. You must depart by April 4.

The biggest drawback to me on BA is their strict carry-on bag weight limit, which I have seen enforced in the lounge area at Heathrow. If you can live with that, no problem.

Betsy

Hi there, Marilyn. How was your trip to NY?

I think you must have seen the same fare because add-on fees are about $100, bringing your Lufthansa fare to just over $500. Having to check the bag doesn't bother me. But taking an airline that treats its customers like dirt definitely does bother me! Heathrow isn't my cup of tea either, so stay tuned for later developments.

Marilyn

We had a great time in NY! I suppose I should do a little report, although most of our time was spent seeing friends and family.

If you are only willing to fly on airlines that treat their passengers well, you will find your travel terribly restricted, I'm afraid!

Huitres

I would refer directly to the British Airways website or where I saw the ad, http://www.smarterliving.com before securing your $476 ticket. BA is offering an incredible new deal of only $200 RT from ANY city in the U.S. to London thru April 4, with only a slight increase for spring and summer travel. I think you would be able to beat that $476 RT ticket - even with a connector flight to Paris. It is certainly worth checking!

mclaurie

I agree with Huitres, Betsy. Go to the BA website. At minimum you will avoid paying the Orbitz processing fee. BA does fly from London to Paris but I don't think they have flights from Heathrow-just Gatwick. You should avoid changing airports if possible. So buy the BA ticket from BA (SFO/LHR) & then buy BMI portion on their website. You might also check whether BA flies SFO/LGW (Gatwick) in which case you could go BA all the way.

You might also check American as I think they matched the BA sale.

ira

Hi Betsy,

Go to www.ba.com. They are offering SF to Heathrow for as little as $240 total, and Heathrow to CDG for $95 total, in May.

Betsy

Thanks so much for your replies. Here's the result of following up your suggestions.

American seems to have matched the BA offer, but doesn't include taxes and fees. So the fare from SFO to Paris on either AA or BA is $300 RT ($150 each way for the dates I need to travel--their "shoulder season&quot, plus about $108 taxes and fees, so the total would be about $458, then I'd still have to get to Paris.

I haven't checked the Orbitz site yet this morning to see if their $476 inclusive fare is still out there. If it's not, either the AA or BA offer will be a good alternative and, in that case, my next question on the board will be asking how to get from Heathrow to Paris!

Betsy

Update: On the Orbitz site, the date I need comes up at $479, but when I click on the next step to start the purchase process, a screen says it's no longer available and the flight is now in the $560 range. Will revert to "Plan B," whatever that is!

mclaurie

Betsy, the answer to LHR to CDG is still just BMI I think. Have you checked United? They fly <b>non-stop</b> SFO/CDG &amp; I came up with a fare of $475 including tax for late March early April. Try your search on travelocity.

mclaurie

Betsy, I was wrong, BA <b>does</b> fly Heathrow to CDG.

Betsy

Thanks for the additional info. To provide a few more details, I can't leave until May 11, but the current round of sale fares only extends until around April 4. I just checked the United site, and their fare for May 11 from SFO to CDG (nonstop) is $901 inclusive. I also checked Bidding for Travel for Priceline successful bids and found some favorable fares and itineraries. At this point, I've decided to hang in there a bit to see what the next round of sales looks like and if that doesn't work, I'll use PL as a back up.

mclaurie

I would suggest you register for a fare watcher alert on travelocity. You put in the route &amp; they will email you with changes in price up or down.

Betsy

Funny you should mention that mclaurie! I registered with Orbitz' Deal Detector, but they never notified me about the $476 fare. I'll register with Travelocity and Expedia. Thanks for the reminder!