LaserSailor

Once you select accelerator, an option to select PQM (which DO count for status) for purchase will come up. This time of year, you can expect to pay 14 cpm for PQM, and it will continue to go up in OCT NOV DEC

..and spending money just for status is crazy.....

azzurro

There are 2 parts - the first is Award Accelerator which only puts redeemable miles in your account. The second is Premier Accelerator which costs substantially more and adds the same number of miles to your PQM total for the year, but does not add any additional spendable miles above the Award Accelerator deposit. Both types can be purchased on paid or award tickets, and can be done within the 24 hour cancelation period so the ticket can even be cancelled at no fee and you get to keep the miles purchased. Many people find that the cost of both types of miles are cheapest (that is a relative term) on international itineraries.

Mike Jacoubowsky

Give me some dates and I can try and find some flights. I rarely fail at attempts to do foolish things.

BKK isn't so easy though, since UA no longer flies there and the resulting reduction in capacity has likely raised fares a bit. SIN is reliable (for low fares), MNL very reliable, but the MNL turnaround is ugly.

If you want to try something relatively novel, there's the "Island Hopper" through Micronesia. But you've really got to have an iron butt to pull it off.

karenkay

It certainly is these days...

Kacee

UA doesn't fly to BKK. You have to connect to NH in NRT to get a cheap fare.

From SFO, you can route through any of the hubs on the TPAC, so SFO-EWR-NRT/HKG-SIN is legit. Or SFO-LAX-EWR-NRT/HKG-SIN for the extra 500 miles. SFO-NRT/HKG-SIN alone is close to 20,000 miles though.

Mike Jacoubowsky

And don't forget to look for airports that have showers mid-way! My SFO-HNL-GUM-MNL-GUM-HNL-LAX-SFO was a lot of flying with no more than 3 hours on the ground anywhere, and no showers. At SIN you can get showers and even short-term (6 hour) rooms with a bed. About $50 if I recall correctly, and well worth it. Showers to be had at the ANA lounge in NRT as well.

Aspen

Is there a wiki for aerodromes with showers?
If yes, for the sake of fellow passengers, it should be a sticky on the MR thread.

To the original poster, please let us know how you progress between now and Dec 31.

gtpdiddy

If you're only 20K or so miles short, may I suggest SFO-JFK-LAX/SFO-HNL type of MR? It's all domestic, short turnaround at HNL, and if you purchase P fare for about $2300 it's 150% status and you get the PS experience which is very doable. I recently did one for 15K for JFK-LAX/SFO-HNL for $2000+ in P. Adding a RT SFO-JFK will get you 5000 miles and if in P will be 7500, very doable.

JackInThePlane

Don't really see any merits of spending time and money to get 1K for your predicament. SFO is not such an attractive base for 1K.

Kacee

Totally disagree as an SFO based 1K.

I don't recall OP asking for opinions on whether 1K is worth it. There's a whole thread on that topic so perhaps we can leave those posts there

TomA

This thread is very interesting to me.

I need 49,500 more this year, oddly enough. I do have 30K in additional business trips already planned this year, though, but those are going to eat up all of the rest of October and December.

Therefore, I need 19,500 in November. Could you give me some suggestions from TPA or MCO? I can stay for a few days as I have lots of free time in November. Is that HNL flight a good one from here?

I'm pretty sure I'll find a way to do it though. The 8 GPUs alone (I trade 4 RPUs for the last two.) are worth it in my mind as I have always been able to use them successfully on NRT flights. Everything else--and there is a lot, really--is just gravy.

I often find myself wondering whether AA would be better, though, given the theoretical loss of the extra baggage in BKK (so far they have let me board with 3@70 pounds due to the fact that I have a C TPAC flight), the loss of at least 20-30k miles per year due to the new revenue based milage calculations, and the fact that AA puts you in the First Class lounges. Anyway, I will try to requalify as 1K this year and consider a possible status match on AA early next year.

gtpdiddy

I don't know too much about TPA/MCO as base, but you can consider IAH as a hub to HNL with lie-flat seats in J. TPA/MCO will have to go EWR as direct flight, then EWL-HNL lie flat but FTers here have said the service apparently wasn't that good. Either route should get you the 15K on P fare. I think IAH/IAD to NRT/HND may also be a possibility but don't know the fares on that route. ORD may be another good hub to connect for TPAC MR.

GT

TomA

It appears that the longest F flight from TPA to HNL will net about 17,000 miles, including the 50% bonus. Those are TPA-IAD-SFO-HNL

All of the routings are just under $2100 as of now.

Kacee

There are no lie-flats IAH-HNL. Only EWR and IAD are regularly scheduled with lie-flats. IAH gets the Hawaii config 772.

DocTravel

This thread should be in the MR Discussion Forum.