V-Flyer

So having done the maths many, many times, it looks like with our current travel itinerary for the next few months that after a trip in early July we'll be 4 TP short of Au. I'm trying to figure out ways to get us to Au status as painlessly and cheaply (of course ) as possible. So I'm turning to the font of knowledge that is v-flyer for assistance! Here are my thoughts:

1) We live in Yorkshire and could potentially do two MAN > LHR returns on LR prior to their demise. There's a nice miles bonus for Ag members and it would cost both of us less than £400 as we'd be flexible and could pick cheaper dates. The catch? This could be a hard sell to my OH as he'd view it as a waste of time as we'd be flying just for the sake of it, and he has yet to be convinced by the idea of TP runs!

2) When we fly to SEA next March we go to and from SFO with VS, but have connecting Y flights with DL between SFO and SEA. The outbound is a Y ticket (fully flexible), and the inbound is a U class fare, with "less upgrade opportunities" according to DL. Having only flown Y on DL before, I'm not sure what the pricing would be like on upgrading these tickets, or even if it's possible with a U fare. Does anyone have any experience with this at all? Even if we only upgraded the Y fare we'd get 3 TP versus the usual 1, but that would leave us a tantalising 1 TP away from Au.

3) That's it, I'm out of ideas!

Amy more suggestions or thoughts? Thank you!

Don't forget that there is a little bit of flexibility on the renewal of Au status from VS.
If you are one point short it may be worth a call. Others have and been successful in the past.
Other have even been automatically renewed with less than the 40 points.
Of course, there is no guarantee and we have no idea if VS have any plans to increase the TP required or if they are going to follow DL and change to a revenue based scheme.

How about a quick DL trip from SEA to PDX (nice place, only a 30-45 min flight!) and back.

First one way, Coach back (or vice versa) = 4TP each.

March 2015 prices are showing First ex-SEA around £70 and Coach ex-PDX around £50 for example. £120 each for 4TP each is not too bad...

NYLON

spacedog wrote:
1) We live in Yorkshire and could potentially do two MAN > LHR returns on LR prior to their demise. There's a nice miles bonus for Ag members and it would cost both of us less than £400 as we'd be flexible and could pick cheaper dates. The catch? This could be a hard sell to my OH as he'd view it as a waste of time as we'd be flying just for the sake of it, and he has yet to be convinced by the idea of TP runs!

And you can't swing it by attaching a night or two in London (which is more than just Heathrow ). See a show ("Sunny Afternoon" is a delight), catch " Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" at the Tower of London (though you'll have to be quick), wander the South Bank.....

NYLON wrote:How about a quick DL trip from SEA to PDX (nice place, only a 30-45 min flight!) and back.

Good idea! Portland is a great place to visit. Free tram service in the inner zone of the city.

Thanks so much, all, as usual you're very knowledgeable!

LovingGold, alas, we wouldn't be renewing Au, we'd be reaching it for the first time, and although we'd have more flights booked with them the flights would be at least a month after another 5 TP from last year fell off, leaving us a number short So I think that flexibility wouldn't do me any favours even if they were feeling generous!

LovingGold wrote:Of course, there is no guarantee and we have no idea if VS have any plans to increase the TP required or if they are going to follow DL and change to a revenue based scheme.

This is definitely something I've considered and will keep an eye on. But I figure as we'll be so close to Au by July that we might as well try to make it work.

NYLON, £120 each for 4 TP is indeed an amazing deal!! I love this idea and will try to convince the OH. He used to live in Portland so might be open to the idea. Sadly our time in Seattle is short, we arrive late Wednesday, then have a work convention scheduled from Thursday to Sunday, so realistically we'd only have Monday to do this and he might balk at the thought of a flight before our long haul back on Tuesday. Maybe I'll go by myself... it's better if ONE of us has Au status, rather than neither of us, right? I can invite him into the CH!

pjh, I think that might be one way to do it! We're not travelling at all in January and February so perhaps a weekend away to London would partially quell the Winter blues. It'll depend on our workload; as it's one of the only times we don't travel we try to fit as much work in as possible. Then I'd only have to convince him of one other TP run on LR, which might be easier than talking him into two flights, for what potentially to someone not as nutty as I am, is no good reason!

Thanks, all, this is much appreciated, it's good figuring out options. Hopefully I'll be able to report back with some success in the coming months. It is also possible that we might be invited to another work convention in May or June; although we promised to keep those months clear this year after the hectic schedule of 2013/2014, if something really appealing comes up it may render my TP hunt moot!

Good luck!

Good luck! If your OH doesn't like TP runs, then I suggest flying to SEA via SLC from SFO. Salt Lake City is a DL hub and if you can reroute there and fly one of segments in business class, then that would be enough to hit the 4 TP mark.

Is there a minimum milage for an internal flight on delta on US to qualify for tier points?

No - even the shortest of hops qualifies. Sectors like Seattle to Portland or LA to San Francisco can often be had in First Class for under £100 making it a very cost effective way to earn 3 TPs.

Hi Gumshoe. Is that 3tp for return trip in delta first or one way? Thanks

One way. 6 for a return.

Hi gumshoe. Thanks for confirming

3TP per sector, Virgin AU.

Hence if in need of VS TPs using DL metal, you can get a lot by using non-direct flights.

LAX-PDX via SLC earns 12TP for a return flight in First.

Thanks nylon. And you can just book flight as a standalone on Expedia, delta etc so long as fc club registered. No need to book thru Virgin?

Yes, exactly!

And your Au will qualify you for Economy Comfort, as well as Sky Priority, and (if you buy economy) will put you on the upgrade list for First.

Super useful information, thank you! I will report back at a later date on how we work it out.

Good luck, spacedog!