oneworld Multi-Carrier Awards - sharing ideas
 

One of my favorite ways to spend my hard-earned Asiamiles is by redeeming oneworld Multi-Carrier Awards. They are great value compared to redeeming point-to-point round trips on CX.

Perhaps we can share our past redemptions so that others may get inspiration and ideas for their own trips? (Thank you to jagmeets for encouraging me to share my redemption history )

I'll start with my list since 2007. All in J or F (apart from AA domestic which is in Y if you have a OW J ticket, and AB which doesn't have J for some flights).

Don't ask me how many Asiamiles - I can't remember how much they were, but all were extremely good value and some were bargains! I think I left out one or two trips, but here are most of them:

HKG-LHR-EZE-JFK-HKG (CX, BA, AA)

HKG-LHR-MIA-LIM // UIO-LIM-JFK-NRT-HKG (CX, BA, AA, LA, JL)

HKG-JFK-SCL-PUQ-SCL-IPC-SCL-JFK-HKG (CX, AA, LA)

TPE-HKG-MXP-MAD-HAV // CUN-JFK-HKG-TPE (CX, IB, AA) - [CUN-JFK cancelled by AA during the trip due to illegal HAV flight, later compensated by CX]

TPE-NGO // HND-HKG-LHR-GIG // GRU-LHR-JFK-HKG-TPE (CX, BA, AA)

HKG-HEL-OSL-LHR-HKG (CX, AY, BA)

HKG-HEL-IVL-HEL-LHR-HKG (CX, AY, BA)

HKG-LHR-JFK-YYC // YVR-HKG (CX, BA, AA)

HKG-LHR-ORD-LAX-HKG (CX, BA, AA)

HKG-FRA-TXL-DOH-HKG (CX, AB, QR)

There was also one involving RJ to AMM but I can't find the e-ticket.

Hkg-bkk-lhr-cdg//ams-hkg (qf, ba, cx - f)
hkg-lhr-fco-bud-cdg//ams-hkg (cx, ba, ma - f)
hkg-jfk-yul-jfk-hnd-itm-hnd-hkg (cx, aa, jl - j)

Sfo-hkg-can-pen-hkg-nrt-sfo-jfk (cx, ka, jl, aa - j)

2 here::
1) LAX-oLIM-EZE//GRU-xLIM-oLAX-oSFO-LAX (LA, AA)
- 115K Asiamiles in J each (had 2 tickets), when a straight LAX-oLIM-EZE//GRU-xLIM-LAX would have cost 120K, and there was a small chance that I would be able to use the 'dump' LAX-SFO-vv sectors at a later date.
- you CAN go through the origin city (LAX) and continue with the award ticket. Although I ended up cancelling the above award, I used this as a reference when ticketing pushed back for the next ticket (#2)

2) SFO-xHKG-oDEL-xKUL-oSIN-xHKG-SFO//SJU-xDFW-SFO (CX, MH, AA)
- 160K Asiamiles in J each (2 tickets for Sis/nephew visiting folks in India and me in SIN), when a straight SFO-India/SIN/OpenJaw would have been 145K Asiamiles. However, a) they got a lie-flat for India-SIN (rather than ponying up ~USD550 or 300ish each in biz or coach, if that segment had been a revenue ticket), and, there was a decent chance of break to Puerto Rico later in the year.
- you CAN use a stopover as a transit

Hi team

My two data points are:

1. PER-HKG-AMM-TLV // AMM-LHR-JFK-LHR-MAD-EAS // ALG-DOH-PER --> this one took a lot of yelling, screaming and stress to get past the call centre and then ticketing. The issue I had was counting transfers as stopovers. Eventually got there.

2. PER-HKG-PVG-HKG-JFK-ORD-YYZ-HKG-PER-HKG-PER --> another example of returning to origin (PER) and then tacking on further flights.

In both instances I spent hours with the call centre trying to find J availability on CX and partner airlines. I hear that it is best to do your homework on availability first. But how do you do this? What engines, programs, websites are best to do this?

Hoping jagmeets and Psychiatrist see my post :D

Thanks :)

Thanks for your data points! I haven't done any flights returning to the origin yet, but this is good to keep in the back of my mind.

I search the following:
- CX website for CX availability (obviously!)
- BA website for OW partner availability
- AA website for AA availability (does not require signing up online for AA account)
- LAN website for LAN availability.

If a flight is available on the BA/AA/LAN website, it *should* be available for redemption via CX, but that's not always the case.

BAEC and QF FF in addition to CX.

BAEC is really the go-to source for partner availability including connections. QF FF can generate month-long availability view on individual segments.

In the long run you might want to invest in KVS as an alternative front-end for these FFP search engines.

Psychiatrist: is there any sort of treatment or MP Call Centre Abuse Anonymous support groups perthtraveller and I should join? The http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/catha...difficult.html almost drove me out of my mind (and I admit probably some agents out of theirs), I asked a (non-FT) psychiatrist school friend of mine whether I'm OCD or OPCD...

your condition does not appear to qualify for any psychiatric diagnosis.

i probably say that because i do the same things you do! :D

oh.
nrt-ohkg-kix//ngo-ohkg-okix-ohkg-xhnd-xkix-ohkg//vvo-nrt (JL CX S7)

oneworld Multi-Carrier Awards - sharing ideas
 

Long time KVS user here, one who's looking for options in light of the recent events (KVS still works great for awards, but I need fare class availability too!)

KVS still works for availability; you just need to use their mobile site. Also looks like they fixed the whole part where you don't see flights before 7 am now.

Fare search not yet reinstated tho. Was it better than ITA Matrix anyway?

I prefer to use QF for availability search as you get the full month availability view plus confirmation the itinerary is valid when it swaps from Classic to Oneworld award.

Thanks team!

So what we're saying is use CX, BA, AA, LAN and QF unless you have KVS...?

Would using the 5 OW search engines above be a "comprehensive" search of all OW availability? I have used QR and RJ in my prior itineraries so do find these carriers important.

Also, is the only way to use KVS on a MAC via a paid subscription of Crossover? This seems really tedious and expensive. Any other options here?

Cheers everyone!

BA can cover AA and LAN - Psychiatrist is it worth looking at AA and LAN over BA given OP is burning AM not AA or LAN miles?