Air fare options the good the bad and the ugly

Unfortunately, I checked with both Oceania and the alumni group and booking without O-life Choice is not an option.

We did save a lot by booking our own air.

Well I guess with the OBC you will have to shop, drink more or get spa treatments :)

maybe forgo the alumni group next cruise

Hawaii Dan;

 

Where are you seeing $15K BC tickets? Are you waiting until < 3 weeks to buy a ticket and then finding FF deals? The most I’ve ever had to spend for a BC ticket was $5500 , with great connections, going to Asia this past Spring. I could have gotten $4200 tickets if I wanted to take 36 hours to get there. My BC tickets to Bucharest this summer is costing me $2952 on UA/Austrian Airlines. We got BC fares round trip to Capetown on Emirates for just under $5K a couple years ago from JFK! $15K is what some corporate travelers pay when they make reservations last minute, it’s nowhere near what a tourist would ever pay for a long planned trip! We regularly get offers for BNA- LHR in BC for ~ $2500.

 

I do however agree that using FF miles on domestic flights is a waste. You should also point out that waiting until the last month for FF miles can produce the big goose egg. Then one is stuck with the outrageous fares.

John, if I buy our EWR:) to DTW, could I get a friendly agent to combine our FF flight to the purchased ticket? Hmmm....just occurred to me not to default to my usual DL on that purchase flight as UA would be more likely to get me out of a jam if there was an issue with the FF flight.

 

/quote]

 

Well as some know about the power of the gate. who has the power to do anything to please.. However its the PSR agents at the counter its all revenue in the computer You can not as I remember combine a ff ticket and a $$ ticket The exception being for upgrade purchase. However, you violating one of the 7 deadly sins of air travel. Your using FF miles for domestic travel which is a total waste.

 

Add your ff miles up using 2-3 cents and then see what you could buy the ticket for. In almost every case buying the ticket is much cheaper, gives you better flights and you save for an international ticket ( I spent 120,000FF miles for a $15,000 ticket recently in business, UAL and others wanted 110,000 miles for a flight to Boston from LAX , which I could have purchased for $2500.00 ...........thats a 12,000 savings using for international And I would have spent $2750 in FF mile value to get a $2500 ticket....getting take to the cleaners for $ 250.00 !!!!

 

BUY your domestic tickets.... the value you get is awful, in most cases you will spend 2 times the cost in FF value than you could have bought a ticket for.... Your buying a Timex for the Rolex price !!!!! Think this through amigo

 

My plan is to buy the domestic and combine it with my FF business flight. The FF flight is a good non stop saver business. Grabbed that and took the risk of the married paid flight from EWR :D (Finally learned that dang airport code) to DTW.

 

 

I will leave plenty of time in Newark for things to go sideways, but keep checking to see if I can get us home on one ticket (change fee) without a horrendous routing. UA is not user friendly for those flying into or out of DTW internationally.

 

 

Hopefully, if things are hopelessly delayed in EZE, those agents will be helpful. My last experience with UA was a huge delay in IAD on an international flight in first. They did get us to our final destination eventually (lost a prepaid hotel night) doing the last leg on an Asian low cost carrier because we missed our original connection. On the bright side, we had time to visit four different Priority club lounges in Singapore and compare offerings.:) But one experience is just that...one experience.

My plan is to buy the domestic and combine it with my FF business flight. The FF flight is a good non stop saver business. Grabbed that and took the risk of the married paid flight from EWR :D (Finally learned that dang airport code) to DTW.

Ohhh, OK I see what your trying to do now. Boy, I don't know if that could be done or not to be honest. I would ask that question on FlyerTalk web site on the United thread. I would have tried initialy to book the business class flight in business to EWR (I think you will never forget that code now) with an economy flight EWR-DTW. That way it wouldn't have been any more miles than your first flight. It's a great question and hope you follow up regardless of the outcome.

Hawaii Dan;

 

Where are you seeing $15K BC tickets? Are you waiting until < 3 weeks to buy a ticket and then finding FF deals? The most I’ve ever had to spend for a BC ticket was $5500 , with great connections, going to Asia this past Spring. I could have gotten $4200 tickets if I wanted to take 36 hours to get there. My BC tickets to Bucharest this summer is costing me $2952 on UA/Austrian Airlines. We got BC fares round trip to Capetown on Emirates for just under $5K a couple years ago from JFK! $15K is what some corporate travelers pay when they make reservations last minute, it’s nowhere near what a tourist would ever pay for a long planned trip! We regularly get offers for BNA- LHR in BC for ~ $2500.

 

I do however agree that using FF miles on domestic flights is a waste. You should also point out that waiting until the last month for FF miles can produce the big goose egg. Then one is stuck with the outrageous fares.

 

Agree with above.

We travel frequently and always in F/J on international flights and always for miles.

The single exception to this rule in the last 10+ years was an F ticket on Emirates CPT-DXB-SFO (on A380 with a shower :D) for $3,300. Now, that was a bargain that I couldn’t pass up and was happy to pay for instead of trying to use FF miles.

FWIW, the reverse itinerary on Emirates SFO-CPT would have been $10K more - you figure that one out. I was glad we were flying in the “right” direction :)

Edited April 27, 2018 by Paulchili

 

My plan is to buy the domestic and combine it with my FF business flight. The FF flight is a good non stop saver business. Grabbed that and took the risk of the married paid flight from EWR :D (Finally learned that dang airport code) to DTW.

 

 

I will leave plenty of time in Newark for things to go sideways, but keep checking to see if I can get us home on one ticket (change fee) without a horrendous routing. UA is not user friendly for those flying into or out of DTW internationally.

 

 

Hopefully, if things are hopelessly delayed in EZE, those agents will be helpful. My last experience with UA was a huge delay in IAD on an international flight in first. They did get us to our final destination eventually (lost a prepaid hotel night) doing the last leg on an Asian low cost carrier because we missed our original connection. On the bright side, we had time to visit four different Priority club lounges in Singapore and compare offerings.:) But one experience is just that...one experience.

 

 

 

I have done similar with UAL You have 2 reservations, ( record locators #), one is for revenue and the other for FF miles.

Call up the UAL folks and ask them to combine all your flights/records into one ticket /number Otherwise you might have to collect luggage in EWR and re check it to the next flight. But yes combine the records , that will get you 1 ticket and one bag tag all the way to wherever.

 

Now for Paul and others.... I pulled the 15K actualy 15,456.00 from the web site 6 days prior to the flight LAX-CDG. Other times 30 days out I have seen $9600 and 7600 for LAX to FRA. I use these prices to indicate the craziness and pricing for business. Too, I have actually seen Business /First priced below that for coach !!!

And yes I have been aware of Austrian and folks like ANA who offer cheaper fares, or on new routes etc.

 

If I have to pay, I use a contract consolidator who is pretty good anywhere from $2400 to 3600 for LAX to Europe. Can I end up with 0 if I wait till the last min?.

 

NO.... Here is why

 

Using FF saver miles 120,000 or 140,000 I am spending $3000 to $3500 in value. If I spend 320,000 FF non saver, I am or would be spending $8,000 in value. If I can not get a saver last min I use the consolidator and get a ticket for $3,200 cash. ( That was for a LAX-CDG-FCO-LAX business,) So that's only $200 more than the money /value of using my FF miles So its option A or Option B

In either situation I am spending just about the same for the ticket In either case I am not having to pay the list price for the flight which can be $ 10- to 15,000 ........So no it is totally unlikely that I will end up with no flight and not have to pay any more than I would have spent in FF value .... either way its the same net coat to me.

 

I still would love to hear about the around the world fares and how to play that game...

Thanks Dan...nice to know I can get them combined.

 

I have played with the one world RTW site, but figuring that stuff out was way above my pay grade.

 

There is a Star Alliance spread sheet on Flyertalk...incomprehensible to me...but you might be able to make sense of it.

 

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/star-alliance/1905440-updated-rtw-spreadsheet-updated-4-22-18-a-printerfriendly.html

Agree with above.

We travel frequently and always in F/J on international flights and always for miles.

The single exception to this rule in the last 10+ years was an F ticket on Emirates CPT-DXB-SFO (on A380 with a shower :D) for $3,300. Now, that was a bargain that I couldn’t pass up and was happy to pay for instead of trying to use FF miles.

FWIW, the reverse itinerary on Emirates SFO-CPT would have been $10K more - you figure that one out. I was glad we were flying in the “right” direction :)

 

This kind of stuff happens far more frequently than it ought to.

Oddest I've seen:

Hamburg--Amsterdam--Curacao (and return) $300 cheaper than Amsterdam--Curacao return, with the Amsterdam--Curacao--Amsterdam flights identically coded. So the airline was effectively offering you $300 in savings if you would agree to take two extra short flights (Hamburg--Amsterdam, Amsterdam--Hamburg).

My Dutch friends are very full-bloodedly Dutch, so they dutifully took a train to Hamburg and began their journey there. Taking carry-on only, on the way back they 'missed' the final flight, and were likely home and showered before it took off from Amsterdam back to Hamburg.

This kind of stuff happens far more frequently than it ought to.

Oddest I've seen:

Hamburg--Amsterdam--Curacao (and return) $300 cheaper than Amsterdam--Curacao return, with the Amsterdam--Curacao--Amsterdam flights identically coded. So the airline was effectively offering you $300 in savings if you would agree to take two extra short flights (Hamburg--Amsterdam, Amsterdam--Hamburg).

My Dutch friends are very full-bloodedly Dutch, so they dutifully took a train to Hamburg and began their journey there. Taking carry-on only, on the way back they 'missed' the final flight, and were likely home and showered before it took off from Amsterdam back to Hamburg.

 

Exactly.

Along those lines the flight from CPT to Dubai and then San Francisco was exactly the same price as Dubai to San Francisco - essentially getting the 9 hour flight from Cape Town to Dubai in F for free :D.

That, of course, would not be the case if you only booked Cape Town to Dubai.

Inexplicable pricing policies :)

Question for the Paul’s. Using AA FF miles...if you book economy do they give you a choice of upgrading to business/first for $$?? (Delta does this)

 

I found a flight for a cruise next year that I like ( and most would hate...because it overnights in DFW to get to Panama City, Panama the next day.). But, I’m short on AA miles to do it business/first. Neither flight is horrendously long that we could survive economy.

Question for the Paul’s. Using AA FF miles...if you book economy do they give you a choice of upgrading to business/first for $$?? (Delta does this)

 

I found a flight for a cruise next year that I like ( and most would hate...because it overnights in DFW to get to Panama City, Panama the next day.). But, I’m short on AA miles to do it business/first. Neither flight is horrendously long that we could survive economy.

 

AFAIK you cannot upgrade an award ticket with money but you can with miles at no extra fee (there would be a charge to downgrade an award ticket but not for an upgrade with miles). My advice is to book it in economy - if it is acceptable to you - and then collect the extra miles needed for a possible upgrade of your award at a later date (If it becomes available).

Also, AA does not charge for change of date or even itinerary as long as the departure and arrival cities remain the same - one of the last few good things about AA awards (which are rare these days :()

Disclaimer - despite my LT status with them I have given up on them since the merger and do not follow AA on FrequenFlyer anymore. Things might have changed in the last year or so and I wouldn’t know about it (or care very much :)).

despite my LT status with them I have given up on them since the merger and do not follow AA on FrequenFlyer anymore. Things might have changed in the last year or so and I wouldn’t know about it (or care very much :)).

Things haven't changed. I too left AA as my primary FFP even though I'm LTP. I stayed with Oneworld and earn my oneworld Emerald status on BA now, which is a lot easier than on AA. The whole money based elite status turned me off. I have a pile of miles with UA too, as they are my non-Oneworld backup. To a certain extent I'm a free agent when I buy oneway or round trip tickets (vs RTW), although I try to book with Oneworld or Star Alliance partners.

 

Paul, just out of curiosity did you switch to another US carrier as your primary, go totally free agent, or switch to another Oneworld partner for your status?

Paul, just out of curiosity did you switch to another US carrier as your primary, go totally free agent, or switch to another Oneworld partner for your status?

 

I use mostly *A partners for international award flights and Alaska or Southwest for paid domestic.

A note If your looking to use FF miles and do not have enough for a flight or upgrade, consider just buying them ! Many times the cost to buy the miles is cheaper than the ticket you get for $$$.

I stick 100% with Star Al. for air and Marriott for hotel... The focus has paid off

 

I wont fly AA even on a bet service terrible, planes awful service bad... My last flight MIA to LAX first, didnt serve drinks till 1 hour into the flight, No welcome, Ran out of meals for 25% of the F passengers, In flight ent was broken and no one in the crew new how it worked. On arrival was sent to the wrong place to collect bags, which took 1 hour to arrive.... It just got better and better

If this was F service I wonder what they did to the poor coach folks ( at one point I thought I heard the sounds of a whip and crying coming from the back)