Programs: AC*SE; UA 1K; PCPlat/RoyalAmbassador; HyattGPDiamond; SPGGold;AirMilesGold
Posts: 26,082
What's the Best Airline Award Remaining?
Most FF programs have been revamping their Award Charts, or modifying accumulation levels. Few of these changes have been welcomed by many here, as these have tended to revalue awards for the worst. Though many of us Old Timers have been through worse devaluations, and can raphsodize over the unbelieveable awards we used to get for half the current levels. But those days are long gone.
STAR carriers brought out their unified award chart over the past 12-months, though actual redemption levels can vary from program to program given their various accumulation and other perculiarities. Among STAR awards, UA's Indian subcontinent from NAmerivca appears to represent the best deal: still under 150K for a First Class ticket, I believe. On Aeroplan's chart, it brought down significantly the "price" of premium class awards on TG and SQ, if one can actually secure First or Business seats on the latter carrier.
AAdvantage has just posted their new award chart, which consolidates all its partner carriers, oneworld and otehrs. Biggest loss is the ability to get from NAmerica to SAfrica on CX over the Pacific for a single 140K award in First. [Up to 29K of travel on one of the best carriers in the world!] This trip now can only be done for a single award using AA/BA combo for about 200K in First. Or using two separate awards on either CX or QF for 265K or 295K respectively!
I am not familiar with many of the other STAR and oneworld partner programs, or those of the other alliances, so would be curious to know what you value as The Best Award in your main program.
Perhaps you could post two such entries:
before recent changes, after recent changes.
I have already indicated my choice for best "old" award: CX in First, NAmerica to SAfrica, 140K AAdvantage miles. [Almost as good, on the defunct CanadianPlus program was NAmerica to SAfrica, via BA in First over Atlantic, 125K CP points.]
What about "best value" rewards (ie not necessarily the longest distance/highest class, but something else you value)?
I used 40,000 AC miles last Christmas to fly home Business Class within Canada - a 5 hour flight in each direction, plus a long snow delay on the ground, during the stressed-out, jam-packed Christmas season. An economy ticket is 25,000 points, so a 40,000 point business class seat in those circumstances was a good deal. I never would have purchased a business class seat. Air Canada got rid of most blackout periods last year, so you can use points at Christmas. I've already got my business class seat booked for Christmas 2003.
I haven't tried it yet, but I've heard that another good value is WT+ upgrade to Club World (NA-Europe), using a discounted WT+ class fare (about 25,000 miles plus a ticket costing about $1350 Cdn).
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 19,752
Truly outstanding award values, off the top of my head:
United 90k C award, North America to Australia
United 120k F award, North America to Australia
Mexicana 25k Y award, Anywhere in the US to Hawaii
Mexicana 40k F award, Anywhere in the US to Hawaii
United 15k Upgrade award (used to be 10k ), Anywhere in the US including the East Coast to Hawaii from any fare.
Do take note of those MX Star Alliance awards -- that's right -- from Alaska, Canadá, and the lower 48 US to Hawaii in 2-class F for only 40,000 miles. Compare that to United's award chart which offers coach for 35,000 miles.
Looking further at the MX award chart, I see Europe to Australia for only 140k in F!
------------------ View from the Wing: A blog about Free Miles and Free Markets
__________________ View from the Wing blog: everything you need to know about earning/redeeming miles & getting the most bang for your travel $$
Programs: US: Lowly Silver AA: Gold for life (the program's); Hilton: Gold (who isn't?); Costco: Ex Plat
Posts: 383
Quote:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by gleff: United 15k Upgrade award (used to be 10k ), Anywhere in the US including the East Coast to Hawaii from any fare. </font>
Programs: AMC MovieWatcher, Giant BonusCard, Petco PALS Card, Silver Diner Blue Plate Club
Posts: 19,752
25k Continental miles can be made useful by converting them to Amtrak and then onto United with no devaluation.
2500 Amtrak points buys a one-way unreserved train ticket between DC and Boston (or points in between). Thus, 5000 CO miles gets you a DC-NY roundtrip!
------------------ View from the Wing: A blog about Free Miles and Free Markets
__________________ View from the Wing blog: everything you need to know about earning/redeeming miles & getting the most bang for your travel $$
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JS1K: Recently sent wife to South Africa on *A in C for 120k. We included a stop in UK on her return.</font>
Sounded like a great value for the miles, until you mentioned that it's a round-trip ticket!
That joke would probably be better for a mother-in-law....
), Anywhere in the US including the East Coast to Hawaii from any fare.
