Thanks. I have MR, UR and TYPs, Also, lots of AA miles.
Just an aside on this itinerary...Things may have changed, but to get to Bhutan (Paro, specifically), you will need to fly Druk Air or the relative newcomer, Bhutan Airlines. Last I checked Druk didn't have agreements with other airlines. I would be surprised if there were a way to fly business on points on either of those...unless you have Tashi miles for Bhutan Airlines. There used to be no competition into this airport and only Druk flew there. It is one of the most treacherous landings on the planet and only a few pilots are able to do it. Also, be aware that sometimes the planes cannot get in if the conditions are not perfect. I got stuck there because the Druk plane from Calcutta could not land in Paro.
Yes, I was going to book the DEL-PBH leg separately and only want to fly Business up till Delhi.
Yes, you will need to do that and have to recheck bags in Delhi. Travel light if you can because you may be stuck in Delhi overnight with your bags until the flight in the morning. The flight schedules are fixed and not always very convenient. I went through BKK and had that experience. ORD to DEL is a tough flight. Flew it back when AA had that route.
@smittytabb! You need to find a way to toggle your travel map so you can show us the short list of only the places you HAVEN'T been! Very impressive!!
Thanks @knick1959. I am a pretty serious adventurer...If you want to see where I haven't been, I will put up my TheBestTraveled map on here if I can. It breaks the world into regions and I have a LOT left to do! It's a competitive bunch over there and while I am in the top 300 in the world on that site, I can claim to be in the top 5 of American women travelers there.
Good to know, thank you.
Is DEL a must-do? Otherwise there are one-stop itineraries from ORD > CCU on Qatar and Etihad (using your AA points) and Cathay (can tfr TYP and MR to their AsiaMiles program). Then a daily flight from CCU > PBH. Cathay can have fuel surcharges in the neighborhood of $400-$500, last time I checked, but maybe an option would be to just pay for the biz tickets using points and then ask your employer to cover the fuel surcharges. Just thinking out loud.
Thanks. It gives me an option I didn't think about, though I might not be able to use my full 2k allowance and will have to spend a considerable number of miles, if I do this.. I am not tied to DEL but would prefer it over others.
Yeah, looks like Feb is too cold for Bhutan. Maybe March then.
They will reimburse the cost of a comparable economy flight for the same flight/airline and dates, up to 2k. The BA option sounds attractive - thank you.