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How American Airlines And I Survived The British Airways Strike Together

And now, in the spirit of holiday travel, a rant from Jaunted writer Omri Ceren, who has spent the last week riding an emotional roller coaster thanks to the called off British Airways strike and his complex flight plans. Do enjoy his story:

Many of you have been following with interest my ongoing and frustrating odyssey to book a winter trip using only American Airlines miles. It's not really "many of you" as much as "three or four" and it's not really "interest" as much as "idle curiosity." Still, there are a couple lessons to be drawn from the final itinerary: LAX-SOF, SOF-TLV, TLV-LHR, LHR-LAX for 80K miles plus fees and taxes.

The initial itinerary was uneven—seats that I thought were available weren't and I couldn't get a SOF-TLV flight even though oneworld partners fly that route—but it was what it was. Then the British Airways strike was announced, which led to this series of phone calls, the tips that came out of the experience, and an itinerary that included a bus ride from Heathrow to Gatwick and an overnight in the Budapest Airport. Then the strike got called off and I tried to get my original itinerary back, which is where this little Teaching Moment picks up.

First, I'd like to thank the US Mint for providing what until now has been the easiest way to convert credit into miles and then back again. They've closed that loophole so now you're advised to seek out branded debit cards. Second, this trip couldn't have been created without American Airlines one-way awards booking. More on that below.

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