Zembla

The plot thickens.

The aforementioned PHC-CDG-YUL return in J is less expensive in case I split he tickets in separate PHC-CDG and CDG-YUL returns. In the past this was quite logically, the other way round!
Enough matter to call the platinum service line. The friendly lady on the line got exactly the same outrageous mileage prices, and also cheaper rates on split tickets. She was a bit baffled and could not explain what happened. I concluded that the system must be broken, and obviously not computing the correct mileage prices. She promised to me to escalate it, and come back to me about it. I'll keep you informed!

danfl44

Wasn't expecting the changes to be good, but wow, couldn't be worse actually.
Very difficult to find prices on the lower end of the spectrum, even with the promo-awards (couldn't find anything for AMS-HAV in August).
And for example, LAX-CDG-DXB in F is 450k, but LAX-CDG + CDG-DXB 360k. Allright.
I won't even start about the many times J is MORE expensive than F (FB, DON'T take note and make F more expensive, please)

There actually are some good deals to be found, like LAX-AMS-*some cheap Eastern European city* in J for 53k, where essentially you get LAX-AMS for 53k. Very very rarely. But they are there.
My biggest problem is the COMPLETE lack of transparency and the removal of the 30-day calendar which makes searching awards a big pain in the .... The tool posted bij OMAAT is great for SQ KF, but it doesn't work with FB.

MRC

irishguy28

May I point you to the thread title? "Origin and desitination pricing as of June 2018".

So, just like a cash ticket isn't priced as [cost of PHC to CDG] plus [cost of CDG to YUL], so the mileage tickets are no longer priced in this way.

bodory

I have been moving my flights from SIN to CDG and v.v. to VN but still crediting to FB.
Now if these prices are not a glitch (at least in J) that is a clear goodbye to both AF/KL and FB.

rosenkavalier

sorry, this has been posted on another thread but am told its more appropriate here:

Hi there, I booked an award last night at 23h30 at the old price, put it on hold for 72 hours while I transfer my AMEX Membership Rewards.

1) I specifically confirmed with the agent that put this reservation on hold that I would still get the old price when I ticket, even after 1 June. Can anyone here confirm this is indeed the case? (either from personal experience or some knowledge) I don't want to irreversibly transfer points and then be told I have to pay the new increased price.
2) what happens if I want to change the booking down the line? Will they charge a difference between the old and new price even if there is the same fare bucket availability or just the change fee?

Many thanks for any info...!

rosenkavalier

So, it seems that for West Coast US-Europe in Business, LHR and PRG are now cheaper at 53K...are there any other cheaper destinations? the rest are 72K now.

danfl44

Lots of city's start at 53k miles from the US. Though 53k seems to be te absolute minimum.

Zembla

I also thought so. But unfortunately, there is no such correlation:
Separate cash ticket for PHC-CDG and CDG-YUL return costs 3727.15 + 4,156.11 = 7883.26 USD, and the complete PHC-CDG-YUL return itinerary for the very same flights costs 4944.38 USD
Separate mileage ticket for PHC-CDG and CDG-YUL return costs 216000 + 159000 = 375000 MILES, and the complete PHC-CDG-YUL return itinerary for the very same flights costs 528000 MILES

If you correlate this, the full itinerary should be cheaper in miles, it should be about 240000, and not more expensive with an outrageous 528000.

milemarker000

Newbie to the miles/frequent flyer game and forums here so please forgive me if this is a stupid question:
I'm still not 100% clear on whether these FB changes that take effect today will affect upgrade availability since all tickets can now technically be booked with miles?

Specifically, my wife and I booked S fare JFK-CDG-VIE in December and from my understanding, all business fares are now - in theory - bookable as O fares so that should - again, in theory - open up all business seats to upgrades? Or am I completely wrong and misunderstanding this new program? We are still getting the, "All eligible seats for upgrade have just been booked. We are unable to complete your request anymore." message, so it would appear I am in fact wrong in my assumptions here but just wanted to confirm this with the frequent flier experts here since I can't seem to find any info on how this new program relates to upgrades specifically.

carnarvon

Checked NTE/SIN/NTE 7-28 August in biz.

- most expensive ticket is a whopping 890,000 miles !!!
- least expensive ticket is 256,000
- that is to say 3.5 factor between both

- same tickets in € are 4,000 and 3,300 respectively, that is to say 1.2 factor

Go figure.....

Zembla

That is exactly also my point. There seems to be absolutely no correlation between miles and paid fares, whatsoever. The claim "a much clearer and more transparent structure for earning and redeeming Miles" (Copy/paste form their website) is a blatant lie.

newflyer27

Curious to know to, as i have an upcoming flight next week to GIG in Y. yesterday, Platinum line told me 190 k miles for J. this morning i called again and they told me no more availability, the agent told me the J cabin was not full at all and that i should try again later. I guess the upgrade availibility is not affected by this new fare structure for miles!

NickB

So, if we combine the massive increase in award costs and the massive decrease in miles earning, is it fair to say that this is among the greatest devaluations in history since the hyper-inflation of the Weimar Republic?

criced

"My route" LPI-AMS used to always cost 10000 miles if there was space left (I checked yesterday). Now went up to 39000 (!) miles for flights in a month and lowest 12000 if I book ahead. FANTASTIC not 🤨