Being cheeky with flights.

[mev202]

We are looking at doing a Trans Atlantic cruise, which would mean we only need a one way flight.

 

As it's been over a year since we have been away, we are going to treat ourselves to, at least, a Business Class flight, booking a one way flight.. around £10000 for 2, book a return.. goes down to £4000.

 

Ok, it is still a lot of money, but it is over a year...

 

Does anyone have advice on ways around the huge one way mark up?

 

Thanks all.

 

 

[LHT28]

check with the cruise line also sometimes they will offer a better deal ..sometimes not

Depends on where the cruise starts & the airfare  you need starts

 

[ldubs]

I don't know a legal (maybe honest is a better word)  way to accomplish what you want, but I love the title of your thread!  😄

 

 

Edited March 20, 2021 by ldubs

[shipgeeks]

Definitely check out your cruise line's air.  We've done several transatlantics, with a one-way flight home.  Typically, the airline wanted well over $4,000 each.  Cruise air cost $600-700 each.  We still got to choose our airline, seats, departure time, etc.

[pris993]

We have saved and booked with miles another approach is check with a consolidator, possibly a TA can help with that.  Good luck. 

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, shipgeeks said:

Definitely check out your cruise line's air.  We've done several transatlantics, with a one-way flight home.  Typically, the airline wanted well over $4,000 each.  Cruise air cost $600-700 each.  We still got to choose our airline, seats, departure time, etc.

You got Bus for $600-700?

 what cruise line is  that with ?

[MCC retired]

Depending on what cruise line , we have found very reasonable  1 way transatlantic airfare using cruise line air add ons.

Edited March 20, 2021 by MCC retired

[neverbeenhere]

Business Class for $600-700, I'm on. Of course, it might be Monkey Business Class.

[electro]

book the return airfare and with the money saved from the one-way, do another transatlantic in the other direction.😃

example: fly to US, take TA from US to UK, take TA from UK to US, fly home to UK.

[shipgeeks]

32 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

You got Bus for $600-700?

 what cruise line is  that with ?

No, coach.

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, mev202 said:

Does anyone have advice on ways around the huge one way mark up?

 

As some other posters have said, check with your cruise line's air/sea department.  Pricing may be much better than one can find by booking directly with the airline.  And, don't give up, if the initial price that is quoted is not to your satisfaction.  For one flight, the air/sea department of HAL had nothing to offer when they were initially contacted.  A few days later, the flight I wanted was available and for considerably less than what the airline wanted me to pay.  It pays to keep checking.  

 

It helps a great deal, I think, if you have a specific itinerary in mind when you begin to search.  Dates, time of day, airline, etc.:  all of this I know as a result of my searching before I begin trying to make an air reservation.  

[FlyerTalker]

Some excellent business class pricing can often be found on TAP, routing through Lisbon.  If you are insisting on non-stops from the UK, your options are much more limited.

[FlyerTalker]

Other airlines that sometimes have excellent business class pricing include LOT and Iberia.  Much depends on if you North American spot is serviced by their own metal.

[Gardyloo]

You can usually purchase frequent flyer miles from most airlines for 2c - 3c per mile, but sometimes less.  For example, at present American Airlines is offering a 40% bonus, which can bring the cost down to under 2c per mile.  

 

It takes around 57,500 miles for a one-way transatlantic business class award, so at 2c per mile that's around $1150.  And on a couple of airlines that I just checked, there's plenty of seat availability for this summer and fall.  Of course if you already have some miles you can just add to them, or if you sign up for a mileage-earning credit card you often get bonus miles for signup, e.g. 50,000 miles for a new Alaska Airlines Signature Visa card from the B of A.  

 

Be very careful of so-called "consolidators."  Many of them are actually "mileage brokers" who purchase frequent flyer miles then use them to claim awards that are then sold to ticket buyers.  This practice is strictly forbidden by the airlines, and if discovered usually results in the ticket being canceled and the mileage seller's account being canceled and any remaining miles confiscated.  This is NOT WORTH THE RISK.  

[teacherman]

We have booked 1 way business class several times with RCCL, Celebrity, and HAL.  We were given a choice of airlines and flight times.  We always either arrive a few days early or stay a few days after the cruise so that we can enjoy the European area we are either sailing to or from.  The only difference, as I recall, is that some cruise lines require you to pay for the air as soon as you select it, and some allow you to pay for it with the final cruise payment.  Of course, this was all pre-Covid.   

[iancal]

We have done one ways a number of times. Not certain about business class however there are several airlines that had good one way fares.  TAP, Icelandair, Transat, etc.  

 

We have also had good fortune with consolidators-always seem to get BA transatlantic flights.   We make certain we are on the same carrier for both segments (if more than one) and we are typically flying in several days prior to our cruise. sometimes weeks.

 

We also use points from time to time.  Especially for one way transPacific flights to Thailand.

[scottbee]

On 3/20/2021 at 11:27 AM, mev202 said:

We are looking at doing a Trans Atlantic cruise, which would mean we only need a one way flight.

 

As it's been over a year since we have been away, we are going to treat ourselves to, at least, a Business Class flight, booking a one way flight.. around £10000 for 2, book a return.. goes down to £4000.

 

Ok, it is still a lot of money, but it is over a year...

 

Does anyone have advice on ways around the huge one way mark up?

 

 

not exactly sure what routing and when you're looking, but I would recommend using a tool like Kayak or ITAMATRIX to find your flight.  Airlines don't always advertise the 'best' pricing.  Also for economy (not your situation), often airlines don't sell the cheapest one-ways to the general public, only through cruise lines, and specialty travel bookers.  The few airlines that do are Aer Lingus (Ireland), IcelandAir (Iceland), Air Transat (Canada) and Westjet (Canada).  Changing planes once may save you a heap of money, and if you're in business class already you may get lounge access while you wait.

Also, most European (and US) airlines don't offer transatlantic flights from Fort Lauderdale (FLL), but  do from Miami (MIA). 30 miles down the road.  Is  that a possible reason you're not seeing reasonable pricing?

Can you share the routing you're looking for and approximate dates?

[wowzz]

On 3/22/2021 at 4:22 PM, Gardyloo said:

You can usually purchase frequent flyer miles from most airlines for 2c - 3c per mile, but sometimes less.  For example, at present American Airlines is offering a 40% bonus, which can bring the cost down to under 2c per mile.  

 

It takes around 57,500 miles for a one-way transatlantic business class award, so at 2c per mile that's around $1150.  And on a couple of airlines that I just checked, there's plenty of seat availability for this summer and fall.  Of course if you already have some miles you can just add to them, or if you sign up for a mileage-earning credit card you often get bonus miles for signup, e.g. 50,000 miles for a new Alaska Airlines Signature Visa card from the B of A.  

 

Be very careful of so-called "consolidators."  Many of them are actually "mileage brokers" who purchase frequent flyer miles then use them to claim awards that are then sold to ticket buyers.  This practice is strictly forbidden by the airlines, and if discovered usually results in the ticket being canceled and the mileage seller's account being canceled and any remaining miles confiscated.  This is NOT WORTH THE RISK.  

Good advice, but I'm not sure how applicable much if it is to the OP, who is based in the UK, apart of course, not to use a consolidator.

[Gardyloo]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Good advice, but I'm not sure how applicable much if it is to the OP, who is based in the UK, apart of course, not to use a consolidator.

I am not aware of any restrictions to buying miles based on residency.   I just checked and I can buy AA miles through the AA UK web portal.  The UK credit card invoice would be in USD and converted to Sterling in the billing process.

Edited March 25, 2021 by Gardyloo

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, Gardyloo said:

I am not aware of any restrictions to buying miles based on residency.   I just checked and I can buy AA miles through the AA UK web portal.  The UK credit card invoice would be in USD and converted to Sterling in the billing process.

OK, sorry, I stand corrected. Can you buy AA miles just for a one off flight ie no need to be a frequent flyer, or have any form of status ? 

I think it would be useful if the OP, as has been suggested,  gave us more details so that more precise advice could be given. 

[iancal]

We were pleasantly surprised when we saw the one way consolidator fares on our Toronto-Istantbul flight.  It was booked about 45 days out.  Exactly half of the return fare quoted on the British Airways web site.   We have used a consolidator twice for TA fares with no issue whatsoever.  

 

We were quite comfortable with it.   BA had several flights per day from Toronto to London.  Same with London-Istanbul.    We would have passed had the routing been with two carriers or if the carrier had a very infrequent flight schedule.

 

IF we had been able to book cruise air flights I have little doubt that our fares probably would have been in the same consolidator class.

Edited March 25, 2021 by iancal

[FlyerTalker]

One big warning about "consolidators":

 

Although there are reputable consolidators, there are also folks that pose as such, but are actually mileage brokers - selling tickets obtained as FF redemptions.  This is most assuredly against airline FF program rules, and if discovered, you may end up with a useless set of electrons rather than a ticket.

 

Caveat emptor.

[Ride-The-Waves]

One option we have done in the past is book two cruises, such as 2 Transatlantics, and bookend them with one R/T flight.  Works well.

[mev202]

Thank you all to those who replied, I am in the UK and going to the USA. I have looked at buying avios points, and sometimes there are offers on.

 

I only want to fly direct, as the risk of our luggage going missing, even if it is a big airport we transfer in, is not worth taking. We have met many passengers who's luggage never arrived after they had a transfer.

 

I have now spoken to a few travel agents in the uk. They have offers on where they can sell one way seats for less.

 

Trans Atlantic flights are still a huge cash cow for the airlines. 

[FlyerTalker]

Your fears of missing luggage are VASTLY overblown, IMO.

 

Missing luggage is usually due to a few easily managed conditions.

 

1) Folks check in too close to departure, and the luggage never gets put on the aircraft at initial departure.

 

2) Baggage mis-connects at the transfer point because

a)  Inbound flight is delayed, and/or

b)  It was a tight connection to start with

 

3) Baggage was incorrectly tagged at the start

 

4) Baggage tags are ripped from the luggage, so they have to be manually processed to determine correct itinerary.

 

All these can be mitigated.  Get to the airport in plenty of time to start with.  Have sufficient time for your connections (aka don't be worried about spending time in airports on a connect).  Check the tags as they are being placed on the luggage.  Be sure you have reasonably sturdy luggage so the handles with the tags will stay on the bag.  And you have placed an itinerary sheet in your bag so it can be easily processed if misplaced.

 

As for you meeting many people with "lost luggage" -- folks without their luggage tend to be loudly complaining about the airline, so they appear to be more frequent than is the case.  Also, do you know what the actual reason for the missing bag was?

 

The only times I've had delayed baggage in the last 20 years (never any that went completely missing) were when: 1) a connection was badly shortened by my incoming flight running very late and I barely made the flight running through the airport.  In fact, they re-opened the cabin door to let me on.  2) When a forced reroute due to operational cancellation had the airline mistagging one of my bags.  I was glad they could even reroute myself, so the bag was a relatively small issue.

Edited March 26, 2021 by FlyerTalker