Originally Posted by
3539805
Hello to old friends from the SK 1M challenge.
Been thinking of this one for a few days, might give this one a swing even with all the issues, short lifespan, possible cancellations. I will probably be screen recording the booking process and videoing most of my travels for evidence purposes, as TK is not known for great CS. We saw all the issues with SAS not crediting miles, disputing fare classes, delaying past deadlines, back and forth emails, not depositing miles, technical issues, etc, and I don't think TK will put much of the same effort there. So I would advise to document as much as possible. I really would hate to get a class action lawsuit against a foreign airline from a foreign country, but I can only do so much. That being said, I got my SK miles with no issues and I think I got something that follows exactly what TK wants:
1. ORD > IST > DXB (Asia) $769 as part of a multi-city with #8
2. DXB > IST > CAI (Africa) $267
3. CAI > IST > SIN > MEL (Australia) $709
4. MEL > SIN > IST > LHR (Europe) $565
5. LHR > BUD on BA Y (Repositioning) $89
6. BUD > IST > BOG (South America) $546
7. BOG > MAD on IB J (Repositioning) 50k Avios
8. MAD > IST > EWR (North America)
So I had some leftover avios, for the SA > IST > EUR leg, since I can't find a cheap way OUT of South America unless I fly to EUR through IST in Y for about $500ish. But I'd rather burn them.
Repositioning:
I took a look at travel-dealz's routing which involves a jetstar and scoot reposition, however I find them to be pretty barebones ULCC type of flying. TK Y should be a little more comfortable and should have meals. Since I only have one Y reposition for LHR > BUD for about 2ish hours, I can completely stomach that.
Comfort:
Last time I flew TK Y they gave me an amenity kit, socks, somewhat decent seating. Things may have changed but having meals, decent service, alcohol, priority pass, will make the longhaul Y's much better.
Caveat:
One thing I find that could be an issue is Colombia's policy of having a "round trip" on the same PNR. Google says I just need a return ticket, which could be BOG > MAD, but I'm worried they will deny boarding if the ticket is on a separate PNR. Not sure how much leeway there is with this. I have no intention of staying or violating any rules, but I could just book a dummy refundable TK trip back to IST, cancel it, and fly IB J instead.
Married Segment:
One major caveat is using married segments together to drop the cash price. One example is having ORD > IST > DXB (1) + MAD > IST > EWR (2) on the same PNR. (1) is about $423usd, (2) is about $601usd, but together they are $769 at a reduced price. However adding more segments simply just performs an addition between their segments, such as (1) and (8) + (2), or (1) and (8) + (3). I can't get the price to drop below the straight cumulative amount any further, and adding more than 3 segments results in an error for the Turkish website saying no flights available. I can't seem to marry segments (2), (3), (4), (6) in any way, google flights and turkishairlines.com is being difficult. Looks like all those segments must be bought separately, but since they are low enough I don't mind.
Redeeming those miles:
It's no secret that the deval last year made these miles dogshit. I was tracking USA > HAW UA J flights and they literally release partner award space (I1 fare) class the morning of the flight (or none at all), which could be in any UA hub city. Moreover, I can't find any sweet spot pricing that still exists compared to any other A* airline. Some things like SIN > CNS SQ J is 45k on Aeroplan, but 205k on TK (if even available). Most of SQ is blocked to TK. Intra Asia NH and OZ are available. Ex-GRU LH J is available. A* first class seems to not be available as a selection on the partner award page, even though the TK A* partner chart literally contains First. IDK what the hell is going on there. Also TK metal surcharges are pretty dogshit as well, $200-$300. Even short haul BR and SQ have surcharges in the $50-$150 range. Given the timeline, I hope anyone that attempts this really has plans to burn them quick. I still have so so so many SK miles lol.
Also, TK may be able to see TG space. Very useful as AP cannot
Some BR longhaul may be blocked on TK. Not sure yet.
Ultimately, is it worth it?
Really depends on your personal circumstance. Anyone with RTO, children, family, etc, no PTO, you'll have to make that call. Digital nomads, remote workers, retirees, somewhat crazy people? Carpe diem I suppose.