Originally Posted by
redct
I'm currently in Austin and am starting to consider a visit to family in Taipei next summer (most likely July). I don't have any meaningful accumulation of miles on any international airlines, so I'm currently looking for the cheapest way to get from some major city in the US to Taipei....
As far as TPE is concerned, AUS is one of US major cities. It's not that hard to find good fares AUS-TPE.
As far as JetBlue is concerned, AUS is NOT one of their focus cities.
Since JetBlue doesn't interline with most (international) airlines and you don't seem to have any elite status with (any) airlines, if I were you, I would just plan ahead and shop around for the best or cheapest fares to TPE. That way I don't have to worry about (extra) baggage fees, luggage allowance, another layer of TSA, and/or missed connections when things go wrong. I would save my TrueBlue points for domestic trips or future vacations where JetBlue serves.
When I was in Austin, I started building my United Mileage Plus miles. In the summer, UA serves direct flight between SFO-AUS & SFO-TPE (sort of), so UA seemed to be a logic choice for my FFP. I used to get the best/cheap fares from U.S.A. GATEWAY TRAVEL & TOURS (六福旅行社). Ask for Maxine. She's always nice to me and she speaks English, Mandarin and Taiwanese.
U.S.A. GATEWAY TRAVEL & TOURS
9800 N Lamar Blvd., #110
AUSTIN, TX 78753
Tel: (512) 490-6777
Fax: (512) 490-1322