Finnair (AY) Award Availability
Aug 18, 2018, 3:01 am
#31
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: USA
Programs: AS MVP; UA Gold; DL Gold; Marriott Titanium
Posts: 156
My problem is one-way tickets are usually "JFC, don't I actually get a PLANE with spending that much money?!?!?!?". Being able to use miles for three one way segments (USA-Asia-EU-USA) to stitch together RTW routings (and with AS you're getting free stopovers) is helpful. It's not the salad days of 90k US *A J or 120k US *A F "mini-RTW" Asia/Europe redemptions with stopovers, but it's not terrible.
I’v padded my AS account with some Marriott travel packages, so that’s helpful.
Now, I’m looking at starting in with the ThankYou points too.
Always Be Accruing! Haha.
Aug 18, 2018, 8:47 pm
#32
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, Bonvoy Platinum, HH Gold
Posts: 184
Point taken with the cost of AY flights from BKK to Europe. A lot of my points and miles friends are jealous since I'm based in Europe, I can usually (quite easily) find Europe to Asia RT for about $2K. It's not an insignificant amount of money, but compared to exUS ticket prices, it's a huge savings! In fact I just did a quick search for some Sept tickets to BKK (via AMS always the best startig point for a deal IMHO) and AY is sub $1.8K with *A flights not too much higher. Of course, this brings up the eternal question of "to use miles or to pay dollars?" haha.
We've been in an accrue mode for a few years, we need to start using some miles soon. Of course, we will eventually head back to the US (in a couple of years), so stashing some miles for exUS-Asia trips isn't a bad deal either.
We, in fact, flew AY to BKK last November from FRA. We really liked AY. They use to have the 100% additional J class bonus for Alaska, but since they don't have it anymore, we've been on CX almost exclusively to Asia. Although, HKG lounges are some of the best, so it's not too much a sacrifice. haha.
We've been in an accrue mode for a few years, we need to start using some miles soon. Of course, we will eventually head back to the US (in a couple of years), so stashing some miles for exUS-Asia trips isn't a bad deal either.
We, in fact, flew AY to BKK last November from FRA. We really liked AY. They use to have the 100% additional J class bonus for Alaska, but since they don't have it anymore, we've been on CX almost exclusively to Asia. Although, HKG lounges are some of the best, so it's not too much a sacrifice. haha.
I first flew AY because AS had just partnered with them (although I often usually fly oneworld carriers) and I was pleasantly surprised by their service, product, and customer relations. I even thought about joining their mileage program, but it doesn't beat MP so I'm sticking with them. Being based in BKK, there are definitely some things to work around with MP, like the fact that it can be tricky to book reward flights on CX to North America if not originating in HKG, but this new partnership with AY has really helped me, at least. Don't think I'll be booking them to North America, but to Europe, this is a great addition. And, like you, I've been banking miles with AS MP like crazy...now up to about 1 million...and with a few paid J flights already booked for the next few months, I think it's time I started redeeming!
Aug 19, 2018, 3:35 am
#33
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: USA
Programs: AS MVP; UA Gold; DL Gold; Marriott Titanium
Posts: 156
Indeed, those based in Europe have a lot of nice and, relatively speaking, cheaper options to Asia! Typically, BKK-Europe is about $1000 higher than Europe-BKK on a roundtrip J ticket.
I first flew AY because AS had just partnered with them (although I often usually fly oneworld carriers) and I was pleasantly surprised by their service, product, and customer relations. I even thought about joining their mileage program, but it doesn't beat MP so I'm sticking with them. Being based in BKK, there are definitely some things to work around with MP, like the fact that it can be tricky to book reward flights on CX to North America if not originating in HKG, but this new partnership with AY has really helped me, at least. Don't think I'll be booking them to North America, but to Europe, this is a great addition. And, like you, I've been banking miles with AS MP like crazy...now up to about 1 million...and with a few paid J flights already booked for the next few months, I think it's time I started redeeming!
I first flew AY because AS had just partnered with them (although I often usually fly oneworld carriers) and I was pleasantly surprised by their service, product, and customer relations. I even thought about joining their mileage program, but it doesn't beat MP so I'm sticking with them. Being based in BKK, there are definitely some things to work around with MP, like the fact that it can be tricky to book reward flights on CX to North America if not originating in HKG, but this new partnership with AY has really helped me, at least. Don't think I'll be booking them to North America, but to Europe, this is a great addition. And, like you, I've been banking miles with AS MP like crazy...now up to about 1 million...and with a few paid J flights already booked for the next few months, I think it's time I started redeeming!
Id like to say I plan to use some AS miles for CX or AY to Asia redemptions in 2019, but we will see if that happens.
BKK has been a good base for some great *A redemptions esp Thai F to SYD before the UA devaluation.
we do love the airport and the city too!
Aug 25, 2018, 8:55 pm
#35
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, Bonvoy Platinum, HH Gold
Posts: 184
I wonder what took so long for this all to finally materialize...maybe there was a bit of back-and-forth on the some of the redemption levels? While I've already said that I'm happy about the Asia-Europe option and don't find the rates to be that awful considering the quality of the product, the Asia-North America rates are terrible ( "But you get a stopover in Helsinki if you want!" is not reason enough, in my book, to book it when I can spend 50,000 miles on CX to get to North America...).
Aug 25, 2018, 9:58 pm
#36
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend, Moderator, Information Desk, Ambassador, Alaska Airlines
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: FAI
Programs: AS MVP Gold100K, AS 1MM, Maika`i Card, AGR, HH Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium LTG, CO, 7H, BA, 8E
Posts: 42,953
I wonder what took so long for this all to finally materialize...maybe there was a bit of back-and-forth on the some of the redemption levels? While I've already said that I'm happy about the Asia-Europe option and don't find the rates to be that awful considering the quality of the product, the Asia-North America rates are terrible ( "But you get a stopover in Helsinki if you want!" is not reason enough, in my book, to book it when I can spend 50,000 miles on CX to get to North America...).
Aug 25, 2018, 10:47 pm
#37
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, Marriott Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,598
I’m finding this to all be a bit of an undelivered promise. Those of us who are truly AS fliers, and not just accumulating MP miles for awards through flying partners, will be flying from the US to Europe. To do so on AY we need an AY segment from the US to HEL. I’ve yet to see any evidence of anything but the random flight from ORD. Given the limits to use only one partner airline, it’s becoming my opinion that there’s still very little of value to this relationship as far as awards go.
Aug 25, 2018, 11:20 pm
#38
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Between SFO and STS
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold, United Serf, Delta Gold
Posts: 731
I’m finding this to all be a bit of an undelivered promise. Those of us who are truly AS fliers, and not just accumulating MP miles for awards through flying partners, will be flying from the US to Europe. To do so on AY we need an AY segment from the US to HEL. I’ve yet to see any evidence of anything but the random flight from ORD. Given the limits to use only one partner airline, it’s becoming my opinion that there’s still very little of value to this relationship as far as awards go.
Aug 25, 2018, 11:33 pm
#39
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: USA
Programs: AS MVP; UA Gold; DL Gold; Marriott Titanium
Posts: 156
I’m finding this to all be a bit of an undelivered promise. Those of us who are truly AS fliers, and not just accumulating MP miles for awards through flying partners, will be flying from the US to Europe. To do so on AY we need an AY segment from the US to HEL. I’ve yet to see any evidence of anything but the random flight from ORD. Given the limits to use only one partner airline, it’s becoming my opinion that there’s still very little of value to this relationship as far as awards go.
I'm based out of Europe, so I find the AY options for J flights to Asia to be very valuable. Granted they aren't as cheap as I would like, but it is at least an option--one in which I can book online rather than calling (e.g., CX).
My biggest "First World Problem" so to speak with this is that AY (and BA) RT J tickets to Asia can be sub-$2K, which is a great way to accrue miles. So the struggle is accrue or use.
Hopefully, you'll find use for your AS miles on US-Euro routes that fit your needs.
Happy Travels!
Aug 26, 2018, 2:20 am
#40
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 540
I was looking for space for July 2019 and came across several days where I did find LAX or SFO to HEL in J. I was even able to find connections in J to MXP or NCE. My experience was that initially the availability was right at the 331 day out mark and then the next day it would move to the following day. About a week or so ago I saw the availability in early July 2019 as well.
Aug 31, 2018, 4:04 am
#42
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: Delta Platinum Medallion, Bonvoy Platinum, HH Gold
Posts: 184
it is tough to get off the accrual highway when the paid ticket deals are good to quite good! Haha
Id like to say I plan to use some AS miles for CX or AY to Asia redemptions in 2019, but we will see if that happens.
BKK has been a good base for some great *A redemptions esp Thai F to SYD before the UA devaluation.
we do love the airport and the city too!
Aug 31, 2018, 10:22 am
#44
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: YVR/LAX/PVG/TPE
Posts: 759
the chart saying 32.5k Y Asia to North America got me excited for a split second haha! It must be a mistake on the chart publishing part right? Otherwise I would gladly go through the ordeal of Y with a HEL stopover! I do see sporadic J availability to NYC here and there though.
Aug 31, 2018, 3:10 pm
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: BOS/ORH
Programs: AS 75K
Posts: 18,323
the chart saying 32.5k Y Asia to North America got me excited for a split second haha! It must be a mistake on the chart publishing part right? Otherwise I would gladly go through the ordeal of Y with a HEL stopover! I do see sporadic J availability to NYC here and there though.
HU & CX are 30K (CX 35K for Premium Economy)
AY is 32.5K
JL is 40K
EK is 52.5K