Mar 30, 2014, 12:53 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
WIKI POST: Using US Dividend Miles for oneworld Award Flights
As further details become available, please fill in this wikipost.
As further details become available, please fill in this wikipost.
N.B. Booking opportunities for new Dividend Miles awards of all kinds ended 11:59 PM Wednesday, 25 March 2015. Please continue using this thread for trips booked or in progress through 24 March 2016.
Changes on USDM oneworld award tickets
This is the only official statement about changing issued USDM award tickets:
If I need to make changes to a Dividend Miles award reservation, which program’s rules will apply?
Minor changes such as date/time can be made provided seats are available without requiring a new award to be claimed. More substantive changes such as changes to stopovers or origin/destination may result in the need to reinstate the previously claimed Dividend Miles award, then claiming a new AAdvantage award under the existing AAdvantage program rules.
The old membership rules do 'generally' still appy to USDM tickets.
For awards ticketed / reticketed on 001- ticket stock, go to the AA Refunds site with your ticket number at hand (unsure if it works with 037- stock at this time)to:
- Print a receipt with ticket number (instead of Request a refund)
- See total fees, taxes, etc. attached to your ticket
- See applicable detailed fare rules
- Request a refund (may not be useful for awards)
- Some were able to change their ticket without beeing charged the USD 150.- changing fee.
- No chance to change a ticket after the first flight segment has been flown.
- ...
Old stuff
oneworld member airlines - airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines (Sibir), SriLankan Airlines, TAM Airlines, US Airways and their affiliates.
Award Chart for oneworld awards using US Dividend Miles:
http://shopping.usairways.com/en-US/...wardtravel.pdf
You can use the American Airlines, British Airways, JAL, or Qantas sites to search for oneworld award inventory. AA and QF also allows you to search for award inventory using a handy 30 day calendar view. However, availability on the calendar is dependent on site coverage (e.g. QF does not include JL or MH, AA does not include CX and others). Also, the calendar view may not be completely accurate on all partners, so use it as a guide but do not rely on it fully.
One of the easiest ways to search for oneworld availability is through the use of an outside tool such as Award Nexus, ExpertFlyer, KVS Tool, or The Wandering Aramean oneworld Search.
Award Nexus has a free community membership for flyertalk members, and award email alert with premium membership. ExpertFlyer has email alerts and direct GDS access to select oneworld award inventories, such as AA, QF, and US. ExpertFlyer can also search J class certificate upgrade inventory. With KVS Tool, you can search QF, BA, JL and CX's search engines, in addition to other alliances, on your PC (Mac / Linux with CrossOver). You can also set up an alert via The Wandering Aramean oneworld Search. This tool will automatically search on QF for your alert once per day with a free account and four times per day with a paid account.
N.B. With all of the above tools, it is best to search one segment at a time. Most oneworld search engines have difficulty marrying segments.
For route searching with itinerary information, use the interactive oneworld map and timetable.
For searching Intra-North America availability, the best tool is AA.com. Unlike the other oneworld engines, AA is pretty good at marrying segments, so you can search origin to destination.
Regarding availability, the strategy that has been most effective for people looking to book award travel on oneworld is to start searching right at 330 days prior to departure. This is generally when availability is at its best. After that, availability tends to be sporadic until starting 8 weeks prior to departure where some airlines open up availability, and will vary all the way up until the day of departure.
If you're having trouble finding availability, it may be best to look at alternate airports (JL, for example, serves SAN, YVR, and BOS, in addition to the larger markets of SFO, LAX, YYZ, ORD, and JFK).
(N.B. Although US was not adding fuel surcharges to awards, there are reports that they have started doing this for awards containing BA flights.) With the exception of BA & IB, no oneworld carriers require you to pay a fuel surcharge for awards. With BA, be aware that you may have to pay both a fuel surcharge as well as the UK Air Passenger Duty departure tax for intercontinental J and F flights out of UK. These fees vary with class of service and length of flight and are determined by BA; the Air Passenger Duty (see specific thread) is due for all UK departures not under 24 hour connecting flights. APD applies to coach tickets, too, but at a reduced rate. The fuel /YQ surcharge with IB is generally considered minimal.
Known Problems / Workaround:
- Dep 00:00AM : Some agents have difficulty finding flights leaving between midnight and 2 AM. This is because the US systems show it leaving the day before. If the agent cannot find it, please ask to look at the day before. > source <
- LA : Flights put on hold will be cancelled after 24h. Workaround: Issue the ticket immediately. > source <
- JL : US Rep cannot find available seats. Workaround: "Always have to remind Rep to open JL reservations on a new screen". > source <
- MH : US Rep cannot find awards in First Class. Workaround: First class needs to be booked in P-cl instead of Z-cl (as on most other OW carriers). > source < booking classes: > KVS <
- All : If you are booking outbound flights at the US Air 335 day window US Air will often allow you to put your reservation on a longer than 3 day hold to capture the return seats once they open up at T+335. There is a report of this for 30 days here, and FT user beofotch was successful in getting a 13 day hold here. Workaround: Huaca until you get an agent who is competent enough to do this. It may help to act naive and ask for your return flight on your preferred date even if it is after T+335 days. Once they get an error from the computer may be a good time to bring it up.
- ...
Fixed Problems:
- CX : US Rep cannot find seats on flight CX 645 HKG-DOH. Workaround: none so far, search for different routing/carrier (CMB/DXB/...?)... > source < > fixed <
> fixed < - CX : US Rep cannot find seats on flight CX 640 DOH-HKG. They admit, the flight exists, but are unable to book <source>. Workaround: none so far, search for different routing/carrier
> fixed < - BA/Comair : US rep could not see / or unable to book intra-South Africa flights in BA flight number operated by Comair despite AA treats Comair a full fledged oneworld member under BA, in the same context as KA under CX. Only one reported success booking - poster reported agent had trouble at first but on consulting a supervisor was told "where to look"; the agent did not give any further information. Most everyone else reported unable to book Comair flights.
> fixed < - IB : Flights will be cancelled after ticket issued. Workaround: None yet... > source <
> fixed <
LUS: USDM oneworld Award Bookings - (Closed to new bookings) [Master FAQ and Help]
Sep 21, 2014, 3:31 am
#2101
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 27
Did they just simply change your booking without redepositing the miles and rebooking your flights?
there is a distinction between redepoiting the miles and actually cancelling all the flights (as discussed upthread). It might be worth asking if they just want to cancel the ticket (but can still hold the flights), or if they want to cancel the actual flights.
As discussed I tried 5 agents. One of them even made the change (appeared in the higher class on-line instantly), but then said they would have to go down the cancel route.
The change seems to be very easy to do in the system. It's just the right words for getting them to revalidate rather than cancel.
As discussed I tried 5 agents. One of them even made the change (appeared in the higher class on-line instantly), but then said they would have to go down the cancel route.
The change seems to be very easy to do in the system. It's just the right words for getting them to revalidate rather than cancel.
Sep 21, 2014, 6:14 am
#2102
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 13
Hi all,
I am looking for a North Asia to Europe First class award, which should be 100k miles. Would below itin be valid? I am concerned with return leg having 6 sectors. Thanks.
Outbound:
HKG to HND on JL. transit
HND to LHR on JL. transit
LHR to ORY on BA. destination
ORY to MAD on IB. transit
MAD to FRA on LA. transit
FRA to NRT on JL. transit
NRT to CTS on JL. Stopover
CTS to NGO on JL. Transit
NGO to HKG on CX
I am looking for a North Asia to Europe First class award, which should be 100k miles. Would below itin be valid? I am concerned with return leg having 6 sectors. Thanks.
Outbound:
HKG to HND on JL. transit
HND to LHR on JL. transit
LHR to ORY on BA. destination
ORY to MAD on IB. transit
MAD to FRA on LA. transit
FRA to NRT on JL. transit
NRT to CTS on JL. Stopover
CTS to NGO on JL. Transit
NGO to HKG on CX
Sep 21, 2014, 7:46 am
#2103
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Hi all,
I am looking for a North Asia to Europe First class award, which should be 100k miles. Would below itin be valid? I am concerned with return leg having 6 sectors. Thanks.
Outbound:
HKG to HND on JL. transit
HND to LHR on JL. transit
LHR to ORY on BA. destination
ORY to MAD on IB. transit
MAD to FRA on LA. transit
FRA to NRT on JL. transit
NRT to CTS on JL. Stopover
CTS to NGO on JL. Transit
NGO to HKG on CX
I am looking for a North Asia to Europe First class award, which should be 100k miles. Would below itin be valid? I am concerned with return leg having 6 sectors. Thanks.
Outbound:
HKG to HND on JL. transit
HND to LHR on JL. transit
LHR to ORY on BA. destination
ORY to MAD on IB. transit
MAD to FRA on LA. transit
FRA to NRT on JL. transit
NRT to CTS on JL. Stopover
CTS to NGO on JL. Transit
NGO to HKG on CX
ORY-MAD-FRA and NRT-CTS-NGO are not flown the most direct way, it's also backtracking. Your stopover is not at a partner hub and this routing does not fulfill this rule: Stopovers are allowed only for the most direct route of travel.
http://www.oneworld.com/member-airli...n-airlines-jal
Sep 21, 2014, 11:01 am
#2104
Moderator: American AAdvantage & Marriott Bonvoy
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: PHX
Programs: American ExPlat; Marriott/SPG Lifetime Plat; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 8,116
It was quick and easy. Agent changed the class and reissued/re-validated (I'm not sure of the proper term) the ticket. His only question, which he went to the rate desk for, was whether there was any changes in taxes.
But it seems that this issue has very much become an agent roulette game, so you may have to call several times. I'm a Chairman's Preferred level elite, so that no doubt helps in terms of the level of agent I get when I call.
Sep 21, 2014, 1:49 pm
#2105
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: CDG
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 1,611
if i wanted to do CDG-JNB via a 2 day stopover in HKG in CX F, will the agents allow me to book this or is it against the rules?
Sep 21, 2014, 2:20 pm
#2106
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Radisson Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 3,623
Sep 21, 2014, 3:16 pm
#2107
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Sep 21, 2014, 3:25 pm
#2108
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Between AMS and BRU
Posts: 8,852
The agents might not be the sharpest pencils... but before ticketing some checks are being made.
Sep 22, 2014, 10:23 am
#2110
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 93
for CX first/biz AWAR TICKET, I hear that CX always release their tickets in the "LAST MINUTE", is that true? and when is "LAST MINUTE"? a week before departure? or a month? thanks!
Sep 22, 2014, 11:24 am
#2113
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Between AMS and BRU
Posts: 8,852
US Air awards are restricted in that they only allow you to fly 125% of the miles of your direct route.... not always strictly enforced (like everything with US DM) but as a result you can forget about the "crazy" LM routes that take the long way.
US DM awards are best used for returns (they don't do one ways) in Business and First where you can include one stopover and stops (<24hrs) at connections. That still allows very nice routings for a decent amount of miles.
Good luck at finding F availability though on CX/JAL, normally only very last minute and for the return that might not work so well..... and my least favorite feature of US DM is that no changes are allowed when one leg is flown.
US DM awards are best used for returns (they don't do one ways) in Business and First where you can include one stopover and stops (<24hrs) at connections. That still allows very nice routings for a decent amount of miles.
Good luck at finding F availability though on CX/JAL, normally only very last minute and for the return that might not work so well..... and my least favorite feature of US DM is that no changes are allowed when one leg is flown.
Last edited by RTW1; Sep 22, 2014 at 11:47 am
Sep 22, 2014, 11:42 am
#2114
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 294
they dont haha
they told me Bali was in India...I said...no its Indonesia to which she sarcastically and stupidly replied "same difference"
however, I do notice they are being a lot more annoying nowadays. Checking every single detail to make sure it is in the "rules" which as we know...YMMV
they told me Bali was in India...I said...no its Indonesia to which she sarcastically and stupidly replied "same difference"
however, I do notice they are being a lot more annoying nowadays. Checking every single detail to make sure it is in the "rules" which as we know...YMMV
Sep 22, 2014, 3:48 pm
#2115
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,408
CX allows its members to waitlist for awards - I'm not 100% sure how that process works, but I suspect anything CX makes availale goes to those on the waitlist rather than appearing for program partners.
Best recommendation is to keep an eye out and check regularly.