The Definitive "How To Search for Low Tier Business Awards"

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Jul 22, 2012, 11:24 am

#1186

PETERPNYC

Join Date: May 2011

Programs: Spg Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Diamond

Posts: 1,578

Quote:

Originally Posted by michael_v

From what I have noticed, the award calendar says the truth about low level award availability, but delta.com is too dumb to find it. In that case, if you are flying DL metal, you can use the Alaska air website. With this website, I have found the following flights that do price at 100k on delta.com:

Delta 132
ATL 12:30 pm Tue, Apr 16
JFK 2:56 pm Tue, Apr 16
Coach

Delta 160
JFK 5:00 pm Tue, Apr 16
MXP 7:30 am Wed, Apr 17
Business

Delta 75
MXP 9:50 am Fri, May 3
ATL 2:30 pm Fri, May 3
Business

There is also the option to take the 7:45 am flight out of ATL for an increased connection time in JFK.

HTH

Just browsing and saw DL Flight 132. That's the flight I take JFK ATH

Can find it easier on Alaska Air ?

Jul 22, 2012, 12:32 pm

#1187

superking

Join Date: Mar 2011

Posts: 349

PHL-LGA , JFK- VCE(open jaw)

Rome- BCN(stop over)

BCN-AMS(24 hours connection)
AMS-JFK , LGA -PHL

Why is the Rome-BCN is costing me extra 25,000 miles? Before adding that segment it only cost me 100k miles.... I thought per Delta rule is I could do a stop over and an open Jaw?

Any help is appreciated? Perhaps I should do JFK-Rome, Rome to BCN?

Jul 22, 2012, 12:58 pm

#1188

3Cforme

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Join Date: Jun 2001

Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat

Posts: 28,190

Quote:

Originally Posted by superking

Good question. Your proposed routing FCO-BCN-AMS-JFK/LGA-PHL fits the MPM for FCO-PHL. You haven't violated the segment limit, nor improperly constructed the open jaw.

Have you put this on hold and called to ask for manual pricing?

Jul 22, 2012, 1:05 pm

#1189

superking

Join Date: Mar 2011

Posts: 349

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Cforme

Yes, the manual ticketing desk added the FCO-BCN leg because the previous 3 Delta agents said they could not find any availability.... even when i ask them to long sell...

I only could think of 2 reasons

1.) it is coded as Z which is marked as First/Business
2.) it is not available as low level award? perhaps mid-level by Delta?

Jul 22, 2012, 1:32 pm

#1190

3Cforme

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Quote:

Originally Posted by superking

I only could think of 2 reasons

1.) it is coded as Z which is marked as First/Business
2.) it is not available as low level award? perhaps mid-level by Delta?

I think you can dismiss both of those possibilities. You appear to have a low business - low business award that should price at 100K (and PHL-LGA-PHL in coach because those are single-class aircraft). All partner award inventory is low band for awards (except for Hawaiian, which can be low or medium). That's not to say there isn't a random ghost in the pricing machine for this itin.

Jul 22, 2012, 2:27 pm

#1191

sbjnyc

Join Date: Aug 2011

Location: JFK/LGA/EWR

Posts: 1,296

Quote:

Originally Posted by superking

Maybe I'm missing something but it looks like that last leg is a 2nd stop over so maybe it's adding 25k for the LGA-PHL segment. I assume you meant to put in jan 2 instead of Jan 22.

Jul 22, 2012, 2:33 pm

#1192

3Cforme

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Good catch. That would explain why they treated a segment as an add-on.

Jul 22, 2012, 2:52 pm

#1193

superking

Join Date: Mar 2011

Posts: 349

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbjnyc

Maybe I'm missing something but it looks like that last leg is a 2nd stop over so maybe it's adding 25k for the LGA-PHL segment. I assume you meant to put in jan 2 instead of Jan 22.

Yes, it's 100K miles now!

But the agent had to manually priced it...pretty time consuming!

Any idea if I could ask them to take the

PHL-LGA out on December 15th, 2012? Making this a double open Jaw? is that allowed?

But keep the LGA-PHL on January 2nd, 2013?

This would make the trip double open jaw...

I might want to spend a night in New York(leave on the evening of the 14th December)... and could easily take Megabus/bolt bus there.

Last edited by superking; Jul 22, 2012 at 5:05 pm

Jul 22, 2012, 8:20 pm

#1194

Jigger

Join Date: Apr 2005

Location: Detroit

Programs: NWA, AC., SWA, AA.,UA, HH

Posts: 165

I know its been a while since I posted but I thought I was screwed into using 240,000 pp to fly to Bankok from DTW at Christmas
I am reading the thread again trying to let this all sink in
YOu guys are amazing!!!!!
I am not adverse to booking out of JFK and buying a ticket there.
What do you think it would cost in Skymile points doing it that way
Yes, I live in the Detroit area
Thanks for the suggestions
Jerry

Jul 22, 2012, 8:21 pm

#1195

superking

Join Date: Mar 2011

Posts: 349

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jigger

I am reading the thread again trying to let this all sink in
YOu guys are amazing!!!!!
I am not adverse to booking out of JFK and buying a ticket there.
What do you think it will cost in Skymile points doing it that way
Yes, I live in the Detroit area
Thanks for the suggestions
Jerry

You can always find a low level connection from DTW to JFK or LGA...like how I did it.

Jul 23, 2012, 4:35 am

#1196

3Cforme

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Quote:

Originally Posted by superking

Any idea if I could ask them to take the

PHL-LGA out on December 15th, 2012? Making this a double open Jaw? is that allowed?

A double open jaw is two one ways - and that will price as two round-trips in the Delta award world.

Jul 23, 2012, 2:21 pm

#1197

superking

Join Date: Mar 2011

Posts: 349

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3Cforme

I think you can dismiss both of those possibilities. You appear to have a low business - low business award that should price at 100K (and PHL-LGA-PHL in coach because those are single-class aircraft). All partner award inventory is low band for awards (except for Hawaiian, which can be low or medium). That's not to say there isn't a random ghost in the pricing machine for this itin.

This is for December 14th 2012

JFK-CDG, it seems like there are 4 different flights available on AF on Classic award, but when I search on Delta, they only show one of the flights(AF 23)... is this something I have to call? or they don't release all inventories?

Jul 23, 2012, 2:30 pm

#1198

3Cforme

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Join Date: Jun 2001

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Quote:

Originally Posted by ExpertFlyer Voice

If someone could email us a specific example showing the differences in availability between AF.us/.fr and what they see in EF then we can do some research into the matter, thanks.

Paging ExpertFlyer Voice, please:

For coach award travel non-stop JFK-CDG on 14 Dec for one traveler, EF shows available inventory on AF 23, 7, 11, and 9. Delta.com, searching for non-stops by schedule, shows only AF 23 (and DL 184).

Might you kindly investigate this discrepancy in availability as a point of sale or other problem? Thank you.