It looks like US came out with a new *A award chart 2/21/2007.
Some noticable changes:
New groupings of various geographic areas.
Used to have South Asia and Central Asia as seperate levels, now just South & Central Asia. Mileage for this new grouping is the higher of the two previous groups.
Africa has been discounted by 10,000 per class.
Australia, New Zealand, & Oceania are now missing, possibly grouped with South Pacific. South Pacific area is 10,000 per class less then Australia, New Zealand, & Oceania.
It now costs the same mileage to fly C as F to Hawaii from North America (70,000 miles - F has been discounted to old C level).
It now costs the same mileage to fly C as F to within North America. (Other then UA on their 3 class planes, this doesn't make a difference)
New chart does not have any information about what countries are included in what geographic areas.
A A* award is now the same price as a US only award for North American, Hawaii, and Caribbean & Latin American travel.
I think the new chart is harder to read since they have every block filled in rather then just the unique values and there is no shading or anything to help make the individual lines more readable.
I noticed this. Was a bit shocked to think there is only North and South/Central Asia, and rates to the latter from N. America are much higher than for other airlines. Cheaper to go BC to South Pacific than for example, SIN or BKK!
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"I have a fear of flying. I fear flying in the back cabin" My Flight Memory
Programs: Delta Gold Medallion; US Airways Silver (down from Gold in 2007)
Posts: 899
Makes sense, really. There's lots of demand and relatively low frequency to Asia. Kicking up the redemption on those flights while reducing the requirements on domestic, ANZ and African flights all seem like reasonable changes.
I doubt many US fliers are regulars to Asia anyway. . . if they are on a regular basis, they've probably already switched to Mileage Plus.
I am surprised at the February 21, 2007, date. I printed off a chart on or after February 25, 2007, and it contains the old mileage level. I suspected that the mileage could change, so I booked & ticketed on February 25, two business class seats to Bali with a stopover at BKK, at 90,000 miles each, for travel in November-December. You think that they would have given some advance notice. The new mileage levels for South Asia are: 80 for coach/120 for business /160 for first. I saved 30,000 miles a ticket by booking last week. Got the tickets in hand. On the new chart Africa is 110,000 for business. I have two business class booked on Skyteam awards for July, but would have liked to try out the SAA business class with the 73 inch flat-bed business class seats.
Part of the bigger question is, what will this do to their routing rules for award tickets?
In Jan I redeemed 160K for a F ticket to Perth for October. In order to go F for most of the way I have to fly
ABE->PIT (USX)
PIT->LAX (US F)
LAX->NRT->SIN (SQ F)
SIN->PER (SQ C, no F on flight)
and last year I redeemed 160K for an F ticket to JNB flying
PHL->CLT->LAX (US F)
LAX->NRT->SIN (SQ F)
SIN->JNB (SQ C, no F on flight)
so in both cases I transited through a region that now has a higher redemption then my destination. In the future will this type of routing still be allowed?
There is less frequency to ANZ on * then to Asia. From North America you just have AZ, AC, and UA flying directly to ANZ. To Asia to you have, AC, UA, SQ, TG, & OZ and they have multiple flights a day from a number of different gateways.
It also looks like they took out the ability to go to some destinations via the "wrong" ocean for a higher award level.
My guess is that all of this is because of a limitation to SHARES ability to handle International flights and the computer can't distinquish between the different regions with a fine enough detail to handle the old chart.
so in both cases I transited through a region that now has a higher redemption then my destination. In the future will this type of routing still be allowed?
I raised the issue last week. When booking a trip for two in business, almost every routing I proposed, I kept getting the answer: under the new rules its not permitted, under the new rules its not permitted. But nobody could exactly explain the new rules. If I cannot eventually find the new rules, I am going to write in and demand a copy.
Why the chart dated 02/21 was not on line before 03/06.2007
At least when I pulled the chart on 03/04 and 03/05 I was getting the old chart. What's up?
When I called they claim that countries that are in South-East Asia for US Airways are in Central Asia.
But USAir - of course - did not list what countries belong where in the NEW WORLD Geography created by USAIrways.
Do you thing that an argument that if USAirways made the error they should pay for it - will fly? Or that failure to define what USAirways means under their Asia labels means that standard Geography applies.
Hint for USAirways undereducated crowd: look up US State Department for further education - or else try to get GED for a change and ask the school that gave you MBA for a refund.
We beat our brains out and spent no less than 19 hours with live agents mainly in Mexico (yes I have tracked it for many reasons, but Parker isn't aware and his minions don't give a rat's arse) and after throwing out the potential Nuke option (direct call to Doug Parker about the rotten service - don't ask how I can do it), is that we finally got a booking to Australia through Thai via BKK. We've now heard Thai is considering ending all flights to the USA, direct or otherwise. The standard response from US is "we'll take care of you." Yeah right, I have an image of the "cavity bomber" in my mind when I hear that. A month of hotels, condos, rental cars and intra-OZ air tickets all ride on our ability to get to Oz in December when we've been promised we have three C tickets to and from Oz through *Alliance.
Frankly given our experience with US' international desk, we're going to burn the miles and then do it again 3 of us in F back home to Europe in '08 and burn up the last miles on US. But......... regarding Oz, I seriously doubt US will take care of us should Thai pull out of the USA.
Isn't it a shame that we're placed in a situation where a loyalty program makes you permanently disloyal? I think Parker needs to get his nose deep into this and make a hard decision very soon. Is it a loyalty program or not?
Doug,
Make a decision! Sitting in the middle screws your customer and kills your company.
C'mon, your Dad was a manager of Kroger's in Kalamazoo, Mich back in the early 70's - he could impart plenty of wisdom about how to hang onto loyal customers. Listen to Dad, he'd tell you to never turn your back on long time customers.
We beat our brains out and spent no less than 19 hours with live agents mainly in Mexico
From Feb. 22 to Feb. 25 I kept going back and forth between the Mexican agents and Chairman's Desk until I found someone who would book the flights and routing I desired.. Hours and hours. I would still be on the phone if it was not for the ANA *Award tool. I was totaly amazed at their lack of knowledge of Asian geography. I do admit that I had problems with CO's elite desk last year, but probably should have just dealt with the regular international desk; I went and booked the award with Northwest and it took just a few minutes.
In addition to the mileage changes and the alleged new routing rules, I wonder what other Divided Mile Program changes are going to pop up.
From Feb. 22 to Feb. 25 I kept going back and forth between the Mexican agents and Chairman's Desk until I found someone who would book the flights and routing I desired.. Hours and hours. I would still be on the phone if it was not for the ANA *Award tool. I was totaly amazed at their lack of knowledge of Asian geography. I do admit that I had problems with CO's elite desk last year, but probably should have just dealt with the regular international desk; I went and booked the award with Northwest and it took just a few minutes.
In addition to the mileage changes and the alleged new routing rules, I wonder what other Divided Mile Program changes are going to pop up.
I too have the ANA Star Alliance Award program, and a permanent ExpertFlyer program. I also have direct access to Sabre and Shares, I can't say why...
I came from a long history of international air express and walked the Mexican agents through the possibilities. I also spoke with the Winston Salem Int'l desk. We ran into a 90% rotten "fire them on the spot" to a 10% "we've already sent Above and Beyond awards and have letters in their file" people. US' Cust Svc consistency is absolutely rotten.
With all of my knowledge, it still took us 19 hours with live CSRs, not counting the 11 hours on hold in queue and the 39 calls where the queue was so large we heard a "call us later" message and it hung up on us.
Isn't something wrong with this picture? ... isn't this available on line so self service takes the extra cost out of the equation?!?
Every time I talk to a PAX airline, ANY passenger airline, it seems like I am in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and I am the only sane person in the room. It isn't just US, this industry seems to be a fly tape for low IQ types.
Programs: AA nothing, HH Gold, Marriott Gold, IC PLAT
Posts: 252
Where can find what countries are in each of the geographic areas mentioned in the new award chart other than callling up the customer service center. I am specially interested in what is included North Asia, South & Central Asia.
Where can find what countries are in each of the geographic areas mentioned in the new award chart other than callling up the customer service center. I am specially interested in what is included North Asia, South & Central Asia.
Unfortunately, with their warped sense of geography only by calling US.
For the Circle Asia fare *A uses the following breakdown: South East Asia: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Brunei, Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos. North Asia: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China. South West Pacific: New Zealand, Australia.
Historically the following definitions were used to describe geographic areas: North Asia China, South Korea, Taiwan and Guam Japan South Asia Bangladesh, Borneo, Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam Central Asia India, Nepal and Pakistan
My guess is that they probably moved Japan into the North Asia and then lumped everything else together :-(
Why the chart dated 02/21 was not on line before 03/06.2007
I can't say why...
