BA Club bargains to Hawaii
Discussion
I would leave a lot longer between the two legs of the outbound. You have a terminal change at LHR (I think), plus conformance time, plus you need a margin for a delay in landing. As you are switching airlines (BA to VS) AIUI VS won't cut you any slack if you miss their flight - it won't be their problem if BA delivers you late.
Hence why I tend to book the first (short haul) flight the day before the second (long haul) flight.
Hence why I tend to book the first (short haul) flight the day before the second (long haul) flight.
Yes - if you didn't turn up in Dublin to take the first sector your entire ticket would be cancelled automatically. So don't miss that flight!
Assuming you're based in London/the SE and not Dublin: when I've done this, I've set it up so that the Dublin/Amsterdam to London leg is on day 1, and the first long haul sector is on day 2. As long as the flight are within 24 h of each other the price shouldn't be affected.
Then I take my "locator" flight to Dublin/Amsterdam on day 1, and either have a day trip there with a passport and a wallet and no luggage, or (if time is short) land, sit in the airport for an hour, and come back.
That way I get to spend the night of day 1 at home, and don't have to start lugging my hold luggage around until I set off for the airport on day 2.
Google flights is showing business class at £1184 for the following (matrix.itasoftware.com has it at £1181)
BA4469 15 Dec Dub to London City dep 19.50 arr 21.05
Your VS return LHR to MIA
BA4466 30 Dec City to Dublin dep 18.00 arr 19.15.
All to be booked through Virgin.
Any good?
For the same price you can have your first flight on 16 Dec from Dublin to Heathrow arriving at 8.25am. Quite a bit of time at LHR therefore, but an early start in Dublin. And you'd have to have your hold luggage in Dublin with you.
Assuming you're based in London/the SE and not Dublin: when I've done this, I've set it up so that the Dublin/Amsterdam to London leg is on day 1, and the first long haul sector is on day 2. As long as the flight are within 24 h of each other the price shouldn't be affected.
Then I take my "locator" flight to Dublin/Amsterdam on day 1, and either have a day trip there with a passport and a wallet and no luggage, or (if time is short) land, sit in the airport for an hour, and come back.
That way I get to spend the night of day 1 at home, and don't have to start lugging my hold luggage around until I set off for the airport on day 2.
Google flights is showing business class at £1184 for the following (matrix.itasoftware.com has it at £1181)
BA4469 15 Dec Dub to London City dep 19.50 arr 21.05
Your VS return LHR to MIA
BA4466 30 Dec City to Dublin dep 18.00 arr 19.15.
All to be booked through Virgin.
Any good?
For the same price you can have your first flight on 16 Dec from Dublin to Heathrow arriving at 8.25am. Quite a bit of time at LHR therefore, but an early start in Dublin. And you'd have to have your hold luggage in Dublin with you.
cashmax said:
Thanks, yes thats the kind of thing. However I can't seem to replicate your search on Google flights. How did you manipulate the times to get the long layover?
No magic: Select "Multicity" (not "Round trip") at the topPut in flight 1 as Dublin to LCY and select the date as 15/12
Flight 2 is LHR to MIA on 16/12
Flight 3 is MIA to LHR on 29/12
Flight 4 is LCY to Dublin on 30/12
Then select the times of the flights you want. I'm guessing you're using "round trip", which is not producing overnight stopovers.
tim0409 said:
I'm in the process of looking at flights to Dublin (from EDI) to start our trip (DUB-LCY-JFK-MIA). The Dublin flight is 4pm; Ryanair fly from EDI at 8am (£20) or Air Lingus have a flight which get it at 1pm (£47) which would suit us as we don't want to get up too early just to wait in Dublin till 4pm. The problem is (as you correctly state) that if we miss the DUB-FLY we are in a bit of bother.
Go early, bags into left luggage at Dub. head intoo the city for a nice lunch.It's the only way to be sure.
The way I would do that:
https://www.google.co.uk/flights/#search;iti=DUB_L...
£1190 in business. Note the following:
1. the LHR to MIA flights leave sufficiently early that flying in from DUB to LHR would be (IMO) too tight a connection. So I'd fly DUB to LHR the day before. There are a few options for this, which are basically price neutral, and which allow you to fly into LHR or LCY as you wish. If you don't want to spend a day, you could perhaps fly out around 5/6om and fly back on the last flight, which lands in London (forget where) at 10pm.
2. I can't get google flights or itasoftware to produce an LCY to DUB fourth sector. So I've pushed the fourth sector out a further day: you'd leave MIA on 31 Jul, land at LHR on 1 Aug, then be scheduled to fly from LHR to DUB first thing on 2 Aug. You should be able to get the check in agent at MIA to check your bags only to LHR (and not through check them to DUB) so that you can have them back at LHR on 1 Aug - because you have an overnight in LHR. It is possible though that you won't be able to, and someone from your party will have to fly the fourth sector to get the bags. Possible.
3. You can swap DUB for AMS at each end of the trip and get short haul sectors into and out of LCY, but the price moves up to closer to £1500.
https://www.google.co.uk/flights/#search;iti=DUB_L...
£1190 in business. Note the following:
1. the LHR to MIA flights leave sufficiently early that flying in from DUB to LHR would be (IMO) too tight a connection. So I'd fly DUB to LHR the day before. There are a few options for this, which are basically price neutral, and which allow you to fly into LHR or LCY as you wish. If you don't want to spend a day, you could perhaps fly out around 5/6om and fly back on the last flight, which lands in London (forget where) at 10pm.
2. I can't get google flights or itasoftware to produce an LCY to DUB fourth sector. So I've pushed the fourth sector out a further day: you'd leave MIA on 31 Jul, land at LHR on 1 Aug, then be scheduled to fly from LHR to DUB first thing on 2 Aug. You should be able to get the check in agent at MIA to check your bags only to LHR (and not through check them to DUB) so that you can have them back at LHR on 1 Aug - because you have an overnight in LHR. It is possible though that you won't be able to, and someone from your party will have to fly the fourth sector to get the bags. Possible.
3. You can swap DUB for AMS at each end of the trip and get short haul sectors into and out of LCY, but the price moves up to closer to £1500.
If it fits your plans I would do the latter. The former gives you 3.5 hours at LHR between sectors 1 and 2. Into that you have to fit delays on the incoming flight, collecting hold luggage, switching terminals and checking in in time for sector 2. There are lots of ways for that to go wrong.
Geoff Stilwell said:
Hi guys just thought I would put my 2cents worth in on this. I fly london to hawaii at least 10 times a year. Some points to think about. Basically now there really are only 3 carriers to the west coast of the USA . BA/AA plus others in One World Alliance, United and the Star Alliance, Virgin and whoever there partners are. All planes are full from London to LAX or SFO.
If you fly BA from London to LAX when u get to LAX it's a change terminals job. So its immigration, pickup your bags then walk down the street to the AA terminal for your connecting flight. I was in LA last week..the new immigratation system works well and I got through within 10 mins. AA planes to HNL are usually 757's. The seats are crap in first class. Do not fly economy..it's horrendous. AA sometimes run 767's but only during the summer months.
United is another deal altogether. Most of the airlines have given up some route or another. United don't fly to HNL certain days from LAX or SFO. With Virgin, they merge with United at SFO and LAX. Now United use 767's with flat beds on the route to SFO only. 757's into and out of LAX.
As an alternative you could fly to JFK and then catch Hawaiian Air which is direct to HNL a from JFK. You can book direct with Hawaiian via their website. I have flown them and they are really good. Also you could try flying via Seattle and then changing to Alaska Air which also has direct flights to HNL
You can also fly direct from YVR to Maui, and possible some of the other islands, with Hawaiian, and YVR is served by AC and BA. If you fly BA from London to LAX when u get to LAX it's a change terminals job. So its immigration, pickup your bags then walk down the street to the AA terminal for your connecting flight. I was in LA last week..the new immigratation system works well and I got through within 10 mins. AA planes to HNL are usually 757's. The seats are crap in first class. Do not fly economy..it's horrendous. AA sometimes run 767's but only during the summer months.
United is another deal altogether. Most of the airlines have given up some route or another. United don't fly to HNL certain days from LAX or SFO. With Virgin, they merge with United at SFO and LAX. Now United use 767's with flat beds on the route to SFO only. 757's into and out of LAX.
As an alternative you could fly to JFK and then catch Hawaiian Air which is direct to HNL a from JFK. You can book direct with Hawaiian via their website. I have flown them and they are really good. Also you could try flying via Seattle and then changing to Alaska Air which also has direct flights to HNL
Geoff Stilwell said:
For me all the frigging about via Dublin is really not worth it. You only have to have a short delay somewhere and your in trouble. For me I catch the 10.25 out of Heathrow to SFO..3 hour lay over and then on to HNL? I am home indoors by 7pm local time the same day.
To me getting home the same day is worth the extra than travelling for 30+ hours.
I think you're comparing chalk and cheese though. You're looking it as a commute, where I agree the object is to get from A to B as easily as possible. But if you're on a holiday and want to see things, different considerations apply. As for the cash side, as others have explained this is about sitting in a big seat/bed at the front of the plane for X hours fora few hundred pounds more than sitting/standing in economy for the same period of time. Or, if you would rather, spending longer in business class than in economy due to a longer routing (which I would rather do, personally).To me getting home the same day is worth the extra than travelling for 30+ hours.
psychoR1]urveyor said:
Very important information
If you do not check your bags through to your final destination you may incure additional charges
quote]
Anyone able to comment on this? We are flying back from US into Gatwick and then missing the Gatwick Dublin leg this summer so a little concerned.
It was discussed at length on the BA board on flyertalk I can't recall the intricacies, but I think the consensus view was that it was about bag charges and nothing else - ie if you through check your bags in the US you get your long haul luggage allowance for the short haul leg. If you retrieve your bags at LGW and then recheck them at LGW to go to Dublin you'd get the short haul baggage allowance and could be over it if you have maxed out under the long haul allowance. If you do not check your bags through to your final destination you may incure additional charges
quote]
Anyone able to comment on this? We are flying back from US into Gatwick and then missing the Gatwick Dublin leg this summer so a little concerned.
I think.
Yes, you should be. The key point in you journey will be at check in the US. The check in agent may say you have to through check you bags. Be proactive, so as soon as you hand over your passports get in first and say politely but firmly that you require you bags to be checked only to LGW and not through checked to DUB.
You may then need to come up with a reason why you need them back at LGW (eg you're handing them off to a relative and travelling to Dublin with hand luggage only, something like that). If in doubt, just stand your ground at check in until you get what you want. It's not a term of the ticket that you have to through check your bags - it's a service offered for your convenience (at least in principle - the airlines probably also see it as a way to prevent passengers doing what you're doing: saving money on their ticket pricing rackets).
Worst case is your luggage gets through checked and one of you has to go on to Dublin to get it. It's not the end of the world!
Btw, is everyone on your booking ticketed to travel to Dublin? If there's anyone who is ticketed only as far as LGW, then have them check all the bags in in their name. That will ensure they turn up at LGW for collection.
ETA: the above is really just contingency planning. I've never had a problem with this, and done it quite a few times. Chances are you will be fine.
You may then need to come up with a reason why you need them back at LGW (eg you're handing them off to a relative and travelling to Dublin with hand luggage only, something like that). If in doubt, just stand your ground at check in until you get what you want. It's not a term of the ticket that you have to through check your bags - it's a service offered for your convenience (at least in principle - the airlines probably also see it as a way to prevent passengers doing what you're doing: saving money on their ticket pricing rackets).
Worst case is your luggage gets through checked and one of you has to go on to Dublin to get it. It's not the end of the world!
Btw, is everyone on your booking ticketed to travel to Dublin? If there's anyone who is ticketed only as far as LGW, then have them check all the bags in in their name. That will ensure they turn up at LGW for collection.
ETA: the above is really just contingency planning. I've never had a problem with this, and done it quite a few times. Chances are you will be fine.
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 30th May 14:16
jimmyVX said:
Slightly off topic but related:
I have come across the following deal on an upcoming trip to LA
My question is, would it be possible to miss out the Dublin to LHR legs? I assume missing the final section is straight forward but if I am not present at the start of the fare would that cancel the remaining flights?
Short answer: no to your first question, and yes to your second. I have come across the following deal on an upcoming trip to LA
My question is, would it be possible to miss out the Dublin to LHR legs? I assume missing the final section is straight forward but if I am not present at the start of the fare would that cancel the remaining flights?
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