Business class airfare sale

Thanks, Stephen. I have 2 questions: Does anyone know how long the sale lasts? And how long does it take to get from Heathrow to Gatwick, including time to clear security, customs, etc?

Thanks again.

I think you have to book by midnight, 11/28. Heathrow to Gatwick is a minimum of 3 hours for a valid connection. I would feel a lot better with 4+ hours. Also, Emirates has a fantastic sale going on. JFK to Milan for 2 people in economy for $790, total. I am not sure about the dates, but I don't think you will be able to fly during the summer. I think it's valid through May and then picks back up in September. I think this deal ends tomorrow (11/27).

Jane,
This is directly from the Points Guy site. Travel dates are from December 10 through January 14, 2017, and again from June 20 through August 29, 2017, so this could be a good option for summer travel to Europe.

Read more: http://thepointsguy.com/2016/11/deal-alert-oneworld-business-europe-1389/#ixzz4RA2iptID

Be careful booking flights with a transfer between Heathrow and Gatwick. We did it once (US west coast to Venice) on British Airways and it was really stressful.. The time gap was 4 hours and we made it (using the bus) but it was not a fun way to start a vacation.

Okay, if we change our Village Italy tour to late June, we can get business class tickets for about $250 more than coach tickets in early June. Looks good to me! I know some people will say it's too hot then, but heat doesn't bother us.

I'll check with DH to be sure it works for him, and then call RSE to be sure there are still spaces on the later tour.

Thanks for your helpful suggestions. Sasha, we were not happy with the idea of changing airports in London, but the flight was cheaper and the leaving time more convenient. If we leave a couple of hours earlier in the day, we don't have to change airports.

Debra, I don't know why I didn't think about planning to go later in the summer. Thanks for the heads-up.

Jane---if the deadline for booking the sale price is midnight on 11/28, that is likely midnight in the UK for British Airways. That is 4 pm tomorrow in California. Why wait until tomorrow to call Rick Steves office? The website shows all Village Italy June tours as open to signup--no "filling fast" notation. If you want the sale price on the tour ($100 discount) you have to sign up by 11/30, so why not do it now? The airline sale fares can sell out. . . So you could lose out by waiting til tomorrow.

Sasha, you're right! I didn't think about the time difference. We'll double check our calendars to make sure we don't have anything pressing on the later dates, then sign up for the plane tickets.

We're already booked on a VI tour in early June, so we have our discount already. You're right again; it looks like there are still plenty of spaces available, but I need to call the office to change our dates. I would hate to lock in plane tickets and then discover there's no room on the tour. We've also already reserved a hotel for before the tour in Padua, but that shouldn't be hard to change.

Someone from RSE told me once that the status changes to "Filling Fast" when there are four or fewer slots left. So unless a family group sneaks in before we can call the office, we should be okay. I'll probably go ahead and risk it, if the status stays "Sign up now."

Thanks again.

Edit:

It also occurs to me that if I sign up for the later plane tickets today (Sunday,) I can email RSE, letting them know I'll be calling Monday morning to change my tour dates.

Whoo-hoo! Just booked 2 business class seats on BA Tulsa - Venice; Milan - Tulsa. And I'm sending an email to RSE, and will call them tomorrow morning to change our tour.

Thank you Stephen, Debra, and Sasha. We flew business class last year on a similar deal (Thanks to Stephen, again) and were hooked. Now, as long as some group doesn't fill up that tour before tomorrow morning...

Good for you! We are "hooked" on biz class too, but fly with miles. So worth it to hit the ground running.

Looks like late June on the VI tour is still wide open. Who is going to book in the middle of the night? But call first thing in the am to be sure.

As soon as they open ... We're on Central Time, so I'll have to wait until after 11:00.

The later date actually works out better for us; there are several activities we were going to have to miss with the earlier date. The only thing we'll be missing now is July 4, but hey, I can deal with it. They do let you take fireworks on the plane, right? ;-)

Just changed our tour dates... No problem; it took about 5 minutes. Hooray!

Glad it all worked out!

Thanks, Stephen!