Need expert advice 600K MR
Oct 15, 2008, 9:01 am
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Location: TX, FL
Programs: AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 186
Hi,
DFW to CDG via AMs
CDG to Rome
Rome to DFW
KLM and AF. 4 seats on flights all in Business. $508 for fees.
(Also reserved the new Celebrity Soltice sailing from Rome on July 17th) now have to work on an apartment in Paris and other hotels. This is a surprise for my family. I am not telling until Christmas!
Thanks!
Lisa
DFW to CDG via AMs
CDG to Rome
Rome to DFW
KLM and AF. 4 seats on flights all in Business. $508 for fees.
(Also reserved the new Celebrity Soltice sailing from Rome on July 17th) now have to work on an apartment in Paris and other hotels. This is a surprise for my family. I am not telling until Christmas!
Thanks!
Lisa
Oct 15, 2008, 10:26 am
#19
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York, London, Sydney
Programs: United GS/2MM, DL*P, VS*G, AA*EXP, Avis CHM, Hertz Platinum, Sixt*D, HH*D, HGP*P, Starwood*P
Posts: 9,847
Not bad for a first time. Especially on the fees being so low.
For future reference, you really should try to do a real international first class product, especially since it's exactly the same number of points.
It should be interesting to see what happens when Continental joins Star Alliance, because right now they only offer business class awards on most of their partners, and attempt to charge for their own business class at the first class level. Not sure that they will attempt to, or be able to, get away with that once they're part of an alliance where a good number of the carriers (most?) have a three-class system.
For future reference, you really should try to do a real international first class product, especially since it's exactly the same number of points.
It should be interesting to see what happens when Continental joins Star Alliance, because right now they only offer business class awards on most of their partners, and attempt to charge for their own business class at the first class level. Not sure that they will attempt to, or be able to, get away with that once they're part of an alliance where a good number of the carriers (most?) have a three-class system.
Oct 15, 2008, 11:16 am
#20
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Oct 15, 2008, 11:35 am
#21
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Location: TX, FL
Programs: AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 186
Lisa
Oct 15, 2008, 11:38 am
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Location: TX, FL
Programs: AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 186
Not bad for a first time. Especially on the fees being so low.
For future reference, you really should try to do a real international first class product, especially since it's exactly the same number of points.
It should be interesting to see what happens when Continental joins Star Alliance, because right now they only offer business class awards on most of their partners, and attempt to charge for their own business class at the first class level. Not sure that they will attempt to, or be able to, get away with that once they're part of an alliance where a good number of the carriers (most?) have a three-class system.
For future reference, you really should try to do a real international first class product, especially since it's exactly the same number of points.
It should be interesting to see what happens when Continental joins Star Alliance, because right now they only offer business class awards on most of their partners, and attempt to charge for their own business class at the first class level. Not sure that they will attempt to, or be able to, get away with that once they're part of an alliance where a good number of the carriers (most?) have a three-class system.
Oct 15, 2008, 12:49 pm
#24
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
I took your advice and called Continental. I had some points in that account as well so I did not have to transfer as many as I thought. And you were correct that they let me hold the seats (changed them 3 times while I was working on everything!) until the MR's transferred in. AF had quoted a much higher price on fees when I first talked to them. Everything else I checked did not have 4 seats on the flights (business or first).
Lisa
Lisa
Just a different set of partners. In the case of Membership Rewards there are currently no USA-based partners in the alliance so fuel surcharges have a habit of creeping in to redemption rates. With CO moving over to *A redemptions in that alliance should be slightly more accessible for MR members, not that ANA and AC are really all that bad.
Oct 15, 2008, 1:42 pm
#25
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York, London, Sydney
Programs: United GS/2MM, DL*P, VS*G, AA*EXP, Avis CHM, Hertz Platinum, Sixt*D, HH*D, HGP*P, Starwood*P
Posts: 9,847
Lisa,
Ah, you really should've PMed me, I would've helped you out - beacause I did a look before you posted and saw 4 LH First Class seats in both directions. Oh well. But no biggie, because you definitely did very well, and I'm impressed that you went through the hassle of calling AF and CO and getting quotes before pulling the trigger. CO is definitely the best from a fees perspective of the SkyTeam airlines.
To tack on a bit to the question if why Star Alliance is good, I think this needs to be put in perspective.
The global alliances essentially extend priviliges to members of their respective airlines both in terms of earning and redeeming miles and certain other perks (business/first class checkin, baggage allowance, lounge access). Skyteam, the alliance in which Continental currently resides, has a very limited network in Asia relative to the other two, virtually no coverage of the South Pacific, poor saver award availability on partners, expensive redemption rates, most of the carriers only have a 2-class product, and, AFAIK, all except Continental charge fuel surchages.
The benefit to us of Continental moving to Star is that we will now have many more redemption options, likely including First Class, not just business, will likely still not have to pay fuel surcharges, and we will still have Delta as a US-based Skyteam carrier. Diversification is always a good thing.
Ah, you really should've PMed me, I would've helped you out - beacause I did a look before you posted and saw 4 LH First Class seats in both directions. Oh well. But no biggie, because you definitely did very well, and I'm impressed that you went through the hassle of calling AF and CO and getting quotes before pulling the trigger. CO is definitely the best from a fees perspective of the SkyTeam airlines.
To tack on a bit to the question if why Star Alliance is good, I think this needs to be put in perspective.
The global alliances essentially extend priviliges to members of their respective airlines both in terms of earning and redeeming miles and certain other perks (business/first class checkin, baggage allowance, lounge access). Skyteam, the alliance in which Continental currently resides, has a very limited network in Asia relative to the other two, virtually no coverage of the South Pacific, poor saver award availability on partners, expensive redemption rates, most of the carriers only have a 2-class product, and, AFAIK, all except Continental charge fuel surchages.
The benefit to us of Continental moving to Star is that we will now have many more redemption options, likely including First Class, not just business, will likely still not have to pay fuel surcharges, and we will still have Delta as a US-based Skyteam carrier. Diversification is always a good thing.
Oct 15, 2008, 2:51 pm
#26
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
Skyteam, the alliance in which Continental currently resides, has a very limited network in Asia relative to the other two, virtually no coverage of the South Pacific, poor saver award availability on partners, expensive redemption rates, most of the carriers only have a 2-class product, and, AFAIK, all except Continental charge fuel surchages.
The benefit to us of Continental moving to Star is that we will now have many more redemption options, likely including First Class, not just business, will likely still not have to pay fuel surcharges, and we will still have Delta as a US-based Skyteam carrier. Diversification is always a good thing.
Oct 15, 2008, 2:58 pm
#27
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York, London, Sydney
Programs: United GS/2MM, DL*P, VS*G, AA*EXP, Avis CHM, Hertz Platinum, Sixt*D, HH*D, HGP*P, Starwood*P
Posts: 9,847
China? Really? With two CN-based airlines in *, I'm not sure I'd agree.
Africa, yea, KL + AF are okay, but SA, LH, and LX aren't bad either. Both have EK.
Europe - agreed.
Africa, yea, KL + AF are okay, but SA, LH, and LX aren't bad either. Both have EK.
Europe - agreed.
Oct 15, 2008, 3:16 pm
#28
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: PSM
Posts: 69,232
KQ trumps SA/MS in Africa.
And technically neither has EK. Some member airlines also partner with EK, but EK is most certainly an independent carrier.
Oct 15, 2008, 3:41 pm
#29
Join Date: May 2006
Location: New York, London, Sydney
Programs: United GS/2MM, DL*P, VS*G, AA*EXP, Avis CHM, Hertz Platinum, Sixt*D, HH*D, HGP*P, Starwood*P
Posts: 9,847
Sorry, so used to doing the UA/CO comparison, that was in fact what I was spelling out.
Oct 15, 2008, 4:56 pm
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Location: TX, FL
Programs: AA Gold, SPG Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 186
Lisa,
Ah, you really should've PMed me, I would've helped you out - beacause I did a look before you posted and saw 4 LH First Class seats in both directions. Oh well. But no biggie, because you definitely did very well, and I'm impressed that you went through the hassle of calling AF and CO and getting quotes before pulling the trigger. CO is definitely the best from a fees perspective of the SkyTeam airlines.
To tack on a bit to the question if why Star Alliance is good, I think this needs to be put in perspective.
The global alliances essentially extend priviliges to members of their respective airlines both in terms of earning and redeeming miles and certain other perks (business/first class checkin, baggage allowance, lounge access). Skyteam, the alliance in which Continental currently resides, has a very limited network in Asia relative to the other two, virtually no coverage of the South Pacific, poor saver award availability on partners, expensive redemption rates, most of the carriers only have a 2-class product, and, AFAIK, all except Continental charge fuel surchages.
The benefit to us of Continental moving to Star is that we will now have many more redemption options, likely including First Class, not just business, will likely still not have to pay fuel surcharges, and we will still have Delta as a US-based Skyteam carrier. Diversification is always a good thing.
Ah, you really should've PMed me, I would've helped you out - beacause I did a look before you posted and saw 4 LH First Class seats in both directions. Oh well. But no biggie, because you definitely did very well, and I'm impressed that you went through the hassle of calling AF and CO and getting quotes before pulling the trigger. CO is definitely the best from a fees perspective of the SkyTeam airlines.
To tack on a bit to the question if why Star Alliance is good, I think this needs to be put in perspective.
The global alliances essentially extend priviliges to members of their respective airlines both in terms of earning and redeeming miles and certain other perks (business/first class checkin, baggage allowance, lounge access). Skyteam, the alliance in which Continental currently resides, has a very limited network in Asia relative to the other two, virtually no coverage of the South Pacific, poor saver award availability on partners, expensive redemption rates, most of the carriers only have a 2-class product, and, AFAIK, all except Continental charge fuel surchages.
The benefit to us of Continental moving to Star is that we will now have many more redemption options, likely including First Class, not just business, will likely still not have to pay fuel surcharges, and we will still have Delta as a US-based Skyteam carrier. Diversification is always a good thing.
Thanks!