SkyTeam - help with keeping crazy business itinerary on skyteam

Hey all,

I have a tricky flight to pull off. I'm trying to get from SFO to AKL on Skyteam. This should be easy enough, but I can't leave SFO until the evening of 3 August, and I need to be in AKL by the evening of 5 August.

Any lesser-known routes I should be aware of? I could go with NZ, but I'm a Delta DM and I need this trip to earn Delta MQMs to stay that way.

Thanks in advance!

Please follow this thread in the Skyteam Forum.
All best wishes...
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Ok, so it should have been obvious, but DL 17 to SYD connecting to DJ 8004 to AKL should work, but does anyone know if AKL is considered domestic at Virgin Australia?

Looking at Delta's airline partner charts, it looks like Virgin Australia international flights are supposed to be VA coded to earn skymiles.

Ok, so it should have been obvious, but DL 17 to SYD connecting to DJ 8004 to AKL should work, but does anyone know if AKL is considered domestic at Virgin Australia?

Looking at Delta's airline partner charts, it looks like Virgin Australia international flights are supposed to be VA coded to earn skymiles.

AKL is definitely considered international.

AKL is definitely considered international.

Any idea how to find a VA-coded flight from SYD to AKL on 5 August? Everything I get in search results has a DJ code.

There was a discussion on FT within the past week or so about what SkyTeam carriers serve NZ. IIRC KE through ICN, CZ thorugh CAN probably, and one other Asian carrier (through Taiwan?) were mentioned there in addition to Virgin from SYD. One problem will be that many fares do not earn 100% miles on DL.

KE would be out of the way through ICN but very pleasant and lots of miles for some fares. Since this isn't going to be an award ticket, you don't have to worry about the notorious KE blackout dates for using DL miles.

CZ long haul is know to pack in coach passengers very tightly.

Both KE and CZ would be through LAX; if domestic DL connections aren't convenient, think about using Alaska. Alternatively, IIRC there are TPAC KE flights from SEA or YVR if not SFO.

KE would be out of the way through ICN but very pleasant and lots of miles for some fares. Since this isn't going to be an award ticket, you don't have to worry about the notorious KE blackout dates for using DL miles.

This was my first thought, but KE through ICN gets me in to AKL on the morning of 6 August.

Due to schedules, it looks like Virgin Australia is going to be my only Skyteam choice. If I can't book a VA code, and if DJ-coded flights to AKL won't earn Delta MQMs, then I may just book QF to put a few points in my AA bank.

Couple of things:

- I'm not sure where you are looking on Delta's chart but since 14 February this year, both DJ and VA coded flights earn miles on Delta - http://skymilesoffers.delta.com/airline_partners.php#VA

- DJ8004 is a codeshare flight operated by Air New Zealand under their Trans-Tasman alliance. The DL earnings table for DJ says it applies to "Virgin Australia (DJ coded flights only) Marketed Flights" but I don't know if this would give you earnings given that it is on NZ metal.

There was a discussion on FT within the past week or so about what SkyTeam carriers serve NZ. IIRC KE through ICN, CZ thorugh CAN probably, and one other Asian carrier (through Taiwan?) were mentioned there in addition to Virgin from SYD. One problem will be that many fares do not earn 100% miles on DL.


I think you're referring to this thread: Around the world with Skyteam (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/skyteam/1359049-around-world-skyteam.html)

As far as I know, the options for reaching AKL on SkyTeam metal are:
- Korean Air (KE) from ICN
- China Southern (CZ) from CAN
- China Airlines (CI) from TPE, via BNE

and on SkyTeam code-shares:
- China Eastern (MU), operated by Qantas (QF), from SYD (coming from PVG)
- KLM, operated by Malaysian (MH), from KUL (coming from AMS)

I don't know details of non-SkyTeam carriers that may still earn DL SkyMiles.

As mentioned in the other thread, I find the SkyTeam downloadable timetable (http://www.skyteam.com/en/your-trip/Services/Download-Timetables/) extremely helpful for researching this sort of complex routing.

However, given your schedule constraints, I suspect your only option is going to be DL to SYD, and then QF/DJ/VA to AKL. Although MU codeshare on QF43 SYD-AKL, I don't think you'll be able to book this flight on an MU flight-number, unless you're flying into SYD on an MU flight.

I think you're referring to this thread

Thanks for all the detail! Thanks to all for the responses!

It's looking like the engagement will be moved, so I likely won't have such a tight travel window after all.

I think you're referring to this thread: Around the world with Skyteam (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/skyteam/1359049-around-world-skyteam.html)

As far as I know, the options for reaching AKL on SkyTeam metal are:
- Korean Air (KE) from ICN
- China Southern (CZ) from CAN
- China Airlines (CI) from TPE, via BNE

and on SkyTeam code-shares:
- China Eastern (MU), operated by Qantas (QF), from SYD (coming from PVG)
- KLM, operated by Malaysian (MH), from KUL (coming from AMS)

I don't know details of non-SkyTeam carriers that may still earn DL SkyMiles.

As mentioned in the other thread, I find the SkyTeam downloadable timetable (http://www.skyteam.com/en/your-trip/Services/Download-Timetables/) extremely helpful for researching this sort of complex routing.

However, given your schedule constraints, I suspect your only option is going to be DL to SYD, and then QF/DJ/VA to AKL. Although MU codeshare on QF43 SYD-AKL, I don't think you'll be able to book this flight on an MU flight-number, unless you're flying into SYD on an MU flight.
Malaysian is a DL SkyMiles partner, apparently for both accrual and redemption. You could use any of their flights, not just the KLM codeshares.

Malaysian is a DL SkyMiles partner, apparently for both accrual and redemption. You could use any of their flights, not just the KLM codeshares.
Remember that using KL-coded, MH-operated flights earns nothing in SkyMiles, since ST-coded flights must be operated by ST member airlines to earn. Also, you don't earn MQMs on MH.

Remember that using KL-coded, MH-operated flights earns nothing in SkyMiles, since ST-coded flights must be operated by ST member airlines to earn. Also, you don't earn MQMs on MH.
The same would be true for the QF operated MU codeshares. I suggested using the MH flights under MH flight numbers rather than doing them as KL codeshares. This way, at least redeemable miles would be earned if the fare class qualified. I generally try to avoid codeshares because they tend to cause more trouble than the potential cost savings are worth IMO/IME, but the ones suggested as a solution to wanting to keep the trip on SkyTeam here are especially problematic in that, while they nominally give SkyTeam flight numbers, they don't address the objective of obtaining miles for the itinerary.

To reiterate, a partner of a partner might not be a partner and be very careful when using codeshares operated by non alliance carriers in that the SkyTeam flight number doesn't mean that everything is fine in terms of SkyTeam FF programs. The codeshare and nonSkyTeam partner rules can be different for earning versus spending miles and you must read the fine print of your own FF program very carefully.