Confused about stopovers on award bookings
Feb 8, 2016, 1:15 pm
#1
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Montreal
Posts: 260
Confused about stopovers on award bookings
Trying to understand stopovers in the context of M&M. Website gives me this great info:
1.5.2 Stopovers
Please contact your local Miles & More Service Team to obtain details of the current terms and conditions.
I used the mileage calculator to calculate the cost of business class from Asia to North America and it tells me 135,000 miles. OK easy.
"Service Team" told me that the basic fare was 185,000 and the mileage calculator was often wrong and if they booked Asia to North America they would charge me 185,000. The award chart though also says North America to SE Asia or Far East is 135,000.
The route I want is HKG - YYZ and return.
What I am trying to do is to integrate a stopover in Frankfurt or another city in Germany on the way over and again on the way back.
When I asked about stopovers in Germany they said this would require a 3 region award which was 185,000 (same as what they told me if I wasn't stopping, which would be a 2 region award?)
So, I'm not confident I got good information there and the website is useless, third party sites are dated enough and programs devalue fast enough that I'm not sure if they're valid either. They talk about Lufthansa's generous stopovers but on the phone they said I could only get one stopover on a 185k 3 region award so... I'm lost.
Can someone tell me what I need to ask for and what I should be expecting for points to do:
HKG - FRA (stop) - YYZ (destination) - FRA (stop) - HKG (terminate) ?
I guess that the miles calculator is telling me 135,000 if and only if I take a *A direct flight from Asia to North America, via AC, UA, NH, etc.
Would really appreciate clarifications though on the stopover aspect.
1.5.2 Stopovers
Please contact your local Miles & More Service Team to obtain details of the current terms and conditions.
I used the mileage calculator to calculate the cost of business class from Asia to North America and it tells me 135,000 miles. OK easy.
"Service Team" told me that the basic fare was 185,000 and the mileage calculator was often wrong and if they booked Asia to North America they would charge me 185,000. The award chart though also says North America to SE Asia or Far East is 135,000.
The route I want is HKG - YYZ and return.
What I am trying to do is to integrate a stopover in Frankfurt or another city in Germany on the way over and again on the way back.
When I asked about stopovers in Germany they said this would require a 3 region award which was 185,000 (same as what they told me if I wasn't stopping, which would be a 2 region award?)
So, I'm not confident I got good information there and the website is useless, third party sites are dated enough and programs devalue fast enough that I'm not sure if they're valid either. They talk about Lufthansa's generous stopovers but on the phone they said I could only get one stopover on a 185k 3 region award so... I'm lost.
Can someone tell me what I need to ask for and what I should be expecting for points to do:
HKG - FRA (stop) - YYZ (destination) - FRA (stop) - HKG (terminate) ?
I guess that the miles calculator is telling me 135,000 if and only if I take a *A direct flight from Asia to North America, via AC, UA, NH, etc.
Would really appreciate clarifications though on the stopover aspect.
Last edited by nihonto; Feb 8, 2016 at 1:24 pm
Feb 8, 2016, 3:56 pm
#2
Senior Moderator, Moderator: Community Buzz and Ambassador: Miles & More (Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, and other partners)
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 150km from MAN
Programs: LH SEN** HH Diamond
Posts: 29,512
The route I want is HKG - YYZ and return.
What I am trying to do is to integrate a stopover in Frankfurt or another city in Germany on the way over and again on the way back.
When I asked about stopovers in Germany they said this would require a 3 region award which was 185,000 (same as what they told me if I wasn't stopping, which would be a 2 region award?)
So, I'm not confident I got good information there and the website is useless, third party sites are dated enough and programs devalue fast enough that I'm not sure if they're valid either. They talk about Lufthansa's generous stopovers but on the phone they said I could only get one stopover on a 185k 3 region award so... I'm lost.
Can someone tell me what I need to ask for and what I should be expecting for points to do:
HKG - FRA (stop) - YYZ (destination) - FRA (stop) - HKG (terminate) ?
I guess that the miles calculator is telling me 135,000 if and only if I take a *A direct flight from Asia to North America, via AC, UA, NH, etc.
Would really appreciate clarifications though on the stopover aspect.
What I am trying to do is to integrate a stopover in Frankfurt or another city in Germany on the way over and again on the way back.
When I asked about stopovers in Germany they said this would require a 3 region award which was 185,000 (same as what they told me if I wasn't stopping, which would be a 2 region award?)
So, I'm not confident I got good information there and the website is useless, third party sites are dated enough and programs devalue fast enough that I'm not sure if they're valid either. They talk about Lufthansa's generous stopovers but on the phone they said I could only get one stopover on a 185k 3 region award so... I'm lost.
Can someone tell me what I need to ask for and what I should be expecting for points to do:
HKG - FRA (stop) - YYZ (destination) - FRA (stop) - HKG (terminate) ?
I guess that the miles calculator is telling me 135,000 if and only if I take a *A direct flight from Asia to North America, via AC, UA, NH, etc.
Would really appreciate clarifications though on the stopover aspect.
Feb 8, 2016, 4:47 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Tasmania, Australia
Programs: M&M SEN, Amex Plat, Club Carlson, Marriott, HHonors & Accor Gold, Velocity Silver, Qantas Bronze
Posts: 3,767
To the OP, I would think that 135000 miles would apply to flight from Asia to America via Pacific route, not via Europe.
Feb 8, 2016, 9:52 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SIN (LEJ once a year)
Programs: SQ, LH, BA, IHG Diamond AMB, HH Gold, SLH Indulged, Accor Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,739
And even then most likely only if the flight number does not change like with the SQ flights going between SE Asia and NA. While they all touch a different (third) zone they operate the entire journey under the same flight number. Also if UA really launches SFO to SIN non-stop that flight would be fine at 135k mls too.