Originally Posted by DealAddict (Post 24828560)

You need to know how to use it (i.e. which airlines /routes to make use of) and be flexible.

I'm flying YOW-BOS-ZRH-MAD-LIS-ZRH-YUL-YOW in Business for $340. I don't think it's useless at all..

Originally Posted by why fly (Post 24828600)

actually, it is useless if that's what you need to do to get a business class ticket on Aeroscam. Really Europe is a 7 hr flight, and you made your life hell because of Scam fees. Also all those Europe planes are economy seat with a middle seat empty.

Originally Posted by LUllrich (Post 24828590)

Deal; The dates selected are 31 Mar outbound and 18 Apr inbound in Y (J was simply over the top in tax), and just doing YVR/CDG doesn't severely change the tax component. The real oddity is that SEA/TLS/CDG/SEA (on LH) yielded a higher tax component

Originally Posted by rankourabu (Post 24828648)

Mar.30 dep.22:30
YVR-YYZ-JFK-BRU-TLS - all J except YYZ-JFK - no YQ

There are other options, especially in Y via ORD/YUL on LX and/or UA without YQ.

Originally Posted by drvannostren (Post 24828665)

CDG-ZRH-YUL-YVR, you'll get hit for AC YQ but it shouldn't be too bad and no YQ on domestic/TB extends to some lower tier elites.

Originally Posted by drvannostren (Post 24828665)

Mar 30
YVR-IAD (UA)
IAD-FRA-TLS (UA/LH) you'll get dinged for LH YQ, but it shouldn't be too bad since it's 1 flight and intra-Europe. Another alternative was UA through LHR then on TAP, but you'll get intra-Europe YQ on TAP and probably some brutal LHR taxes.

Apr 18
CDG-ZRH-YUL-YVR, you'll get hit for AC YQ but it shouldn't be too bad and no YQ on domestic/TB extends to some lower tier elites.
CDG-ZRH-ORD, all on LX is there as well, you'd have to wait for UA to open their inventory to YVR though.

Options exist, but with no status, you have to be extra flexible and willing to eat a bit of YQ in some cases, especially from the West coast, Europe isn't really our friend, much easier to find a flight to asia. Also, from the looks of things (having never looked at UA this far out) it appears they don't release any of their own inventory this early as there was virtually no UA flights if at all involved in any of the choices.

Originally Posted by rankourabu (Post 24828673)

Side note - thats not how it works. You get dinged for CDG-YVR YQ unless SE. There are no savings on shorthaul segments as part of a longhaul scamcharge for <99k elites.

The YQ savings for <99k elites only apply to the $27 charged on purely domestic/tb itineraries.

And even SEs get dinged for intra-europe LH/OS YQ.
So lets say YQ on YVR-LHR-FRA is $400 for everyone else - SEs would still get dinged ~$100 for just LHR-FRA, as my recent SE client found out.

Originally Posted by montezume (Post 24829266)

Yeah, avoiding YQ leaves you with some interesting routings.

My friends think I'm crazy for flying YUL - IST - STR - IST - YUL this summer. Way longer trip than it would be on LH or AC, but for ~160$ round trip in J, I'm not complaining.

Originally Posted by DealAddict (Post 24829324)

I don't find the addition of 1 stop for myself a terribly big deal

Alternatives to YOW-BOS-ZRH-MAD would be YOW-FRA-MAD and YOW-LHR-MAD

YOW-BOS is a relatively short flight, and ZRH is nicer to connect in.

Originally Posted by montezume (Post 24829361)

It's not just that I'm adding another stop (YUL - FRA - STR would be two stops as well, although the only reason I'm flying into STR is because there was availability on TK out of IST), it's that YUL - IST is quite a bit longer than YUL - FRA, and IST - STR is quite a bit longer than FRA - STR. Also, instead of arriving in Germany in the morning, I arrive in the late evening. I still think it's worth it to experience the superior J product, food and the lounge in IST.