US Airways/ oneworld /LHR

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  • Anonymous
    Guest

    peter19
    Participant

    Afternoon All,

    I’m looking at some flights flying from Scotland to LHR, LHR to maybe PHL then PHL onto destination…. I have a couple of options with routing. I’m a Ba silver so looking at some available routes as part of the US airways/ American Airlines merger.
    Am I right in saying as part of the current merger they are running both Loyalty schemes (as stated here on BT in the news) until full changeover so i will be eligible for normal tier + miles on all sectors if i were to book a mixed bag with some flights operated by US Airways?

    I have not flown with US Airways so has anybody experience in general or of their lounges at LHR or PHL?

    Its likely i will try get the first 2 sectors on BA but have some AA /us airways options to consider.


    ZKSmith
    Participant

    Regarding the US Airways experience:
    They use the Star Alliance lounge in T1, and will do until they join One World on 31 March. After that date I would expect them to share BA’s international lounge in T1. Perhaps someone else on this site will know more regarding this? At this time there is no news on their expected move to T3.

    The US Airways Clubs at PHL are okay. Comfortable seating, plenty of power sockets, fast Wi-Fi, work stations, a reasonable choice of newspapers and a few magazines, and a few basic snacks and drinks. Spirits or premium wines cost extra. No proper dining options. In short, very similar to most AA or UA lounges.

    You haven’t mentioned what class you will be travelling in. Envoy (US Airway’s business class) is pretty good. The food is nice, decent portions, but far from Michelin star standard. Wines are usually quite cheap. They operate fewer FAs than some airlines so the service may be a little slow at times. That said, in my experience the FAs are usually okay. The entertainment has a good choice of movies, a selection of new releases and classic films; and a few TV shows. The amenity kit is fine, nothing special. The best thing about US Airways is the seat, comfy fully flat beds in a reverse herringbone layout. An older version of CX and AA new seats, the seat surroundings is all plastic and feels a bit cheap, and lacks much storage space, but the seat itself is superb.

    You mention you will be connecting on to your final destination from PHL. Connecting at PHL is not too bad if you’re next flight is on a mainline US Airways flight, but transferring from Terminal A to Terminal F (where US Airways Express flights depart from) can be a nightmare. Allow plenty of time if this is the case.

    Their short haul service is very basic, no entertainment, although many of their aircraft have Wi-Fi; basic food in first class and only drinks in economy (snacks and meals can be bought).

    Hope this helps.
    Regarding the miles situations with US/AA/BA, I’m not sure. Hopefully someone else on the site can help you there.


    peter19
    Participant

    ZKSmith,

    Thanks very much for the informative response its exactly what I need!

    The last connecting flight is US airways express if i picked the route so thanks for the heads up at PHL.

    It would be useful to know the miles situation if anybody can advise on this.

    Thanks again

    Peter


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    The mileage programmes remain separate for now, but from 31 March and US’s integration into oneworld, you can have mileage on US flights credited to any oneworld FF account. More info at http://www.aa.com/arriving, click on the link to FAQs at the bottom left of the page


    peter19
    Participant

    I just wanted to drop a note back on this with a couple pointers and my experiences of the trip after the advice from above. I am currently flying back to the UK now with a 5 hour wait in PHL to LHR. My trip was delayed a couple months so the integration of US into One world is no longer an issue.

    -Booking i did via AA as BA couldn’t route in the last sector and the price was cheaper.
    -Heading out and arriving at PHL was slow getting though the airport customs but the bus to F was pretty efficient.
    -The BA lounge at PHL is on a summer schedule – it opens from 3PM so i went up to the US Airways club lunge for a couple hours to find a relaxing seat. There isn’t much in the A West terminal to look at, shop or even walk about. Half the shops were closed at 1PM in the afternoon when walking from B to A.
    – Moved to the BA lounge now where its serving what sounds like a decent Buffet menu from 4PM so its all good. The other benefit is i don’t have to ask for a drink and can free flow. I find this more relaxing on a long wait!

    Cheers.


    pheighdough
    Participant

    I’ve recently come back from a US Airways trip routing LHR-CLT-ALB-CLT-LHR and I found the whole experience very nice. Envoy on the A330 was pleasant, not as nice as some carriers but nice nonetheless. Food and beverages were adequate The connection through CLT was easy and for US standards quite efficient. The domestic legs to/from ALB were OK, but nothing special.
    The return leg was alright and I managed a good sleep. The cabin crew left me alone which is all i wanted.


    IanFromHKG
    Participant

    CLT is a nice hub addition for oneworld. A light and airy central concourse, and generally friendly staff. Does need more food options though…


    TominScotland
    Participant

    peter19

    Thanks for your input on USAirways. Given that you are based in Scotland, I wondered whether you had considered the GLA – PHL summer seasonal flight. I used it a couple of years ago (admittedly in Economy) and was not over impressed but have been looking at it again for a reward flight in October as availability seems to be OK.


    BrianRoberts45
    Participant

    US Airways now fly direct from both GLA and EDI to PHL, so why would you put yourself through the hassle and waste of time flying through LHR? These services will only survive if people in Scotland support them. And the good news is that US is a great airline to fly with, and has really upped its game in the last couple of years.


    peter19
    Participant

    Good morning TominScotland/BrendanKirrane,

    On this occasion it was a business trip and I’m based in Aberdeen so fly out of ABZ. This obviously saves the travel to EDI or GLA via car.

    However, it is great though that these routes are offered from 2 Scottish airports and i hope people do support them. Its a shame we don’t see some more routes like this operating out of Aberdeen.


    ZKSmith
    Participant

    Big negative about US Airway’s direct Scotland to PHL services is that they are operated on old 757s. No fantastic Envoy Suite, but steeply angled seats, really more like an old cradle style seat, with a reduced choice on the IFE when compared to A330s.

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