TK blocking J?
Feb 26, 2013 | 5:00 am
#16
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,161
Feb 26, 2013 | 5:01 am
#17
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,161
I booked a seat last week for YYZ-IST-BKK on TK in J for January 2014 using Aeroplan miles (the return IST-YYZ is on AC) I believe there was only one seat though as when I was looking at alternatives flight later just to pass time I noticed there was no availability on TK for the dates I had purchased.
Logic!
Feb 26, 2013 | 8:33 pm
#18
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 874
Booked in early January for Oct/Nov 2 x J IST-CPT/JNB-IST-ASR-IST as part of a *A trip to ZA. Needed to work it a bit, but lots available.
No TK via YYZ, some AC, but no domestic J to YYZ. Even Y to YYZ is Clasic+ for most of 2013.
Never found LH or SA in J for a 2 month window to ZA. Did find SA via EZE and GRU though.
No TK via YYZ, some AC, but no domestic J to YYZ. Even Y to YYZ is Clasic+ for most of 2013.
Never found LH or SA in J for a 2 month window to ZA. Did find SA via EZE and GRU though.
Feb 26, 2013 | 8:39 pm
#19
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: YVR - Vancouver, with most winter weekends in Whistler.
Programs: Aeroplan 35K, Alaska MVP, Marriott Titanium / Lifetime Platinum, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 4,633
The secret is to book TK IAD-IST.
I was searching last month for an African Reward and there was a TON of it for flights 250-300 days out in both directions.
No or limited availability ORD-IST and YYZ-IST.
I was searching last month for an African Reward and there was a TON of it for flights 250-300 days out in both directions.
No or limited availability ORD-IST and YYZ-IST.
Feb 26, 2013 | 8:50 pm
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Programs: OWEmerald; STARGold; BonvoyPlat; IHGPlat/Amb; HiltonGold; A|ClubPat; AirMilesPlat
Posts: 38,190
I managed to book a J seat on TK for May, albeit using my MP miles: YYZ-IST-TXL. This was a month ago. (Paid 50K miles and $56 but not sure what an AE award would cost.) I think it's just that TK is doing good business filling its premium seats ex-YYZ. But agree with others, check out the US gateways TK uses and you're more than likely to find a J seat.
Last edited by Shareholder; Feb 26, 2013 at 8:55 pm
Feb 26, 2013 | 9:05 pm
#21
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC
Posts: 368
IAD-IST is freely available because it's using their A340, which has the angled seat in J. ORD-IST is on the A330, and YYZ-IST is on the 77W, which are lie-flat.
Feb 26, 2013 | 9:30 pm
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 427
SQ J is next to impossible unless it's a short flight you're looking for.
I only joined AP a few years ago. Since that time, let's recap the enhancements:
1) Huge fuel surcharges on AC and LH.
2) Point devaluation.
3) Elimination of LX F.
4) LH J/F and LX J available only T-x.
5) Less availability of TK J (I swear, it was always wiiiiiiide open to/from YYZ before).
Instead of just whining about it though, I've shifted the majority of my 6 figure monthly CC spend to my AX SPG card, which I'm going to use to transfer to airlines such as JAL to redeem EK F. I've also started buying AA miles when they have promos because I can use them for CX J and F. Just got a CX J ticket YYZ-HKG RT and it was so sweet to pay next to nothing in taxes and "fuel surcharges".
I'm still sitting on over a million AP miles though, will probably redeem them for TG F, which I find the best value in the entire program right now.
Feb 26, 2013 | 9:34 pm
#23
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: YVR
Programs: AC 75K
Posts: 828
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9B179 Safari/7534.48.3)
Watch out with booking TK J using AP miles. From my experience, TK will oversell J and waitlist confirmed J award ticket holders. Total crap. Luckily, AP had also booked me for the wrong date due to an invol sched change (long story) and so accommodated me in confirmed J on another carrier.
TL; DR: Babysit your TK J Aeroplan ticket and check on it daily leading up to departure.
Watch out with booking TK J using AP miles. From my experience, TK will oversell J and waitlist confirmed J award ticket holders. Total crap. Luckily, AP had also booked me for the wrong date due to an invol sched change (long story) and so accommodated me in confirmed J on another carrier.
TL; DR: Babysit your TK J Aeroplan ticket and check on it daily leading up to departure.
Feb 26, 2013 | 9:56 pm
#24
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,458
LH and LX block J until T-14 (more like T-3 based on my experience), which is bloody inconvenient for all but the most flexible/masochistic travellers.
SQ J is next to impossible unless it's a short flight you're looking for.
I only joined AP a few years ago. Since that time, let's recap the enhancements:
1) Huge fuel surcharges on AC and LH.
2) Point devaluation.
3) Elimination of LX F.
4) LH J/F and LX J available only T-x.
5) Less availability of TK J (I swear, it was always wiiiiiiide open to/from YYZ before).
Instead of just whining about it though, I've shifted the majority of my 6 figure monthly CC spend to my AX SPG card, which I'm going to use to transfer to airlines such as JAL to redeem EK F. I've also started buying AA miles when they have promos because I can use them for CX J and F. Just got a CX J ticket YYZ-HKG RT and it was so sweet to pay next to nothing in taxes and "fuel surcharges".
I'm still sitting on over a million AP miles though, will probably redeem them for TG F, which I find the best value in the entire program right now.
SQ J is next to impossible unless it's a short flight you're looking for.
I only joined AP a few years ago. Since that time, let's recap the enhancements:
1) Huge fuel surcharges on AC and LH.
2) Point devaluation.
3) Elimination of LX F.
4) LH J/F and LX J available only T-x.
5) Less availability of TK J (I swear, it was always wiiiiiiide open to/from YYZ before).
Instead of just whining about it though, I've shifted the majority of my 6 figure monthly CC spend to my AX SPG card, which I'm going to use to transfer to airlines such as JAL to redeem EK F. I've also started buying AA miles when they have promos because I can use them for CX J and F. Just got a CX J ticket YYZ-HKG RT and it was so sweet to pay next to nothing in taxes and "fuel surcharges".
I'm still sitting on over a million AP miles though, will probably redeem them for TG F, which I find the best value in the entire program right now.
3, 4, and 5 are *A wide.
1 I hate. 2 I sorta agree with but then they had the best award chart of all the airlines just over two years ago, so it sort of balances out.
Earn and burn.
I just saw: 6 figure MONTHLY spend! That's intense.
Feb 27, 2013 | 7:18 am
#25
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC, BA, Marriott, SPG
Posts: 861
I booked IST-NRT on TK in J for August a couple of months ago. They seem to release 3 seats in J per flight and 4 on BKK-IST flights. Oddly enough, there has been ZERO seats released for August on the LHR-IST route in J or Y. So right now I have LHR-ZRH-IST-NRT on LX/TK but I keep checking for the LHR-IST direct flight to open.
Mar 31, 2013 | 7:02 pm
#26
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: YYZ
Programs: AC E50K (*Gold), DL, CZ
Posts: 1,252
Are people still finding that Turkish Airlines isn't granting seat requests until about 100 days out?
I'll call after the weekend is over just to try, but the bumping award J off is another worrying issue.
I'll call after the weekend is over just to try, but the bumping award J off is another worrying issue.