Originally Posted by
allanfan
If your goal is to miniminze points used, but don't care much about the extra taxes/fees, then you should transfer MR to BA. Then use BA miles to book on AA or CX. This way, RT is only 50K per person, but of course, you need to pay a large YQ.
This is a good way to go. AA does not charge YQ on BA awards to China. Furthermore, ORD-PVG is a fairly easy redemption and LAX-PVG is a very easy redemption. Check availability before transferring, of course.