Best flights between San Francisco Bay Area and Florida?

[gillianrose]

Hi. I hope one of our best cruise air experts can help with this one.

 

We are flexible about which airports to use on either end:

 

From there: any Florida airport (late October, dates flexible)

 

To here: SFO—San Francisco, OAK—Oakland, and SJC—San Jose

 

 

We want to fly ONE WAY nonstop and economy-plus, first or business class,

 

Second choice would be 1-stop but still economy-plus, first or business class.

 

We will pay for the ticket, no FF miles.

 

What are our best options? If you can post prices and details, I would greatly appreciate it.

[thinfool]

I hope this doesn't get pulled, but I would suggest that you use something like http://www.kayak.com to input your flight dates, times and preferences as a beginning step to locating your best flights. :D

[FlyerTalker]

If you are looking for economy plus, that is a United product, so you'd need one of their flights. Be careful that you don't get a US Airways flight that is a UA codeshare.

 

There is no "business" class on domestic runs in the US, except for some transcon service between NY and Los Angeles. For first, you would be paying a hefty price, significantly higher than economy plus.

 

At times, there is discounted first available on airlines, including DL's "A" class fares. Only trial and error can see if those are available.

 

As for your routing.....saying any Florida airport really can't be true....it's a 675 mile drive between MIA and PNS; both in FL. Even MIA to MCO is 235 miles. So more specific info is appreciated.

 

Finally, what are your priorities? Cost, comfort, airline, time of day??? What would be the first choice for one may be at the bottom of the heap for others.

 

For non-stops, you are pretty much limited to MIA-SFO on AA

[nho9504]

Any such sites would work, Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Kayak - just plug in your airports and dates and choose First or Economy.

 

First of all, your FL airports are too undefined - out from MIA, FLL & PBI would be very very different than from TPA or MCO, for example. Then you also have JAX and other much smaller airports in the mix...

 

Second, only United has E+ and only way to fly that would be from MIA to SFO or LAX.

 

Third, as Flyertalker points out, there is no business class in domestic flights except certain flights that are really an extension of an international flights - yes, there is a couple flights like that out from MIA on AA, a 3-class plane instead of a 2-class. Most domestic flights are 2-class plane that means either F or Coach. F can be many times more than even United's E+.

 

Forth, non-stop flights to bay area, pretty much limit you to MIA as your departure point - that would greatly narrow down the field to search.

 

At any given time of the date, there are literally doz and doz different fares and combinations. Go to the above-mentioned sites and plug away.

[nho9504]

Contact NetJet, they would definitely meet your criteria, and you will fly very comfortably.

[cruisin03040506]

We usually fly every year to Florida out of SFO and have found the best deal to be American Airlines, this year we have a non-stop to Miami but when flying to Orlando normally we have one stop. Hope this helps.

[gillianrose]

If you are looking for economy plus, that is a United product, so you'd need one of their flights. Be careful that you don't get a US Airways flight that is a UA codeshare.

 

Thank you. We nearly cruised AKL-SYD last year and Air New Zealand has economy plus, so I thought there must be someone else besides UAL offering that. Pity there isn't. About the codeshare comment, do you mean that it must be UAL aircraft to have the economy plus section?

 

 

There is no "business" class on domestic runs in the US, except for some transcon service between NY and Los Angeles.

 

Thank you, I did not know that. Just NYC=LAX? Bummer.

 

So it's either a one-class plane or two-class, with the two classes being economy and first?

 

For the future, which airline has business class to LAX from NYC?

 

And which economy classes are most comfortable on the airlines that fly between Florida and the SF Bay area?

[gillianrose]

for your routing.....saying any Florida airport really can't be true....it's a 675 mile drive between MIA and PNS; both in FL. Even MIA to MCO is 235 miles. So more specific info is appreciated.

 

Since we have a full week (between October 19 and October 26) to return to the Bay Area, we could probably drive to any Florida airport as we wouldn't mind seeing more of Florida, especially if it gets us a better transcontinental flight. However, our preference in airports would be 1. something close to FLL, MIA and nearby or 2. Orlando or 3. Tampa. But we could drive further.

 

Finally, what are your priorities? Cost, comfort, airline, time of day??? What would be the first choice for one may be at the bottom of the heap for others.

 

Top priority is SEAT COMFORT, then SERVICE and AMENITIEs (and safety, of course), but price factors into it, too.

 

Aren't there still bucket shops/consolidators that offer discounted seats?

[Karynanne]

Try Jet Blue. They fly from SFO to FLL. We have that booked for Dec.

[gillianrose]

Try Jet Blue. They fly from SFO to FLL. We have that booked for Dec.

 

Aren't they a one-class airline like Southwest? I haven't flown Jet Blue, so don't know about comfort, but I want to enjoy the transcontinental flight, not feel like I am being tortured. As an example, we (including my not-too-tall and SLENDER husband) felt very uncomfortable (as in tortured) in economy class on Alaska Airlines (B737-400) for the shorter flight between SFO-SEA last summer.

 

Flying home on Alaska in first class was comfortable.

 

Is your Jet Blue flight still a nonstop?

[gillianrose]

We usually fly every year to Florida out of SFO and have found the best deal to be American Airlines, this year we have a non-stop to Miami but when flying to Orlando normally we have one stop. Hope this helps.

 

Yes, everything helps! Is that best deal also comfortable? ;)

 

Either way, I will look into American Airlines' first class and see if it is reasonable.

[gillianrose]

I am at the UAL website and clicked through after reading all about the Economy Plus, but the search engine does not let me restrict flights to Economy PLUS, just the other classes. I have selected FLL and nearby to SFO and nearby airports.

 

I am not interested in standard economy class, but that's all it seems to show me.

[nho9504]

Thank you. We nearly cruised AKL-SYD last year and Air New Zealand has economy plus, so I thought there must be someone else besides UAL offering that. Pity there isn't. About the codeshare comment, do you mean that it must be UAL aircraft to have the economy plus section?

 

So it's either a one-class plane or two-class, with the two classes being economy and first?

 

And which economy classes are most comfortable on the airlines that fly between Florida and the SF Bay area?

 

If you expect the United E+ the same as the NZ Economy Plus, you would be greatly disappointed.

 

I can tell you this much, the United International F cannot even compare to Air New Zealand's Business Premier which we flew last year, LAX/AKL and AKL/SFO.

 

Suggest you go to Seatguru.com, pull up each possible airline's aircraft and setmap, on the top of the page, it would tell you the "Pitch" of the seat in each class - then you can get a better idea of what type of seats you are going to get at each service class, on the domestic routes or the international routes.

 

For the Transcon flights you are looking at, the aircrafts would be 757, A300, 737 and MD80 (the latter 2 would be with connection flights).

 

If you are lucky, you can find an AA flight that is MIA/DFW/LAX on a 777. Of the top of my head I dont remember which flight, but there is one. That is the flight you would have F, Business and Coach. Otherwise, most domestic flights are F and Coach, or in some airlines such as Continental which does not have F, but is called Business First. Still a 2-class plane.

 

Your Air New Zealand flights were either on a 747 or a 777 - much bigger, wide-body planes - pull up Seatguru's seatmaps you will see the difference in the seat pitch on their aircrafts versus those on the US domestic aircrafts.

 

Finally a random check of MIA/SFO nonstop flight on AA, on a r/t in October, you have a Y-Up fare of $1570 before tax, booking Code P, and F fare of $2966 before tax, booking Code F. There is NO business flexible fare available. The Y-Up is a RESTRICTED fare that is what AA called "Instant Upgrade" to business/first class. However, the risk of Y-Up is, should there is NO business/first seat available for upgrade (included in the Y-Up price), you are out of luck - you will be sitting in the coach, same as other passengers who paid only $270 for the same flight. In order words, the Y-Up fare includes the upgrade fare, but does NOT guarantee you a F seat like a F fare does. Note the Booking Code one is P the other is F.

 

The F fare of $2966+tax guarantee you the F seat. Instantly, this is 10 times more than the standard Economy fare which you are not interested in.

 

Since all 3 flights on that date fly 757, so it is really a 2-class configured plane, thus the Y-Up essentially would be upgraded to F, instead of Business, again, provided there are F seats available when you fly.

[gillianrose]

If you are lucky, you can find an AA flight that is MIA/DFW/LAX on a 777. Of the top of my head I dont remember which flight, but there is one. That is the flight you would have F, Business and Coach. Otherwise, most domestic flights are F and Coach, or in some airlines such as Continental which does not have F, but is called Business First. Still a 2-class plane.

 

I've never been to Dallas, and this sounds interesting. We might include a stop in the Dallas area as part of our vacation plans. It's a direct route back here.

 

I know you meant doing it all in one day, but the thought of breaking it into two separate flights on separate days is appealing.

 

Thank you.

[johanterry]

Hi

Dallas is good. It has a direct route.

[Karynanne]

Aren't they a one-class airline like Southwest? I haven't flown Jet Blue, so don't know about comfort, but I want to enjoy the transcontinental flight, not feel like I am being tortured. As an example, we (including my not-too-tall and SLENDER husband) felt very uncomfortable (as in tortured) in economy class on Alaska Airlines (B737-400) for the shorter flight between SFO-SEA last summer.

 

Flying home on Alaska in first class was comfortable.

 

Is your Jet Blue flight still a nonstop?

 

Jet Blue is not at all like SWA. It does have first class, but we've economy is comfortable. The seats are a bit wider, all leather, and each seat has it's own T.V. screen (in the seat in front of them), which has movies, Direct T.V, etc.

 

We're flying SFO, with a stop in Austin (we don't have to get off the plane), and then onto FLL.

 

I like Jet Blue for comfort, service and price.

 

Karyn

[6rugrats]

I am at the UAL website and clicked through after reading all about the Economy Plus, but the search engine does not let me restrict flights to Economy PLUS, just the other classes. I have selected FLL and nearby to SFO and nearby airports.

 

I am not interested in standard economy class, but that's all it seems to show me.

 

As a frequent UA flyer, I can answer this. E+ is not really a separate class, as is F or C. You can't "restrict" flights to E+; the E+ seats are simply located in front of the regular E section. If you pull up a UA flight and choose E, you will see the E+ seats, and unless you have status with UA, they will show each E+ seat as full, as these are blocked for status members.

 

However, UA is now sometimes offering a buy-up to E+ on some flights. If you are not offered this at the time of booking, you may be offered it at the gate.

 

As to the codeshare information, only UA metal (actual UA planes) are built with this E+ section. If your flight is really on US Airways metal, there will not be an E+ section. If this is important to you, make sure you are actually flying UA. For a flight of this length, E+ is very comfortable and personally, I would not spend the $$$ for F or C (especially on UA), but that's just me.

[FlyerTalker]

To sit in Economy Plus without elite status on UA, you'll have to purchase the right to sit there. Go to THIS WEBPAGE for more info.

 

The Economy Plus Access membership gives you and one guest E+ for a year, without the per-flight charge.

[gillianrose]

To sit in Economy Plus without elite status on UA, you'll have to purchase the right to sit there. Go to THIS WEBPAGE for more info.

 

The Economy Plus Access membership gives you and one guest E+ for a year, without the per-flight charge.

 

Thank you. I recall looking into that a year ago when we almost cruised down in OZ/NZ. We don't fly often, but the cost of membership is still something to consider to get the guarenteed upgrade.