The frugal trip home for the December holidays

One of the things that really bites about working in Europe is that the airlines know you want to come home to America for the holidays and price their flights accordingly. For a few years I was very lucky as the company paid for me to go home as an expat. When I transferred my employment contract to Europe I lost that benefit, but gained extra vacation, so it all comes out in the wash.

Recapping the past few years of holiday travel:

• 2008 - DUS to EWR with Lufthansa (Newark baby!)
• 2007 - DUS - FRA - PHL, PHL - FRA - CGN -with USAir on miles.

I was extremely displeased with USAir's lack on service on this one. The best was when I went to confirm 72 hours in advance and they told me--we cancelled the DUS to FRA leg.

Funny, you didn't call to tell me this. So how to I get to my Frankfurt flight?
We cancelled the DUS to FRA leg. (yes, it was a German agent!)
(Sigh) Give me a supervisor please.

The trip was further riddled with incompetence, including the return leg when USAir's International counter wouldn't check me in because the trip was on miles and Domestic wouldn't check me in because it was an International flight. This is why I go to the airport 3 hours early, because USAir is the most incompetent airline and I needed to wait in various lines for 2.5 hours with everyone passing me off elsewhere, unable or unwilling to do anything. There is no customer service desk in Philly, only a 1.800 number. P*sspoor, and never again on USAir, or even a codeshare which is flying on USAir flights.

Moving on...

• 2006 Cologne to Newark with miles (direct!) back in the day when they were running this route.

I did this one a few times that year, and I loved it. Cologne isn't really set up for US flights, so it was goofy, their workarounds to keep the passengers who already cleared security, um, secure. It involved handing your passport to an agent to leave the area to use the toilet because they had blocked off a previously open area, so you needed to be secured again upon leaving.

The only issue with this one was that the route obviously wasn't making enough cash, so they started to cut back from 7 days a week, then 5, then 4...my outgoing was cancelled and the Continental people worked with me to find a decent replacement as I was rather set on my outgoing day. They re-routed me from CGN-EWR to CGN-Paris-PHL on AirFrance. It was the closest I ever came to missing an international flight, because Paris on December 18 was chaotic and we were late incoming. I was the second to last person to walk on the flight, having gone through the last security, and taking off on a run in stocking feet.

***
I was looking forward to moving to the UK because the increased competition on the London to New York market ensured that I'd be paying less than I did from Germany where Lufthansa runs the show. In addition, Open Skies has ruffled the market up a little.

I've been hemming and hawing on booking a flight over the past few months watching the prices go up and down. I was expecting to have to pay over 400 GBP for decent dates. Prices were reaching into the high 500's.

The negotiable items:
-Return date is flexible. Usually I try for Dec 31 because it's hella cheaper than the days around it, and I'm not so big on New Year's partying.
-Philly or Newark or Allentown airports are all possible.
-I can do any London area airport.
-I don't terribly mind connections.

The constraints:
-Dec 17th is the earliest I can leave.
-If I'm coming into Philly or Newark and getting someone to pick me up, I need aim for socialable times (non-rush hour, not post 10 PM, etc.)
-I need to keep in mind the Septa (Philly train) and Amtrak (Newark train) times. A 6 AM departure from Newark can't really be accomodated.

• The best option was looking to be AirFrance for 388 GBP, with a 1 hour 5 minute connection. (ho-ho-ho, I had 0% faith of making that connection.)
• Our neighbors to the North, AirCanada, had a nice selection for 398 GBP, with plenty of flights out of London to Toronto, and then multiples from Toronto to Newark. It became a little pricier for Philly, but I actually like to clear US Customs in Canada. Queues aren't too bad.
• BMI offered as direct to Philly, but it was USAir planes. No thanks.
• United had plenty of options that would ship me halfway across the US in the process. Chicago, Washington Dulles. I got sidetracked here, trying to see what the worst connection was that I could make for a limited cost. (London-Dulles-White Plains, New York-Philly or London-Chicago-Dulles-Newark for 434 GBP seemed to be the winners on that front)
• I checked Air India, for the London-Newark option

What was the final outcome?

I happened to catch a really cheap option on TAP Portugal, which goes London to Lisbon to Newark with superb connections and a nice return time from Newark, on the absolute perfect days. The only negative--it leaves Heathrow at 06.00. OK, for 313 GBP (including all taxes and everything), I cannot complain.