US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - Best shot at Envoy award tickets for July?

I know I'm late in the game now, but I've just tried to score 2 Envoy award seats to Europe for July...no luck. None between BUF or ERI and CDG, FRA, LGW, or LHR (via UA). Shooting for a week-long, 8-day trip during early to mid July.

I don't want to dump 160K per ticket, but I'd be willing to go the 100K premium coach award + upgrade route. So, I called again and asked what dates would be available to upgrade, thinking any day would be available for premium coach awards and that I'd be able to work around the upgradeable dates. They checked all dates between July 1st and 18th to CDG, LGW, AMS, FRA, ROM, and some others. Nothing available to upgrade, either.

So, what's my best shot? Are they still calling inventory 3 days out for CP's who want to use SWU's? Right now, I'm thinking about booking the premium awards...BUF to CDG, outbound 8 July, return 16 July, A330 flights, 100K per ticket x2, and then using my SWU's and comanion SWU's to try to upgrade 7 and 3 days out.

Do you think this will work? I did this last February with no trouble, but I'm wondering if trying this during peak season to Europe is significantly more risky. Hate to spend 100K per ticket and end up in the back...

Thanks for the advice. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

I am supposed to go to Paris around that same time for a research project (departing from Indianapolis). The tickets havent been booked yet, but looking at availability, July 8 9 and 10 are just miserable (outbound). Hardly any seats at all...even for a paying customer. US Airways.com has an "X" over some of the options (meaning "sold out") for some of those dates. the ones that are available are pricing out around $1000 for the cheap stuff. Thank heavens I dont have to pay for it, but if we wait much longer we might be S.O.L.

Not sure how your award ticket would play out, but with the planes this full, upgrades might be scarce. Heck, seats in general are scarce. You could always just go another time later in the year...as for me, I might get stuck flying Air France. Just my .02 worth!

Good luck!

Are you absolutely sure you can upgrade the premium coach award on the Europe flight? I may be wrong but I don't remember ever seeing a confirmation of this.

Assuming you can upgrade, my advice would be to wait to book it until about a week out. This may not work for you and would make me very nervous, but here is my reasoning. The premium coach award is not capacity controlled, so as long as there is 1 seat you will get it. Keep checking ITN and make sure there is at least 1 seats on some of your dates. Then about 1 week out, check ITN seat maps to see how many Envoy seats are still open on several flights. Book the flight with the most Envoy seats left. This way you have booked the flight with the greatest chance of an upgrade.

Another option is to book it now but change it a the last minute to the flight with the most open Envoy seats. The bottom line is that at the 7/3/1/0 day windows you are on the flight with the most open Envoy seats.

http://www.usair.com/promotions/specials/lon_par.htm

You just missed this sale ended yesterday...
Would've paid $400 and upgraded with SYS

[This message has been edited by Skip Middleton (edited 05-24-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Skip Middleton:
http://www.usair.com/promotions/specials/lon_par.htm

You just missed this sale ended yesterday...
Would've paid $400 and upgraded with SYS

[This message has been edited by Skip Middleton (edited 05-24-2003).]</font>

Paris wasnt giving anything near $400 for dates in July out of New York. London was lower, but I dont think those were upgradeable. I got $700 something for non-upgradeable and about $100 more for upgradeable. Still not bad IMHO on my last trip to Paris on UA I paid $1400 for upgradeable. Of course I paid $329 to go to London in steerage on AA last weekend.