Best way to upgrade to Business Class using Airline Points/ Marriott Travel Package

[NboroGirl]

That was in 2014, but I just checked now. I pretended to book a flight from BOS to Rome using miles. I selected Star Alliance to search and randomly picked some dates in March (and also checked "flexible dates") and I'm seeing Swiss Air, Luftansa, and Turkish airlines with flights for my dates, where Economy is 30k miles (one way) and Business Saver is 70K. I can look at a calendar for the entire month to see the lowest cost for each day in the month (i.e. 30k miles, but it also shows the $$ you pay, which varied from $5.60 to $19.10, depending on which day you picked.) To see Business class, just select it from the pull-down menu.

Ironically, I repeated the above experiment with "All Airlines" selected, and got the same results. I saw the same Swiss Air, Luftansa, and Turkish airlines flights. When I select UNITED only, some United flights come up with 70k miles (one way) for Economy, and 155K for Business (and nothing available in Business Saver or First)

 

[Luvtoride]

I just saw this online and thought it might be of interest: http://www.godsavethepoints.com/201...d-1-private-jet-to-nyc-wide-open-using-avios/

Yes it is BA but it’s not their regular business class and according to the article, availability is wide open in autumn for as many as 4 seats per flight and 100k return off-peak.


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Xpat, that BA service from JFK looks awesome. Great suggestion from the Nj/ NYC area. I suppose getting to Paris from there via the Eurostar train might be a good option. Have you taken the train? The St. Pancras train station is about 10miles from the LONDON City Airport. A lot of traveling (planes, trains and automobiles) to get to Paris, but it might be a fun interesting way to go. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Xpat]

Xpat, that BA service from JFK looks awesome. Great suggestion from the Nj/ NYC area. I suppose getting to Paris from there via the Eurostar train might be a good option. Have you taken the train? The St. Pancras train station is about 10miles from the LONDON City Airport. A lot of traveling (planes, trains and automobiles) to get to Paris, but it might be a fun interesting way to go. Thanks for the suggestion.

I guess there are a few ways you could do this. Taking the Eurostar is one, and note that although LCY doesn't have an arrivals lounge (it's a very small airport), BA has an arrangement with the Radisson Blu near Canary Wharf where you can have a complimentary breakfast and shower before continuing your journey.
Another option is connecting to/from the LCY-ORY (Paris Orly) service with BA. There are three flights a day on weekdays but fewer Friday to Sunday. Orly airport is a bit closer to central Paris than CDG.
Also near LCY is the Marriott West India Quay, which is only a 10 to 20-minute ride from LCY depending on traffic. It's in London's business district but a short DLR or Uber ride away from certain sights like the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral or Greenwich. It might be a convenient way to add a short break in London for your trip and might justify all the extra travel time compared to flying directly to Paris.
Maybe take the Eurostar one way and fly the other?