May 26, 2014, 8:47 am
Last edit by: SingaporeDon
Every forum on Flyertalk has a personality. A forum gains a personality through user input over time, and Lifemiles is a very definitive example of how users have developed a unique community.
While Flyertalk boards actively encourage sharing of info, the Lifemiles community has developed and thrived via obscuring of certain data elements. It may not be easy for new participants to break through the codes and gain knowledge of the program's quirks, but the overall board community has adopted this unique approach. And frankly, that is not going to change overnight.
If a FT member wants to participate on this board, then they will need to respect other users. Hence, posts that run counter to this community's standards, will be removed.
While Flyertalk boards actively encourage sharing of info, the Lifemiles community has developed and thrived via obscuring of certain data elements. It may not be easy for new participants to break through the codes and gain knowledge of the program's quirks, but the overall board community has adopted this unique approach. And frankly, that is not going to change overnight.
If a FT member wants to participate on this board, then they will need to respect other users. Hence, posts that run counter to this community's standards, will be removed.
C1 North America
C1.5 Caribbean, Bermuda
C2 Europe
C2.5 Middle East
C3 Asia
C4 South America
C5 Africa
C6 Oceania
2X, 3X: in the context of this LifeMiles thread, 2X and 3X refer to any 2nd and 3rd legs of a one-way award ticket.
LifeMiles' Star Alliance Award Chart
LifeMiles' old Star Alliance Award Chart (before Oct 15 2014) // Table of changes
Cash & Miles redemptions: the price per mile purchased during award booking varies significantly depending on how many miles are purchased. The "sweet spots" are between 38% and 58% of the total mileage required, where miles are purchased for 1.5 cents. See here for some examples.
Beware of Cabotage: LifeMiles has been known to issue tickets that constitute Cabotage, and at least one instance of denied boarding has been reported, stranding the passenger. An easily-seen example is travel on Copa from LAX to SJU (via PTY).
Understand Cabotage: Departing country 1, transiting country 2, returning to country 1 (no stopping) *is* cabotage (example: depart JFK, connect in YYZ to return to ORD, or depart Miami, connect in Bogota, return to San Francisco). On the other hand, departing country 1, going to completely unrelated country 2, and ending up in country 3, is not cabotage. So if you fly JFK-JNB-ZRH, for instance, this is completely not cabotage.
Availability: Seeing availability for *A award seats elsewhere is no guarantee they are accessible on Lifemiles. For instance award space shown on ANA often is not accessible on Lifemiles. Similarly, finding award space on single legs doesn't mean you'll get award space on the combined itinerary. And no, there is no way to overcome that.
Screenshot Method
Send email to [email protected] with attached screenshots on Lifemiles website of each individual leg showing availability. Also, screenshot showing no availability as one booking. Include passenger names, gender and DOB and copy of passenger passport. They will either call you for payment or email the itinerary and give you 3 days to call up and make payment by CC.
NOTE: This previous thread has been closed; it can be read here LM F and J routes (and the occasional trick-it)
LM F and J routes (and the occasional trick-it) Rebooted v2.0
Aug 1, 2014, 5:06 am
#601
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: CDG
Programs: TK Elite
Posts: 1,611
IST-NRT-SFO in Frist class for 72,500 miles O/W
IST-NRT is with TK but in Comfort Class. NRT-SFO is on UA First.
Date: May 17th, 2015
Layover time: 10:10
IST-NRT is with TK but in Comfort Class. NRT-SFO is on UA First.
Date: May 17th, 2015
Layover time: 10:10
Last edited by AirCanada881; Aug 1, 2014 at 5:24 am
Aug 1, 2014, 9:58 am
#605
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 13
i will offer you turkish air in a can,, is the same worth of your "exchange" offer,, every body can easy get full list from LM site https://www.lifemiles.com/eng/use/re...=fill&socio=SS
this place for share, not bazar for trade
this place for share, not bazar for trade
Aug 1, 2014, 11:06 am
#606
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
I vote for / suspect the latter. LH is restricting select award availability to the office ID behind the AV LM website using . Just like SQ does to UA 
Some background reading on Amadeus Altéa Inventory control:
http://www.amadeus.com/airlineit/sol...dule_1inv.html
Some background reading on Amadeus Altéa Inventory control:
http://www.amadeus.com/airlineit/sol...dule_1inv.html
Aug 1, 2014, 12:51 pm
#608
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: madam's organ
Posts: 269
Destinations is one thing. Routes is another. I think most people here have the destination link
Aug 3, 2014, 12:01 am
#609
Join Date: May 2004
Location: SIN (LEJ once a year)
Programs: SQ, LH, BA, IHG Diamond AMB, HH Gold, SLH Indulged, Accor Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 7,739
Aug 3, 2014, 5:41 am
#610
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,656
Interestingly, I was able to see the GDS availability from a AV Altea terminal on Friday. I asked them to check a LH flight which was showing availability via ANA. It showed OL i.e. waitlist.
Also, even more interestingly, I got LH to create me a PNR in O class directly, with no ticket, which they happily did. Avianca were not able to retrieve the PNR at all - it errored when trying to a RT.
There are clearly games afoot.
Also, even more interestingly, I got LH to create me a PNR in O class directly, with no ticket, which they happily did. Avianca were not able to retrieve the PNR at all - it errored when trying to a RT.
There are clearly games afoot.
Aug 3, 2014, 11:12 am
#611
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
Interestingly, I was able to see the GDS availability from a AV Altea terminal on Friday. I asked them to check a LH flight which was showing availability via ANA. It showed OL i.e. waitlist.
Also, even more interestingly, I got LH to create me a PNR in O class directly, with no ticket, which they happily did. Avianca were not able to retrieve the PNR at all - it errored when trying to a RT.
There are clearly games afoot.
Also, even more interestingly, I got LH to create me a PNR in O class directly, with no ticket, which they happily did. Avianca were not able to retrieve the PNR at all - it errored when trying to a RT.
There are clearly games afoot.
Aug 3, 2014, 11:19 am
#612
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,656
Aug 3, 2014, 11:21 am
#613
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 6,385
Aug 3, 2014, 11:25 am
#614
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: London, UK
Posts: 5,656
So I'm saying that, a PNR created by LH, in O class, was not able to be retrieved at all by AV.
I'm also saying that flights that showed availability in O class on ANA, and also to LH directly (and verified by them), show as waitlist to AV.
I'm also saying that flights that showed availability in O class on ANA, and also to LH directly (and verified by them), show as waitlist to AV.
Aug 3, 2014, 8:52 pm
#615
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Annapolis, MD
Posts: 483
Why isn't this cabotage?
The site has an annoying habit if you select Star Alliance or a specific airline, of showing Avianca availability instead of the airline you want. What's even more annoying is that in some cases it offers you what would seem to be an illegal route, for example US city to US city via a third country in C1.5 on a non-US airline (Avianca), which I thought was cabotage. Rant aside, anyone know how to avoid having the system always show this convoluted Avianca routing when you decidedly did not select Avianca?