Continental or Air France to Europe?
I have 40K points with Amex. I want to fly from Tampa to Paris next May on either Continental or Air France and upgrade to Business Class. Which carrier is my best option?Philippe Verheyen, Palm Harbor, FL
I’d first look to upgrade with Continental’s lowest economy fare for around $600 (plus taxes) with 40,000 miles and a co-pay of about $1,000, rather than Air France at $2,550 (37% more).Alternatively, your best option might be to transfer your points to lower award costs with airlines such as Alitalia, which requires only 80,000 miles for a Business Class ticket. Buying the miles you need would cost about $1,000 (40,000 miles at 2.5¢). Alitalia flies from Miami to Paris (via Rome). Connecting from Tampa would require a separate purchased ticket to Miami. — mb
What About Deals from Smaller Cities?
Your newsletter seems to help only big city people. We’re from Birmingham, Alabama, and fly out of Atlanta. We could really use more fares from more cities.Jan Shevin, Birmingham, AL
We try to highlight the best strategies from as many different locations as we can. But here’s the key thing to know: If you see a deal or strategy from another city to your destination, just call up the airline or check its website for a fare from Atlanta or another of your favorite hubs, if not from Birmingham as well. Even if the airline does not fly from there, it could offer a good fare via a code-share agreement. If not, you can still take advantage of a promotional fare by buying a separate ticket to the departure city we list. — mbGet Me to My Cruise!
My wife and I are considering taking a Greek-island cruise this June that departs from Istanbul (Jun. 26) and disembarks in Piraeus (Athens) on July 3. We plan on spending a week in Turkey prior to the cruise. I have concluded that buying the air travel as part of the cruise package makes little sense for price or convenience. We have some 400,000 Amex points and some Starpoints, along with a Platinum Amex card. What should we do?Larry Smith, Scottsdale, AZ
I would look at Mexicana, which partners with the oneworld alliance, giving you access to airlines such as British Airways, which flies from Phoenix to London and has a huge route network. If all else fails, look at BA’s daily flights to London from JFK, which ups your chances of getting an award. Otherwise, seek two award tickets from a major airport such as LAX. Lufthansa flies from there to Istanbul via Frankfurt, and also to Athens via Munich. Transfer to Continental, and then request an award on Lufthansa (or SWISS, or any Star Alliance airline). Or try transferring to Delta, which flies to Istanbul from New York, as it also gives you access to SkyTeam partners KLM and Air France. Good luck! — mbNo items found.