Why just fly straight to Vegas when you can do all manner of absurd itineraries?
As per the last post though, there is a method behind the madness. Within the last 2 years I somehow managed to get up to silver (go away Jimi) status with British Airways, this expires in September and its highly unlikely I'll ever reach those giddy silver heights again, so I/we wanted to maximise it whilst we could.
There are a range of benefits, including extra baggage, fast track security, business class check in and stuff like that, but the ones that we valued were the access to airport lounges and the advance seat selection. So the journey to Vegas begins in Copenhagen on the morning of Monday 29th May. From there we fly to Heathrow, then onwards to LAX (Los Angeles) before a connecting flight to Vegas, arriving around 8pm local time. The journey coming back is the same, though we'll be dropping the last leg back to Copenhagen and travelling home from London.
Like a lot of my posts on here, waiting around in airport terminals can get very tedious, but we can swerve the hustle and bustle and enjoy lounge access in Copenhagen, Heathrow and LA outbound and Las Vegas and LA inbound. Might as well make the most of that perk whilst I can
The free seat selection was also an important factor. British Airways are stingy in that respect; they don't let you reserve the emergency exit seats on long haul flights. However, they are in cahoots with American Airlines, and they most certainly do let you have the pick of seats. Not only that, but they have additional areas called 'main cabin extra', which are basically slightly wider (lucky for me) and have a much greater pitch (up to 38'' vs 31'' in normal economy). As we all know, every inch helps and that is even more true when stuck on a plane for 11 hours. We're essentially getting a premium economy seat for the price of an economy ticket.
So the bulk of the flights are with AA, its just the hop from Copenhagen to London with BA. I was fortunate enough to be able to reserve all seats for free, for myself and my friend, as a status passenger, the saving? If you booked these exact seats for the same journey, it would cost almost £600 for 2 people. Not to be sniffed at, no matter how much grief I receive from certain people Considering the flights only cost £720 for 2 of us and we're getting £600s worth of extra space and comfort, plus 5 airport lounges, it all added up to a great package in my tight Yorkshire eyes.
How are we getting to Copenhagen? From Edinburgh of course! Good old Ryanair.
Thats probably enough aviation chat for one day, so I won't go into why we decided to fly via LAX instead of any number of other options including Chicago, Dallas, NY and Philly (I'll give you a clue, its to do with prolonging seat back TV availability)
FWIW, if you're ever considering a flight that is more complex than a bog standard return, google.com/flights website is a very useful tool and comes highly recommended.
Looking forward to reading your exploits. Is there any chance you'll still be over there when the Sky lot arrive, you know passed out in a gutter somewhere?
Also any tips for good websites for sorting the flights out, so far NY followed by Vegas and then back to London looks like being the best part of £1,000 each for flights, is that reasonable? And no we don't really want five changes and a night in Kuala Lumpur!
Have a great Time H. Looking forward to reading your exploits. Is there any chance you'll still be over there when the Sky lot arrive, you know passed out in a gutter somewhere? Also any tips for good websites for sorting the flights out, so far NY followed by Vegas and then back to London looks like being the best part of £1,000 each for flights, is that reasonable? And no we don't really want five changes and a night in Kuala Lumpur! Posted by Enut
If you are looking at flights...
Keep an eye out for American Airlines ones that are operated by British Airways. It usually tells you the aircraft and some of the AA ones are actually operated by BA and on Boeing 747's. They are not any more expensive in general but are a world apart on quality. On the way out last year I was on a bog standard AA flight, there were not even individual TV screens on one of the flights and on one of them the only food/beverages was a glass of Coke poured out of a large bottle.
On the way back we were on one of the B747 flights and had much more legroom, our own 'entertainment' consoles with games, TV series and loads of other stuff. There were also 4 toilets at the back and they brought round snacks and drinks almost as quick as you could eat them. It felt like 1st class on the way back on the 747 compared to the way out on the standard AA flight. There are loads of flights with AA which are operated by BA and use the 747's. Just keep an eye out for the aircraft type.
Have a great Time H. Looking forward to reading your exploits. Is there any chance you'll still be over there when the Sky lot arrive, you know passed out in a gutter somewhere? Also any tips for good websites for sorting the flights out, so far NY followed by Vegas and then back to London looks like being the best part of £1,000 each for flights, is that reasonable? And no we don't really want five changes and a night in Kuala Lumpur! Posted by Enut
£1000pp probably sounds about right all things considered (time of year, relatively late notice, very popular destinations), however if you wanna stick your dates down or PM me them I'm happy to have a mooch and see if we can shave some cash off that figure.
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : If you are looking at flights... Keep an eye out for American Airlines ones that are operated by British Airways. It usually tells you the aircraft and some of the AA ones are actually operated by BA and on Boeing 747's. They are not any more expensive in general but are a world apart on quality. On the way out last year I was on a bog standard AA flight, there were not even individual TV screens on one of the flights and on one of them the only food/beverages was a glass of Coke poured out of a large bottle. On the way back we were on one of the B747 flights and had much more legroom, our own 'entertainment' consoles with games, TV series and loads of other stuff. There were also 4 toilets at the back and they brought round snacks and drinks almost as quick as you could eat them. It felt like 1st class on the way back on the 747 compared to the way out on the standard AA flight. There are loads of flights with AA which are operated by BA and use the 747's. Just keep an eye out for the aircraft type. Posted by markycash
I kinda agree wholeheartedly with this whilst also disagreeing haha
Basically, you need to avoid AA's B767 aircraft; they have done the rounds and still use drop down aisle TVs (sadly I know this from experience having flown on one from Dublin to Chicago, twas a long 8 hours!)
I think AA still operate those planes on some routes out of Manchester and Newcastle, not sure about London but would guess they have retired them from the capital.
I think British Airways have declined quickly in the last couple of years. BAs B747s will feel like luxury compared to AAs B767, but their reputation is heading south pretty fast.
Airline variance is a real thing, and a good flight can often be decided by how good and attentive the cabin crew are. Sounds like Mark had positive variance with BA coming back after suffering severe negative variance going out with AA!
I actually quite like Virgin Atlantic for heading across the pond.
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : I kinda agree wholeheartedly with this whilst also disagreeing haha Basically, you need to avoid AA's B767 aircraft; they have done the rounds and still use drop down aisle TVs (sadly I know this from experience having flown on one from Dublin to Chicago, twas a long 8 hours!) I think AA still operate those planes on some routes out of Manchester and Newcastle, not sure about London but would guess they have retired them from the capital. I think British Airways have declined quickly in the last couple of years. BAs B747s will feel like luxury compared to AAs B767, but their reputation is heading south pretty fast. Airline variance is a real thing, and a good flight can often be decided by how good and attentive the cabin crew are. Sounds like Mark had positive variance with BA coming back after suffering severe negative variance going out with AA! I actually quite like Virgin Atlantic for heading across the pond. Posted by hhyftrftdr
A lot will be down to variance for sure but I really thought the 747 was exceptional. I think it may have been re-fitted, not sure if they all have been re-fitted but the gadgets were all very up to date. The array of things you could do via the 'entertainment console' put anything I have experienced in the past firmly in the shade. For example you could watch the latest (or any) season of popular shows like The Walking Dead, choose from hundreds of films and documentaries etc. If TV wasn't your thing there were loads of games and if you were still bored you could explore the plane's route on the interactive map or look out the the cockpit windows via a stream sent to the console. Besides all that the food and beverages were great and there were plenty USB charging points.
I guess if I had flew on some of the more plush airlines I might have a different take on things but most flights I have been on have been either (a) short haul or (b) standard AA or US airways flights. Compared to those and the ones I have seen on offer I personally would snap take the 747 option.
Are Virign the airline that do the Dreamliner? I have heard that is something else and probably puts the 747's in the shade. I also gather they are much faster although probably more expensive?
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : A lot will be down to variance for sure but I really thought the 747 was exceptional. I think it may have been re-fitted, not sure if they all have been re-fitted but the gadgets were all very up to date. The array of things you could do via the 'entertainment console' put anything I have experienced in the past firmly in the shade. For example you could watch the latest (or any) season of popular shows like The Walking Dead, choose from hundreds of films and documentaries etc. If TV wasn't your thing there were loads of games and if you were still bored you could explore the plane's route on the interactive map or look out the the cockpit windows via a stream sent to the console. Besides all that the food and beverages were great and there were plenty USB charging points. I guess if I had flew on some of the more plush airlines I might have a different take on things but most flights I have been on have been either (a) short haul or (b) standard AA or US airways flights. Compared to those and the ones I have seen on offer I personally would snap take the 747 option. Are Virign the airline that do the Dreamliner? I have heard that is something else and probably puts the 747's in the shade. I also gather they are much faster although probably more expensive? Posted by markycash
Yeah you may well have had a refurbed BA 747. I've had reasonable flights on their 747s in the past but sometimes you end up with the ancient entertainment system, and of course its random if you get a decent crew or not. Their seat pitch isn't the most generous in the sky, not that my stumps need a lot of space.
Most major airlines have the Dreamliner on their books these days. I've only flown on one, to Bangkok, 3 years ago. The differences were subtle but good. Bigger windows were nice when watching the world go by.
Not sure if they go faster? They are lighter, more fuel efficient and have a very long radius; don't quote me on this but they can cover something like 9000 miles without refueling. When Qantas launch their direct London - Perth service next year, thats on the Dreamliner.
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : A lot will be down to variance for sure but I really thought the 747 was exceptional. I think it may have been re-fitted, not sure if they all have been re-fitted but the gadgets were all very up to date. The array of things you could do via the 'entertainment console' put anything I have experienced in the past firmly in the shade. For example you could watch the latest (or any) season of popular shows like The Walking Dead, choose from hundreds of films and documentaries etc. If TV wasn't your thing there were loads of games and if you were still bored you could explore the plane's route on the interactive map or look out the the cockpit windows via a stream sent to the console. Besides all that the food and beverages were great and there were plenty USB charging points. I guess if I had flew on some of the more plush airlines I might have a different take on things but most flights I have been on have been either (a) short haul or (b) standard AA or US airways flights. Compared to those and the ones I have seen on offer I personally would snap take the 747 option. Are Virign the airline that do the Dreamliner? I have heard that is something else and probably puts the 747's in the shade. I also gather they are much faster although probably more expensive? Posted by markycash
Virgin-Atlantic do have the 787, but they don't fly it to Vegas.
Better than a 747? In many ways, yes, but don't forget the 747 first entered service in 1970, whereas the Dreamliner (Dreamliner = 787) only entered service in 2011, so they come from a different era. Most 747's still in service (BA are now the largest operator) have been re-fitted.
They are not any faster, or not significantly so. The purchase cost to the airlines is almost identical (list price = some $225 milly each), & I would not imagine there is much difference to the consumer in seat cost per mile. They are much cheaper for the airlines to operate though, as fuel burn is massively lower.
I remember reading about the London-Perth announcement at the time. It is staggering how much quicker you can get to Australia these days compared to the past. Imagine telling people who would spend weeks/months on ships travelling to Australia that we would be flying to the place in little more than a day!
I wonder if the advance will continue. I remember reading that there is a possibility in the not too distant future that planes will be able to leave our atmosphere/ enter 'space'/ zip around to Australia, and be there in just a few hours.
Have a great Time H. Looking forward to reading your exploits. Is there any chance you'll still be over there when the Sky lot arrive, you know passed out in a gutter somewhere? Also any tips for good websites for sorting the flights out, so far NY followed by Vegas and then back to London looks like being the best part of £1,000 each for flights, is that reasonable? And no we don't really want five changes and a night in Kuala Lumpur! Posted by Enut
I'm guessing your dates are something like flying out for the weekend in NY so around the 7th? And then back to London on the 17th when the package ends?
On that basis I'm not seeing anything for less than a grand from the capital sadly.
The most feasible way I can see to save some cash, without starting in Kuala Lumpur, is to do seperate returns. London - NY is £562 return from 7th to 18th. A Vegas - NY return is £233 from the 10th - 17th. Because of the time difference its an overnight flight from Vegas to New York, so that is the catch. You also would be on 2 totally seperate bookings so you wouldn't be covered should something go badly wrong and you missed the flight back to London from NY.
Saves about £400 for a couple, give or take, depends if you think its worth the hassle or not....
Thanks H. I think we are looked at flying to NY on 9th and then NY to Vegas on the 10th and back to UK from Vegas on 17th.
So giving us one day in NY! That should be fine! She actually wanted to try and fit a trip to LA in too but I think she's dropped that idea now.
We went to Edinburgh last weekend with a mate for the rugby cup final and my other half came along to do some sightseeing while we went to the match, well the match didn't start til 5 pm so that was the three of us trudging around Edinburgh looking at all the sights until about 3 pm when we dashed off to get to the match while she continued sightseeing! It's a lovely city, just would have been better if it hadn't rained most of the day!
Many years ago we flew to US for some medical treatment for my other half. I have a friend who had just retired from BA so he said he would try and get us upgraded, no promises and don't say anything but he would try.
Anyway as we were sat in economy in the second row back, a stewardess came to the German family in front and said 'I'm sorry Herr Fritz but there is no chance of an upgrade, I hope you enjoy your flight anyway' 5 minutes later a second stewardess came up to our seats and said 'I'm terribly sorry Mr Tune there has been a mistake with your seats, please come with me' and duly escorted us past Herr Fritz into first class. The upgrade was lovely, the look on the German's faces was priceless.
Thanks H. I think we are looked at flying to NY on 9th and then NY to Vegas on the 10th and back to UK from Vegas on 17th. So giving us one day in NY! That should be fine! She actually wanted to try and fit a trip to LA in too but I think she's dropped that idea now. We went to Edinburgh last weekend with a mate for the rugby cup final and my other half came along to do some sightseeing while we went to the match, well the match didn't start til 5 pm so that was the three of us trudging around Edinburgh looking at all the sights until about 3 pm when we dashed off to get to the match while she continued sightseeing! It's a lovely city, just would have been better if it hadn't rained most of the day! Posted by Enut
If you get a spare day whilst in Las Vegas, you can fly to LA in just over an hour. The fares would come to around $200 - that's return flights for two, $200 in total. ($50 per person per single flight).
From there you can get a "FlyAway" Bus to pretty much anywhere in LA, or even an LA Bus Tour - taking in Beverley Hills, Hollywood & Dodgers Stadium, that sort of thing - for about $50.
Even better, get the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner down the Pacific Cost from LA to San Diego ($80 per person) then fly back to Vegas that night from San Diego. You can hop off the train at one of the seaside stations, have a swim in the pacific, & a meal, then hop back on the train.
The USA is amazingly cheap to travel around, & we don't get the chance to go very often, so you should take full advantage.
I was getting flights for <$1000 US$ on dates that should work Harry (on the AA USA site). Having a few problems keeping up with tables that have popped up so will link them later in the evening if they are needed.
P.S. It is a pretty easy drive to LA from Vegas, think it took me about 3 1/2 hours. Quiet roads until you hit LA.
Thanks H. I think we are looked at flying to NY on 9th and then NY to Vegas on the 10th and back to UK from Vegas on 17th. So giving us one day in NY! That should be fine! She actually wanted to try and fit a trip to LA in too but I think she's dropped that idea now. We went to Edinburgh last weekend with a mate for the rugby cup final and my other half came along to do some sightseeing while we went to the match, well the match didn't start til 5 pm so that was the three of us trudging around Edinburgh looking at all the sights until about 3 pm when we dashed off to get to the match while she continued sightseeing! It's a lovely city, just would have been better if it hadn't rained most of the day! Posted by Enut
Not sure how popular this would be with the boss, but if you swapped that one night in New York pre Vegas to one night in LA post Vegas, you can get a London - Vegas, LA - London return for £643pp, both ways direct with Virgin Atlantic on a mix of 747 and 787 aircraft.
You'd have to factor in the cost of a one way Vegas - LA flight, which isn't expensive as Tikay says, or of course a one way car rental for the scenic route.
Location is everything in Vegas. There is a reason why you can often get a week at Stratosphere for £150. For those who haven't been, you cannot begin to imagine how wide and long the Strip gets in that ridiculous summer desert heat.
This year we're booked to stay in Excalibur. It is functional more than flash, but for just under $300pp for a week, inclusive of all taxes and the resort fee, it represents pretty good value. It's also in and around the casinos we'll be dabbling in; Aria, Luxor, Planet Hollywood, MGM, Monte Carlo and of course Excalibur itself. I doubt we'll be playing at a casino further up the Strip than Flamingo, so we really needed to be down the airport end of the action. I have stayed in Excalibur once before, just for a single night as it was where British Airways put us up in 2015 when they delayed us for 27 hours coming home. The 600EUR compo for that alleviated some of the losses endured that week
For the first time, we've booked direct through the hotel website instead of a third party site. So we've only initially paid a small deposit, and the rest is due on arrival. We can also cancel free of charge until 72 hours before arrival, so until Friday essentially. Did encounter a real head vs heart scenario earlier in the week; the dates we are there, the Venetian is the lowest price I've ever seen it. It's £937 for a week, inclusive of tax but less the resort fee. Crunched some numbers and to plump for that would've cost us an extra £350pp total.
Now my heart was saying, '**** ****, Venetian for just a few hundred more, highly unlikely you'll get it this cheap again, and it looks amazing'.
My head on the other hand, 'don't be silly, its money you don't need to spend, it's almost 4 buy ins for Aria's daily MTTs, Venetian is a bit further up Strip than desired, plus how much time do you really spend in your room?'
TBH I'm still not 100% sure on what to do, but as it stands, and after some solid advice from the guys (Not Waitrose boy, who insisted I should splurge on Venetian) we're sticking with Excalibur. I shall be keeping an eye on prices this week and if something too good to miss crops up before Friday, we at least have the flexibility to jump ship.
I have stayed at Excalibur for the last three years, after previously never having stayed in the same hotel twice. The combination of price and position takes some beating.
The resort fee did jump from $20 last year, to $29 this, but even with this included, it still only cost us £655 per person for a week direct from Gatwick in April.
All the hotels you mention are a short walk away, apart from Aria which is only a short Uber up the strip. You can access Luxor poker room (through the upstairs food court and onto the travelators) in minutes. Quicker than the monorail too.
We have also found it doesn't take ages to get to your room, the pool, or out onto the strip as it does in some of the bigger hotels.
Yes it's only 3star but it's fine, and as you well know, all you have to do is sleep there, and spend the rest of your day in any other hotel you fancy with the extra money you have saved,
Comments
Looking forward to reading your exploits. Is there any chance you'll still be over there when the Sky lot arrive, you know passed out in a gutter somewhere?
Also any tips for good websites for sorting the flights out, so far NY followed by Vegas and then back to London looks like being the best part of £1,000 each for flights, is that reasonable? And no we don't really want five changes and a night in Kuala Lumpur!
Keep an eye out for American Airlines ones that are operated by British Airways. It usually tells you the aircraft and some of the AA ones are actually operated by BA and on Boeing 747's. They are not any more expensive in general but are a world apart on quality. On the way out last year I was on a bog standard AA flight, there were not even individual TV screens on one of the flights and on one of them the only food/beverages was a glass of Coke poured out of a large bottle.
On the way back we were on one of the B747 flights and had much more legroom, our own 'entertainment' consoles with games, TV series and loads of other stuff. There were also 4 toilets at the back and they brought round snacks and drinks almost as quick as you could eat them. It felt like 1st class on the way back on the 747 compared to the way out on the standard AA flight. There are loads of flights with AA which are operated by BA and use the 747's. Just keep an eye out for the aircraft type.
I guess if I had flew on some of the more plush airlines I might have a different take on things but most flights I have been on have been either (a) short haul or (b) standard AA or US airways flights. Compared to those and the ones I have seen on offer I personally would snap take the 747 option.
Are Virign the airline that do the Dreamliner? I have heard that is something else and probably puts the 747's in the shade. I also gather they are much faster although probably more expensive?
Better than a 747? In many ways, yes, but don't forget the 747 first entered service in 1970, whereas the Dreamliner (Dreamliner = 787) only entered service in 2011, so they come from a different era. Most 747's still in service (BA are now the largest operator) have been re-fitted.
They are not any faster, or not significantly so. The purchase cost to the airlines is almost identical (list price = some $225 milly each), & I would not imagine there is much difference to the consumer in seat cost per mile. They are much cheaper for the airlines to operate though, as fuel burn is massively lower.
Here's some splurge on the Virgin-Atlantic 787;
http://www.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/virgin-experience/our-fleet/787.html
I remember reading about the London-Perth announcement at the time. It is staggering how much quicker you can get to Australia these days compared to the past. Imagine telling people who would spend weeks/months on ships travelling to Australia that we would be flying to the place in little more than a day!
I wonder if the advance will continue. I remember reading that there is a possibility in the not too distant future that planes will be able to leave our atmosphere/ enter 'space'/ zip around to Australia, and be there in just a few hours.
Loving this.
Think we should have an aircraft thread.
So giving us one day in NY! That should be fine! She actually wanted to try and fit a trip to LA in too but I think she's dropped that idea now.
We went to Edinburgh last weekend with a mate for the rugby cup final and my other half came along to do some sightseeing while we went to the match, well the match didn't start til 5 pm so that was the three of us trudging around Edinburgh looking at all the sights until about 3 pm when we dashed off to get to the match while she continued sightseeing! It's a lovely city, just would have been better if it hadn't rained most of the day!
Many years ago we flew to US for some medical treatment for my other half. I have a friend who had just retired from BA so he said he would try and get us upgraded, no promises and don't say anything but he would try.
Anyway as we were sat in economy in the second row back, a stewardess came to the German family in front and said 'I'm sorry Herr Fritz but there is no chance of an upgrade, I hope you enjoy your flight anyway' 5 minutes later a second stewardess came up to our seats and said 'I'm terribly sorry Mr Tune there has been a mistake with your seats, please come with me' and duly escorted us past Herr Fritz into first class. The upgrade was lovely, the look on the German's faces was priceless.
From there you can get a "FlyAway" Bus to pretty much anywhere in LA, or even an LA Bus Tour - taking in Beverley Hills, Hollywood & Dodgers Stadium, that sort of thing - for about $50.
Even better, get the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner down the Pacific Cost from LA to San Diego ($80 per person) then fly back to Vegas that night from San Diego. You can hop off the train at one of the seaside stations, have a swim in the pacific, & a meal, then hop back on the train.
The USA is amazingly cheap to travel around, & we don't get the chance to go very often, so you should take full advantage.
P.S. It is a pretty easy drive to LA from Vegas, think it took me about 3 1/2 hours. Quiet roads until you hit LA.