I received the double "Q" miles promo. My
"Q" balance stands at 62,000 for this year.
Have several more flights for this year but not with A.C.

So I am looking for 19,000 miles to bring me to the magic 100,000. Will consider flying from / to anywhere and can use miles for a reward ticket to any starting point.

If I use "V" fares I cannot upgrade as an Elite member on overseas flights but I can on
domestic flights. With upgading from "V' to
"C" on domestic this will earn 125% X 2 and international would be actual miles X 2.

Is it better to do one long haul or several short hauls? Also cost is a consideration. Before this promo I would have taken a Websaver to U.K. to bring my total to
70,000 just to get the free ticket.

My learned friends. Your help, advice and suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thank You.

Biggles.

Go to HNL. $2200 for a C (restricted Business Class) ticket, 20900 Q-miles with your current promo (((4649x125%)+4649)x2)

Alternatively find a SE who wants to fly YYZ-HNL and back and see what two V tickets would cost.

Yes you'd have to do it twice. But what better place to do it?

andrew


[This message has been edited by Andrew Webber (edited 10-23-2001).]

Andrew,

That's almost 11 cents a mile. Looking for something cheaper. I don't think SE is worth $4,400? Do You?

Biggles.

You are kidding right? SE worths more than just $4,400. Put it this way, the cheapest V fare from YUL/YYZ to HNL on AC is about $860+taxes according to Expedia. If you purchase the CHAWAII fare directly, you would have to pay about $1,300 more per person. Or better, one single trip to Asia would easly cost you $6,000 in J since no C can be purchased this year. If you are SE, you can buy a V class fare from some travel agents for less than $1,300 departing YUL/YYZ. Now the saving is more than the $4,400 in one single trip!

Exactly my sentiment. I am 29000 Q miles away from SE. If I were to be offered the double miles Q promotion, one J trip YWG-HKG would put be on target for a cost of $ 5500 and change. For me it is worthwhile to receive the benefit of J from a V fare.

You might consider MEL, which is going for $1275 on the seat sale. You will need to spend 5-nights down there, but otherwise pick up 20,500 Q-miles which would be doubled. [I assume double Q-miles are only for travel on AC flights, and not on those of any other STAR partner. Otherwise, UA from ORD to HKG can be done over a couple of days, only Saturday overnight required for about US$700. Less outlay for hotels and time off work. Cash in 12K for the Aeroplan award flight to/from ORD.] Remember, not only do you get SE next year, but you also pick up a free NAmerican ticket [upgradeable to J for just 10K] at 70K. All in all, not a bad return on the investment, even if you pay the higher cost to get a shorter stay YYZ-HKG ticket.

Yes I sure do, and I would put my money where my mouth is, if only AC would offer me this promo. Instead they've put me on the "10 transborder R/Ts and you get SE" described elsewhere in this forum -- I've told them I can't do that, but they don't seem interested in switching me, which is pretty pathetic IMO considering they claim I can do one R/T for only $275 plus taxes -- in other words, they'll sell me SE for $2750 but not for $5000 (the extra revenue they'd get if they offered me your promo)! Of course it's more like $5000 for the 10 R/Ts once I pay all the extra fees to the various governments, but I don't really have time anyway.

I suggested C to HNL (and it will be difficult to find two of them available by 15/12, I admit) because I assumed you wouldn't want to do V. But if you can tolerate economy all the way to HNL, you can probably do two V trips (not upgradeable for E) for $2000 as described by Guava. You won't get Class of Service but it would still be about 18400 Qmiles per trip in the back.

Also, what the others said. Now if one isn't the type to buy Business Class under any circumstances, the "pays for itself in cash" benefit of SE disappears, but I do try to fly front-cabin when I'm going any distance (my current adventures excluded, the planes are just too empty right now).

Shareholder, from my reading of the letter as received by others, it's just the Waves promotion converted to Qmiles.

andrew

HNL is a good cheap option if you don't mind being in the back. You can go on Friday night and come back on Sunday.

The other possibility is to look at Websavers to Europe. LHR is not much more than $500 now and there's lots of flexibility. You'd need three of those, which is not bad between now and Dec 15th. Remember that these trips will essentially give you guaranteed J flights next year.

You forgot one thing. L class fare does not earn double miles nor double Q miles. It has to be V class or higher. The Melbourne seat sale wouldn't work.

The best way to cash this promotion is to buy two trips to Asia (NRT or TPE) have the best price for less than $1,300 per trip in V with some travel agents. That way you can still travel in C class up to Vancouver and then continue on V class to Asia, which would earn double Q miles for the entire trip. For a cost about $2,500 for two trips (say Taipei), you can earn about 17,144 Q miles X 2 = 34,288 Q miles per trip, then times by 2 again for two trips = 68,576 Q miles. This would put you in extreme close distance to SE if not already there for only about $2,500!

Guava, that might work well for Biggles, who only needs one of those to be within 5k of SE (at which point, a websaver to LHR or an upgraded V to YVR would do it, although a V to LAX or SFO would be safer as he would achieve SE even if the upgrade doesn't come through).

andrew

Another consideration for someone considering this is if he could find an SE who would go to Asia with him for, say, a 50% subsidy on his V ticket. It would make it a comfortable trip for an extra $650 -- and also provide another 25% on the base mileage. (That's assuming upgradeable fares are available right now of course).

andrew


[This message has been edited by Andrew Webber (edited 10-23-2001).]

I'm an SE looking for such an arrangement!!

Let me know!

Dorian

On a V VLWAPCA ($737) fare YYZ-YOW-YUL-LHR-YUL-YOW-YYZ (maximum permitted miles is 4263 each way and this itinerary is 3554 miles each way), starting November 1, you should earn 17444 Q miles on one Round Trip, presuming you upgrade the YYZ-YOW-YUL YUL-YOW-YYZ legs.

That will put you in easy striking distance.

You leave Saturday and return Sunday so no overnighting in LHR required. No food as they will feed you. Pretty simple to accomplish.

YYZ-YOW = 500 + 500 + 125 = 1125 Q (upgraded)
YOW-YUL = 500 + 500 + 125 = 1125 Q (jet service upgraded)
YUL-LHR = 3236 + 3236= 6472 Q (unless upgraded then it would be 7281 Q)

TOTAL Q = 8722 each way X2 = 17444
(19062 Q miles if you can find a SE to upgrade YUL-LHR-YUL)

[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 10-24-2001).]

Might be worth paying Dorian for half the V fare to get upgraded YUL-LHR-YUL. Another $450 is still a good deal to travel in comfort and style.