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]
Oct 4, 2014, 7:26 pm
#2236
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: PHL
Posts: 38
I have a less exotic booking than most on here, but it's causing a bit of a conundrum due to my limited miles. I'm booking PHL-PHX outbound on 8/19, return on 9/1. I have 64,000 US miles and 5 travelers (2 adults, 3 kids). With the Barclaycard mile discount I can get 3 reward tickets, not great times but it'll work.
However, I have 2 questions. PHL-PHX flights offered are flight # 751/1756. I can book those on miles, but that combo is not available on the website for the 2 paid tickets I'll need. A shorter connection in CLT is all that's offered when taking 751 to CLT. Is there a way to force specific flight numbers on the US website so that we can travel together?
Second, and less important, after I book the reward tickets and purchase the other 2, will US combine them into one PNR? Seems to me it would be easier to handle cancellations/delays in one shot instead of 2 but not sure US will accommodate that (I have no status, only fly once or twice a year).
Thanks for the help and great info on FT.
However, I have 2 questions. PHL-PHX flights offered are flight # 751/1756. I can book those on miles, but that combo is not available on the website for the 2 paid tickets I'll need. A shorter connection in CLT is all that's offered when taking 751 to CLT. Is there a way to force specific flight numbers on the US website so that we can travel together?
Second, and less important, after I book the reward tickets and purchase the other 2, will US combine them into one PNR? Seems to me it would be easier to handle cancellations/delays in one shot instead of 2 but not sure US will accommodate that (I have no status, only fly once or twice a year).
Thanks for the help and great info on FT.
Oct 4, 2014, 7:53 pm
#2237
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,408
Oct 5, 2014, 3:35 am
#2239
Join Date: Feb 2001
Programs: IHG Diamond, HH Diamond, BW Diamond Select, Accor Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 4,228
Could one of you please tell me the MPM25 for PER-SEA?
(Just considering alternate start locations in case what I have in mind is disallowed on MPM.)
(Just considering alternate start locations in case what I have in mind is disallowed on MPM.)
Last edited by Kremmen; Oct 5, 2014 at 5:43 am
Oct 5, 2014, 7:16 am
#2240
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Oct 5, 2014, 7:21 am
#2241
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
However, I have 2 questions. PHL-PHX flights offered are flight # 751/1756. I can book those on miles, but that combo is not available on the website for the 2 paid tickets I'll need. A shorter connection in CLT is all that's offered when taking 751 to CLT. Is there a way to force specific flight numbers on the US website so that we can travel together?
Second, and less important, after I book the reward tickets and purchase the other 2, will US combine them into one PNR? Seems to me it would be easier to handle cancellations/delays in one shot instead of 2 but not sure US will accommodate that (I have no status, only fly once or twice a year).
Everything US can do is to write a comment in the file that you're travelling togheter. But the system won't recognize that 'link' between the PNR's.
Oct 5, 2014, 7:22 am
#2242
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Oct 5, 2014, 10:25 am
#2243
Join Date: Feb 2001
Programs: IHG Diamond, HH Diamond, BW Diamond Select, Accor Silver, Marriott Gold
Posts: 4,228
Oct 6, 2014, 5:40 am
#2247
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
It was stated this way on the USDM OW award chart...
And the same Information you will find here:
https://pointshop.finnair.com/partner.php?cPath=724_321
And the same Information you will find here:
https://pointshop.finnair.com/partner.php?cPath=724_321
Oct 6, 2014, 7:30 am
#2248
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: FLL
Programs: US CP, AA Plat, DL Silver, EY Gold, Kimpton IC, SPG Plat
Posts: 409
I'm trying to finalize an itinerary to Australia in February. My current target is:
AA/JL PBI-JFK-NRT-CTS (stop)
JL/QF CTS-NRT-SYD-WGA (dest)
QF/AA WGA-SYD-DFW-PBI
Am I pushing it with the stopover in CTS? Is that too much of a sidetrip?
Thanks
AA/JL PBI-JFK-NRT-CTS (stop)
JL/QF CTS-NRT-SYD-WGA (dest)
QF/AA WGA-SYD-DFW-PBI
Am I pushing it with the stopover in CTS? Is that too much of a sidetrip?
Thanks
Oct 6, 2014, 3:19 pm
#2249
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,408
better for them to say 'no' and at least you have tried, rather than shoot for something and miss out on what you really want.
but have a back-up plan in place... assuming it's within MPM - there are currently 6 flights on your outbound itinerary - ideally you should be aiming for 5 max. They may also not like a separate side-trip within the itinerary to CTS.
You could for example change your itinerary to a stopover in NRT and buy a separate round-trip to CTS.
Oct 6, 2014, 6:18 pm
#2250
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 44,625
A stopover needs to actually be en-route to the destination
routing ....-NRT-CTS-NRT-SYD-WGA would seem to be v unlikely to be permitted such that there 2 transits in Tokyo
routing ....-NRT-CTS-NRT-SYD-WGA would seem to be v unlikely to be permitted such that there 2 transits in Tokyo