Mar 30, 2014, 12:53 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
WIKI POST: Using US Dividend Miles for oneworld Award Flights
As further details become available, please fill in this wikipost.
As further details become available, please fill in this wikipost.
N.B. Booking opportunities for new Dividend Miles awards of all kinds ended 11:59 PM Wednesday, 25 March 2015. Please continue using this thread for trips booked or in progress through 24 March 2016.
Changes on USDM oneworld award tickets
This is the only official statement about changing issued USDM award tickets:
If I need to make changes to a Dividend Miles award reservation, which program’s rules will apply?
Minor changes such as date/time can be made provided seats are available without requiring a new award to be claimed. More substantive changes such as changes to stopovers or origin/destination may result in the need to reinstate the previously claimed Dividend Miles award, then claiming a new AAdvantage award under the existing AAdvantage program rules.
The old membership rules do 'generally' still appy to USDM tickets.
For awards ticketed / reticketed on 001- ticket stock, go to the AA Refunds site with your ticket number at hand (unsure if it works with 037- stock at this time)to:
- Print a receipt with ticket number (instead of Request a refund)
- See total fees, taxes, etc. attached to your ticket
- See applicable detailed fare rules
- Request a refund (may not be useful for awards)
- Some were able to change their ticket without beeing charged the USD 150.- changing fee.
- No chance to change a ticket after the first flight segment has been flown.
- ...
Old stuff
oneworld member airlines - airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines (Sibir), SriLankan Airlines, TAM Airlines, US Airways and their affiliates.
Award Chart for oneworld awards using US Dividend Miles:
http://shopping.usairways.com/en-US/...wardtravel.pdf
You can use the American Airlines, British Airways, JAL, or Qantas sites to search for oneworld award inventory. AA and QF also allows you to search for award inventory using a handy 30 day calendar view. However, availability on the calendar is dependent on site coverage (e.g. QF does not include JL or MH, AA does not include CX and others). Also, the calendar view may not be completely accurate on all partners, so use it as a guide but do not rely on it fully.
One of the easiest ways to search for oneworld availability is through the use of an outside tool such as Award Nexus, ExpertFlyer, KVS Tool, or The Wandering Aramean oneworld Search.
Award Nexus has a free community membership for flyertalk members, and award email alert with premium membership. ExpertFlyer has email alerts and direct GDS access to select oneworld award inventories, such as AA, QF, and US. ExpertFlyer can also search J class certificate upgrade inventory. With KVS Tool, you can search QF, BA, JL and CX's search engines, in addition to other alliances, on your PC (Mac / Linux with CrossOver). You can also set up an alert via The Wandering Aramean oneworld Search. This tool will automatically search on QF for your alert once per day with a free account and four times per day with a paid account.
N.B. With all of the above tools, it is best to search one segment at a time. Most oneworld search engines have difficulty marrying segments.
For route searching with itinerary information, use the interactive oneworld map and timetable.
For searching Intra-North America availability, the best tool is AA.com. Unlike the other oneworld engines, AA is pretty good at marrying segments, so you can search origin to destination.
Regarding availability, the strategy that has been most effective for people looking to book award travel on oneworld is to start searching right at 330 days prior to departure. This is generally when availability is at its best. After that, availability tends to be sporadic until starting 8 weeks prior to departure where some airlines open up availability, and will vary all the way up until the day of departure.
If you're having trouble finding availability, it may be best to look at alternate airports (JL, for example, serves SAN, YVR, and BOS, in addition to the larger markets of SFO, LAX, YYZ, ORD, and JFK).
(N.B. Although US was not adding fuel surcharges to awards, there are reports that they have started doing this for awards containing BA flights.) With the exception of BA & IB, no oneworld carriers require you to pay a fuel surcharge for awards. With BA, be aware that you may have to pay both a fuel surcharge as well as the UK Air Passenger Duty departure tax for intercontinental J and F flights out of UK. These fees vary with class of service and length of flight and are determined by BA; the Air Passenger Duty (see specific thread) is due for all UK departures not under 24 hour connecting flights. APD applies to coach tickets, too, but at a reduced rate. The fuel /YQ surcharge with IB is generally considered minimal.
Known Problems / Workaround:
- Dep 00:00AM : Some agents have difficulty finding flights leaving between midnight and 2 AM. This is because the US systems show it leaving the day before. If the agent cannot find it, please ask to look at the day before. > source <
- LA : Flights put on hold will be cancelled after 24h. Workaround: Issue the ticket immediately. > source <
- JL : US Rep cannot find available seats. Workaround: "Always have to remind Rep to open JL reservations on a new screen". > source <
- MH : US Rep cannot find awards in First Class. Workaround: First class needs to be booked in P-cl instead of Z-cl (as on most other OW carriers). > source < booking classes: > KVS <
- All : If you are booking outbound flights at the US Air 335 day window US Air will often allow you to put your reservation on a longer than 3 day hold to capture the return seats once they open up at T+335. There is a report of this for 30 days here, and FT user beofotch was successful in getting a 13 day hold here. Workaround: Huaca until you get an agent who is competent enough to do this. It may help to act naive and ask for your return flight on your preferred date even if it is after T+335 days. Once they get an error from the computer may be a good time to bring it up.
- ...
Fixed Problems:
- CX : US Rep cannot find seats on flight CX 645 HKG-DOH. Workaround: none so far, search for different routing/carrier (CMB/DXB/...?)... > source < > fixed <
> fixed < - CX : US Rep cannot find seats on flight CX 640 DOH-HKG. They admit, the flight exists, but are unable to book <source>. Workaround: none so far, search for different routing/carrier
> fixed < - BA/Comair : US rep could not see / or unable to book intra-South Africa flights in BA flight number operated by Comair despite AA treats Comair a full fledged oneworld member under BA, in the same context as KA under CX. Only one reported success booking - poster reported agent had trouble at first but on consulting a supervisor was told "where to look"; the agent did not give any further information. Most everyone else reported unable to book Comair flights.
> fixed < - IB : Flights will be cancelled after ticket issued. Workaround: None yet... > source <
> fixed <
LUS: USDM oneworld Award Bookings - (Closed to new bookings) [Master FAQ and Help]
Mar 30, 2014, 10:54 am
#16
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, SPG Gold, United Silver, Garuda Silver, Delta Silver
Posts: 70
This is what scares me...
"What benefits will US Airways Dividend Miles members receive through oneworld?
You can look forward to earning and redeeming miles, reciprocal elite benefits and lounge access on other oneworld carriers: airberlin, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, TAM and some 25 affiliated airlines. Some of these benefits will be phased in as we work toward full integration."
I need to book something now and cannot wait for US to decide 3 months from now to let us use our miles.
"What benefits will US Airways Dividend Miles members receive through oneworld?
You can look forward to earning and redeeming miles, reciprocal elite benefits and lounge access on other oneworld carriers: airberlin, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, TAM and some 25 affiliated airlines. Some of these benefits will be phased in as we work toward full integration."
I need to book something now and cannot wait for US to decide 3 months from now to let us use our miles.
Mar 30, 2014, 12:32 pm
#17
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
This is what scares me...
"What benefits will US Airways Dividend Miles members receive through oneworld?
You can look forward to earning and redeeming miles, reciprocal elite benefits and lounge access on other oneworld carriers: airberlin, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, TAM and some 25 affiliated airlines. Some of these benefits will be phased in as we work toward full integration."
I need to book something now and cannot wait for US to decide 3 months from now to let us use our miles.
"What benefits will US Airways Dividend Miles members receive through oneworld?
You can look forward to earning and redeeming miles, reciprocal elite benefits and lounge access on other oneworld carriers: airberlin, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines, TAM and some 25 affiliated airlines. Some of these benefits will be phased in as we work toward full integration."
I need to book something now and cannot wait for US to decide 3 months from now to let us use our miles.
Mar 30, 2014, 2:55 pm
#18
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Florida
Programs: US CP, MR Gold, SPG Gold, Hyatt Plat
Posts: 441
I've been waiting on booking an award flight to Europe for the summer. I'm so used to kvs and ANA for finding *A availability but now I'm going to have to relearn the wheel here. What's the best way to find OW award inventory?
Go Gators...Final 4 bound
Go Gators...Final 4 bound
Mar 30, 2014, 2:58 pm
#19
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,574
The BA award booking tool is fairly good. aa.com is good for the airlines which AA supports the online booking of
Mar 30, 2014, 3:52 pm
#20
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: UA, QF, VS, AA, US, HH, SPG
Posts: 974
So I use the following:- KVS augmented by AA, CX, JL, LA and QF - depending which route / airline I am seeking awards on.
Mar 30, 2014, 4:07 pm
#21
Suspended
Join Date: Apr 2011
Programs: RIP
Posts: 506
Should probably set up a new thread (or wiki) for searching engines. Going to be huge demand.
Mar 30, 2014, 4:20 pm
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
aa.com works pretty well across flexible dates for the carriers it supports. It will combine carriers.
Mar 30, 2014, 9:26 pm
#23
Join Date: Jun 2004
Programs: BD, DL, UA, AA, Marriott, SPG
Posts: 1,131
Looks like the award chart is unchanged ^!!
Mar 30, 2014, 9:27 pm
#24
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the air
Programs: Occasional RTW club
Posts: 6,924
Mar 30, 2014, 9:29 pm
#25
Moderator: American AAdvantage & Marriott Bonvoy
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: PHX
Programs: American ExPlat; Marriott/SPG Lifetime Plat; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 8,116
Mar 30, 2014, 9:30 pm
#26
Join Date: Apr 2013
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 7
Think there is any chance of booking one ways using USDM on OW?
Mar 30, 2014, 9:54 pm
#27
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
No. see award chart http://www.usairways.com/pv_obj_cach...wardtravel.pdf
Mar 30, 2014, 10:13 pm
#28
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, Hilton Gold, SPG Gold, United Silver, Garuda Silver, Delta Silver
Posts: 70
Anyone find any new info?
I'm on hold with US right now, really want to book a cathay flight.
I'm on hold with US right now, really want to book a cathay flight.
Mar 30, 2014, 10:26 pm
#29
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: YVR
Programs: Aeroplan
Posts: 216
Can I have a stopover on an one-zone award, for example, SE Asia - SE Asia ? I've never booked an award before (when US Airways was still in Star alliance) so I am not sure about the rules.
Mar 30, 2014, 10:41 pm
#30
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 411
However you could give it a shot and see if you are lucky if the agent might not notice they are in same region.