I have been reading on FlyerTalk for about a year now, I now have a reason to post a question, I hope this is the right place. I am getting married May 27th 2012. As soon as we sign the papers and it's legal, I plan to take us to the airport where we will fly to Mykonos Greece and have a ceremony on the 28th. I booked us a week there from May 28th until June 4th. I am yet to book airfare. This all happened within the past week and a timeshare was given to me, so I just now got the official dates. We live in Columbus Ohio, but could always fly out of another city using southwest points to get there. I want to fly as cheap as possible, or just get the best value out of my points. Here is what I'm working with:
Chase Sapphire: 109,000
Amex PRG: 28,000
Starwood: will soon have 28,000
Southwest: 54,000
Award Avalibility is pretty terrible from what I have checked. Do you guys think I should try to transfer into one airline?
Thank you in advance!
benzemalyonnais
Apr 13, 12, 12:28 am
*A is the only one who flies to Mykonos I think....
[KVS Availability Tool 6.9.7/Diamond - ITA: Awards/AC-StarAlliance/CA] (http://www.KVSTool.com/)
CMH Columbus Port Columbus Intl OH US [KCMH]
JMK Mykonos Is National GR [LGMK]
SUN 27 May 2012 | 2 Seats
*A is the only one who flies to Mykonos I think....
Correct! The other alternative is to book an award ticket to Athens and then fly Olympic Air to Mykonos (which is not part of an alliance, but tix are quite cheap)!
travelisfree
Apr 13, 12, 8:08 am
+ 1 to Athens or something and then buy a short flight if there is no availability. But its definitely worth checking. Either way I would use United.com and try to route out a great trip in first class. Use the oneway option to try to piece it together. If there is only partial availability in First (mixed cabin (part of the flight is in economy)) check for later flights from that destination.
It can't hurt to call as well... At first they will say I dont see anything, but if you give them the first leg, "i see flights from IAD-FRA on Lufthansa First", they might get helpful and search the rest of the flight for you.
No pressure as any ticket can be held for 3 days. Call, if you book a route put it on hold and transfer miles in. They transfer instantly from partners like Chase.
If you transfer 109k from Chase to United and another 21k (+5k bonus), you'll have enough for a round trip ticket in first will united miles.
btw you get a stopover and an open jaw... So if you find availability to and not from, you could get that cheap ticket to Athens or wherever and continue your flight.
Also, if thats too much of a headache there are a few people out there that charge a little fee for using your miles, who are very good at what they do.
dewness
Apr 13, 12, 9:13 am
Also, if thats too much of a headache there are a few people out there that charge a little fee for using your miles, who are very good at what they do.[/QUOTE]
That sounds good to me. I am really busy this week and just want it booked. Can you recommend someone?
Thank you everyone for the help!
thetravelabstract
Apr 13, 12, 9:25 am
benzamaRealMadrid found the best routes for you to get an award. I think the best way to redeem them is for the TATL part of your journey. But you would need to get some more Ultimate Rewards on your SP as saver awards are 30k one-way per person.
The YS+ sign in his post means there is economy award space.
Flights within Greece are usually cheap, like most of Europe.
Good Luck.
birdseye
Apr 13, 12, 10:15 am
If you are looking for 2 coach seats, I saw two seats CMH-JMK on 5/27 using United.com an hour ago at saver level, but now they are gone! You can transfer UR points to United instantly, and SPG points to United at a 2:1 ratio (20,000 SPG = 12,500 UA with transfer bonus) but SPG transfers can take up to a week.
SanDiego1K
Apr 13, 12, 10:30 am
That sounds good to me. I am really busy this week and just want it booked. Can you recommend someone?
Thank you everyone for the help!
If you are looking for 2 coach seats, I saw two seats CMH-JMK on 5/27 using United.com an hour ago at saver level, but now they are gone! You can transfer UR points to United instantly, and SPG points to United at a 2:1 ratio (20,000 SPG = 12,500 UA with transfer bonus) but SPG transfers can take up to a week.
I thought SPG Points transfer to airlines at a 1 :1.25 ratio. 20K SPG means
25 K airline points. Am I wrong ?
TheBOSman
Apr 13, 12, 11:39 am
I thought SPG Points transfer to airlines at a 1 :1.25 ratio. 20K SPG means
25 K airline points. Am I wrong ?
You do get a 25% bonus to UA for increments of 20k SPG points, but UA only gives 1 mile for 2 SPG points.
travelisfree
Apr 13, 12, 12:38 pm
That sounds good to me. I am really busy this week and just want it booked. Can you recommend someone?
Thank you everyone for the help!
Pointspros.com
Ben is the blogger behind One Mile at a Time. Can't go wrong.
MSPeconomist
Apr 13, 12, 10:32 pm
I have been reading on FlyerTalk for about a year now, I now have a reason to post a question, I hope this is the right place. I am getting married May 27th 2012. As soon as we sign the papers and it's legal, I plan to take us to the airport where we will fly to Mykonos Greece and have a ceremony on the 28th. I booked us a week there from May 28th until June 4th. I am yet to book airfare. This all happened within the past week and a timeshare was given to me, so I just now got the official dates. We live in Columbus Ohio, but could always fly out of another city using southwest points to get there. I want to fly as cheap as possible, or just get the best value out of my points. Here is what I'm working with:
Chase Sapphire: 109,000
Amex PRG: 28,000
Starwood: will soon have 28,000
Southwest: 54,000
Award Avalibility is pretty terrible from what I have checked. Do you guys think I should try to transfer into one airline?
Thank you in advance!
Have you looked into what is required to have a (presumably religious as the USA ceremony would satisfy this civil in Greece I would assume) wedding in Greece? Also, why schedule it for your day of arrival, which involves a flight exUSA the day of your wedding and probably arrival on the island in the late afternoon if all goes right. Not only are you giving yourself no flexibility in finding award tickets, but also you are allowing no time for late flights, missed connections, etc. Do you really want your Greek wedding to occur when you are rushed and jet lagged at best?
gq_dq
Apr 14, 12, 6:59 am
but also you are allowing no time for late flights, missed connections, etc. Do you really want your Greek wedding to occur when you are rushed and jet lagged at best?
Seen this too many times (me included) - with marriages, cruises etc. where people end up stuck overnite in airports with wedding presents in hand, or have to literally fly all over the world to catch up with the departed ship at the next port because their "weakest link" flight got cancelled leaving them with no alternatives, (and they planned to arrive the same day as the cruise departure), and they had no travel insurance.
Especially with interlining (multi-airline) flights to remote destinations, just be prepared that you may get there a day later. Therefore, the established rule of thumb is to always arrive at least a day before an important event - better safe than sorry.
dewness
Apr 14, 12, 10:13 am
Seen this too many times (me included) - with marriages, cruises etc. where people end up stuck overnite in airports with wedding presents in hand, or have to literally fly all over the world to catch up with the departed ship at the next port because their "weakest link" flight got cancelled leaving them with no alternatives, (and they planned to arrive the same day as the cruise departure), and they had no travel insurance.
Especially with interlining (multi-airline) flights to remote destinations, just be prepared that you may get there a day later. Therefore, the established rule of thumb is to always arrive at least a day before an important event - better safe than sorry.
That's a good idea, I am going to get in touch with a wedding planner there and set up a plan B, even if it's a little extra $$. It's only the ceremony, so no legalities have to be in place like a legal townhall marriage. Thank you everyone for your input!
travelisfree
Apr 14, 12, 10:52 am
Wish you the best! And welcome to FT!
KaiserG13
Apr 19, 12, 10:22 pm
I would seriously consider flying to Athens and then taking the Blue Star Ferry if flights from Athens to Mykonos are a problem. We took the Ferry and it was an enjoyable trip seeing the coastline. The ferry is more like a cruise ship but make sure you upgrade to the Air Seats, which isn't much more but well worth it. Here are some pictures of the ferry etc.
https://plus.google.com/photos/111721562170514720524/albums/5172067652374501729