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]
Dec 16, 2014, 3:27 pm
#2806
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
Dec 16, 2014, 4:19 pm
#2807
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: Starwood Gold, Hilton Gold, Mariott Gold, AMEX Plat, US CP
Posts: 273
Can the stop over be either direction. For example dest HKG then stop in BKK and then back to USA through NRT? or do you have to go to BKK first and then HKG
Dec 16, 2014, 4:22 pm
#2808
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
so if BKK is farther away from your point of origin than HKG, BKK will be your destination, and HKG will be a stopover on the way to bangkok.
Once bangkok is your destination, you can route back through NRT.
Dec 17, 2014, 9:32 am
#2809
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ, UA, Delta, BMI(RIP), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond (Thanks Amex) Hyatt Discov
Posts: 1,942
Will US Air split a ticketed PNR with two pax travelling on same itinerary into two separare PNRs, one for each pax? The reason being one will go all the way from Europe to PHL to SJU as originally planned, the other one may have to stop over in PHL for some urgent work and so may miss his last PHL-SJU leg?
Alternatively, if both pax stay on one PNR, but at PHL for the SJU flight, one shows up and the other does now, will the person wanting to travel to SJU be allowed to travel on that PNR?
Alternatively, if both pax stay on one PNR, but at PHL for the SJU flight, one shows up and the other does now, will the person wanting to travel to SJU be allowed to travel on that PNR?
Dec 17, 2014, 10:00 am
#2810
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Between AMS and BRU
Posts: 8,852
A PNR will not force you to travel togetter... It's two tickets. So no need for excuses if you don't want to travel that last leg.
Dec 17, 2014, 1:04 pm
#2811
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Will US Air split a ticketed PNR with two pax travelling on same itinerary into two separare PNRs, one for each pax? The reason being one will go all the way from Europe to PHL to SJU as originally planned, the other one may have to stop over in PHL for some urgent work and so may miss his last PHL-SJU leg?
Alternatively, if both pax stay on one PNR, but at PHL for the SJU flight, one shows up and the other does now, will the person wanting to travel to SJU be allowed to travel on that PNR?
Alternatively, if both pax stay on one PNR, but at PHL for the SJU flight, one shows up and the other does now, will the person wanting to travel to SJU be allowed to travel on that PNR?
If you keep the same itinerary and PNR for both and one does not bord the flight in PHL, the rest of his/her booking will be cancelled. And you know, US does not allow any changes after the first flight...
Why do you want to keep only one PNR for both pax?
Dec 17, 2014, 6:53 pm
#2812
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ, UA, Delta, BMI(RIP), Marriott Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Diamond (Thanks Amex) Hyatt Discov
Posts: 1,942
If you want different itineraries, the PNR needs to be splitted into two PNR's. That's no US rule, thats how CRS are working...
If you keep the same itinerary and PNR for both and one does not bord the flight in PHL, the rest of his/her booking will be cancelled. And you know, US does not allow any changes after the first flight...
Why do you want to keep only one PNR for both pax?
If you keep the same itinerary and PNR for both and one does not bord the flight in PHL, the rest of his/her booking will be cancelled. And you know, US does not allow any changes after the first flight...
Why do you want to keep only one PNR for both pax?
The tickets were booked for both pax under one PNR as they were going to take all flights together. Now at the last minute, one wants to drop off in PHL, other wants to go all the way to SUJ,
Dec 17, 2014, 9:34 pm
#2813
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 302
Then you will have to split into 2 PNRs. Had to do this last year
Dec 18, 2014, 12:13 am
#2814
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: SYD, GOI
Programs: QF SPG USDM LM
Posts: 3
US DM booking not matching up with AB APIS/secure flight
Hello there. Pls help. I have a USDM award booking on AB DUS to CUN in October 2015 (part of a larger ticket FCO-DUS-CUN-CLT and so on). I've gone on to AB website to choose my seats (can't do that) but noticed the APIS/secure flight data tab. Clicked on it to have a look (i'm a non US citizen) and all the info is all over the place. My name reads "FIRSTNAMEMIDDLENAME, MIDDLENAME, LASTNAME" and they have the wrong sex (MRS not MR) (correct DOB though). There is also a required field for destination address, but will only let me put in a US address, not the one in Mexico. USDM say "not their problem, all the info is correct on their end" AB say "we can't change anything the info comes from USDM". I have QR and CX flights on the same ticket. When I look at their websites the name reads "Firstnamemiddlename, Lastname". Should I worry about this or would it all be fixed up at check in?
Dec 18, 2014, 11:53 am
#2815
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: YYZ (YUL/LHR)
Programs: AC - E50, CX - G, Accor Plat, SPG Gold
Posts: 903
Successfully refunded YQ charged to my parents on AY redemption.
Dec 18, 2014, 11:53 am
#2816
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: LAX
Posts: 556
Can I book a mixed cabin round trip to Asia by using US miles?
I am planning a trip to Asia this spring, I have 75 K US miles in my account. I was wondering can i book a mixed cabin flights on AA by using my US miles? For example, business class to PVG ( 45000 US miles on business) then fly back on Economy ( 30000 US miles). I know US does not do one way award flight, hopefully my plan is considered as round trip.
Any thoughts on this? how much does US charge for the international booking fee? THANKS!!!
Any thoughts on this? how much does US charge for the international booking fee? THANKS!!!
Dec 18, 2014, 3:38 pm
#2817
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 3,720
It's not SIN-KUL though. It's got 3 segments, so no Avios. In this case I looked around and US seems to have the best award chart... until I found out about the $50 partner booking fee!
Dec 18, 2014, 3:44 pm
#2818
Join Date: Nov 2006
Programs: Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond, IHG Platinum
Posts: 3,720
Given that US, unlike BA/CX/AA/JL/QF, doesn't make partner inventory online, and it's only available through calling US and having a US agent use their computer systems, how could someone possibly make a meaningful comment about frequency, other than "yes, this happened to me once too", without actually being a US employee with access to their booking systems, and doing direct comparisons on US's systems to what one sees on the BA/AA/JL websites?[/.
And how would one help them avoid "phantom award space" without understanding their IT systems for booking awards?
And how would one help them avoid "phantom award space" without understanding their IT systems for booking awards?
Dec 18, 2014, 3:55 pm
#2819
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Sure... Only problem that the OW awards were only bookable since 9 months... Therefore a year old fundament of experience is still missing...
Dec 18, 2014, 4:48 pm
#2820
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,392
Good luck evaluating that...
