On a recent trip to London, I made a mistake. The choice then became how we all get to London and the answer was: separately.
My Mistake: Positioning Flight
Award space is hard to come by and for this trip we needed five seats, not four in business class. I have remarked in recent weeks about whether or not my entire family has to or should fly in the same cabin but that’s for a future trip and this one was already booked. We found those four seats plus one for an absolute steal on Virgin Atlantic at 35,000 + $225/passenger from Boston to London.
However, getting to Boston would require a positioning flight. In the past, my habit has been to position us in the city the night before, just in case something came up. However, with Frankie (our two-year old) in the mix and a lot of luggage for a longer trip, the trek in and out of the city was more arduous than it normally would be. We also wanted to reduce our transit time with him as he is very different from his docile sister.
I had a choice between JetBlue at 2 pm giving us more than seven hours in Boston on the day of travel, or just under four hours. Boston to Pittsburgh is blocked at 1:45 and that seemed to be an overestimate based on recent examples of actual take-off and landings. I felt that nearly four hours in the airport was enough, and about the right amount of time to manage him before we were all too exhausted to think.
However, since our award redemption and positioning flight were separate bookings (there was no availability to add a comparable flight on Virgin’s 49% shareholder and partner, Delta) I’d need to reclaim the bags and recheck them.
As you might imagine, things did not go as planned. Our outbound from Pittsburgh began delaying early in the day. The delays grew nearly all day long with updates about every 30 minutes, though the delays were not egregious until we arrived at the airport and checked our luggage.
An hour delay already, we started shopping backup options while we sat at Pittsburgh International Airport. Virgin Atlantic made it clear that moving the flight, assuming there was availability, would result in $500 minimum ($100/passenger) plus additional miles and “taxes and fees.” The best the carrier could reasonably achieve for us was $2000 total in additional cash and another 122,500 miles plus the change fee. And that was from New York, requiring further adjustments.
Jumping to the Boston flight on Delta, which was tracking on-time and would be able to get us there with enough cushion to make it work, was 126,000 points more and $28. The non-stop on British Airways was $2900 for the five of us one-way booked the same day of travel in coach.
American Airlines could get us all there in business class using my eVIP upgrades the same night via Charlotte for $1500 but we were already too late to make the last flight to Charlotte, and we would still have to get our bags back from JetBlue to make it happen. We could also fly American the next day from Boston with all five of us clearing for a little less and that seemed to be the best plan and a solid backup. We decided to carry onward to Boston and stay the course.
We were excited about trying out JetBlue since I recently became a Mosaic member on a status challenge, and this was to be my first flight on a new aircraft type for me, the Airbus A220.
We boarded the plane and it would be a mad dash to make our flight but I should’ve had about 30 minutes to retrieve the luggage from Terminal C, and re-check it at nearby Terminal E. A tight timeline but not impossible.
The aircraft was buttoned up, ready to go, and then we sat on the tarmac and delayed a further hour at the gate because the air cart at Pittsburgh failed to work properly. The Boston flight scheduled to depart 90 minutes after our original departure time pushed calmly back from the gate next to us, an E-190. Apparently, our A220 couldn’t start the engines on its own and we sat there another 60 minutes before pushing back.
We made up some time in the air, but the goose was cooked halfway through the flight and it was a certainty we would miss our cut off time to recheck the luggage.
But then, an alternate plan was hatched.
Sophie’s [Kyle’s] Choice
We had a few problems to sort out by missing our departure flight. We had already done the research and knew how much it would cost us financially to fly the next day but there were additional annoyances. We would lose all of the miles we had already used on Virgin (totally fair on their part, they didn’t have time to re-sell the seats) and the “taxes and fees” (save for the actual taxes which would be refundable). On top of that we’d lose a night at the Park Hyatt London River Thames in our coveted suite.
Additionally, due to limited availability at the time, we would either settle for a low grade airport hotel which would make the stay in Boston absolutely miserable, or we would pay through the nose for a pair of last minute rooms plus transport into the city, and the hassle of claiming the bags, loading them into a car, out of the car at the hotel, and back into a car, then back to the airport the next day. It wouldn’t be much normally, but four checked bags plus five carry-ons and a stroller is a nightmare with two young kids.
Then it occurred to me that we didn’t all need to miss the flight. I would never send my wife and kids over the water last minute without me. We are a close family unit and that would be hard to do and even harder on my wife to manage. But with an extra family member adult in-tow, it was a rare proposition: my family could run to the gate, and I could run for the luggage. If I could somehow miraculously claim and re-check it would be easier for me to go through security alone than everyone together. Additionally, if I couldn’t make it, my wife would still have the extra help, and they could make their flight while I stayed back with the luggage and came the next day.
We were debating until landing, but at that point, we weren’t even sure they could get on the plane, let alone me with the luggage and back through security.
In the end, we tried for it anyway.
The C gates at Boston Logan International Airport and the E gates are approximately 37 miles apart, or so I am told. They ran, and I mean ran, the whole way, as did I to baggage claim. Our bags came off second (all in a row, one after the other) and I called to see about their progress. They were at the gate, and the flight had already closed, though not the door. They had gotten a supervisor to re-open and allow them onboard – nice work, Virgin – but sadly, it would be impossible for me to make it.
They were headed to London, I was headed to an airport Hampton Inn. There will be no review on that property. Ever.
All Is Well That Ends Well
From baggage claim, I booked my hotel, and by the time I hit the taxi lane, I had booked my flight for the next night from Boston on a non-stop to ensure there was no chance I’d misconnect and lose the very things I had stayed behind to collect. I could have jumped in the back of a British Airways daytime flight but it was just shy of $700 plus the hotels and the taxis, for coach. I would also have to pay for an extra bag even as a oneworld Emerald because I was traveling with four and not three pieces.
In the end, I opted for the American Airlines flight the next night and missed the first day of our trip but was able to join them shortly there after, all of our luggage by my side.
I missed out on Virgin Atlantic’s new closed-door business class on the A330-NEO. Other than that, I was able to use my eVIP to upgrade a $284 basic economy one-way on American to business class with less than 24 hours to departure. My family still got to sample the product (they loved it), got settled into London, and I got a lobster roll in Boston. A win considering the conditions.
Conclusion
This was my mistake. Flight delays happen and JetBlue’s two and a half hour delay was not significant, it happens on every carrier. I shouldn’t have cut it that close, and in the end, it worked out just fine. In the future, I will either position a day earlier as I had in the past or much earlier in the day. I was happy my family carried on, grateful for the help from our family member traveling with us, and proud that my family was able to run through the endless Boston Logan in a Home Alone-style mad dash and get on the plane.
Have you had an experience like this?
Actually the mistake is dragging a 2 year old across the world for your own selfish decisions. The child will never remember the trip.
But you aren’t alone, I see it at Disney all the time as well. Dragging a kid on a trip that they don’t or can’t enjoy for the enjoyment of the parents and older kids. I’m sure they all are a “close family unit” as well.
Hopefully you don’t book nonsense like this for the suckers you fleece daily with your crew of dreamer kids that wanted to live the luxurious life of a “travel agent” while checking their conscious at the door.
The mistake would have been prioritizing a 2 year old’s capacity to “enjoy” a trip over the needs and desires of the rest of the family. Choosing not to travel because of some arbitrary criteria is a bugaboo that leads many people to never travel and the world is a poorer place for it.
Or, you could have been actually practical and bought tickets when traveling with a family instead of complicated positioning flights that are best left for one person or a couple at most. When you make bad choices expect bad results.
Um. Reading this post is exhausting and anxiety producing. While I am happy you all were reunited at some point, with wife, 2 kids, sitter and a truckload of luggage…maybe it’s time to rethink things. Tight schedules might not be your friend for a couple years.
BOS-LHR is a 6 hours flight. Not worth all this mess just to fly business class on such a short flight. With kids and luggage, take an easier route, non stop from Pittsburgh or much easier connection somewhere else. The idea of spending a night at a cheap hotel at an airport for positioning to your next flight with a 2 year old is the worst possible.
@Santastico … Best would be MSP to LHR in 8 hours , and avoid BOS .
Also , ORD to LHR on BA with multiple flights , also 8 hours .
My point is that going over all this mess just to fly business class for 6 hours is stupid in my opinion. Parents wanted that. Kids couldn’t care less. I have taken that BOS-LHR before. It is painful. By the time meal service is done and they turn lights off so you think you can rest, it is basically time to prepare for landing in London. When I had kids this age I would always prioritize convenience vs anything else. There was absolutely nothing convenient about this plan here. Spend a night at an airport hotel to position for your next flight is the last thing I wanted to do with a 2 year old. If I leave my home, I want to get to my final destination as soon as possible to kick off my trip and not waste time crossing the US just to say I flew business class for 6 hours. That’s why I rather fly in a middle seat in coach non stop than play around to fly business class. Flying non stop to Europe is a binary option: 1) All goes as planned and I arrive in Europe 2) Nothing goes as planned and I take a Uber back home and sleep on my bed. Once you arrive in Europe, even if you don’t land at your final destination, the options to get to your final place are endless. Many flights, train, car.
I’m curious – why the opposition to breaking up the connection with a night in an airport hotel? I get the preference in wanting to deal with a potential misconnect in Europe, and we’re lucky in that there’s nonstops to pretty much every major city over there from DFW, but an overnight before taking the connection where there’s no option has always worked well when traveling with my family. Leave home at a reasonable hour, no need to stress if there’s a delay, have a nice dinner in the connecting city, get a good night’s sleep, get to the airport at a reasonable hour the next day for the long-haul flight. Yes, if things go belly-up on the long-haul, I”ll have to find my way back to DFW, but that’s pretty easy from pretty much any domestic location.
I think you answered your own question. “taking the connection where there’s no option” There were options to not take a connection and there were probably tons of options to not need to overnight at an airport hotel. I guess it is all about preference but I just can’t see myself leaving my home to enjoy a trip to Europe and start that by spending a night at a cheap airport hotel somewhere in the US. I mentioned before, in my case, if I leave my house I want to get to my final destination asap and not be spending a night somewhere in between. Now, there are many people that do not have an option as they live in small towns with limited flight options so they may not have a choice but when you live in Pittsburgh, choices to make your life easier are abundant.
Haven’t you learn from reading thier posts. Parents from this blog are all narcissist.
And the little boy is pointing at my jet! The Airbus A220! Great airplane, too!
I tend to agree with santastico. It’s just not worth it sometimes to fly biz class. In a very short flight like that it’s lights off 2hrs after boarding and lights on two hours before landing. Brutal. To Asia or Australia I get it but just not worth all the positioning etc to fly to London. I had first class AA flights once for the family with a connection from Chicago to nyc. I sat back and thought why am I wasting 350k points on this. Flew Icelandic with a 36hr stopover in Reykjavik instead. Coach. Took off at like 10pm from Ord. Kids slept for a few hours and we had a great time in Iceland.
Bingo!! For me it takes a bit longer to get to Europe but depending on the type of trip I skip business to London because it makes no sense to pay that much for so little.
Damn, Kyle is taking in the a$$ in these comments worse than Aaron in leather on a Saturday night at Pulse pre 2016.
Only on your nights off, dear.
Douchebag Dave Edwards, proving with your every comment that your nickname is absolutely accurate and completely deserved and that you have nothing better to do with your pathetic waste-of-oxygen life than to post abhorrent and revolting comments here over and over again every single day. Thank you for confirming once again that you and other MAGAs are stupid hateful racist morons. Trolling or not, the extent and frequency of your comments are indicative of severe psychiatric and/or addiction problems. Your insults, undoubtedly projection, speak much more to your (lack of) character than to anyone (on these anonymous comments) you attack. You should crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out from you SHPOS.
Kyle I do thank you for this post and your work. My comment was only a reflection on my experience when life changes for a while as the family grows. All the best. Maryland
Thank you for sharing your experience.
I’ve gone through the logistics option calculations before and it is exhilarating and draining simultaneously. Sounds like you found a good solution.
I’m a huge proponent of positioning, nesting, stacking and the rest, but there is just no way I’d tow toddlers and a family around doing that kind of stuff – at least not without huge buffers. Like 2-3 day buffers. Doing this with two healthy adults is one thing – and can sometimes become a total palava if something goes wrong, but to do so with kids and all the stuff that goes with them? That’s just an absurdity.
Yeah, the comments are weird. It’s a travel blog. Thanks for sharing Kyle.
That being said with so many people (including young kids), four hours on a separate ticket, yeah, what were you thinking. You did get off lucky.