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LM F and J routes (and the occasional trick-it) Rebooted v2.0

Old May 26, 2014, 8:47 am
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Last edit by: SingaporeDon
Originally Posted by Moderator2
Every forum on Flyertalk has a personality. A forum gains a personality through user input over time, and Lifemiles is a very definitive example of how users have developed a unique community.

While Flyertalk boards actively encourage sharing of info, the Lifemiles community has developed and thrived via obscuring of certain data elements. It may not be easy for new participants to break through the codes and gain knowledge of the program's quirks, but the overall board community has adopted this unique approach. And frankly, that is not going to change overnight.

If a FT member wants to participate on this board, then they will need to respect other users. Hence, posts that run counter to this community's standards, will be removed.
Region definitions
C1 North America
C1.5 Caribbean, Bermuda
C2 Europe
C2.5 Middle East
C3 Asia
C4 South America
C5 Africa
C6 Oceania

2X, 3X: in the context of this LifeMiles thread, 2X and 3X refer to any 2nd and 3rd legs of a one-way award ticket.

LifeMiles' Star Alliance Award Chart

LifeMiles' old Star Alliance Award Chart (before Oct 15 2014) // Table of changes

Cash & Miles redemptions: the price per mile purchased during award booking varies significantly depending on how many miles are purchased. The "sweet spots" are between 38% and 58% of the total mileage required, where miles are purchased for 1.5 cents. See here for some examples.

Beware of Cabotage: LifeMiles has been known to issue tickets that constitute Cabotage, and at least one instance of denied boarding has been reported, stranding the passenger. An easily-seen example is travel on Copa from LAX to SJU (via PTY).

Understand Cabotage: Departing country 1, transiting country 2, returning to country 1 (no stopping) *is* cabotage (example: depart JFK, connect in YYZ to return to ORD, or depart Miami, connect in Bogota, return to San Francisco). On the other hand, departing country 1, going to completely unrelated country 2, and ending up in country 3, is not cabotage. So if you fly JFK-JNB-ZRH, for instance, this is completely not cabotage.

Availability: Seeing availability for *A award seats elsewhere is no guarantee they are accessible on Lifemiles. For instance award space shown on ANA often is not accessible on Lifemiles. Similarly, finding award space on single legs doesn't mean you'll get award space on the combined itinerary. And no, there is no way to overcome that.

Screenshot Method
Send email to [email protected] with attached screenshots on Lifemiles website of each individual leg showing availability. Also, screenshot showing no availability as one booking. Include passenger names, gender and DOB and copy of passenger passport. They will either call you for payment or email the itinerary and give you 3 days to call up and make payment by CC.

NOTE: This previous thread has been closed; it can be read here LM F and J routes (and the occasional trick-it)
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LM F and J routes (and the occasional trick-it) Rebooted v2.0

Old May 27, 2014, 1:26 pm
  #46  
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 40
Ok, this is new to me.
Booked a well known tricked route and got the message "could not process credit card payment ...bla bla... please call our call center".

PNR created, miles are still there.

Obviously I don't want to call. Anyone had this before ? Will the reservation just be canceled if I don't call and thus no payment will go through ?

Any help appreciated
KiFly is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 1:30 pm
  #47  
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Originally Posted by KiFly
Any help appreciated
What about some research by yourself first?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/avian...lifemiles.html
Air Rarotonga is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 1:55 pm
  #48  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,384
Originally Posted by KiFly
Ok, this is new to me.
Booked a well known tricked route and got the message "could not process credit card payment ...bla bla... please call our call center".

PNR created, miles are still there.

Obviously I don't want to call. Anyone had this before ? Will the reservation just be canceled if I don't call and thus no payment will go through ?

Any help appreciated
Yes the reservation will not go through. You'll need to wait for the seats to come back (if they do) and try again.
yerffej201 is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 2:16 pm
  #49  
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 22,191
Folks, this thread can only flourish if the topic is adhered to. Several personal digs have been removed. Please set aside past animosities that sullied the old thread.

Thanks for your co-operation and understanding.

Prospero
Senior Moderator
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Old May 27, 2014, 3:23 pm
  #50  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: BTS
Posts: 611
Originally Posted by mlqsko
Not tons, but all of them.
nah, some still work, just not the absolutely cheapest ones, but you can still get some good savings.
scibuff is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 3:32 pm
  #51  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ZRH
Programs: SEN
Posts: 137
Originally Posted by scibuff
nah, some still work, just not the absolutely cheapest ones, but you can still get some good savings.
My guess is that the IF statement guys only killed what has been booked (multiple times) or what could get them into additional trouble with the DOT
superpointsLXflyer is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 3:45 pm
  #52  
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Toronto (YYZ)
Posts: 6,279
FYI: UA airport station at SUSHI is compiling a list of no-show PNR'S where CANDY was dropped. What they plan on doing with that info is not yet known.

What is known: 163 no-shows this year to date ALL originating from NA ALL ticketed in 202 stock (TACA)

Word of advice: Make sure if you are booked to CANDY you actually eat CANDY.

I'll keep the thread posted when my UA contact provides more 411.

Added: Pineapple to Candy no shows 241 YTD again all ticketed on TACA

Last edited by imverge; May 27, 2014 at 3:54 pm Reason: No show info from Pineapple
imverge is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 4:54 pm
  #53  
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Programs: IC Amb :-(, UA silver, BA Gold, SPG Plat, A-Club Plat, Marriott Plat
Posts: 913
Hmmmm...

Expect to see UA pushing for Candy to be recoded to match UAs zoning I would guess.... this sort of investigation will not lead to nothing, there will be consequences....
catharsis is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 5:46 pm
  #54  
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: GVA, BSL, ZRH
Programs: A3*, HH, club carlson: all gold and bonvoy plat
Posts: 466
Just an info: 10% more expensive starting Oct 1st '14

LifeMiles just emailed a reminder today that included information about upcoming price rise of 10% starting on October 1, 2014.

Avianca is selling LifeMiles for $30 per 1,000 miles purchased (or per 2,000 miles during 2for1 promo), so it will be for $33 per 1,000 miles from Oct 1st.
Artemio is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 6:52 pm
  #55  
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SXE
Programs: QF LTG, VA Gold, BA Gold, HH, SFSC
Posts: 501
Originally Posted by Artemio
LifeMiles just emailed a reminder today that included information about upcoming price rise of 10% starting on October 1, 2014.

Avianca is selling LifeMiles for $30 per 1,000 miles purchased (or per 2,000 miles during 2for1 promo), so it will be for $33 per 1,000 miles from Oct 1st.
And the current 2 for 1 promo finishes in three days.
JessicaTam is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 7:01 pm
  #56  
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 988
received an email today from LM proactively re-booking my candy eating kitty route. On it, had the LM contact number and told me to ask for the lifemiles back room. When I called, they politely explained it violated US laws (with no mention of cabotage...guess they dont know the terminology). They offered me the pineapple route with the old business class with no other options other than cancel. Since this booking is for my elderly parents, i need the lie flat business class seat, so I requested to cancel and refund. The nice lady explained to me that it can take up to 72 hours to process, but there will be no cancellation fee of $50 per ticket. The whole call took 32 minutes, of which the first 14 or so was waiting to be transferred to the right department. So it was rather painless.
babypuwet is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 8:46 pm
  #57  
Moderator: American AAdvantage
 
Join Date: May 2000
Location: NorCal - SMF area
Programs: AA LT Plat; HH LT Diamond, Matre-plongeur des Muccis
Posts: 62,948
Let me put it a bit more bluntly than my nice colleague oliver2002.

The reason the "Rebooted v2.0" thread exists is because it was deemed useful by the value of information imparted and degree of participation, so we (Senior Moderators) agreed a "Rebooted v2.0" thread would preserve the function without the vitriol.

It is time to move on from past animus and upset. If this truly can't be done and the thread becomes maintenance intensive, disruptive and, we must reconsider discipline for members who are incapable of moving on to a more productive realm; I would personally hate to do that, but it is up to each and every of us.

Thank you for your understanding. Travel safely and well.

JDiver, Senior Moderator
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Old May 27, 2014, 11:16 pm
  #58  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 3,835
Originally Posted by scibuff
nah, some still work, just not the absolutely cheapest ones, but you can still get some good savings.
Yet, you get to pay 55% more miles than usual, for example.
mlqsko is offline  
Old May 27, 2014, 11:28 pm
  #59  
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: Hyatt Glob; AA ExPlat; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 317
Originally Posted by imverge
FYI: UA airport station at SUSHI is compiling a list of no-show PNR'S where CANDY was dropped. What they plan on doing with that info is not yet known.

What is known: 163 no-shows this year to date ALL originating from NA ALL ticketed in 202 stock (TACA)

Word of advice: Make sure if you are booked to CANDY you actually eat CANDY.

I'll keep the thread posted when my UA contact provides more 411.

Added: Pineapple to Candy no shows 241 YTD again all ticketed on TACA
Maybe it'll be a good idea to not use your UA MP# if you don't intend to eat the candy. Or your account may get blacklisted for hidden city ticketing.
SFOvacations is offline  
Old May 28, 2014, 1:32 am
  #60  
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,384
Originally Posted by SFOvacations
Maybe it'll be a good idea to not use your UA MP# if you don't intend to eat the candy. Or your account may get blacklisted for hidden city ticketing.
I think your lm number is already attached to the ticket no?
yerffej201 is offline  

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