USA holiday to LA, SF, Hawaii & NYC... how to do it on the cheap?

[FFGrey]

Your suggested itinerary currently has three separate visits to LA. Why not fly directly to NYC by Qantas - change from the MEL flight to QF107 at LAX. After spending time in NY (a week is the minimum in my view), fly from JFK to SFO. Finally, drive down the coast to LA and spend some time there before flying back to MEL.

Great idea! So - we should get a one way QANTAS flight from MEL to JFK.

From JFK to SFO, what carrier should we fly?

Then a one way from LAX to MEL.

Makes total sense.

So - we use up our points on the MEL>JFK flight?

I'm sorry if I sound confused. I thought flights are cheaper if you book return. If we book one way flights, does that mean it will cost more?

 

[yohy?!]

Dates in Apr 2011 are showing as $1500 return for SYD-NYC or $1150 return for SYD-LAX return with Delta

United is slightly cheaper if you're prepared to stomach it as an option...

As a comparison Red E-Deals with QF for the same dates are pricing at $2900 for SYD-NYC and $2500 for SYD-LAX

 

[blueflamenco]

You could probably do your original trip for a little more than $1500 including your points.

Jetstar to Honolulu one way ($1000), Hawaiian Airlines from Honolulu to LAX ($600), LAX - SFO on the Amtrak, San Francisco to New York one way ($250), Qantas award seat back home from JFK (128,000 points?).

 

[FFGrey]

Hi,

I did a little digging around the Qantas website and had a look at flights.
If we use our combined points + pay, the complete journey would cost us about $1100 each! Under budget!

What do you think?

Proposed itinerary #1

Flight 1
Thu 31 Mar 11
11:10 Melbourne 07:20 Los Angeles QF093
11:10 Los Angeles 19:40 New York QF3031

Flight 2
Mon 11 Apr 11
18:55 New York(JFK) 22:10 Los Angeles QF108

Flight 3
Thu 21 Apr 11
23:20 Los Angeles 07:45 (Sat) Melbourne QF094

We would probably coach or drive up to San Fran and back from LA.

The other option is to go MEL > JFK, JFK > SFO, then LAX > MEL. I think it costs about the same. If we did that, we'd drive/coach the one direction from San Fran to LA.

I found flights in April were more expensive than the ones in March.

Between April to July, which are the cheapest fares?

Ta!

 

[Blackadder]

May have a issue with using QF 108, not 100% sure if they allow just a US Domestic sector without connecting to Aus?

 

[straitman]

May have a issue with using QF 108, not 100% sure if they allow just a US Domestic sector without connecting to Aus?

I believe it is OK as it would be seen as a break of journey on the QF booking. ie booking is JFK-LAX-MEL with a 3 day break in LAX.

 

[Cocitus23]

Hi,

Proposed itinerary #1

Flight 1
Thu 31 Mar 11
11:10 Melbourne 07:20 Los Angeles QF093
11:10 Los Angeles 19:40 New York QF3031

Flight 2
Mon 11 Apr 11
18:55 New York(JFK) 22:10 Los Angeles QF108

Flight 3
Thu 21 Apr 11
23:20 Los Angeles 07:45 (Sat) Melbourne QF094

I won't comment on the air fares question, as others have done that. Let me focus on your itinerary. It is shaping up nicely, but I think the timing is a little skewed. You have 21 nights total to spend in USA, and as things stand you are proposing to spend 11 of them in NY and 10 in CA. I would be more inclined to make the split say 5 and 16 or 6 and 15. Sure, there is plenty to see in NYC, but if you do not propose to tour out of the city then you will cover the highlights in 5 or 6 days. Do not hire a car in NYC - it would be a liability. On Day 1 take the Circle Line Ferry around Manhattan, as a relaxing way toi get over jet lag and to get yourselves oriented.

So I would fly back to LAX on say Wed 6 Apr, rent a car and stay in or around LA for the nights of 6th, 7th and 8th at the most. Go down to La Jolla/San Diego for the nights of 9th and 10th. (Do NOT bother with Tijuana.) Then drive to Yosemite National Park for nights of 11th and 12th. Then to SF for nights of 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th (gives plenty of time for touring to north shore to see Napa and the redwood forests). Then spend the 17th at Half Moon Bay, 18th at Monterey/Carmel, 19th somewhere down the coast, say Morro Bay, 20th at Santa Barbara, and easily back to LAX for the flight out on the night of 21st. Great trip, that.

Renting cars is relatively cheap in USA. Get onto expedia.com and see what their prices are for a "Red Hot Deal". I couldn't imagine touring in California without a car.

Cocitus23.

 

[Cocitus23]

Sorry, FFGrey, I have just had an afterthought to my Post #27. Concerning the suggested driving itinerary, I should point out that one day is a very fiull drive. From San Diego to Yosemite National Park is 443 miles and will take you just on 8 hours driving time. It is certainly possible and the driving is easy - freeway virtually all the way. Go via Los Angeles, Bakersfield and Fresno. The only problem I can see is if you pass through LA at peak time.

It may be better to get up into the LA area the night before, so that you can leave it behind before the traffic gets too heavy.

Cocitus23.

 

[FFGrey]

Hi there!

It's been a while since I last updated my trip - but here's where it's shaping up for the moment.

We are leaving at 11:10am on 1st April on QF093 from Melbourne, LAX transfer then on QF107, arriving at JFK at 17:25. This flight was booked using 128,000 points and $445.52 for two one-way tickets.

We are then going to stay 6 nights in NYC, leaving on the 7th April 2010, to arrive in the afternoon in LA. We really want to catch a live show that night in Hollywood.

I was thinking of staying in LA until Monday 11th or so, and we're looking at driving up to SanFran for a few days, then coming back to LA to fly out around 20,21,22nd of April.

I am pretty sure we did well with booking the flight to NYC using our FF points, we only had around 150,000 and it was really difficult to work out how to use them. After reading the suggestions here, I thought it was best we go straight to NYC, so I booked the one way tickets.

We haven't booked any flights JFK to LAX, or LAX to Melbourne. so I'm wondering if anyone has good recommendations.. ie should I buy a Delta flight for JFK>LAX, then something like V Australia for LAX>MEL, or am I able to buy the one flight (JFK>LAX>MEL) and break it in the middle?

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Hi there!

It's been a while since I last updated my trip - but here's where it's shaping up for the moment.

We are leaving at 11:10am on 1st April on QF093 from Melbourne, LAX transfer then on QF107, arriving at JFK at 17:25. This flight was booked using 128,000 points and $445.52 for two one-way tickets.

We are then going to stay 6 nights in NYC, leaving on the 7th April 2010, to arrive in the afternoon in LA. We really want to catch a live show that night in Hollywood.

I was thinking of staying in LA until Monday 11th or so, and we're looking at driving up to SanFran for a few days, then coming back to LA to fly out around 20,21,22nd of April.

I am pretty sure we did well with booking the flight to NYC using our FF points, we only had around 150,000 and it was really difficult to work out how to use them. After reading the suggestions here, I thought it was best we go straight to NYC, so I booked the one way tickets.

We haven't booked any flights JFK to LAX, or LAX to Melbourne. so I'm wondering if anyone has good recommendations.. ie should I buy a Delta flight for JFK>LAX, then something like V Australia for LAX>MEL, or am I able to buy the one flight (JFK>LAX>MEL) and break it in the middle?

Glad to hear you've got the ex Aust bid taken care of. Were you able to allocate seats together on the flights to JFK? Remember 80AB on the A380 are much coveted seats amongst AFFers.

We saw the show Westside Story on Broadway which was a great city to see it as it's where the story took place. Stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Tribeca right above Chambers St subway station. Theatres are much easier to locate on Broadway than in Vegas.

Why not fly VX (Virgin America) & have a couple of nights in Vegas (cheapest for hotels Mon-Thu nights). We saw Phantom of the Opera in Vegas at the Venetian but stayed at New York New York Hotel & Casino. Then fly VX LAS/SFO (do at the same time as JFK/LAS in the one pnr, that way you only pay one change fee per person per booking - not per flight). We stayed at the Cornell Hotel de France.

You can then drive down the coast SFO to LAX as in that direction you'll be on the right hand side of the road so won't have northbound traffic obstructing your views of the ocean.

You could always keep heading south to San Diego. We had our last night in the States here staying at the Balboa Park Inn then flew SAN/SFO on VX then SFO/SYD on QF avoiding the bunfight of LAX altogether.

You could check out the www.priceline.com website for fares ex the West Coast to HNL & maybe have a couple of nights before heading back to MEL from HNL. Any JQ cheapies on offer? Or just look at ex West Coast to BNE SYD or MEL in case one city is significantly cheaper then just buy a sector fare from the Aussie gateway city back to MEL.

 

[trooper]

You can definitely book it as one....

A quick look on matrix.itasoftware.com showed flights on FJ (Air Pacific with US or Alaska Airlines for the JFK-LAX) for AUD$1132... or with NZ (US for JFK-LAX) for $1215... Slightly cheaper on Air China... but LAX to MEL via Beijing and Shanghai in Economy doesn't sound like much fun to me!!:mrgreen:

Interestingly on expedia (.au) you can get AA from JFK-LAX then NZ LAX-MEL on those dates for AUD$1054.29 per person.... (personally that sounds decent to me for a one way fare!)

You'd need to compare those prices with booking separately of course....

 

[FFGrey]

Glad to hear you've got the ex Aust bid taken care of. Were you able to allocate seats together on the flights to JFK? Remember 80AB on the A380 are much coveted seats amongst AFFers.

This sounds interesting! I haven't allocated the seating yet - can I do this online?

Why not fly VX (Virgin America) & have a couple of nights in Vegas (cheapest for hotels Mon-Thu nights). We saw Phantom of the Opera in Vegas at the Venetian but stayed at New York New York Hotel & Casino. Then fly VX LAS/SFO (do at the same time as JFK/LAS in the one pnr, that way you only pay one change fee per person per booking - not per flight). We stayed at the Cornell Hotel de France.

The only problem with going JFK>LAS is that we want to see a show in LA on Thursday 7th April. The only thing we have definite is arrival on the 1st of April, and 6 days accommodation, and to leave on the 7th so we get to LA to see the show. From there, I was thinking we may stay in LA for a few days, then go up to SFO - we could depart SFO and go HNL for a few days before heading home, perhaps via Hawaiian Airlines then Jetstar (about $250 and $692)

OR just get a JFK>LAX>MEL ticket, break at LAX and then drive up and down to SFO, or coach up, drive down?

You can then drive down the coast SFO to LAX as in that direction you'll be on the right hand side of the road so won't have northbound traffic obstructing your views of the ocean.

I really love this idea, but the problem is we need to go JFK>LAX first.

Thanks for your suggestions! It's all very exciting!

 

[FFGrey]

Interestingly on expedia (.au) you can get AA from JFK-LAX then NZ LAX-MEL on those dates for AUD$1054.29 per person.... (personally that sounds decent to me for a one way fare!)

You'd need to compare those prices with booking separately of course....

That sounds totally great!

 

[Alanslegal]

I really love this idea, but the problem is we need to go JFK>LAX first.

Thanks for your suggestions! It's all very exciting!

Here's my suggestion, (a) buy a o/w JFK-LAX .... around $160 mark pp.

Then (b) get a LAX-MEL-LAX for around $1200 and then have another quick return 6 months later and repeat step (b) and have endless trips to the USA.

 

[FFGrey]

OK!

I booked the return leg, SFO>MEL via Auckland on Air NZ. It was $750 a ticket (pretty good!).

So, so far, this is it (all ticket prices quoted are for 2 people):

1st April. One way on QANTAS MEL>JFK - Cost 128,000pts plus around $460
- will spend 6 days in NYC, booked
7th April JFK>LAX (about $380-$400 - haven't booked but will soon - any suggestions for airlines? I was going to book AA)
- will spend 6 days in LA
Drive up to San Fran (2 days - I know this is the wrong direction to do it but I just had to be in LA on the 7th) This will be hire car or car other service, and we'll stop overnight somewhere on the way, probably take two days to do this.
15th April Arrive San Fran
- will spend rest of time in San Fran area, maybe travel somewhere - 6 days
21st One way on AIR NZ SFO>MEL - Cost $1512, booked.

SO... our flights are $300 under our $1500 each budget! $1186

Thanks for all your help. It's coming together nicely!

 

[grussellt]

I would use points to JFK (64000 each) and then look for singles from JFK to HNL (with LAX stopover) and maybe JQ back from HNL. Use ITA Software to check prices or any of the US online agencies. The trip back from JFK should cost $1100-1300 each. Whoops sorry I didn't see your last post!

 

[ozbeachbabe]

OK!

I booked the return leg, SFO>MEL via Auckland on Air NZ. It was $750 a ticket (pretty good!).

So, so far, this is it (all ticket prices quoted are for 2 people):

1st April. One way on QANTAS MEL>JFK - Cost 128,000pts plus around $460
- will spend 6 days in NYC, booked
7th April JFK>LAX (about $380-$400 - haven't booked but will soon - any suggestions for airlines? I was going to book AA)
- will spend 6 days in LA
Drive up to San Fran (2 days - I know this is the wrong direction to do it but I just had to be in LA on the 7th) This will be hire car or car other service, and we'll stop overnight somewhere on the way, probably take two days to do this.
15th April Arrive San Fran
- will spend rest of time in San Fran area, maybe travel somewhere - 6 days
21st One way on AIR NZ SFO>MEL - Cost $1512, booked.

SO... our flights are $300 under our $1500 each budget! $1186

Thanks for all your help. It's coming together nicely!

With the return leg on "NZ", I didn't think they flew SFO/AKL, is it a code-share flight operated by United perhaps & if so are you happy to travel with UA?

If you arrive in SFO on Fri 15 Apr you could have 4 nights checking out on 19 Apr then maybe fly to Vegas for 2 nights 19-21 Apr. You'd get a good hotel rate as you'd be there mid-week. Virgin America (VX) often have cheap airfares for around USD49.00 one way.

If you don't want all the craziness of Vegas maybe Seattle would be an option if you want to visit the Museum of Flight and the Boeing assembly plant.

 

[cove]

Ok now you can go Stubhub,Lasvegas.com,latimes.com and already mentioned price line or expedia to get to shows,update news and check accommodation ratings and sport tickets.
New York is expensive but the most fantastic place for shows and sport like baseball.

 

[serfty]

With the return leg on "NZ", I didn't think they flew SFO/AKL, is it a code-share flight operated by United perhaps & if so are you happy to travel with UA? ...

Air NZ fly daily AKL to/from SFO.

They also fly AKL to/from LAX (~14 times per week each way), HNL & YVR.

 

[FFGrey]

Hi there!

Only 5 or so weeks before we go!

I have a little bit of a conundrum I need to work out and was wanting some suggestions.

We originally wanted to drive up the west coast from LA to SF on the 14th April, probably staying the night of 14th in the San Louis Obispo area, then driving up to San Fran to stay from the 15th till when we leave, which is the 21st of April.

I've been toying with the idea of also including a couple of nights in Las Vegas during this part of our holiday. I know I'm trying to cram it in a little but I've never been before and thought it would be a bit of fun. Also there are lots of good discounts on hotels at the moment.. I can't resist!

OK so I originally thought that we could do the drive, and then we could get a flight from SFO to Las Vegas on the Monday the 18th, spend two nights there, come back for one final night in San Fran before heading home. The thing is, this involves THREE airport visits and to be honest sounds a little impractical and tiring.:shock:

The other thought I had was to shorten our LA stay by a day or two, hire a car and drive to Los Vegas, spend two nights, drive back to LA to then drive up the West Coast on highway 1, spend a night in San Louis Obispo, and finish in San Fran. This sound better but I'm wondering if it will be stressful, and how much fuel will cost. Maybe there's a nice little route we could take from Los Vegas to San Fran that includes highway 1 and avoids LA?

I like this idea better as it doesn't involve multiple airport trips or doubling back too much, but do you have any better idea on how to include a couple of nights in Las Vegas and a drive up the West Coast?

Thanks!