cesco.g

Checking LH- & *- sites only provide tidbits and "check with your airline res". We know how that can go.
I am hesitant to buy such pass before knowing all the fine print. Does anybody have a link to the complete rundown ?

jarino

From NZ:
http://www.airnewzealand.co.nz/agent...es/default.htm

cesco.g

Thanks for the link, jarino! ^

pdx42

I've bought two and both times found the experience frustrating. It all comes down to the person on the other side of the counter/phone.

I flew SAS from EWR>CPH and wanted to do some flights on Star Alliance in Northern Europe. I was told by SAS - while in the U.S. - that I would to book those flights when I got to Europe. OK, I thought that was a bit strange but the reservations agent - on the phone - was firm about not being able to book the Air Pass other than in person. I was in Oslo and went to travel agent near the train station - with a big SAS sign over the door. I told them what I wanted to do and they told me I had to go inside the Central Station and book the tickets at the official SAS ticket center. I found the place and a patient and helpful agent worked it all out. I spend $650+ and walked out with my flight coupons/boarding passes. All good. The next day, I went back to the station and noticed that SAS was dismantling their downtown ticket office - the one I had just bought the tickets at the day before. How strange! If I hadn't stopped by the previous day, I would have had to schlep out to OSL and do it there at the airport. The additional cost: about $40.

I bought one from UA too. This I was able to do over the phone - but it took getting passed around to a couple of reservation agents to find one who knew what she was doing. And even then, they couldn't price it on the phone. I booked the multi-city itinerary and they called back about two days later with the pricing on it. I paid it and they sent the tickets in the mail. It all worked out; but it was more of a pain than anything.

Now, I generally fly low cost European carriers once I get there. They're often cheaper than the Star Alliance carriers and once you've flown Lufthansa, SAS, Austrian, BMI and the rest - they're all the same. Sure, you get lounge access - but the seating on those intra-European flights is tight, there's little service and all I really care about is getting the baggage back. I've got a half million miles on UA right now - I don't sweat the 250 or so I get flying SAS between OSL and ARN. I find the easiest way to book Star Alliance carriers online is through Expedia.

I've had very good luck with them and some surprisingly low pricing using flag carriers. I booked London to Zurich on BA in June for $109 r/t.

Timfid

I'd like to revive this thread since I have some further questions about the Star Alliance European Airpass that I haven't seen answered here. I sent an email about them to the Star Alliance customer service address, and of course all I got back was a bot-generated email saying to contact my specific airline, and, as someone else remarked, we all know how that goes. I also looked at the Air New Zealand site referenced in this thread, which gave the complete rules in a .pdf file, apparently for the use of travel agents, but unless I'm missing something, even that file doesn't answer these questions. I hope anyone reading this who has relevant information can post it; probably there will be other people in this forum who will also find it useful.

The still unanswered questions are:

The rules state that "A minimum of two stopovers must be made. (Minimum
stopover period is 24 hours) ." Does this mean I can also use the
pass to construct connecting flights, so long as my itinerary includes
two stopovers? For instance, could I use the pass to construct the
following itinerary: London-Vienna, stopover in Vienna, Vienna -
Athens, stopover in Athens, Athens - London via Vienna with no
stopover in Vienna. The Athens-London flight would be a connecting flight (less than 24 hours to connect in Vienna so no stopover) but the itinerary as a whole would include two stopovers (in Vienna and Athens.) Would this be allowed?

If the above itinerary is permitted, would the "Athens - London via
Vienna with no stopover in Vienna" portion require one coupon or two?

Can the pass be used to extend a transatlantic ticket point-to-point?
For example, suppose I had a round trip transatlantic ticket on
United traveling to LHR from some United-served regional US airport -- let's say to take a random example MLI. So my transatlantic point-to-point ticket is MLI-LHR-MLI. If I bought the air pass, could I then combine that MLI-LHR-MLI transatlantic ticket with one of the pass coupons to actually be ticketed on my return point-to-point
VIE-MLI connecting in LHR (and of course any other connections necessary); in other words, so that when I boarded in
Vienna I could check my bags all the way from VIE to MLI and receive
all boarding passes VIE-MLI right there in Vienna?

Al B

Firstly, welcome aboard FT, Timfid!
You'll find that many of your intra-Euro point to point origin to destination requires connections at the partner hubs anyway, so perfectly acceptable to construct itineraries with connections. The rule just means the whole airpass must contain a minimum of 2 stops at a city where the length of stay is more than 24 hours.
As for the second part of the question, each flight number requires a coupon, so if it's one OS flight number ATH-VIE then another different flight number from VIE-LHR/LGW you will require 2 coupons, regardless of length of transfer at VIE. If OS ran a same flight number service ATH-LHR with an intermediate stopover en-route at VIE, then that's 1 coupon as it can show ATH-LHR as the construction.

No. The airpass is a seperate ticket to your International ticket and remains that way. They are two totally different fares that can't be constructed together on the one ticket.
However - there are 2 options :
1) - There is nothing to stop you from doing an open jaw (i.e. - MLI-LHR // ATH-MLI) providing there is a fare that allows it and is a reasonable price!
2) - Pending OS's baggage through checking policies you may be able to show OS check-in at ATH your connecting Star Alliance ticket departing LHR on the same day and get them to through check your bags for you.
BP's are another matter entirely, but the baggage collection and re-checking in at the connecting airport is always the bigger hassle of the two. You can get your BP quickly and easily at the connecting airport, whereas you can't do it quite so quickly or easily if baggage is involved.

To link the 2 bookings together it's probably best to get OS to add an "information segment" into their booking to show the onwards connection you are getting at LHR. Then get UA to add into their booking a similar info segment showing your inbound flight arrival details into LHR so they know where you are.

Timfid

Thanks very much to Al B for the useful information. If anyone has more to add please post, I'll keep watching this thread and others will probably find it useful also.

Wings900-Michael

Would it be possible to purchase a European Airpass if you are travelling to Europe on a *A award ticket?

Timfid

The link above in #2 to the ANZ site will take you to a .pdf file of what appear to be the official rules, which states, "The European Airpass is not to be sold in connection with bonus program tickets, other award, ID or free tickets."

I believe that no airline alliance passes can be sold in conjuction with an award ticket. If anyone knows of a pass that can be, please post.

Al B

The Star Visit Nth America pass was permitted in conjunction with Reward tickets until recently.
AFAIK, the Star Visit ItalyPass & the Star Thailand Airpass still allow purchase in conjunction with reward tickets.

NYCWahoo

Can I fly trans-atlantic portion with United and buy European Airpass with Lufthansa as long as I can provide my United tran-atlantic flight ticket number to Lufthansa?

glex50

No, the airpass ticket has to be on the same ticket stock (-> same issuing airline) as the intercontinental ticket. I had my trans-Atlantic ticket with UA as well, and LH would not let me book the airpass with them. In fact, the res. agent was confused about why on earth I would want to (it would have made life much easier if I needed to reissue for whatever reason, given that I was traveling on a paper ticket).

I've booked 2 of these now, and I agree that the whole experience of going through UA to handle ticketing on these is frustrating and complicated--many of the reservations agents don't know the rules, or have never heard of this airpass, and the 2nd time I had to change my itinerary because it turned out it violated one of the rules of the fare.

UA also seems to have problems booking tickets on subsidiary and feeder partner airlines (e.g. Tyrolean, Air Dolomiti, etc.), although somehow they didn't have a problem with Air Baltic (???). That could, however, have just have been something to do with the reservations agent misreading the applicable flights.

Despite all the frustrations, though, it's still a really good deal for a fare that's changeable/refundable!

markoh

I booked a euro airpass way back in 2001 through UA in conjunction with a DEN-FRA roundtrip (yes, UA ran DEN-FRA for that one summer) and it was not only a great deal, but a piece of cake. I think part of the difference is that back then UA still had their city ticket offices in Denver and that's where I booked the airpass. The agents in those city ticket offices specialized in booking tickets, knew all of the airpass deals and booked my ticket in less than 10 minutes!

Sigh...alas...

So, you might have better luck booking at your airport. Do any of the RCCs do future bookings? That might also be a better option.

Al B

That's not right - you can use the ticket stock of any :-: carrier. The only restriction is the Intercontinental ticket number must appear in the endorsement box of the Airpass ticket and the Intercontinental ticket must have an endorsement of "Star Alliance Euro Airpass Issued" on it.
It's probably because of that endorsement restriction it's easier to get both tickets issued by the same agent/carrier, or, the other carrier won't issue the airpass without sighting the Intercontinental ticket to ensure the correct endorsement is on it, but there is no reason why you can't get your Intercontinental ticket issued with that special endorsement and then ticket teh Europass seperately at a later time. Even on different ticket stock.

FlyerGoldII

I understand that only certain transatlantic fares allow you to book a Star Alliance airpass. What are those fares? Which fares do not allow one to book the airpass?