Star Alliance Bookings Online
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 43
Star Alliance Bookings Online
Anyone have any success with booking *A online under the new chart?
I managed to pull up http://flyasiana.com/I/ko/Redemption...I&BIZType=STAR from the Korean-language Korea website and type in an O/D and dates, but then I got an error message saying to book awards online, you need 35000 miles per passenger in your account-- to even view availability (I don't have this many miles). This even happened when I looked up a one-way US domestic flight (should be 12.5K under the new chart). I thought this was strange, considering you can look up OZ domestic and international awards with a very small number of miles in your account. Also very inconvenient.
I also manually changed the URL to http://kr.flyasiana.com/I/en/Redempt...I&BIZType=STAR (added kr. and changed /ko/ to /en/) and got an apparently functional-looking English-language version of the site, although there is no link for it on the English language website. Once again, I got the 35K miles error.
Same thing happened when I changed kr. to us. (http://us.flyasiana.com/I/en/Redempt...I&BIZType=STAR)
I don't actually want to book now, just want to see availability and which routings OZ allows.
Has anyone with 35K+ miles tried or been successful in checking availability or making a reservation for *A awards online yet? Have any idea why 35K miles are needed to book online?
I know the new rules have been in place for just over a day, but thought I'd ask.
P.S. I also noticed that only the Korean-language websites have the updated *A award chart listed on the website instead of the old chart (The English Korea and USA versions still have the old chart with a link to the new chart in small print). But, the USA Korean website has the new chart.
I managed to pull up http://flyasiana.com/I/ko/Redemption...I&BIZType=STAR from the Korean-language Korea website and type in an O/D and dates, but then I got an error message saying to book awards online, you need 35000 miles per passenger in your account-- to even view availability (I don't have this many miles). This even happened when I looked up a one-way US domestic flight (should be 12.5K under the new chart). I thought this was strange, considering you can look up OZ domestic and international awards with a very small number of miles in your account. Also very inconvenient.
I also manually changed the URL to http://kr.flyasiana.com/I/en/Redempt...I&BIZType=STAR (added kr. and changed /ko/ to /en/) and got an apparently functional-looking English-language version of the site, although there is no link for it on the English language website. Once again, I got the 35K miles error.
Same thing happened when I changed kr. to us. (http://us.flyasiana.com/I/en/Redempt...I&BIZType=STAR)
I don't actually want to book now, just want to see availability and which routings OZ allows.
Has anyone with 35K+ miles tried or been successful in checking availability or making a reservation for *A awards online yet? Have any idea why 35K miles are needed to book online?
I know the new rules have been in place for just over a day, but thought I'd ask.
P.S. I also noticed that only the Korean-language websites have the updated *A award chart listed on the website instead of the old chart (The English Korea and USA versions still have the old chart with a link to the new chart in small print). But, the USA Korean website has the new chart.
#2
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Seoul
Programs: OZ Diamond, UA, AF
Posts: 510
I have over 35k miles in my account, so I just did a mock booking on the Korean language Korea site as well as the English version you linked to and it seems to work just fine. Really strange that they have a 35k minimum. The US domestic one-way i entered for the mock booking would have been just 12k...
#3
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BKK/SEL/YQG
Posts: 2,543
I had a very strange pricing 'error' yesterday on the Korean site. A ticket which used to be 55,000, which should be 110,000 with the new rules (lots of stopovers which push up the miles), was pricing at 40,000. My existing reservation now shows it was priced at 40,000....going to see if I can get a 15k refund!
#5
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BKK/SEL/YQG
Posts: 2,543
It will work if you select Family Plan as your redemption method. Even if the entire family doesn't have 35,000 it will still let you 'book', the flight. Still requires you to call in/visit an office for ticketing.
#6
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Phuket, Thailand
Programs: Qatar Gold, Asiana Club Diamond, THAI silver
Posts: 169
Work perfectly. However, the taxes US-Europe on LH/LX/TK are much more expensive than flying with AC/UA mental.
Got a Business class SFO-YYZ-IST with AC at 40,000 miles o/w. What a deal!!
Got a Business class SFO-YYZ-IST with AC at 40,000 miles o/w. What a deal!!
#7
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Manchester, UK
Programs: OZ Silver, BA Gold, EK Silver, SPG/Marriot Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 154
I booked first class flights from Europe to Bangkok without any problem. To maximise my first class experience, I decided to go via Tokyo both ways (CDG-NRT-BKK, and BKK-NRT/HND-FRA), using NH, TG and LH First Class - with the total of 150,000 miles (no additional miles needed for transiting through Tokyo, and the booking also includes additional business class flights between Europe-UK). Taxes & charges were like £600 GBP, but given that one way fist class on NH alone costs around £8,000, I wouldn't complain about it. The website worked fine, including cancellation, refund, and rebooking, so many thanks for this pointer.
#10
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: BNE
Programs: KE/OZ/QF/VA
Posts: 68
I did a few mock booking for *A booking on OZ's Korean language website a couple of days ago. I am based in BNE and I plan to go visit Korea at the end of the year. So i did a few different stop over scenarios and dates. I was able to choose BR, TG and SQ, however i did notice that SQ business class seat wasn't available from BNE on any dates as well as other sample routes i tried.. I am wondering whether SQ blocks out business class on *A booking for these particular routes. Anyhow I ended deciding to just fly down to SYD and fly with OZ to ICN.
#11
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,820
I did a few mock booking for *A booking on OZ's Korean language website a couple of days ago. I am based in BNE and I plan to go visit Korea at the end of the year. So i did a few different stop over scenarios and dates. I was able to choose BR, TG and SQ, however i did notice that SQ business class seat wasn't available from BNE on any dates as well as other sample routes i tried.. I am wondering whether SQ blocks out business class on *A booking for these particular routes. Anyhow I ended deciding to just fly down to SYD and fly with OZ to ICN.
It's harder for us here in SIN to earn miles for our home airline than it is for someone from the US.
Even the cheapest flight on UA metal earns 100% mileage on SQ. Cheapest SQ flight (which isn't cheap in the first place) earns only 10%.
Here's an example on a current promotion price to fly to JFK:
SIN-JFK roundtrip costs S$2,350 (US$1,854) on SQ metal and earns only 10% mileage on SQ and 0% mileage to other airlines.....
Sigh...
#12
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SYD or GOT
Programs: OZ Lifetime-DMPL*G, AF*G, SPG Plat, Hertz PC
Posts: 803
The OZ award tool is a pretty good reflection of what is available on Starnet, the common interface for all *A carriers to share award seats. It is rare but has happened that there is a discrepancy between OZ and say ANA award booking tools. Otherwise pretty much all *A partners can be booked online subject to the restrictions that individual carriers have placed (SQ restricts premium cabins, LH does not allow F bookings more than 15 days before departure, LX first class restricted)
#13
Join Date: Aug 2007
Programs: Asiana
Posts: 45
When I select an available seat a popup tells me that I cannot change the selected itinerary when I continue. At that point the applicable taxes haven't been revealed yet. However, if there are big differences in taxes between the available options that might influence my selection.
How do you deal with that dilemma?
#14
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
When I select an available seat a popup tells me that I cannot change the selected itinerary when I continue. At that point the applicable taxes haven't been revealed yet. However, if there are big differences in taxes between the available options that might influence my selection.
#15
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Singapore
Programs: KF*G, Cathay Silver
Posts: 141
Most of the time SQ Premium cabins are blocked out from *A partners.
It's harder for us here in SIN to earn miles for our home airline than it is for someone from the US.
Even the cheapest flight on UA metal earns 100% mileage on SQ. Cheapest SQ flight (which isn't cheap in the first place) earns only 10%.
Here's an example on a current promotion price to fly to JFK:
SIN-JFK roundtrip costs S$2,350 (US$1,854) on SQ metal and earns only 10% mileage on SQ and 0% mileage to other airlines.....
Sigh...
It's harder for us here in SIN to earn miles for our home airline than it is for someone from the US.
Even the cheapest flight on UA metal earns 100% mileage on SQ. Cheapest SQ flight (which isn't cheap in the first place) earns only 10%.
Here's an example on a current promotion price to fly to JFK:
SIN-JFK roundtrip costs S$2,350 (US$1,854) on SQ metal and earns only 10% mileage on SQ and 0% mileage to other airlines.....
Sigh...