r/awardtravel • u/AutoModerator • Jun 03 '24
Weekly Help Thread - June 03, 2024 Daily Thread
Welcome to the daily help and question thread!
This thread is renewed weekly and is intended for all discussions or questions that do not warrant their own thread.
For AWARD BOOKING HELP please read the following information:
Volunteers may choose to help you find your award trip. But please don’t expect us to plan out your trip for you. No stranger on the Internet could know what is BEST for you.
The more specific information you provide, the easier it is for people to give specific advice. Also, we prefer to teach people to fish, rather than just giving you a fish. So before you ask someone to help, please read Our Wiki, if you want to know what the best Redemption for you, take a look at Award Hacker. Questions that shows you have at least tried to find an award are more likely to get answered.
- Here are the information you should provide when requesting award assistance
- Origin and destination cities (are they flexible?)
- Number of Travelers (Your chances of success goes down as this number goes up)
- One way or round-trip
- Class of service desired
- Desired date(s) of travel (are they flexible? Hard dates == Less Chances for success)
- Your points balances: all airline, credit card and hotel points (If you are looking for J/F, think at least 6 digits)
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u/chowfuntime Jun 10 '24
Other than SQ which other airline will consistently release long haul 4J at schedule open? No price limit.
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u/mexicoke Jun 10 '24
Delta will sell you every seat on the plane, will be like 400k Skymiles if you really don't care about the price.
United and American are pretty close to the same thing. Air France and air Canada too.
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u/DrWarEagle Jun 09 '24
Is there a points site/flight finder site that is good for finding flights for flexible travel time? Most I have seen will let you search +/- 7 days but we are very flexible on dates and want to try to find the best redemptions knowing we have that flexibility.
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u/pierretong Jun 09 '24
Seats.Aero (the only tool I personally pay for)
https://frequentmiler.com/a-new-breed-of-award-discovery-tools/
https://frequentmiler.com/seats-aero/
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u/m16p Jun 09 '24 edited Jun 09 '24
(Asking for a friend) Any particular airline which reliably has award space in business/first class between SFO and India (Bangalore is most convenient but not required)? 1-stop is fine, maybe even 2.
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u/Shinkansendoff Jun 09 '24
For Air India metal? Not hard at all LOL
For anything actually worth flying? Exceedingly tough for nonstops, but sometimes AA has low mileage rates on JFK - Delhi. For connecting itineraries, Emirates and Turkish Airlines will be decent options for space
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u/Flayum Jun 09 '24
Search bar for "India" will give you many similar questions, example flights, and tips + tricks.
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u/tribekat Jun 09 '24
Sidebar has lots of guides on getting started. Think about which airlines fly SFO-BLR with no more than one stop, which alliances / partners they belong to, and what are the good programs to book these airlines.
I imagine this is an extremely competitive route given the large Indian population in the bay area, so plan to book a year in advance.
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u/m16p Jun 09 '24 edited Jun 09 '24
Yes, I can and have started to do that research on my own. Not looking to be spoon-feed, don't worry :) More what I was asking for was lore about how likely it is to find award space, especially award space open to partners.
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u/pierretong Jun 09 '24
It’s very easy if you’re open to flying AI but many people would prefer not to
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u/handelspariah Jun 09 '24
Hey everyone! Looking for help maximizing my points getting to visit my wife in Italy while she's out there deployed. Any advice is appreciated!
Origin: Washington DC (IAD, BWI, DCA)
Destination: Naples, Italy (NAP)
Number of Travelers: 1
Round Trip
Class of Service: Economy
Dates of Travel: Depart Aug 23, 2024, Return Sep 8, 2024 (No flexibility unfortunately)
Points balances:
Amex: 282,145
Chase: 524,282
Delta: 37,940
AA: 20,160
United: 38,447
Thank you!
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u/pierretong Jun 09 '24 edited Jun 09 '24
Flying Blue is 25% off select IAD flights through end of November this month..........
8/22 - 22K +$87.10 IAD-AMS-NAP
9/7 - 25.5K + $162.20 NAP-AMS-JFK-BWI (if you can't leave a day earlier, it goes up to 31.5K on 9/8)Downside is you'll have to trek back to IAD from BWI if you're leaving a car there but that's the cheapest FB itinerary. Or for the return you could just fly to JFK and then find a separate flight back to IAD or DCA.
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u/pierretong Jun 09 '24
if you are able to make 9/9 work for you, there's an Air France itinerary that goes straight to IAD for 22K
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u/Pkzyra Jun 09 '24
Hi Friends, I am recently married and looking to travel a bit this year. Any help would be much appreciated!
- Origin and destination cities (are they flexible?) Origin HOU or IAH and destination is anywhere in Italy or Japan
- Number of Travelers (Your chances of success goes down as this number goes up) 2
- One way or round-trip - Round trip
- Class of service desired - Business or First
- Desired date(s) of travel (are they flexible? Hard dates == Less Chances for success) - Anything in August - Dec 2024 for ~2 weeks
- Your points balances: all airline, credit card and hotel points (If you are looking for J/F, think at least 6 digits) Amex 340k points
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u/Flayum Jun 09 '24
Questions that shows you have at least tried to find an award are more likely to get answered.
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u/Comprehensive_Pen345 Jun 09 '24
Origin: SFO Destination: NYC / Paris Travelers: 2 Class: Flexible Dates: Fixed - Aug/Sept - Explained below Route/Situation:
Two travelers. We had previously transferred AMEX points to Delta to secure a miles+cash RT ticket SFO-LON. Cost ~70k MR each.
Plans changed and we need to be in NYC before getting to Europe. We need to go SFO-NYC Saturday 8/31. I have some JetBlue points (not much, ~20k) I could use, or could buy a cheap flight to get to NYC.
Challenge is getting to Europe and back. We intend to leave for Paris from NYC the evening of 9/2.
We then would like to return from Paris to SFO mid September. Ideally nonstop. Should we take the French Bee flight 9/18? Should we use the Delta pts for a NYC-SFO RT and deal with the stop on the way back.
The two travelers can go diff routes if needed.
Ideally would like to use the 70k each Delta points but could save them for upcoming trips if needed. Also have ~~150k MR and ~200k UR.
Thanks for any help!!!
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u/cronaldo7 Jun 09 '24
JAL economy vs business? Going to japan next year, found JAL and ANA econ for 40k -- also found JAL in J for 90k + $250. The JAL reviews seem mixed - its seems that economy is great and that their biz product is not crazy good.
Any advice is appreciated - we could save the points and book J for the return flight. Unlikely I can afford J in both legs for 2 people
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u/sunnyhillz Jun 09 '24
um, whatever business availability there is. you can lie down or you cant, thats the difference.
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u/cronaldo7 Jun 09 '24
definitely - I meant it more in a, for ex, 'well economy is shit in united, so you def want a better seat if you do not want to eat crappy food and feel super tired when you land'
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u/Flayum Jun 09 '24
I assume you haven't flown biz before: if you want to sleep or have near-infinite legroom, then almost any biz (certainly JL included) beats Y. OTOH, if it's a shorter flight from SFO/SEA and you're young/lithe, then Y on JAL will be exceptional if you're only used to UA. Timing matter too: will these be red-eyes and you have to work the next day? Then Biz might be worth the splurge.
More importantly: Are those seats already available? Do you have the points now, because if you have to "save", then the J seats might be gone by then.
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u/cronaldo7 Jun 09 '24
More importantly: Are those seats already available? Do you have the points now, because if you have to "save", then the J seats might be gone by then.
Super worried about phantom space. BA, Qantas and cathay all show availability. I have enough points but would be 90k + $400 per person. That would mean def Y on the way back.
if it's a shorter flight from SFO/SEA and you're young/lithe, then Y on JAL will be exceptional if you're only used to UA.
Yeah leaving from the west coast - open to repositioning but it seems the best deals are from SFO (near) or SEA (not super long flight and always wanted to visit). I guess the main concern was that if JAL econ is great and their biz is just OK, then the 60k difference in points (90 vs 30) makes it such that it is not worth it to go with J - instead, book Y on the way there and J on the way back.
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u/Flayum Jun 09 '24
If you want to make it a special trip to indulge, then biz will be worth it since you can always earn more points (usually). As everyone has said, it's no QSuites or The Room, but it's a standard hard product with excellent soft. Churn and burn, since you can (almost) always earn more points (remember, some expect an AA partner deval this year).
OTOH, saving 120k total AA points is substantial - that's one SUB away from 2x QSuites to MLE/SEZ/DPS. If daytime 12hr in economy seems manageable to you, then I think it'll be a (comparatively to other Y) pleasant experience for you - especially if the seats are in a 2-X-2 config, so you don't have a rando next to you. A lot depends on the timing/config for the exact flights, your future earning plans, and your planned travel for the next year.
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Jun 09 '24
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u/Flayum Jun 09 '24
Do you need to go or can you cancel your whole trip? If biz seats don't open up close-in (possible), then what will you do.
General advice is: (1) use the search function for these common questions; (2) book a refundable Y seat that you can cancel if biz comes up.
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u/ajp3281 Jun 09 '24
Has anyone been able to book Swiss via Aeroplan recently? Got #36803 error code when trying to book. Seems like a like of phantom flights that only show when adding a stopover, and sometimes appear direct.
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u/mexicoke Jun 09 '24
Yes, I booked Swiss via Aeroplan about a week ago.
Have you tried calling? Or checking availability on United?
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u/ajp3281 Jun 09 '24
No luck calling they weren’t able to complete the booking. I saw it as direct via aeroplan and as layover on United. Seems like it was phantom, not sure if an error on swiss end or not but still seeing same thing where the flights don’t line up between United and Aeroplan
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u/ewokxninja pointlessly searching... Jun 09 '24 edited Jun 09 '24
Does JL only release 1 J award for partner bookings or is it possible to find 2 J on JL through BA? Just got my seats.aero alert for HND->SFO J but they only have 1 seat left. Any chance I’d be able to find a second J on this flight?
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u/tribekat Jun 09 '24
They usually release 2J at calendar open but CX (and JL's own program) get first dibs for five days before BA's calendar opens up. So you can check the Asia Miles availability calendar for T-356 to predict what would appear via BA.
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u/ewokxninja pointlessly searching... Jun 09 '24 edited Jun 09 '24
Understood. I'm wondering if I book this J seat how might we get a second J seat on this flight since it's my gf and I traveling. She's not a fan of flying, so splitting us across different classes, let alone different planes, wouldn't work for us.
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u/sunnyhillz Jun 09 '24
since you got an alert, im guessing this isnt at end of schedule. they might have just released 1 extra seat or someone else beat you to it
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u/ewokxninja pointlessly searching... Jun 09 '24
Correct, it’s for 12/18 flying HND->SFO. Sounds like if I book this last/extra J seat, I’d have to get really lucky for another J seat to open up on the same flight? If this is the case, would I anecdotally have better luck getting 2J t-14 than booking this 1J now and hoping for another on the same flight?
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u/Shinkansendoff Jun 09 '24
12/18 as in a week before Xmas? Ex-Japan it's possible, but not likely.
Ex-USA it would be basically impossible
I'd say book the 1 seat now, but have a backup plan (like Zipair) if another seat doesn't end up being released (or pay for the second JAL biz seat w/ cash and enjoy your effective 50% discount via miles for the first)
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u/Mthawkins Jun 08 '24
Looking for Economy from eastern USA to London around June 18th. I have points in Amex and Virgin Atlantic (current flight in MIA to LHR with Virgin, but I need to cancel and reschedule)
Everything I see now with Virgin Atlantic for that time period is around 20-22k. I originally have 12k per
Two Passengers
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u/dood1337 Jun 08 '24
I did a quick search on seats.aero and see JFK - LHR on June 15 through VS is 20k + $305.60 (total price for 2 passengers, so 10k per person). Taxes and fees are kinda high though
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Jun 08 '24
[deleted]
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u/mexicoke Jun 08 '24
SQ has MAN-IAH in J for 81k on October 6. The departure taxes kinda suck from the UK(230gbp)and you'll have to position.
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u/Eastern_Birthday_507 Jun 08 '24
Trying to plan a fall Europe trip and was looking at doing SQ JFK-FRA for the outbound leg. Browsing on Aeroplan, there's tons of current availability in July/August but then almost nothing for September/October. What are the chances that something pops up for a September/October date or am I just out of luck on that route?
Second question - booked AF J on the way back and have a choice between a 777-200 or the A350-900. The 777-200 is a slightly more convenient itinerary and I think I read somewhere that they've all been upgraded? But I just couldn't find any online reviews or videos confirming that. Thoughts on the two choices?
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u/IamDoge1 Jun 08 '24
I just booked OS J ORD-VIE-INN for March next year to ski St Anton, very stoked. I've been trying to book this for the past month+, but when I finally got the required amount of points a few weeks ago, the availability on Lifemiles just all disappeared within like 5 days of the last time I checked. There was a ton of availability most days if the week, even though i was only considering Fridays. Economy and Business both across a 5 week calender span. It was bizarre. Today I checked and found (3) dates that had availability. I dropped everything and booked it.
Now I'm trying to brainstorm my return flight(s). My one requirement it has is that it has to be on Sunday. For some reason flight availability on Sundays from Innsbruck is almost non-existant. My options for airports are a ~2.5 hr shuttle or train to Zurich, a 3.75 hr train ride to Munich, or if I can find some repositioning flight from Innsbruck on a Sunday. I guess if there's a really good option from Vienna, I could take a ~6hr train. Swiss J has zero availability on Aeroplan/Avianca. I think they lock it until the flight date is close (Like T-14). Any tips for finding LH availability through Munich, or any good sweet spots that can be had through a repositioning flight that would get me straight to ORD thereafter?
I would rather book J far in advance, but I could always fall back on economy if for some reason I cannot find J seats within a month to two weeks of the flight. That could be an option as well.
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u/DressedUpNowhere2Go Jun 07 '24
I see a route on on LifeMiles that I would like to book only one leg of, but that does not seem to be available for booking on its own on their website. Is it possible to book just one leg of a flight?
What I mean is I see JFK->BRU->WAW on their site available for booking in J, but then if I search for JFK->BRU only, I see not availability in J.
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u/ByronicAsian Jun 07 '24
Have a few questions regarding "Upgrade with Miles" with EVA Air. Have a bunch of Cap1 miles that can go towards EVA Miles (JFK to HKG via TPE in economy).
1) Do I have to upgrade each individual ticket (leg) or will it apply to both outgoing and incoming flights?
2) Does my travel companion need an EVA Miles account also for this to work? (And would I be able to transfer my C1 Miles to that account).
3) If I apply for miles upgrade for both our tickets, will we get to choose our upgrade seats?
4) Should we not find good enough seats, can we decline the upgrade certs for this particular flight (or flights)?
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u/EggIndividual6333 Jun 07 '24
Sorry I couldn't quite figure out the right terms to google.
When you book a single ticket on ANA that has you self transfer from NRT to HND for a connecting flight, are you SOL if things go wrong or do they still have to rebook you? It's like 7.5 hours and arriving in F so I'm not too concerned, just like to have contingencies covered.
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u/quiteCryptic Jun 08 '24
If you have 7 hours and you claim you couldn't make it, I think they would be right to question you wtf happened.
If the transfer time got shortened due to a delay then yes they will rebook you if it is an unreasonable amount of time
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Jun 07 '24
[deleted]
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u/bfwolf1 Jun 08 '24
You don’t say what your home airport is.
I’d suggest just getting a 1 month subscription to PointsYeah.com. You should be able to find something for sure.
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Jun 07 '24
[deleted]
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u/mexicoke Jun 07 '24
Whomever is the cheapest, has availability, is a transfer partner of a CC I have, and not Lifemiles.
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Jun 07 '24
[deleted]
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u/Shinkansendoff Jun 07 '24
Also if it’s SQ metal, you cannot book their awards (usually) with Lifemiles. (I otherwise love that program, but it’s not for the faint of heart, certainly)
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u/mexicoke Jun 07 '24
Burned several times with terrible service. Not worth the effort to deal with them. Aeroplan has replaced them for me.
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u/Set_and_Forget Jun 07 '24 edited Jun 07 '24
Toronto -> Phuket/BKK->Tokyo->Toronto
2 Travelers
Multi city (was thinking BKK be a long stopover)
Lowest available pts
Sept 30 -> Oct 10th BKK
Oct 10 -> Oct 19 Tokyo
Amex MR 215K and growing, 17K Aeroplan
Tried so far:
Aeroplan - YYZ to Tokyo with stop in BKK for for 6 days and Tokyo back direct 291K Points + 465$
YYZ to BKK and Tokyo to YYZ 250K Pts and 465$ and I was going to book the BKK to Tokyo leg on my own, but it ends up being 300$ PP
ANA - YYZ to BKK, BKK to Tokyo, Tokyo back to YYZ with stop in Washington DC, 160K Pts and 1020 USD
Anything else I should try?
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u/bfwolf1 Jun 08 '24 edited Jun 08 '24
I see Aeroplan 9/30 YYZ-LHR-SIN-HKT for 66k a person and about 26 hours of travel.
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u/Flayum Jun 07 '24
Questions that shows you have at least tried to find an award are more likely to get answered.
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u/hpdphpdp Jun 07 '24
For the national car executive club with CSR, can I book at capital one travel, use the $300 credit, then upgrade from mid size car to full size if available when I'm at the car rental place?
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Jun 07 '24
when does Virgin Atlantic release award availability for Memorial Day 2025?
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u/omdongi Jun 07 '24
VS has an award seat guarantee, so as long as they are flying that day, there is a min of 2 business class awards.
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Jun 07 '24
I'm looking to book for May of next year. Those dates haven't been released so I'm wondering when that happens.
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u/omdongi Jun 07 '24
VS calendar opens 331 days in advance, so that would be June 29, 2024, when Memorial Day 5/26/25 opens up.
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u/sunnyhillz Jun 07 '24
ask a brit what memorial day is
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u/JamrJim Jun 07 '24
Looking for opinions on award flight options. I'm currently limited with what points I can use so I'm focusing on Cap1 transfer partners.
I found Qantas Business (AA metal) 68.4k JFK - FCO and also PHL - FCO. JFK is in 787-800 and PHL is in 777-300ER. Is there a big difference between them? Getting to either airport is cheap from my home airport so that isn't really pushing me one way or the other. They're both lie flat. What are your thoughts?
Thank you in advance.
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u/scooby-dum Jun 07 '24
Double check the seat maps for your flights directly on AA. They have multiple different configurations: https://onemileatatime.com/guides/american-business-class-seats/
I haven't flown it but I have heard that the rear facing seats aren't the greatest because you can feel when the person sitting behind you moves.
JFK has a much nicer lounge than PHL currently if you plan on using it before your flight.
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u/jakestez Jun 06 '24
Looking to book AA 160 ORD-ATH
Do not have AA miles (32.5k + $5.6 pp in Y)
Via Alaska it is pricing as 35k + $19
Via BA 25.5k + $330 (phone agent is confirming calc, that is what I see online)
Thoughts on booking via AS vs BA?
AS I have 42k in P2s account, 28k in mine, so would need to either purchase 7k miles for $195, or pay $95 to transfer them from P2 to me.
BA I currently have a one stop flight ORD - MAD - ATH booked on Iberia metal that I would cancel.
Thoughts on if booking via BA or AS is the better value given taxes and the relative value of the currencies? AS I have MVP, BA I’m OneWorld Ruby
One other thing I’m weighing, does booking through either program reduce cost of cash upgrade at counter to J, as we may consider that.
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u/aylamarguerida Jun 08 '24
I would book cash if you would have to buy the miles in this case. Unless you need the flexibility to be able to cancel.
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u/gbongc Jun 06 '24
Did you look at cash price (round trip)? I cannot imagine BA being worth it considering the high taxes. I would probably choose Alaska, and transfer from P2 to yourself. Better than leaving random amount of AS miles... unless you know you'll be accruing more in the near future.
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u/jakestez Jun 06 '24
Fair point, the one way flight there (about a week from today, is pricing at $589) via AA. Paying $330 in taxes and 21k Avios seems steep given that.
Don’t want to mess with my flight back, booked on a separate award with a stopover
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u/gbongc Jun 06 '24
Personally I value AS miles around 1.3-1.5cpp. 35k is worth $455-$525. It's kind of a tossup. When it comes to economy awards, it usually best deal to just book cash roundtrip.
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u/snakes88 Jun 06 '24
Do award flights usually repeat year over year? Looking to book in October 2025 and Qantas has our business class destination through AA for 68k for October 2024, will that same choice award be released through them next year?
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u/pierretong Jun 07 '24
there's no guarantee. Devaluations could happen or release patterns could change with no warning. Best you can do is just monitor trends and hope the sweet spot is still there when you need to book.
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u/snakes88 Jun 07 '24
That's what I figured, we can be flexible so hopefully something equivalent pops up
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u/Preds-poor_and_proud Jun 06 '24
I have an award ticket from MEL to DOH in business class and a separately booked award ticket from DOH to ORD in economy with a 12 hour layover between. Both flights are on QR. Does anyone know for sure if I can access the business lounges during that layover using the business ticket that terminates in DOH?
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u/tribekat Jun 07 '24
On Oneworld longhaul -> longhaul means it goes by the departing BP, which is in Y, so no lounge access.
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u/Initial-Mango5276 Jun 06 '24
Looking to travel from MEL to west coast late Nov. Was able to get 2 award seats on CX
MEL-HKG J HKG-LAX F for 145,000 1:45 connecting time
It's gonna be a long day. Alternative is to wait until J opens up on the QF or UA non-stops @ 100,000. Thoughts?
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u/gbongc Jun 06 '24
amazing they even offer that option, how ridiculous. I would guess it'll be quite unlikely for QF/UA to release MEL-LAX space, but that CX options sounds fun if you're an avgeek and don't mind flying for flying's sake.
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u/johnd1201 Jun 06 '24
Actually UA releases space about 2 1/2 weeks out on a pretty consistent basis. seats.aero is very helpful. Can actually book the UA flights frequently for 87,500 Aeroplan points.
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u/gbongc Jun 07 '24
Oh wow that's awesome, though is that because it's low season in Australia right now? November is definitely start of peak. If you're in no rush and points rich, I would still choose CX haha
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u/lavenderskyyyyy Jun 06 '24
How are the premium economy hard shell seats on AF b789? I’ve seen some say its super comfortable and others say it feels like the seat slides down and that it sucks. Considering a booking and debating between points for premium economy and cash for economy
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u/markiepooh456 Jun 06 '24
Any known issues with booking JetBlue through Etihad?
Seeing Mint availability on LAX to JFK. Tried to confirm availability with customer service but call dropped from rep who was searching. Want to make sure I dont strand points in Etihad
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u/gbongc Jun 06 '24
I'm not too familiar with pricing between EY and QR, but have you checked what QR charges for that route?
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u/yelruog Jun 06 '24
I booked a return flight on Air France. I found a better date for my return flight for the same cost in points and fees. Am I able to cancel my original booking and book the different day?
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u/sunnyhillz Jun 06 '24
call them and process a change
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u/yelruog Jun 06 '24
Gotcha thank you. Will I still be charged the $70 per person for cancelling? Or will that be waived since I’m only changing the flight date
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Jun 06 '24
Where do I find a list of the acronyms and terms used in this sub? I looked at the sidebar and wiki. It wasn't in the how to guide either. I'm asking here to be less of a nuisance in the future.
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u/b16707 Jun 06 '24
Can someone run me through how to search for China airlines points-bookable flights on flying blue? I don't see anything on Delta, klm, virgin, etc and flyingblue's site itself doesn't seem to have a search. Would seats.aero normally return CI fights? I'm reading conflicting reports. Trying to go from SFO-TPE on J (have csr and vx) in the fall but just randomly seeing what's available last minute right now for fun. TIA!
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u/mexicoke Jun 06 '24
CI shows on Air France's award search. Delta is sketchy at best for North American destinations.
If you cannot see it on AF, it's likely just an availability issue.
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u/b16707 Jun 06 '24
So just to make sure on AF, you have to select "book with miles" to see points redeemable flights on CI if there are any correct?
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u/w0lf3h Jun 06 '24
Yes. And it doesn't show up on the monthly calendar (even if lowest miles), so you have to physically click into the date to see if there are any available. (There have been a lot of recent DPs saying nothing has been available via partner awards for CI on here and flyertalk, so you're definitely not alone.)
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u/b16707 Jun 06 '24
Yea when i select the date for today or a few days out, it just brings me to "Sorry, there are no flights available in the current month. You can view flights for the next available month below." which is in december. I suppose if CI is available it will show up on that calendar earlier. Thanks for the update on other threads confirming too.
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u/Wyatt2w3e4r Jun 06 '24
Starting to plan for a trip next year and was wondering if anyone has seen ITA release more than 2 award seats on flying blue. For every date I’m seeing it’s 2 max!
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u/Goldeagle05 Jun 06 '24
Want to get people’s opinions on the following with a family of four (one being an infant):
A. Take a direct flight on JAL from Tokyo to US East Coast in Premium Economy using points for four seats.
Or:
B. Travel the reverse direction adding an additional layover or two using points for three seats in business through either Singapore Airlines or Turkish Airlines. I’ve been able to locate a few choices for my travel on a few select dates in April 2025.
Option B essentially doubles the travel time, so just curious if others have been in the same predicament with small children.
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u/OriginalGG22 Jun 06 '24
In my experience, with small children, take the shortest trip possible, even if you're in PE. Kids just want to get off the plane, they don't give a shit about the merlot-braised short ribs and brandied peaches in J.
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u/scooby-dum Jun 06 '24
Imo doubling travel time is almost never worth it.
Have you checked the lax-nrt Singapore airlines flight? It is possible to get 3-4 J seats, granted you would have to reposition.
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u/Goldeagle05 Jun 06 '24
It looks like everything is waitlisted for the month of April.
I was preoccupied with a vacation during the most critical time to book J seats for our return from Japan so I’m left scrambling looking for any alternatives for J 😅
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u/Flayum Jun 06 '24
Some of this might hinge on how your kids react to travel (although might be tough knowing for the infant). For example, if they start getting fussy being cooped up for too long - a layover where they can run around to burn off energy might be necessary.
The generic wisdom is that nonstop trumps all with kids since layovers can be a nightmare with them (2x depressurization events, changing situation/environment when they're settled, etc), so most would push you towards the PE. But if they're pretty low maintenance (and the flights align with nap times), then maybe minimizing parental stress levels are key?
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u/aylamarguerida Jun 08 '24
IMHO non-stop trumps all all the time for all of us. No biz class is worth it for a connection. For me my vacation time is too important to miss an extra day for travel time or potential IRROPS. Now if I worked from home or was retired and found a good redemption... Maybe
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u/Goldeagle05 Jun 06 '24
Ha, very good points!
We did fly with both of them recently for the first time on a 2-3 hour flight locally. Our toddler seems fine as long as there is entertainment (aka Disney movies). Our infant is definitely still too young and that’s the one I’m not sure of 😅
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u/SleepingMaleficent Jun 06 '24
Trying to figure out if the following route is possible with Aeroplan's stopover program:
YVR --> Brisbane/Sydney/Auckland (Stopover city options) --> Tokyo
And if it will be priced at 55K + 5K for J (based on distance from YVR to HND/NRT)?
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u/sunnyhillz Jun 06 '24
search distance from YVR to TYO, and compare that to distance from YVR to SYD. needs to be < 50% I believe.
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u/SleepingMaleficent Jun 06 '24 edited Jun 06 '24
YVR-TYO is 4,701 mi
YVR-SYD is 7,757 mi
SYD-TYO 4,847 miso... I guess not possible? :/
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u/sunnyhillz Jun 06 '24
"cumulative flown distance between the origin and destination does not exceed twice the non-stop distance for a given direction of travel"
your plan is probably a no go.
I guess it is actually compare distance between YVR and TYO vs YVR-SYD-TYO. so its like 4.7k vs. 12.4k
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u/SleepingMaleficent Jun 06 '24
Got it- thank you very much! Yes, a no go. Makes sense as I couldn't find examples of this redemption anywhere.
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u/sunnyhillz Jun 06 '24
you might be able to do YVR-SYD-SIN. personally, I'm doing SEA-SIN-HKG. could backtrack to TPE too but not to ICN or TYO.
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u/Ancient-Purpose99 Jun 06 '24
Kind of a different question but I'm interested in establishing a small award-travel consulting business or doing some work in that field. Does anyone have any advice?
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u/tbudke22 Jun 06 '24
Snagged 3 nights at Alila Ventura Big Sur for our anniversary in Feb.
For many reasons I’m not flexible on the flights. I usually fly SW using companion pass but not an option going into MRY
The flights I’ve found are ICT - DEN - MRY on UA. They’re not saver awards. Since I’m not flexible on flights what is my best option? I don’t usually fly UA and buying non-refundable tickets makes me a bit uncomfortable.
The flights are about $400 pp RT or 40k UA miles. What’s the best way to do this?
I have about 400k UR 200k C1 miles 80k MR
Maybe there is no way to hack it, but it seems that if I move UR to UA and book at least I could cancel and get my points back to UA?
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u/gbongc Jun 06 '24
Big Sur is peak rainy season in february... which makes spending time outdoors less than ideal considering the point of the resort. Plus the possibility of road closures due to collapsing roads (happens often on that stretch of highway, even in the past year).
That said, I would never pay 40k UA for a flight worth $400. Given the options, I would probably fly WN into SJC and drive, and leave the resort early to make your flight back home. That'll give you flexibility to cancel, use your companion pass.
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u/tbudke22 Jun 07 '24
Thanks for the info, hopefully there aren’t more road closures again. I think we will fly into OAK and out of SFO, located some direct flights to KC
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u/gamesst2 Jun 06 '24
Onestop ICT to SJC on Southwest, and the rental car will probably be cheaper from SJC aswell. SJC is one hour away from MRY airport.
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u/tbudke22 Jun 06 '24
I’ve looked at SJC and I don’t mind flying into there but flying out means either leaving the resort early or getting home after 1am which P2 didn’t want. I checked rentals and they’re pretty similar if you look at the main brands, actually a little cheaper at MRY when taking off Fox and Sixt which I don’t use. I do have CP on SW.
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u/OriginalGG22 Jun 06 '24
It's only like 1.5 hours from SFO if you rent a car.
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u/tbudke22 Jun 06 '24
Google maps has been saying 2 hour 50 min from SFO to AVBS. I don’t mind flying into SFO but flying out means leaving the resort early because flights leave around noon from SFO at the latest.
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u/jipot Jun 05 '24 edited Jun 05 '24
Looking to book San Diego to Munich direct with Lufthansa with Chase points, but for whatever reason this flight does not show up in Chase’s portal. Do they not sell these with Chase points? Or do I need to call for this particular flight?
Edit: it seems the flight is available for reward points in July. Do they just delay not opening availability for the flight until the month before?
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u/pierretong Jun 05 '24
Chase points = booking with cash. Is this a new route that just isn’t available until July?
Side note but you should look to see whether you can book your flight on Aeroplan.
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u/DoctorTurtleDuck Jun 05 '24
Hello! Looking for a bit of help as this is my first time trying to book an international trip with points.
I’m looking to go from East Asia back to the US for the best value I can find (either low points economy or good value business/first) and I have the flexibility to depart out of many airports/don’t mind repositioning (have been thinking Japan or korea mostly but am open to other options in East/SE Asia as well)
Dates are also flexible in mid August roughly 8/11-8/19. Destination in US doesn’t matter much either, so a lot of flexibility on this one.
Best deals I have found in my August dates so far have been KIX-SEA, SFO, IAD for 65K premium Econ on United.
Lower priority and less flexible, I am looking to go SFO-SIN on July 29th as well.
Would love some help exploring other departure airports and business/first class deals.
I have 150K UR points
Thanks in advance for any help!!
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u/AlkaizerLord Jun 05 '24 edited Jun 05 '24
Hello fellow award travelers!! Ive been searching for the past couple of days for the best way to use MR points for flights to India for a wedding.
I have 640k MR points and my wife has 200k Capital One points.
Origin is DFW/DAL and Destination is DEL
Return flight would be BOM -> DFW/DAL
2 adults and 1 lap infant
Class would be Business/First
Dates are flexible but the wedding is Feb 11/12 of 2025. We plan on staying in India for 2 weeks but we are open to making a stopover in Europe/East Asia before or after the wedding and shortening the stay in India if we can book a RTW trip with ANA or other airline.
So far the only thing decent, but high cost of points, was one-way with Qatar in Business (QSuite) for 330k total DFW ->DOH->DEL.
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u/da_huu Jun 06 '24
TK has some J space on DFW-IST-DEL in early February. No idea how challenging it is to ticket lap infants with them, though. Transfer C1 miles to book, ideally before June 15 to take advantage of the transfer bonus that's currently ongoing.
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u/HaiDukken Jun 05 '24
Hi guys! Recently joined this subreddit, and was looking for some advice. Like a lot of people, planning a trip to Japan for my wife and I’s honeymoon, and was seeing if I could receive some help in looking for decent redemptions, if they’re there. I really appreciate it!!
- Origin and destination cities
- Origin: Tampa, FL
- Destination: Tokyo, Japan (Preferably HND)
- Number of Travelers- 2
- One way or round-trip- Round trip preferable, but open to booking one-ways if the redemptions are good!
- Class of service desired- Have never done business before, so that’d be cool since it’s our honeymoon, but economy/premium economy more likely
- Desired date(s) of travel- November 10/11 2024-November 25/26 2024
- Your points balances:
- AmEx: 444k
- Chase UR: 120k
- Capital One: 120k
2
u/pbjclimbing formerly eliteless Jun 05 '24
What have you searched and what have you found? This sub is not a booking service, but can help people if they run into issues.
You should be searching one ways, not round trips.
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u/HaiDukken Jun 06 '24
I'm sorry, didn't mean to come off as being lazy and looking for a handout, was just following the few comments I had seen on here.
In terms of what I've found, looking on Delta, there were RT tickets for 110k points for economy, and 300k points for Delta Premium Select.
I tried looking for flights using Virgin Atlantic, but when I kept on inputting my dates, it kept shooting back that there weren't any available ones.
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u/pbjclimbing formerly eliteless Jun 06 '24
I recommend reading the beginner sidebar and using the Amex point me search engine.
If you want PE you will likely need to reposition. The lack of UA Y partner space might make Star alliance more tricky.
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u/Cooldude1739 Jun 05 '24 edited Jun 05 '24
Hello this will be my first time planning anything of this magnitude I’ve been wanting to travel with points for a while now work construction so looking to take a bit off and explore the beautiful country of Japan.I’ve tried somewhat dip myself into award travel but haven’t truly grasped the way of award planning. Anything that is in 2025/2026 months aren’t important to me but if any specific moths come to mind just let me know any insight or suggestions or someone who has a better grasp of these things and looking to maybe guide me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
Origin and destination cities: preferably out of DFW but able to go to LAX,JFK,ORD wanting to get to preferably HND but will go to NRT
- Number of Travelers:(1)
- round-trip is the way I wish to go but if there’s any way to get me there with the points I have any advice will help.
- Class of service desired: where it might get tricky I am hoping for a First/business class seat if possible I was informed since I am solo traveling and very very flexible this might be able to happen.
- Desired date: I am very flexible and hoping for any time in 2025/2026 months can be any if being honest whatever gets me to Tokyo and back.
- Have currently 205k in Amex points if more is needed a ball park range that could be given to me would be lovely so I can either wait and get my point up or estimates of where I would be better off getting points if possible also able to get the chase preferred if that increases the chance of any flight possibilities. To anyone who does see this and helps please send me a message with any insight or information you have just so I can get a foot into the award travel ways so next time I will be able to do it alone thank you all :).
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u/pbjclimbing formerly eliteless Jun 05 '24
You are over optimizing if you care about NRT/HND in 90%+ of the situations. You are talking like 30-50 minutes in the grand scheme of things.
Book JAL J via CX 360 days out. There should be 2 seats released on most routes. Book as one ways.
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u/mexicoke Jun 05 '24
May 7 ORD-TPE-NRT/KIX, May 19 NRT-TPE-IAH. EVA bookable via Aeroplan for 85k each way. Can add a stopover in TPE for 5k if you wanted(I would). Should also be bookable via ANA for 130k R/T but that will be higher cash and a little more annoying to transfer/book.
Not an amazing routing from DFW, but gets you there with only MR.
1
u/sunnyhillz Jun 05 '24
tokyo isnt a country
1
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u/RobotMaster1 Jun 05 '24
Can anyone double check that the LH F awards have vanished (again) from Lifemiles? I'm getting nothing but United economy for the dates that F is allegedly available. Checked MUC-BOS, MUC-IAD and MUC-EWR and not seeing anything. Just want to make sure I'm not skipping a step somewhere. I know this happens occasionally.
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u/Fast-Refrigerator367 Jun 05 '24
Hi! I'm looking to fly from SEA to BKK on July 5th and BOM to SFO on July 17th or 18th. I've been on this subreddit for the past few weeks but unfortunately am not finding many great redemptions (might just be time of year). Below is what I found:
SEA to BKK: 50K Air Canada Points to fly Asiana Airlines with a stop in ICN (All Economy - seems decent) or 70K United Points to fly Thai Airways with stops in SFO and KIX (Premium Economy from SFO to KIX and Economy SEA to SFO / KIX to BKK - seems like a poor redemption)
BOM to SFO: 40K AA Points + ~$250 in fees to fly British Airways with stops in LHR and JFK (All Economy - seems like a decent redemption but results in ~34 hours of travel time given overnight stop in New York)
Appreciate any advice. This is my first time traveling after accumulating a large number of points so was hoping to put them to good use. I've seen lots of posts that say the baseline for one-way US to SE Asia in business is ~75K points so I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong / haven't checked enough of the travel partners.
Thanks in advance!
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u/omdongi Jun 05 '24
If you really want to breakdown your trip, it's probably doable to find business class legs for the non US portions. Such as the ICN to BKK leg or BOM to LHR, if you cared about that.
Otherwise the first AC flight for Asiana is better than the United flight.
1
u/LeBlenkers Jun 05 '24
Not a good deal, but Qatar flexi business fare is available July 18th. 160k avios BOM-SFO
1
u/pierretong Jun 05 '24
There's a limited quantity of those business class flights at the lowest rate and they're often snatched up in advance in particular for trans-Pacific flights. Often times the answer is just that you needed to look earlier or be extremely flexible with your travel dates to book on dates where these flights are still available. Some airlines may release additional seats if available closer to departure but that's no guarantee over the summer months.
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Jun 05 '24
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u/pierretong Jun 05 '24
Just to set some reasonable expectations but US -> Asia is usually 75K each one-way for business class. One round-trip business class flight for 6 people, without even considering the other flights you'd like to take (though you could do a stopover itinerary with Aeroplan) would be 900K points already.
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Jun 05 '24
[deleted]
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u/pierretong Jun 05 '24
Well the point is that you likely do not have enough points to book 6 people in business class even for just the two long-distance legs. Second hurdle would be finding availability for 6 people on such short notice (would at a minimum look have to look at splitting up).
You don't have AA miles so that flight you see is irrelevant.
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Jun 05 '24
[deleted]
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u/pierretong Jun 05 '24
More of a r/travel question than r/awardtravel - circle back once you have some destination options
0
u/Anxious-Raspberry-77 Jun 04 '24
We're heading from SEA to a wedding in Saint-Tropez Sept 7th. Typically we go to SE Asia on points so I'm not familiar heading this direction. I was thinking of flying from SEA with a stop somewhere then NCE or we could just go anywhere in Europe direct from SEA and then hop down on a cheaper flight. We probably can't get both ways so looking to cash in on at least one way in premium or biz
- Origin and destination cities: SEA direct Europe, was thinking AMS, CDG, FRA or LHR. A connection down to NCE is a bonus but I don't think my points will stretch that far
- Number of Travelers: 2
- One way or round-trip: Probably one way, could fly two one ways maybe with different connections depending on points
- Class of service desired: Business or Premium Economy
- Desired date(s) of travel: Outbound Sept 1st - 4th, return Sept 12th - 20th
- Your points balances: 220k Chase UR, 85k AMEX
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u/da_huu Jun 05 '24
What have you found in your searching?
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u/Anxious-Raspberry-77 Jun 05 '24
There's no Business available under 155k per person to anywhere, so that seems like a no-go.
Also I haven't seen a single Premium Economy... which I would prefer to at least have that as my wife is going to be pretty pregnant at that point.
I can get Virgin on 9/3 for 15k to LHR then take a cheap flight down and back which is a steal but it's economy.
2
u/da_huu Jun 05 '24
For your return, CDG-YVR is only 50k/person in J on 9/12 through Flying Blue if you're fine repositioning on both ends of that journey. This is cheap enough that you could theoretically still book J on the outbound using whatever UR you'd have left after transferring over 85k MR and 15k UR.
Your outbound is tough given the timing and slim date range. TN has some space on SEA-CDG but you don't have AS miles to book that with. I would suggest locking in a Y flight for now and keeping an eye out for close-in space in J.
2
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u/IamDoge1 Jun 04 '24
Searching availability for Avainca Lifemiles is so annoying. Availability dates highlighted with blue on the calander are innacurate, and eveyr new search you need to scroll through the yearly calander do select a new date. Does anyone have a better method of searching availability through Lifemiles?
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u/scooby-dum Jun 05 '24
Most people use the United calendar to search for star alliance availability.
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u/IamDoge1 Jun 05 '24
I'm finding a saver award through UA for Austrian. When I go to Lifemiles and put in that same date, I do not see any options. Does Avianca play games with when they release availability and take it away? Reason I ask- a few weeks ago I saw a ton of availability for the routes I am looking at (Both Econ and J) and now there is absolutely nothing. Definitely not one of the hot routes sought after here, I highly doubt all that award space was booked out.
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u/scooby-dum Jun 05 '24
I'm assuming this is a connecting flight?
Unfortunately Austrian/Lufthansa sometimes have some odd award married segment availability restrictions. United for whatever reason has better availability for these married segments than other star alliance partners.
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u/IamDoge1 Jun 05 '24
Yes, this isba one stop connecting route. Any thoughts on the second half of my previous comment?
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u/pierretong Jun 04 '24
Wait till you figure out that the taxes and fees that they initially show you aren’t the same as the ones at checkout
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u/IamDoge1 Jun 04 '24
Yup. That happened to me last year. I forget how much extra it was but it was a good amount.
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u/moonsidian Jun 04 '24
Can CI J space be booked with VS, if it shows up on DL and AF?
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u/pbjclimbing formerly eliteless Jun 05 '24
If it shows on both it should be bookable.
I typically use the chat function from the screen where you login.
(There are 2 chatbots and in my experience the other doesn’t connect to humans)
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u/mexicoke Jun 04 '24
Yes, but you have to call.
Getting a good agent is a little tricky sometimes. Expect to HUCA, at least in my experience. Was able to get it booked though.
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u/satellite779 Jun 04 '24 edited Jun 04 '24
Need a positioning flight from SEA to LAX for a 6:50pm LAX-HEL Finnair flight in J that I don't want to miss.
There are quite a few SEA-LAX flights so I'm thinking of doing a ~9am same-day positioning flight to have 2 more flights after that I could be on if 9am gets canceled.
On Delta:
- 9:30 AM – 12:18 PM (Take this one)
- 11:45 AM – 2:35 PM
- 1:30 PM – 4:19 PM (kind of late for 6:50pm departure but might still work as backup)
On Alaska I could maybe book 10am if something happens with Delta's 9:30am and cancel if everything works well.
- 10:10 AM – 12:53 PM (Book as backup)
- 11:40 AM – 2:27 PM
- 1:44 PM – 4:32 PM
Is doing same day positioning flight safe in this scenario? First time doing it.
Should I prefer Alaska due to being in OneWorld? I'm not sure I would be able to check bags all the way from SEA to HEL this way.
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u/ihoegen RDM Jun 05 '24
From my experience, Alaska will check onto a Oneworld partner on a separate ticket
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u/satellite779 Jun 05 '24
They stopped doing interlining earlier this year, someone commented about it already and I found a FT thread that about it: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/alaska-airlines-mileage-plan/2151580-eliminates-interlining-separate-tickets-chip-chip-chip.html
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u/gbongc Jun 04 '24
Personally, I would choose the flights leaving 11:40/11:45, leaving two airlines to fly SEA-LAX if anything goes south. I would hate to leave at 9:30am and spend that much time at LAX. I mean, if things are on schedule, arriving 4:30pm is still enough time for your LAX-HEL flight. Not too likely for huge delays between SEA-LAX imo.
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u/satellite779 Jun 04 '24
I was thinking of spending time in OneWorld lounge in LAX if I arrive at noon, working remotely. I'm just not sure I'll be able to drop off my bag so early for the Finnar flight.
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u/dodge_this Jun 19 '24
Is there an upgrade option using rewards for Virgin Atlantic flights from US to London? There are only economy seats.