Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Help Needed Planning My Trip!!!

Hello everyone. I have finalized the dates I would like to travel and I would like to seek out the expertise of the flyertalk forum. I am very new to the forum but have heard that people here are absolute flyer mile geniuses!

I live on Vancouver Island, so flying out of Victoria would be the most convenient. However, Vancouver would not be too much of a problem as long as the plane lands by 8ish, so I can take the ferry home that night. Our main destination want is Maui. However, we may be open to other tropical destinations that we can afford on our points, so feel free to be creative (Not interested in mexico, have been too many times).

We currently have 55,000 alaska airmiles. I know this will not get me 2 tickets, but it can at least get me one and we can pay for the other.

We need to fly out on March 15th or 16 – and return on March 24th or 25th. Obviously, we would like to fly direct as possible, and if there is more than one stopover my wife probably will not want to go. Anyways, I would love to hear if anyone can work some magic and come up with something. I am terrible at searching different options, so I have enlisted the help of the pros!

*I also have buy one ticket get the other for 99$ plus taxes coupon if that makes any difference*

Hello everyone. I have finalized the dates I would like to travel and I would like to seek out the expertise of the flyertalk forum. I am very new to the forum but have heard that people here are absolute flyer mile geniuses!

I live on Vancouver Island, so flying out of Victoria would be the most convenient. However, Vancouver would not be too much of a problem as long as the plane lands by 8ish, so I can take the ferry home that night. Our main destination want is Maui. However, we may be open to other tropical destinations that we can afford on our points, so feel free to be creative (Not interested in mexico, have been too many times).

We currently have 55,000 alaska airmiles. I know this will not get me 2 tickets, but it can at least get me one and we can pay for the other.

We need to fly out on March 15th or 16 – and return on March 24th or 25th. Obviously, we would like to fly direct as possible, and if there is more than one stopover my wife probably will not want to go. Anyways, I would love to hear if anyone can work some magic and come up with something. I am terrible at searching different options, so I have enlisted the help of the pros!

*I also have buy one ticket get the other for 99$ plus taxes coupon if that makes any difference*

If you can swing it with the wife to burn that companion fare on 2 F tickets, she'll love you forever (notwithstanding the fact that she already does!). It's one of the best deals AS has going now and you might as well use it to your maximum advantage. I think you could easily construct a YYJ-SEA-OGG and return itinerary to your liking, I checked a few flights and there are still F seats for sale SEA-OGG-SEA. Good luck!

I see a few options for 3/15-3/24 to Maui for 57,500 miles if you've got them. You can also purchase miles to make up the diff but that is between you and your bank account. Outbound is Victoria-Seattle-Portland-Maui. Return is Maui-Seattle-Victoria. Problem is that the 2nd ticket is going to cost $1100 US, yikes!

Now using you $99 companion voucher gives you these options:

a) 3/15-3/25, coach class, total for both is $1423 US but you keep your 55K miles and you both earn miles for the trip.

b) 3/15-3/25, FIRST CLASS, total for both is $1959 US but you keep your 55K miles and you both earn 1.5 times actual miles.

Oh by the way, both option A and B by pass that Portland hop that you would be required to take if you use miles. I know what I'd do ;)

This is great.. if Only I could sell my airmiles or book a ticket for someone else at a discount and put the money towards using my companion certificate! Life would be grand!


I see a few options for 3/15-3/24 to Maui for 57,500 miles if you've got them. You can also purchase miles to make up the diff but that is between you and your bank account. Outbound is Victoria-Seattle-Portland-Maui. Return is Maui-Seattle-Victoria. Problem is that the 2nd ticket is going to cost $1100 US, yikes!

Now using you $99 companion voucher gives you these options:

a) 3/15-3/25, coach class, total for both is $1423 US but you keep your 55K miles and you both earn miles for the trip.

b) 3/15-3/25, FIRST CLASS, total for both is $1959 US but you keep your 55K miles and you both earn 1.5 times actual miles.

Oh by the way, both option A and B by pass that Portland hop that you would be required to take if you use miles. I know what I'd do ;)

This is great.. if Only I could sell my airmiles or book a ticket for someone else at a discount and put the money towards using my companion certificate! Life would be grand!

Too bad both are against the rules for AS MVP plan. And, it's skirting it pretty close on the FlyerTalk Rules too since any offers/hints like that are not allowed in regular forums.

Not my intention, but thanks for the heads up

Too bad both are against the rules for AS MVP plan. And, it's skirting it pretty close on the FlyerTalk Rules too since any offers/hints like that are not allowed in regular forums.

Our main destination want is Maui. However, we may be open to other tropical destinations that we can afford on our points, so feel free to be creative (Not interested in mexico, have been too many times).


how about south beach? SEA-MIA or FLL (after June) is direct flight on AS, and cost less than Maui.

shortstopguy12, welcome to FT!!

We removed a less than welcoming post from another member. You'll find here that, for the most part, folks are very friendly and helpful.

Enjoy your trip to Maui and we'll be seeing you around the forums. :)

_________________

Cholula
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Co-Moderator

I am terrible at searching different options, so I have enlisted the help of the pros!


There are true pros at this - paid services.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-tools/1296363-award-booking-services-list.html

Relatively fixed dates, departure from an airport with limited (AS) service, aversion to connections (understood), and a destination in high seasonal demand do not make for easy award search.

Regrets, but South Beach is such a poor analog for Maui I can't even find adequate words. ;)

There are still a couple of calculations to go. Here's another calc - if you are interested in using the companion fare, and as many miles as you can to pay as little cash as possible.

You might consider buying 2 tickets with the miles for YYJ-SEA-PDX-OGG. That would be 20K + $60 each for a total of 40K + $120
Coming back (OGG-SEA-YYJ) you could pay cash of $560 for coach or $852 for First and use the Companion fare (I use $165 for an approximation of what the $99 Companion Fare ends up costing canucks).

So that would be 40K in miles and in dollars:
$120 + $560 + $165 = $845 for coach and for First it costs
$120 + $852 + $165 = $1,137

You don't appear to have enough miles to use for tickets back from OGG and personally, I would do coach there and first back. The above calcs average out to approximately $570 per ticket for coach there and first back and coach both ways is $425 ish. Of course, you only earn miles coming back from OGG.

Regrets, but South Beach is such a poor analog for Maui I can't even find adequate words. ;)

not saying SB is on par with Maui, just saying because OP is "open to other tropical destinations that we can afford on our points".

Belize or Costa Rica might be an option/similar.

If you're flexible with dates and number of flights, go buy yourself 15,000 (55 current plus 15k = 70; AA partner award to Central America in coach is 35k RT) more miles for $412, you could get two round-trip tickets in coach down there.

Did a quick couple searches on Delta and AA, and using AA would probably be a better choice, otherwise with Delta you'd be connecting out of ATL for everything.

Let me know if you're not finding the openings. Remember you can only use one partner, but you can use Alaska flights to position.

If you can swing it with the wife to burn that companion fare on 2 F tickets, she'll love you forever (notwithstanding the fact that she already does!). It's one of the best deals AS has going now and you might as well use it to your maximum advantage. I think you could easily construct a YYJ-SEA-OGG and return itinerary to your liking, I checked a few flights and there are still F seats for sale SEA-OGG-SEA. Good luck!

I totally agree.

I frequently fly out of YYJ and the sane/logical approach is to use the companion ticket discount code for F seats to OGG (or MIA or SAN or wherever), and then save your miles for something transcontinental in biz or F.

And, BTW, welcome to FlyerTalk.

Not sure about the suggestion for tix to Central America etc, as the OP's wife apparently doesn't like a lot of take-offs and landings and prefers to fly direct. There is also a preference to use up the 'points'.
...Our main destination want is Maui. However, we may be open to other tropical destinations that we can afford on our points, so feel free to be creative (Not interested in mexico, have been too many times).

We currently have 55,000 alaska airmiles. I know this will not get me 2 tickets, but it can at least get me one and we can pay for the other.

We need to fly out on March 15th or 16 – and return on March 24th or 25th. Obviously, we would like to fly direct as possible, and if there is more than one stopover my wife probably will not want to go....

Not sure about the suggestion for tix to Central America etc, as the OP's wife apparently doesn't like a lot of take-offs and landings and prefers to fly direct. There is also a preference to use up the 'points'.

I have first-hand experience that a spouse will open up to more connections when the flights are almost free and get us somewhere we otherwise wouldn't have gone. If he gets lucky he might be able to do it with 2 connections.

And I don't know what you're saying about points -- what I laid out uses all their points plus some more bought to get up to the award points they'd need. It's all points, no cash fares.