Help with award booking to VLI (Port Vila, Vanuatu)
Mar 22, 2017, 9:05 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lake Tahoe (RNO)
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Posts: 127
Help with award booking to VLI (Port Vila, Vanuatu)
This will not be an easy one!
Just spent some time on the phone with an AA CSR, but so far no luck finding a routing from DEN to VLI. It wasn't just availability that got us -- she couldn't even find a valid booking past NAN (Nadi, Fiji) after checking LAX and SEA. Routings through SFO are Virgin America, which doesn't help.
Can anyone assist with some ideas?
Airports that connect to VLI:
Fiji Airways - NAN and HIR (Honiara, Soloman Islands),
Air Vanuatu (which I believe has agreements with Qantas) - AKL (Auckland), BNE (Brisbane), and SYD (Sydney)
There's also connections from Papua New Guinea and a few other ridiculous places...but now that really seems like a stretch!
Just spent some time on the phone with an AA CSR, but so far no luck finding a routing from DEN to VLI. It wasn't just availability that got us -- she couldn't even find a valid booking past NAN (Nadi, Fiji) after checking LAX and SEA. Routings through SFO are Virgin America, which doesn't help.
Can anyone assist with some ideas?
Airports that connect to VLI:
Fiji Airways - NAN and HIR (Honiara, Soloman Islands),
Air Vanuatu (which I believe has agreements with Qantas) - AKL (Auckland), BNE (Brisbane), and SYD (Sydney)
There's also connections from Papua New Guinea and a few other ridiculous places...but now that really seems like a stretch!
Mar 22, 2017, 10:15 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,018
Just spent some time on the phone with an AA CSR, but so far no luck finding a routing from DEN to VLI. It wasn't just availability that got us -- she couldn't even find a valid booking past NAN (Nadi, Fiji) after checking LAX and SEA. Routings through SFO are Virgin America, which doesn't help.
Can anyone assist with some ideas?
Airports that connect to VLI:
Fiji Airways - NAN and HIR (Honiara, Soloman Islands),
Air Vanuatu (which I believe has agreements with Qantas) - AKL (Auckland), BNE (Brisbane), and SYD (Sydney)
Can anyone assist with some ideas?
Airports that connect to VLI:
Fiji Airways - NAN and HIR (Honiara, Soloman Islands),
Air Vanuatu (which I believe has agreements with Qantas) - AKL (Auckland), BNE (Brisbane), and SYD (Sydney)
FJ is an AA ff partner. The others are not AA ff partners. You cannot get awards on partners of partners (codeshares): must be the prime airline
AA thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html
VLI airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauerf...tional_Airport
http://www.airports.vu/
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Mar 22, 2017 at 10:21 pm
Mar 23, 2017, 12:54 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lake Tahoe (RNO)
Programs: Depends on the card offers :)
Posts: 127
Easy. Just pay cash to VLI from where ever you can get an award to. So from NAN or where ever to VLI
FJ is an AA ff partner. The others are not AA ff partners. You cannot get awards on partners of partners (codeshares): must be the prime airline
AA thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html
VLI airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauerf...tional_Airport
http://www.airports.vu/
FJ is an AA ff partner. The others are not AA ff partners. You cannot get awards on partners of partners (codeshares): must be the prime airline
AA thread http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...solidated.html
VLI airport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauerf...tional_Airport
http://www.airports.vu/
But one quick question...isn't Qantas a oneworld member? It seems like you're implying I couldn't book an award with them. If you're saying I couldn't book an award with Air Vanuatu...then I guess I see you're point, they're a codeshare.
Mar 23, 2017, 1:05 pm
#4
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,018
Air Vanuatu is a QF partner, but not an AA partner. A QF freq flyer can book, if available, a reward fight on Air Vanuatu.
Awards are always on the prime/operating airline flight number: not a codeshare flight number
Last edited by Mwenenzi; Mar 23, 2017 at 1:26 pm
Mar 25, 2017, 1:28 am
#5
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Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,589
Given Mwenennzi's excellent advice, the next question is why go to Port Vila? It is a bit dismal -- you must go to the rest of Vanuatu to find paradise. Which tends to be quite expensive, the cost of flying to VLI is the minor cost of the trip. Depending on your reason for travel, Fiji might suit you better. Awards to NAN are easy to get, also lots of cheap hotels if you have date flexibility (either on points or cash). Just be aware that weather can be brutal if you hit a typhoon (only a few weeks per year).
Mar 26, 2017, 6:26 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lake Tahoe (RNO)
Programs: Depends on the card offers :)
Posts: 127
Given Mwenennzi's excellent advice, the next question is why go to Port Vila? It is a bit dismal -- you must go to the rest of Vanuatu to find paradise. Which tends to be quite expensive, the cost of flying to VLI is the minor cost of the trip. Depending on your reason for travel, Fiji might suit you better. Awards to NAN are easy to get, also lots of cheap hotels if you have date flexibility (either on points or cash). Just be aware that weather can be brutal if you hit a typhoon (only a few weeks per year).
As I've already been to NAN, it doesn't hold much appeal (great trip though!). Looking for a new destination, slightly to very off the beaten path if possible.
Also, is it that expensive to get around Vanuatu? Is it time I started exploring Seychelles/Maldives/Mauritius?