pentiumvi

Seems like it should be valid. But maybe you're running into the issue that was mentioned a few posts back where the 100% distance restriction applied to every city pair, and not just origin/destination.

​​​​​​Distance for BAH-MLE-AUH is much more than 100% BAH-AUH distance.

ahchiu

Departure
YYZ-IST(stopover)-SIN
trying to enjoy TK in J

Return
SIN-TPE-YYZ
trying to enjoy BR in J

Looking to make these booking as part of the 'Between North America and Pacific zones' award chart 3rd band (under 11,000 miles) in J, meaning approx 180k Aeroplan points round trip (=85k + 5k stopover each way).

Anyone had similar experience to see if this booking would be valid?

kangarooflyer88

This seems like a pretty pedestrian booking to me. You would spend 90,000 miles each way to make the book for a total of 180,000 points to book the whole thing (plus whatever taxes and fees). For reference, I booked SYD > MEL > AUH > ZRH (stopover) > LIS > YYZ in J for 110,000 points (105,000 points for the partner J award based on distance + 5,000 points for stopover "fee"). Similarly I booked LAX > TPE > ICN (stopover) > SYD in J on BR to ICN and OZ to SYD for 110,000 points.

What's key is this booking must be done over the phone. If you get someone who says it's not possible or who tries to price it out as a multi-city hang up and try again. Ideally you should also find partner award availability for the whole thing since involving AC sectors with its dynamic pricing may make it difficult (or even impossible) to build out the itinerary. In addition, I would argue that AC partners will offer you better service than AC in J!

-RooFlyer88

kalderlake

Should be fine.

rf's advice is good. You shouldn't have to pay more than 90k if you avoid AC.

FWIW I booked YVR-FRA-VIE-BUD-IST-BLR-BKK with a stopover in Budapest for 90,000 points and approx $220.

And YYC-FRA-LHR-LXR-CAI-BAH-SIN with a stopover in LHR for 110k and $600 (over 11,000 miles, and London is an expensive stopover).

So if you wanted to add in a flight or two, you could perhaps spend a day in Cairo to check out the pyramids, then go on to SIN via AUH/BAH/MCT. Particularly if you're having trouble finding flights from IST to SIN on TK or SQ.

canadiancow

So uh how exactly do you get them to put flights on the right bound?

"The system won't price this"

Well, uh, yeah, you can't fly FRA-SFO via Asia. But I don't want to do that. I want to fly SFO-BKK via Europe.

Smiley90

Stop using the word bound. I swear maybe like 10% of AC agents know what that means and the others just.... -throws hands in the air-

kangarooflyer88

Per your chart I think you are trying to fly:

• Outbound: SFO > FRA (stop) > BKK
• Inbound: BKK > SFO

Per the rules this should be a valid itinerary since there are only four sectors on the outbound and three sectors on the return trip. In addition you are flying partners so dynamic pricing doesn't come into play. Your outbound itinerary is approximately 50% longer distance than the most direct routing from SFO to BKK per GCMap so that shouldn't trip up the Aeroplan computers:





So far as I can tell everything is legal in terms of the award booking provided of course there is partner J availability on the dates you have to travel (and provided your stopover in FRA is less than 45 days). My recommendation would be to hang up and try another agent if they are unable or unwilling to help you here. Speaking with the agent who ultimately booked my stopovers, it seems like AC training has been very inconsistent on this feature and some may not even be aware of this very feature! It would also make sense to say, "I'd like to use the 5,000 point stopover feature" rather than cryptic terms like bound. When I was booking SYD > MEL > AUH > ZRH (stop) > LIS > YYZ earlier this month, I used the term stopover exclusively for this very reason.

Hope this provides some guidance and best wishes in making this booking!

-RooFlyer88

canadiancow

I didn't use the word bound on the call.

There's no stopover.

It's "around the world in 80 hours".

The longest point on the ground is BKK at 10:25.

On Time Reports

On a recent schedule change, I called and stated that I wanted to be rebooked on an itinerary with two bounds. Stated each bound and the connecting point(s) and got rebooked exactly on all the flights I wanted.

Smiley90

Did you just give them the flights? Maybe they just entered them one by one and kept tacking it because they didn't realize that they wanted your turnaround point to be

najama2

Was there award availability on all the flights?

On Time Reports

Yes

ahchiu

Yes, trying to keep it 'pedestrian' because I will be traveling with pregnant wife and 2 young kids (1 in lap)

But now I see the point of this thread: it is very difficult to find direct flights, for this amount of people, in J, and avoid AC ... even with the help of the great cowtool.

Expanding on the above itinerary, I've been able to find:

Departure
YYZ-BOS-IST(stop)-BKK-SIN
-under 11,000 mi per gcmap
-to enjoy TK 333 in J on BOS-IST longest leg
-but includes AC leg YYZ-BOS
How does including AC in the short leg YYZ-BOS affect overall pricing? In cowtool this short leg shows cost as J Low 70k points, so maybe total cost of this departure would be slightly above 90k?

Return
It is looking to be impossible to fly back from SIN via Pacific for the criteria above, so I've resorted to looking to come back via Atlantic.
From SIN, I'm trying to identify the popular routes with more J availability back to east coast North America.
So far, getting back from SIN to IST, and then either VIE or FRA, and then back to east coast North America are the only possibilities.
Is there another popular route that you can suggest?
Here also, if I had to include a J route on AC from FRA-YYZ (cowtool says J Low cost is 140k points), I'm trying to understand how far this would put us above the 90k sweet spot?

Smiley90

Including AC legs makes it pretty much impossible to predict. Could be anything, hard to give advice there short of just checking cowtool and seeing what's there.

Also try the routes through e.g. Chicago, which I've found the be the best pacific gateway for award flights.

(And don't be scared to book e.g. ORD-YYZ with cash separately if adding that as an AC legs makes the award price explode)

Hoogaar

Can someone tell me exactly what changes it from a fixed award to dynamic pricing? Does it flip to dynamic pricing is a certain % is on AC metal, or something else entirely?

For example, if I look at April 10 2023, YQM-IST, I see a fixed award in J at 70k (2 short AC flights, and then TK for the transatlantic portion), but then also 148k with 2 AC flights including the transatlantic, and then TK from FRA to IST.

I'm assuming it has to do with %, just wondering if someone could tell me exactly what the trigger is (if there is one)?