How to use AAdvantage or Avios to Bahrain from US without paying huge tax and fees?
Aug 18, 2014, 9:24 pm
#16
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Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)
And if you wanted (or, because of availability issues, needed) to route via the Pacific in one direction, you could do so for 47.5K AA miles. SFO-HND on JL for 25K miles as an off-peak award until April 30; and HND/NRT-XXX-BAH (on a variety of carriers) for 22.5K miles, in Coach. Stop over or merely connect in TYO -- your choice.
And if you wanted (or, because of availability issues, needed) to route via the Pacific in one direction, you could do so for 47.5K AA miles. SFO-HND on JL for 25K miles as an off-peak award until April 30; and HND/NRT-XXX-BAH (on a variety of carriers) for 22.5K miles, in Coach. Stop over or merely connect in TYO -- your choice.
Aug 19, 2014, 10:25 am
#17
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Thanks guv1976. I called AA, there is a minimum 2 stops to AMS from SFO if I am traveling with AA carriers. If using US Air, then 1 stop only, which may work. But US Air seats are not comfortable IMO. I will give a call again to AA if they can find some partner airlines for my dates.
Leaving SFO to AMS on 4/17 and
4/21 from AMS to BAH.
Returning 4/27 from BAH to SFO.
This is for 4 passengers.
If you find something interesting, let me know.
Thanks.
Leaving SFO to AMS on 4/17 and
4/21 from AMS to BAH.
Returning 4/27 from BAH to SFO.
This is for 4 passengers.
If you find something interesting, let me know.
Thanks.
Aug 21, 2014, 6:57 am
#18
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Thanks guv1976. I called AA, there is a minimum 2 stops to AMS from SFO if I am traveling with AA carriers. If using US Air, then 1 stop only, which may work. But US Air seats are not comfortable IMO. I will give a call again to AA if they can find some partner airlines for my dates.
Leaving SFO to AMS on 4/17 and
4/21 from AMS to BAH.
Returning 4/27 from BAH to SFO.
This is for 4 passengers.
If you find something interesting, let me know.
Thanks.
Leaving SFO to AMS on 4/17 and
4/21 from AMS to BAH.
Returning 4/27 from BAH to SFO.
This is for 4 passengers.
If you find something interesting, let me know.
Thanks.
Sep 10, 2014, 4:00 pm
#19
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Finally called AA to book my travel reservation.
Original plan was to book like this:
SFO - AMS (stopover) - BAH (Destination) - SFO
There was no award flights available on 3rd week of April, 2015 from SFO to AMS.
So I changed my itinerary like this:
SFO - BAH (Layover) - AMS (Destination) - SFO
I called AAdvantage ticketing and the agent thankfully found 4 award seats on EY non stop flights from SFO to AUH & AUH to BAH is just 1 hour from there, which is awesome.
The agent tried to find a return flight - yes she was successful in finding BAH to AUH to AMS, which is great again.
But from AMS to SFO segment, she couldn't find anything on 4/29/15.
She tried different routes. All she could find was BA, which I dont want to fly (reason: surcharges and taxes).
So just booked one way: SFO - AUH - BAH.
Put hold on my reservation for 5 days.
Any suggestions to book BAH to AMS (3 days stay) to SFO using AA miles? Planning to leave AMS to SFO on 4/29/2015?
Original plan was to book like this:
SFO - AMS (stopover) - BAH (Destination) - SFO
There was no award flights available on 3rd week of April, 2015 from SFO to AMS.
So I changed my itinerary like this:
SFO - BAH (Layover) - AMS (Destination) - SFO
I called AAdvantage ticketing and the agent thankfully found 4 award seats on EY non stop flights from SFO to AUH & AUH to BAH is just 1 hour from there, which is awesome.
The agent tried to find a return flight - yes she was successful in finding BAH to AUH to AMS, which is great again.
But from AMS to SFO segment, she couldn't find anything on 4/29/15.
She tried different routes. All she could find was BA, which I dont want to fly (reason: surcharges and taxes).
So just booked one way: SFO - AUH - BAH.
Put hold on my reservation for 5 days.
Any suggestions to book BAH to AMS (3 days stay) to SFO using AA miles? Planning to leave AMS to SFO on 4/29/2015?
Sep 10, 2014, 4:10 pm
#20
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If you are willing to pay a little YQ for AMS-LHR on BA, try to do AMS-LHR (on BA) and LHR-LAX-SFO (on AA/AS).
Are you open to leaving from some other city? Note that you can leave from another city using AA miles. DUS seems close to AMS.
Are you open to leaving from some other city? Note that you can leave from another city using AA miles. DUS seems close to AMS.
Last edited by UA Fan; Sep 11, 2014 at 9:30 am
Sep 10, 2014, 6:33 pm
#21
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I am not big fan of BA. Anything other than BA is fine with me.
Sep 10, 2014, 6:55 pm
#22
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Sep 10, 2014, 6:59 pm
#23
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Sep 10, 2014, 7:59 pm
#24
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Sep 10, 2014, 9:11 pm
#25
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Sep 10, 2014, 10:27 pm
#26
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With all the hazels of using AA miles, I am thinking an alternative like this:
Use UA miles for round trip SFO to AMS to SFO (30,000 miles/passenger). [SFO to AMS segment is in Turkish Airlines, I prefer in UA but UA are sold out on the day I looking for. Also with Turkish Airlines, we reach AMS in 19 hours Vs 14 hours with UA/Lufthansa. BTW, are Turkish Airlines seats/service good?]
Within that, after spending 3 days in AMS, use AA miles from AMS to BAH to AMS (20,000 miles/passenger).
Total = 50000 miles spent and no big surcharge or tax.
On my Inbound, I will be arriving AMS one day before and depart to SFO via FRA in UA with free economy plus seats.
Your thoughts? Shall I proceed?
Use UA miles for round trip SFO to AMS to SFO (30,000 miles/passenger). [SFO to AMS segment is in Turkish Airlines, I prefer in UA but UA are sold out on the day I looking for. Also with Turkish Airlines, we reach AMS in 19 hours Vs 14 hours with UA/Lufthansa. BTW, are Turkish Airlines seats/service good?]
Within that, after spending 3 days in AMS, use AA miles from AMS to BAH to AMS (20,000 miles/passenger).
Total = 50000 miles spent and no big surcharge or tax.
On my Inbound, I will be arriving AMS one day before and depart to SFO via FRA in UA with free economy plus seats.
Your thoughts? Shall I proceed?
Last edited by kay_jay; Sep 10, 2014 at 10:37 pm
Sep 10, 2014, 10:41 pm
#27
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The roundtrips will cost a total of 100,000 miles/person (60,000 UA miles, and 40,000 AA miles). The figures you quoted are for one-ways.
Originally Posted by kay_jay
With all the hazels of using AA miles, I am thinking an alternative like this:
Use UA miles for round trip SFO to AMS to SFO (30,000 miles/passenger). [SFO to AMS segment is in Turkish Airlines, I prefer in UA but UA are sold out on the day I looking for. Also with Turkish Airlines, we reach AMS in 19 hours Vs 14 hours with UA/Lufthansa. BTW, are Turkish Airlines seats/service good?]
Within that, after spending 3 days in AMS, use AA miles from AMS to BAH to AMS (20,000 miles/passenger).
Total = 50000 miles spent and no big surcharge or tax.
On my Inbound, I will be arriving AMS one day before and depart to SFO via FRA in UA with free economy plus seats.
Your thoughts? Shall I proceed?
Use UA miles for round trip SFO to AMS to SFO (30,000 miles/passenger). [SFO to AMS segment is in Turkish Airlines, I prefer in UA but UA are sold out on the day I looking for. Also with Turkish Airlines, we reach AMS in 19 hours Vs 14 hours with UA/Lufthansa. BTW, are Turkish Airlines seats/service good?]
Within that, after spending 3 days in AMS, use AA miles from AMS to BAH to AMS (20,000 miles/passenger).
Total = 50000 miles spent and no big surcharge or tax.
On my Inbound, I will be arriving AMS one day before and depart to SFO via FRA in UA with free economy plus seats.
Your thoughts? Shall I proceed?
Sep 10, 2014, 10:53 pm
#28
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With all the hazels of using AA miles, I am thinking an alternative like this:
Use UA miles for round trip SFO to AMS to SFO (30,000 miles/passenger). [SFO to AMS segment is in Turkish Airlines, I prefer in UA but UA are sold out on the day I looking for. Also with Turkish Airlines, we reach AMS in 19 hours Vs 14 hours with UA/Lufthansa. BTW, are Turkish Airlines seats/service good?]
Within that, after spending 3 days in AMS, use AA miles from AMS to BAH to AMS (20,000 miles/passenger).
Total = 50000 miles spent and no big surcharge or tax.
On my Inbound, I will be arriving AMS one day before and depart to SFO via FRA in UA with free economy plus seats.
Your thoughts? Shall I proceed?
Use UA miles for round trip SFO to AMS to SFO (30,000 miles/passenger). [SFO to AMS segment is in Turkish Airlines, I prefer in UA but UA are sold out on the day I looking for. Also with Turkish Airlines, we reach AMS in 19 hours Vs 14 hours with UA/Lufthansa. BTW, are Turkish Airlines seats/service good?]
Within that, after spending 3 days in AMS, use AA miles from AMS to BAH to AMS (20,000 miles/passenger).
Total = 50000 miles spent and no big surcharge or tax.
On my Inbound, I will be arriving AMS one day before and depart to SFO via FRA in UA with free economy plus seats.
Your thoughts? Shall I proceed?
Sep 10, 2014, 11:00 pm
#29
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It probably takes no longer to fly from Istanbul to Bahrain than back to Amsterdam. While I'd never opt to take such a long flight in coach (SFO - IST is 13 hours), if I found myself so close to my final destination, I'd bite the bullet and just keep going through to BAH (42.5k UA miles for the whole one-way journey). YMMV
Sep 10, 2014, 11:40 pm
#30
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Correct. 100,000 vs 90,000 miles.