the price of tickets is preposterous atm, so im looking to go the mile route.
whats the cheapest way to get from Sydney to new york via miles?
dates are 18-19 jnue until the 25th june till 1 of july
so far i saw that united has 40k flights and taxes comes out to 200$, any ideas? where would i pay less miles and fee's overall? even doing one ways with different miles?
lin821
Jun 15, 12, 1:40 am
whats the cheapest way to get from Sydney to new york via miles?
dates are 18-19 jnue until the 25th june till 1 of july
Do you mean June 18, 2012?
That's in 3 days! Don't forget to factor in the close-in award ticketing fees.
1) What miles do you have?
2) Have you checked and see if there's any award availability on any of the FFPs that you have miles?
Good luck!
Zamboni Driver
Jun 15, 12, 10:01 am
Actually it is in only 2 days now, keep in mind the time difference due to the flight originating in SYD.
OP, given your timeframe you may want to grab whatever award you can find if you are not flexible on dates and times and don't want to spend money on a last-minute ticket.
dshargorodsky
Jun 15, 12, 10:17 am
Do you have any AA/QF miles? Qantas is great on this route (especially if you can snag the A380) and they have heaps of award availability in coach. I see 3 award seats available for June 20 in economy on flight QF11. I fly this route annually and I would avoid United like the plague...
dee91
Jun 15, 12, 10:20 am
can AA book qantas flights?
llamagatekeeper
Jun 15, 12, 10:35 am
can AA book qantas flights?
Yes they are a partner in One World.
dee91
Jun 15, 12, 10:53 am
Yes they are a partner in One World.
g-d dammit! the qantas site is down...
anyway where would you select the award using partners with qantas? and is there a chart that would show me how much it is?
are there any 1 world partners that i could use MR points for the flight that wouldnt charge fee's or have low fee's?
To redeem AA miles for travel on QF, you must call AA -- not QF -- and pay the telephone-ticketing fee (in addition to the close-in award fee). It is not possible to book QF award flights online when redeeming AA miles.
One-way between Australia and North America costs 37.5K AA miles in Coach.
You can find all three of AA's award charts (zone-based AA metal only, zone-based Partner, and distance-based "Explorer") at aa.com under the "AAdvantage" tab.
To redeem AA miles for travel on QF, you must call AA -- not QF -- and pay the telephone-ticketing fee (in addition to the close-in award fee). It is not possible to book QF award flights online when redeeming AA miles.
One-way between Australia and North America costs 37.5K AA miles in Coach.
You can find all three of AA's award charts (zone-based AA metal only, zone-based Partner, and distance-based "Explorer") at aa.com under the "AAdvantage" tab.
what about the other way round? qantas on AA? or ana on qantas or aa?
To redeem AA miles for travel on QF, you must call AA -- not QF -- and pay the telephone-ticketing fee (in addition to the close-in award fee). It is not possible to book QF award flights online when redeeming AA miles.
One-way between Australia and North America costs 37.5K AA miles in Coach.
You can find all three of AA's award charts (zone-based AA metal only, zone-based Partner, and distance-based "Explorer") at aa.com under the "AAdvantage" tab.
what about the other way round? qantas on AA? or ana on qantas or aa?
To redeem QF miles on AA (which does not fly to or from Australia), you must investigate QF's redemption rates and policies.
ANA miles are not redeemable on AA; I don't know whether ANA miles are redeemable on QF. (ANA is not a oneworld member.)
To redeem QF miles on AA (which does not fly to or from Australia), you must investigate QF's redemption rates and policies.
ANA miles are not redeemable on AA; I don't know whether ANA miles are redeemable on QF. (ANA is not a oneworld member.)
what my best option for 100k MR points?
dshargorodsky
Jun 15, 12, 1:09 pm
what my best option for 100k MR points? also assuming i could buy MR points at 1.7 or UR points at 1.8 what is my best option?
You can transfer your MR to Cathay Pacific or British Airways and use them for QF flights. I would recommend Cathay Pacific, because they do not have as many "surcharges" as BA charges. How would you buy MR points at 1.7 cents each? Your alternative would be Delta from SYD-LAX on the 19th and return flights are available on the 25th/26th/27th. It costs 100k DL miles (MR partner) + 116.20 (taxes+surcharges).
dee91
Jun 15, 12, 1:16 pm
it is possible to buy united miles for 30$? per 1000?
dshargorodsky
Jun 15, 12, 1:29 pm
it is illegal to buy, but lets say i could possibly pay someone for driving me to the airport and in return he buys me a ticket using the miles,.. and the drive to the airport would make the trip worth 1.7 per mile used.... if you get the jist of this...
Understood, no further explanation needed :D . I think that Membership Rewards would be better than UR in your position. I would honestly consider making the trip longer due to the 14 hour time difference and spending 23 hours on a plane.
dee91
Jun 15, 12, 1:32 pm
Understood, no further explanation needed :D . I think that Membership Rewards would be better than UR in your position. I would honestly consider making the trip longer due to the 14 hour time difference and spending 23 hours on a plane.
so what would i do?
michael_v
Jun 15, 12, 2:19 pm
... and I would avoid United like the plague...
I just booked SFO-SYD on UA business class. Could you explain why one should avoid UA?
dshargorodsky
Jun 15, 12, 2:29 pm
I just booked SFO-SYD on UA business class. Could you explain why one should avoid UA?
I assumed that the OP is talking about flying in Y. I flew JFK-SFO-SYD in Y on UA and it doesn't compare to foreign carriers such as QF and Virgin Australia. I believe their premium cabins are better (I just booked SYD-SFO in UA F). They have no personal entertainment systems (which all their competition have) and the food is horrible. Compare that to QF, were the food was excellent. On UA, only senior flight attendants fly this route and it is clear that they do not enjoy their jobs. In the past 4 round-trips on QF, I have always had flight attendants who love their job and you can see the difference in service. While UA is an excellent domestic carrier, I would never pick it over QF/DJ/DL.
cruisr
Jun 15, 12, 2:41 pm
I just booked SFO-SYD on UA business class. Could you explain why one should avoid UA?
I think one reason is that their flights always seem to be delayed or go mechanical. I was originally booked from SFO to AKL via SYD in J and kept monitoring NZ. Once two J seats became available I switched and was very glad I did. Service was amazing. If you can go on NZ I would.
Happy
Jun 15, 12, 11:04 pm
I think one reason is that their flights always seem to be delayed or go mechanical. I was originally booked from SFO to AKL via SYD in J and kept monitoring NZ. Once two J seats became available I switched and was very glad I did. Service was amazing. If you can go on NZ I would.
Hands down! NZ's premium cabin is way above United's and the crew far far better.
Happy
Jun 15, 12, 11:05 pm
so what would i do? transfer MR points to wich airline? asian airlines? cathay? BA? if the value of the MR points are 1.7 adding the cost of fuel surcharges who would come out the cheapest?
Both CX and BA charge fuel surcharge. Both Asia Miles and BA Avios would cost quite a bit more than using either AA or DL miles, assuming you can get DL at low level redemption.
You would have to look it up the CX chart and BA chart and do the calculation yourself - after all, it is YOU who needs to fly.
Guy Betsy
Jun 15, 12, 11:27 pm
what about the other way round? qantas on AA? or ana on qantas or aa?
Perhaps it might be better for you to tell us exactly how many miles you have overall on which programme?
We're just guessing here and giving you ideas which may b impossible or you to do in a day! Asia Miles for example needs up to 72 hours to redeem partner awards.
Happy
Jun 16, 12, 11:57 am
Perhaps it might be better for you to tell us exactly how many miles you have overall on which programme?
We're just guessing here and giving you ideas which may b impossible or you to do in a day! Asia Miles for example needs up to 72 hours to redeem partner awards.
The OP does not have enough in the 2 programs he mentioned (AMEX Membership Reward or Chase Ultimate Reward) - read his posts closely - he is planning to buy either Membership Reward points or Ultimate Reward points from someone who is willing to sell to him - he wants the community to tell him which would be cheaper to redeem comparing to his cost of 1.7 or 1.8 cent per point to buy points, plus the fuel surcharges... Admittedly, at least he knows it is illegal. (well not illegal per se, but against the programs' T&Cs and both the buyer and the seller can lose everything should the banks find out, especially in light of the latest actions/stances taken by Chase as reported here and elsewhere...)
what my best option for 100k MR points? also assuming i could buy MR points at 1.7 or UR points at 1.8 what is my best option?
You can transfer your MR to Cathay Pacific or British Airways and use them for QF flights. I would recommend Cathay Pacific, because they do not have as many "surcharges" as BA charges. How would you buy MR points at 1.7 cents each? Your alternative would be Delta from SYD-LAX on the 19th and return flights are available on the 25th/26th/27th. It costs 100k DL miles (MR partner) + 116.20 (taxes+surcharges).
it is illegal to buy, but lets say i could possibly pay someone for driving me to the airport and in return he buys me a ticket using the miles,.. and the drive to the airport would make the trip worth 1.7 per mile used.... if you get the jist of this...
Understood, no further explanation needed :D . I think that Membership Rewards would be better than UR in your position. I would honestly consider making the trip longer due to the 14 hour time difference and spending 23 hours on a plane.
lin821
Jun 16, 12, 2:18 pm
- read his posts closely - he is planning to buy either Membership Reward points or Ultimate Reward points from someone who is willing to sell to him - he wants the community to tell him which would be cheaper to redeem...
Like I had mentioned in post#2 (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18760151-post2.html), award availability should be a more important factor to consider than "cost" at this point. Even if OP can "obtain" the needed points/miles within a relatively short period of time, all efforts will go out of the window when no award tix is available.
I guess it's time for OP to do his overdue homework. ;)
Happy
Jun 16, 12, 9:04 pm
Like I had mentioned in post#2 (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18760151-post2.html), award availability should be a more important factor to consider than "cost" at this point. Even if OP can "obtain" the needed points/miles within a relatively short period of time, all efforts will go out of the window when no award tix is available.
I guess it's time for OP to do his overdue homework. ;)
Ah, OP wants the community do it for him...
Guess it aint going to happen - for the 18 June departure that is...
dee91
Jun 16, 12, 9:26 pm
guys lets not get upset here, this has been helping me alot!!!!
also, tho availability is important, i am still trying to figure out wich would be the cheapest option say if i wanted to book another ticket in a year?
that way i could direct my mile earning in 1 program or another and work from there to availability..
i understand that my ticket will be on short notice...
so far it looks like united's 80k saaver economy is my best bet. with about 150? tax..
that would be valued at 1440 + tax well below the cheapest paid ticket.. from what i saw they were 2300.. what the question is tho, is wether in future there are other companies that amex or chase UR transfer to that would
A. cost less miles.
B. not charge - or charge small tax + fee's.
i.e
in the western hemisphere, AA has flights EZE-JFK RTN for 30k milesAAver eachway.
sometimes it has it for 40 but that is uber rare!!
amex had a promo swap 1 point for 1.5 BA.
BA charges 50k RTN for EZE-JFK but will book you on any AA sAAver flight.
so
34k MR = 51k BA. those 51 buy you the 60k AA flight
BA charges 100$ tax. AA charges 150-200$
so it was 34k MR + 100$ vs 60k AA + 150-200$
i'm looking for the most mile/money effective flights from SYD-JFK
again thanks guys!!
Happy
Jun 16, 12, 10:11 pm
Dont know where your taxes and fee comparison coming from.
AA would not charge you any more taxes and fees than BA would charge you on any given award flight. The opposite is far more common. The only charge AA would have but BA does not, is the close-in fee. Sure, AA partner award must be booked over the phone so it is $25 extra, but good luck in being able to book a LA award on BA site despite in theory it should be done.
As for your A and B - based on the trends across all programs, it aint going to happen - i.e. cost less miles or have less taxes / fees. We would be lucky if they stay put at today's level.
Availability is the KEY whether you book it now or book it in a year. Cost is a consideration but if there is no availability, it means no go even if you pay much less to get your miles.
With AA you can book one way Saaver and one way AAnytime if need be. If AA does not have Saaver availability, your BA avios would not be able to book you anything on AA.
Furthermore, many changes on AA award are free to anyone. It would cost you $70 a pop on BA award. You also cannot change / cancel anything once you pass T-24 on your First leg of your itinerary, regardless of any circumstances, i.e. even with medical emergency or death in the family. You find out you could not travel and it is already T-24? Too bad, you forfeit everything if you have a BA award.
There are also a lot more to consider than the penny counting when it comes to award travel.
dshargorodsky
Jun 16, 12, 10:17 pm
guys lets not get upset here, this has been helping me alot!!!!
also, tho availability is important, i am still trying to figure out wich would be the cheapest option say if i wanted to book another ticket in a year?
that way i could direct my mile earning in 1 program or another and work from there to availability..
i understand that my ticket will be on short notice...
so far it looks like united's 80k saaver economy is my best bet. with about 150? tax..
that would be valued at 1440 + tax well below the cheapest paid ticket.. from what i saw they were 2300.. what the question is tho, is wether in future there are other companies that amex or chase UR transfer to that would
A. cost less miles.
B. not charge - or charge small tax + fee's.
i.e
in the western hemisphere, AA has flights EZE-JFK RTN for 30k milesAAver eachway.
sometimes it has it for 40 but that is uber rare!!
amex had a promo swap 1 point for 1.5 BA.
BA charges 50k RTN for EZE-JFK but will book you on any AA sAAver flight.
so
34k MR = 51k BA. those 51 buy you the 60k AA flight
BA charges 100$ tax. AA charges 150-200$
so it was 34k MR + 100$ vs 60k AA + 150-200$
i'm looking for the most mile/money effective flights from SYD-JFK
again thanks guys!!
If you're interested in a premium cabin, Delta has low award availability on both the 18th and the 19th and you can return on the 27th. This would cost you 150,000 DL Skymiles and 116.20 in taxes...
Happy
Jun 16, 12, 10:19 pm
If you're interested in a premium cabin, Delta has low award availability on both the 18th and the 19th and you can return on the 27th. This would cost you 150,000 DL Skymiles and 116.20 in taxes...
He would have to pony up 0.017 per mile to buy that...
dee91
Jun 16, 12, 10:27 pm
If you're interested in a premium cabin, Delta has low award availability on both the 18th and the 19th and you can return on the 27th. This would cost you 150,000 DL Skymiles and 116.20 in taxes...
wow!!!!! that sounds amazing considering people usually value delta miles as worthless.. maybe i could hook this up... great out of the box thinking!
Happy
Jun 17, 12, 6:33 pm
wow!!!!! that sounds amazing considering people usually value delta miles as worthless.. maybe i could hook this up... great out of the box thinking!
I guess you totally miss dshargorodsky's post no.12 on 6/15 suggesting you to look at DL.
Your alternative would be Delta from SYD-LAX on the 19th and return flights are available on the 25th/26th/27th. It costs 100k DL miles (MR partner) + 116.20 (taxes+surcharges).
If you're interested in a premium cabin, Delta has low award availability on both the 18th and the 19th and you can return on the 27th. This would cost you 150,000 DL Skymiles and 116.20 in taxes...
bmvaughn
Jun 28, 12, 1:29 pm
Follow along for more of the story here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-mileageplus-consolidated/1361244-shocking-united-experiance-first-class.html
Happy
Jun 28, 12, 3:55 pm
Follow along for more of the story here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-mileageplus-consolidated/1361244-shocking-united-experiance-first-class.html
I read the post in UA forum last night and now I found the content is pretty much all edited out with all the details. What is left has not a single thread of what was complained last night... Very interesting.
It was reported as a cancellation of booking and then there was IRROP, led to mis-connect etc etc.
The original version is captured in Post no.9 thanks to a poster replied with Quote function.
The story gets even more interesting when the poster claimed he was United Premium, and then asked would he get miles flying Qantas...
and this nugget of jewel:
im still skeptic with the A380 tho.. i dunno, maybe its just a little to big to be safe?
No matter it really gets the UA forum totally stirred up and the thread probably would be 50 pages long by weekend. ;)
Though I think this poster sums it well:
HAHAHAHAH OK I am done. This thread has gone in to many directions.
A recap for those just catching up:
- UA CS sucks
- Do religious beliefs effect the contract of carriage and are airlines obligated to go above and beyond to accommodate them
- Who gave whom award miles, and was it legal
- Where can one buy big boxers in a pinch and what should they cost
- Does flying on F award deserve the same IROP treatment as buying an F seat
- Why is QF better than UA
- Is the A380 safe
And these:
ok here's the update: im at newark they are telling me that my baggage will be delayed a minimum of 24hrs, if not more. they are offering me so far 50$ for clothing. they have given me 1 hotel night already valued at 91$ and 2 10$ meal vouchers.
who do i speak to and what can i ask for in terms of buying new clothing? i've got no clothing with me. i want to buy new clothing and underwear etc..
i;ve heard stories about 1-2000$ in compensation. dunno what to expect after this whole ordeal.
need to know who to speak to and what they are liable for?
im a very large size and it is hard for me to buy my size clothing in normal stores as well the price is much higher.
im not really interested in 2000$ im interested in new underwear and clothes that will be comfortable. it now seems from what the agent told me that my bags will arrive in newark only at 9pm and may not be sent out to deliver until the next day. meaning possibly 48hrs without clothing. i will need 2 days worth of clothing and i figure it will cost me about $3-400 i could go cheaper but i'd rather add the money and get something nice then crappy ugly stuff. i do care about my clothing and do not like to wear cheap crap. i dont think united should have to pay too much but they do need to pay about 3-400$
bmvaughn
Jun 28, 12, 3:57 pm
I read the post in UA forum last night and now I found the content is pretty much all edited out with all the details. What is left has not a single thread of what was complained last night... Very interesting.
Original post (from post #9):
my flight UA778 was delayed and it seemed i would miss my connecting flight to australia UA839
the lady at put me on stand by for the next flight. i was in first class. she didnt tell me but she cancceled my first class ticket and put me standby for economy
then that flight was full so they put me back on my delayed flight. i still had no clue but i was in economy. after a while they announced that my 5:50 flight would leave 8:30. i asked if i'd make my connection and the lady said no and that there was no room on the flight and i couldnt get on i said that i had a seat in first class and she said that first class was now full and economy was overbooked too. she told me to go to the CS desk.
i did. i spoke to a CS rep, who told me that i should take a hike because it said i had a NO SHOW!!! i was livid!! the audacity! it was unbeleivable. then i referenced that i was a first class passenger, and she was like, - no it says here economy - your lying! then i realised it was the same lady who had originally put me on standby! the very one who had downgraded me without telling me!
the flight was for the 27th, meaning i get to australia on friday morning 6:10 AM.
i am jewish and i cant travel on or after sunset on fridat till after sunset on saturday (the sabbath).
i explained to to the agent that i specifically booked a flight for the 27th because i cant travel after that. and that i have 2 children at home that i need to get back to.
she offered a flight the following day. i explained that although i would love to be home sooner, i cannot take any flight that will travel on saturday, therefore i would like to be rebooked on sunday.
she said no. she adamantly refused.
i asked to speak to a supervisor. the supervisor aid the same thing. just now instead of even trying to let me utter one sentence, the second i opened my mouth he just walked away saying sorry i just can't accomodate you, and i cant book you on sunday ONLY tomorrow!
i was shocked. there ae not many words to describe the utter disrespect and carelessness of such actions. the feeling of being stranded in this situation, without any effort from united to come forward and work out a strategy that could work, and to top it off i was flying first class. this was horrile service at its worst.
i refused to leave i demanded my flight be changed!
then they said there was no availability.
i quicklysearched the flights on my phone and saw they were outright lying to my face! i showed them clearly availability! and told the lady to book me on that flight. she declined saying she couldnt. after writing down her name and telling her that i was going to file a complaint she reluctantly booked me on the sunday flight!
they had earlier promised me that if i wouldnt make my connection they would put me up in a hotel. now they refused. for 20 minutes i argued with them till they finally agreed to put me up for 1 night!
to make matters worse my 3 bags were on the flight and now have to somehow be brought back to me!? they refuse to give any expenses for clothing or food or transportation. and after this whole ordeal i am soo sick to the core i cant even sleep in this hotel. i am just livid from this whole experience.
i will be expecting a complete refund and no less. i dont think there is any way they could possibly rectify this horrid experience.
united is building themselves a horrible name ESPECIALLY among first and business class passengers.
the lack of courtliness and professionalism is astounding!
any suggestions? my flight isnt till july 1st?
who should i complain to?
what can i ask for?
Happy
Jun 28, 12, 4:27 pm
I must have missed the good part how the problem is resolved after all the drama.
And the compensation OP initially wanted $1 to 2000 now is $3 to 400? for a couple of nice boxers?
exbayern
Jun 28, 12, 11:11 pm
And the compensation OP initially wanted $1 to 2000 now is $3 to 400? for a couple of nice boxers?
Big underpants apparently cost big money. :D (I still vote for the cheap route of washing the pants in the sink, and lesson learned to never leave home without a spare change of underwear)