opentag

If you really want to do this you're best to ticket from YVR and do it the opposite direction. So:
yvr-tpe-sin-mle(STOP)-blr-bom-add-jnb(DEST)-cpt(STOP)- then pick your route home via add or ist. Of course you'd need to get to YVR to start but you wouldn't need to get back as long as you ticket via YYZ - just skip the final YYZ-YVR flight.

mack96

That would work!
I'd love to check out the new TK lounge so I'd go home IST-YYZ.
Also, I'm seeing flights directly from ADD to CPT; is JNB just to give me a higher mpm from YVR? and if so, would I just have to stay over 24 hours to make it an actual stop?

opentag

Yes think you need JNB for the added distance from YVR. CPT is both less MPM and further on that route direction (going west bound) so you can't make it the destination. So you'll need 24hrs+ in JNB - though the decent hotel Protea Hotel Transit O.R. Tambo Airport is actually *inside* the International terminal and believe it's a Marriot Category 1 hotel so a ridiculously small number of points would probably get you a stay there and you could meet the 'destination' stay period without actually leaving the airport.

mack96

Alright, that's the new plan of attack, time to start searching availability.

Thanks so much for the advice!!

ChrisA330

mack96

Well that changes everything lol... Would a slight backtrack before JNB ruin everything?
YVR-TPE
TPE-BKK
BKK-CMB
CMB-MLE stop
MLE-SIN
SIN-JNB destination
JNB-CPT stop
CPT-IST
IST-YYZ

ChrisA330

Yes, that routing to JNB is ~16,900 miles. MPM for YVR-JNB is ~16,300.

You could book a round trip revenue ticket to MLE from SIN or BKK. Also - what Star Alliance airline flies CMB-MLE?

mack96

ciana

I think you also need to add in the last leg -- YYZ-YVR to make a round trip. If you don't then you have an open jaw and can only have 1 stop, not 2.

crimsona

A little out of the loop - does LX still release business class seats to partners? Flew for 3-4 pax YUL-ZRH in 2018 and 2016 but seem to be coming up blank on award tickets for next March, trying YUL/ORD/JFK, even for 1 passenger.

Smiley90

short answer: yes they still do.

crimsona

What kind of timeframe are we looking at, and how many seats? I scanned day by day for weeks from multiple origins and was having trouble

Edit: looks like I'm too early, 300 days was my answer

Smiley90

Quick scan of United's award calendar for just May shows the following dates with J ticket availability for YUL-ZRH

22, 28, 29, 30

If I look further out, e.g. just February 2020:



So needless to say, there's a lot of availability far-out and some close-in. And FYI ALL of the February flights also have availability for 2 and even 3 J tickets, so it's not limited to just one traveller either. I don't see any availability for March 2020 (yet), but given February that might just not have been loaded in yet.

crimsona

Thank you, that helps. Will check again in a couple weeks

aleks77

I still have not booked my honeymoon as we have been super busy with the wedding! So pretty much everything has changed since last time i looked for flights, here is what i currently have;

YVR - SFO - AC - Y
SFO - KIX - UA - Y *stop*
KIX - PEK - CA - J
PEK - SIN - SQ - F (older first class suites!)
SIN - JNB - SQ - J *open jaw*
JNB - SEZ - CASH
SEZ - NBO - CASH
NBO - ADD - ET - J
ADD - DXB - ET - J
DXB - FRA - LH - J
FRA - LHR - LH - J
LHR - YVR - AC - J

Now Is it worth the extra 65k per person in points to try SQ first class suites? I am also going to try to book LH first class 2 weeks out, for the dxb-fra and fra-lhr segments, but those arent guaranteed. The YVR-KIX segment im still looking for a J flight, but only one available goes through PEK and that cant happen since the flight from KIX-SIN goes through PEK.

Also do i technically still have a "STOP" i can use somewhere? If i do not sure how i can to my advantage....