Apr 5, 2014, 3:23 pm
Last edit by: eponymous_coward
Emirates award guide using Alaska Airlines miles
Routing Rules:
All trips must start or end in North America.
One open jaw and one stopover allowed on each one-way award.
No fees for changes/cancellations prior to 60 days from departure.
North American Gateway Cities:
West Coast
Seattle
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Central
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
East Coast
Boston
New York (JFK)
Orlando (Effective September 1, 2015)
Washington DC (IAD)
Canada
Toronto
Award Chart Links*:
Middle East & Africa
Asia
Europe
*If region is not listed on chart its not available.
Perks
Chauffeur Drive NOT Available
Car service is not available for all Business Class and First Class passengers on Alaska Airlines ticketed award tickets on Emirates flights (as of Jan 2015). The chauffeur will not confirm if you use the EK website for this, though the website makes it look you can make a reservation.
Lounges
Access is available for all passengers traveling in Business and First Class. Not all cities have lounges and many may be operated by a Partner. There have been some reports of people having an issue accessing the Dubai lounges as the tickets may appear in their system as non-revenue employee travel. This is not as much of a problem as it used to be but in case it comes up please advise the lounge attendant that you are on an Alaska Airlines award.
Dubai Connect
AS Awards on EK do not qualify for Dubai Connect, which is the service that offers the free hotel.
Tricks to find Transoceanic availability
Instead of performing a blanket, i.e. SEA-DXB search, perform: SEA-MED.
Madinah is a destination that is only served by EK. Consequently, if there is availability, only EK will show up in the calendar results.
Routing Rules:
All trips must start or end in North America.
One open jaw and one stopover allowed on each one-way award.
No fees for changes/cancellations prior to 60 days from departure.
North American Gateway Cities:
West Coast
Seattle
San Francisco
Los Angeles
Central
Chicago
Dallas
Houston
East Coast
Boston
New York (JFK)
Orlando (Effective September 1, 2015)
Washington DC (IAD)
Canada
Toronto
Award Chart Links*:
Middle East & Africa
Asia
Europe
*If region is not listed on chart its not available.
Perks
Chauffeur Drive NOT Available
Car service is not available for all Business Class and First Class passengers on Alaska Airlines ticketed award tickets on Emirates flights (as of Jan 2015). The chauffeur will not confirm if you use the EK website for this, though the website makes it look you can make a reservation.
Lounges
Access is available for all passengers traveling in Business and First Class. Not all cities have lounges and many may be operated by a Partner. There have been some reports of people having an issue accessing the Dubai lounges as the tickets may appear in their system as non-revenue employee travel. This is not as much of a problem as it used to be but in case it comes up please advise the lounge attendant that you are on an Alaska Airlines award.
Dubai Connect
AS Awards on EK do not qualify for Dubai Connect, which is the service that offers the free hotel.
Tricks to find Transoceanic availability
Instead of performing a blanket, i.e. SEA-DXB search, perform: SEA-MED.
Madinah is a destination that is only served by EK. Consequently, if there is availability, only EK will show up in the calendar results.
Consolidated Emirates (EK) awards availability/booking/routing thread
Sep 10, 2015, 6:47 pm
#2176
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,542
This seems to be the way the world is going. SQ is also a big user of married segments on awards.
If married segments are only used for "good" -- i.e. AAA-BBB isn't available for awards by itself, but the airline will give it to you if you book AAA-BBB-CCC -- then it's a customer-friendly development since you'd likely never even know what you were missing if you just searched AAA-BBB. This is broadly what SQ/CX/EK have been observed to do, and in very limited cases DL has done this as well.
But there is also the potential of it being used for "evil" -- i.e. AAA-BBB and BBB-CCC are both available for awards by themselves at the low level, but AAA-BBB-CCC is only available at a higher price or not at all -- there have been at least one or two sightings of Delta doing that on domestic flights; I'm not aware of other airlines doing it but it may be out there.
Either way, it does mean the classic FT advice of "search for awards segment by segment and then piece them together" has decreasing utility.
If married segments are only used for "good" -- i.e. AAA-BBB isn't available for awards by itself, but the airline will give it to you if you book AAA-BBB-CCC -- then it's a customer-friendly development since you'd likely never even know what you were missing if you just searched AAA-BBB. This is broadly what SQ/CX/EK have been observed to do, and in very limited cases DL has done this as well.
But there is also the potential of it being used for "evil" -- i.e. AAA-BBB and BBB-CCC are both available for awards by themselves at the low level, but AAA-BBB-CCC is only available at a higher price or not at all -- there have been at least one or two sightings of Delta doing that on domestic flights; I'm not aware of other airlines doing it but it may be out there.
Either way, it does mean the classic FT advice of "search for awards segment by segment and then piece them together" has decreasing utility.
Jamie
Sep 10, 2015, 6:57 pm
#2177
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YVR to SEA
Posts: 2,536
Since when does Alaska allow Emirates redemptions that don't originate or terminate in north America?
Sep 10, 2015, 7:03 pm
#2178
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,051
Does this imply that the four F awards I can see on AS' site for MRUDXBJNB might be for real? I see four seats available in NUMEROUS days next July, but I can't actually try and ticket until my 400k SPG points transfer in. I'm going to be pissed if it is phantom availability after I have transferred so many points.
Jamie
Jamie
Sep 10, 2015, 10:48 pm
#2180
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: YVR to SEA
Posts: 2,536
There's a lot of mixed cabins, so be careful
Sep 11, 2015, 4:17 am
#2181
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,542
Looks like the 1600~ departure from MRU is readily available, then a 9 hr layover, then the one-stop over MXP. I'm ok with this routing if I can get all four of us in F. AS agents also claim it is available, but I'll believe it when it tickets. As noted, will be really pissed if I find I've transferred 400k SPG miles that have become useless in the AS program.
Sep 11, 2015, 8:20 am
#2182
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: USA
Posts: 224
AS Feeder Segments to Emirates Flights
MRU-DXB-DFW (Stop 5 months) DFW-PDX-SEA-ANC-FAI
Not ideal routing, but it can be done with multiple AS segments. It's a nice free one-way extra trip if you live in a US city serviced by both Emirates and Alaska. It's 30+ hours in First Class.
Sep 11, 2015, 11:47 am
#2183
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 1,913
Is there a way to do an open jaw with a one way like HKT-DXB-JFK (stop few months) IAD-SEA-LAS? Or does the stopover have to be in JFK in this example? Since IAD is served by AS and EK?
Last edited by ASUDan130; Sep 11, 2015 at 12:21 pm
Sep 11, 2015, 12:52 pm
#2184
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
That's not an open jaw since open jaw implies round trip (e.g. IAD-DXB-JFK with IAD-JFK being open jaw). It's a ground segment. I'm not aware of AS allowing ground segments on any awards, round trip or one ways.
Sep 13, 2015, 8:04 am
#2185
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,542
1) Spoke to AS agents that confirmed EK award space.
2) Transferred 320k SPG points for 400k AS.
3) Spoke to AS agents that again confirmed EK award space.
4) Tried/failed to book 14 different days in July that display award space on AS site. Each time told partner space can't be confirmed.
So, basically, I'm out 320k SPG points, as I have no other use for that AS currency.
Points wasted.
Jamie
Sep 13, 2015, 8:12 am
#2186
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: TBD
Posts: 840
Can you book two in J and two in F? You all could swap in DXB. Just an idea; obviously not ideal.
Feeling VERY ripped off.
1) Spoke to AS agents that confirmed EK award space.
2) Transferred 320k SPG points for 400k AS.
3) Spoke to AS agents that again confirmed EK award space.
4) Tried/failed to book 14 different days in July that display award space on AS site. Each time told partner space can't be confirmed.
So, basically, I'm out 320k SPG points, as I have no other use for that AS currency.
Points wasted.
Jamie
1) Spoke to AS agents that confirmed EK award space.
2) Transferred 320k SPG points for 400k AS.
3) Spoke to AS agents that again confirmed EK award space.
4) Tried/failed to book 14 different days in July that display award space on AS site. Each time told partner space can't be confirmed.
So, basically, I'm out 320k SPG points, as I have no other use for that AS currency.
Points wasted.
Jamie
Sep 13, 2015, 8:41 am
#2187
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,542
So, considering I've spent two hours this am trying and failing to book displayed EK availability on AS, hence I don't really have the patience to go over this entire thread, would somebody be kind enough to guide me:
1) Is AS' actually access to EK based on Z-1/D-1 while using expertflyer? Or does AS access = EK awards per expertflyer?
2) Will AS agents have any difficulty splitting a PNR i.e. I just booked the four of us in J, hence I'll need an agent to break one or two of us off?
3) Is EK as consistent as CX in releasing F awards close-in?
Look, I realize flying EK J isn't the end of the world, it just really irritates me that AS phantom availability is SO ABUNDANT. I've run across phantom availability on LAN and Cathay when booking on BA, but usually just once in a blue moon. The AS issue is widespread and consistent. And it causes me to waste miles.
Jamie
Sep 13, 2015, 8:56 am
#2188
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: West Coast, USA
Programs: Skywards Platinum
Posts: 3,747
Feeling VERY ripped off.
1) Spoke to AS agents that confirmed EK award space.
2) Transferred 320k SPG points for 400k AS.
3) Spoke to AS agents that again confirmed EK award space.
4) Tried/failed to book 14 different days in July that display award space on AS site. Each time told partner space can't be confirmed.
So, basically, I'm out 320k SPG points, as I have no other use for that AS currency.
Points wasted.
Jamie
1) Spoke to AS agents that confirmed EK award space.
2) Transferred 320k SPG points for 400k AS.
3) Spoke to AS agents that again confirmed EK award space.
4) Tried/failed to book 14 different days in July that display award space on AS site. Each time told partner space can't be confirmed.
So, basically, I'm out 320k SPG points, as I have no other use for that AS currency.
Points wasted.
Jamie
Sep 13, 2015, 9:04 am
#2189
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 4,542
So basically, I feel as if a club was advertising that U2 was going to play, so I paid to enter, I find out the club was mistaken but I can't get my money back (i.e. points transferred back to SPG). So yeah, that's how I define feeling "ripped off".
Sep 13, 2015, 10:38 am
#2190
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 4,431
What's the word on award flights becoming available after cancelation? I currently have a March 2016 itinerary for LAX-DXB-MAD, but might change MAD to BCN. My understanding is that in order to do this, I have to cancel the whole itinerary and rebook it as LAX-DXB-BCN; I can't just change the second segment and keep the first segment intact. If I try doing this, is the LAX-DXB guaranteed to be available?