NWA747SNN

Hi,

I am new to Asia miles and want to book a RT ORD-LHR-BUD on BA in J or F in June. I have opened an Asia miles account, but have a zero balance. I understand that I have 30 days to transfer the miles into the account (SPG), after reserving the award. BA.com shows availability on the dates I want in both Club and First.

My questions are:

1-What phone number is best to use (am willing to call anywhere in the world)?
2-Will joining the MPC help (I think the cost is $50 USD)?
3-ORD-LHR is 3,940 miles, LHR-BUD is 923 miles, for a total of 9,726 miles RT. I want to either redeem a 60k J award or a 90K F award for under 10,000 miles. Will my itinerary qualify?
4-Will I be able to use the Cathay lounge at LHR?

I did numerous searches and appreciate any advice

sxc

(4): You won't be able to use the CX LHR lounge unless you have one world status. And I think the CX lounge is in a different terminal to BA flights to BUD. However, the BA lounges in LHR are excellent so you are not missing out on anything.

mia

Relevant discussion here...

http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=653456

...at the outset you may not see it, but by message #9 the parallel is clear.

Guy Betsy

1. From the USA, you would call the toll-free asiamiles line that you can find in your welcome letter.
2. Joining MPC will only help if you intend to accumulate miles and status into your asiamiles account. Transferring miles from elsewhere will not help.
3. Yes that's fine. 60K for J and 90K for F.
3a. Be advised that asiamiles charges full taxes, fuel surcharges on BA awards so be prepared to pay in excess of US$300 for your free ticket.
4. No. CX lounge is in Terminal 3. BA flights are in T4 and T1 respectively.

number_6

Except for the BA LHR-MIA flight, which does leave from T3. BAA prohibits using lounges in a different terminal from your departing flight, and this is strictly enforced.

Guy Betsy

I meant his flights ie ORD/BUD will be leaving from either T4 or T1.

NWA747SNN

Thank you everyone that posted. When I call the US toll-free number (1-866-892-2598) or the AM hotline in HK (852-2747-3838) and enter my AM number, the system says I have entered an invalid number. I enter the AM number 3 times and am the transferred to CS and so far have been on hold for over an hour at each phone number. I am able to login with this AM number, have requested my travel dates via the on-line award request form, and have joined the Marco Polo club with this number. Am I being relegated to the very end of the phone queue because it appears I am not a AM member? How long does it take before I am recognised (open AM account 3 days ago and MPC today)? When I submitted my request on line they said I would receive a reply in 7 days (not within 7 days). Does this mean that next sunday they will get back to me? Thanks again for your help.

cxfan1960

You can try calling MPC hotline.

Guy Betsy

You need at least 7 days from joining to an actual confirmation from MPC that your account details are in their files. This is probably why you have been placed on hold for such a long time.

MPC and Asiamiles share the same lines, so whether you are Asiamiles or MPC basic, you will be placed on hold behind other elite members.

cxfan1960

When I joined MPC a few years ago online, it needed to be "approved" and could take several days. I called the MPC hotline and get on in about 2-3 days, just in time for my flight. MPC and AM have different numbers, are they connected to the same desks?

Fly Boy

It's not just you or your membership. I've been a member for well over a year now. I too have been trying to get through to the Asia Miles call centre several times over the last week. I've also tried the MPC line. I have been put on indefinite hold each time by the machine. I put through an award request online and 1 week later: no response. I used the website's customer service email feature to enquire about the request and also received no reply. Either something very strange is going on or they have one of the very worst customer contact centres.

Maxfinder

The wait is not indefinite... the last time I called it was 93 minutes however I would say that the average wait is only about an hour.

Prior to that call, the wait was 73 minutes (this was to return a call from them) they told me that their computers were down and I should try calling back in an hour. When I asked if they could call me back, the agent said they do not have the ability to call out. I did mention that it would be quicker for him to just put me on hold.

All of this to find out that due to an BA equipment change, that I would no longer be able to fly in First on my departure, but they had room in Club. I asked if I could fly out of a different city (if I paid the charge to change my award tickets this was possible).

It was not really an option anyway, but I did check to see if there was any First award availability for the next few days... there was none.

The agent told me that because the return is still in First, that there would be no discount in award points for the flight. Has anyone ever received compensation for such a circumstance?

Given the situation, I would have thought that they could waive the ticket change fee. After all, I would have to travel to the other city at my own expense.

cxfan1960

I had a problem reaching MPC in Jan. I called many times around midnight (HK time) and I hanged up after being put on hold for about 10 minutes each time. Then I called back about 7:30am and got through without waiting.

About three days ago, I called and it was busy the first two times, but when I got through, I was answered immediately. Perhaps that was because of CNY - more travelers and smaller staff? I do not know.

sxc

So having MPC status is a huge benefit when it comes to getting through to the service center. As a Gold and then Diamond member, I've never had to wait more than 30 seconds to speak to someone.

Guy Betsy

It is obvious that the OP is a newbie to Asiamiles and is not MPC. MPC Green has a slight benefit over regular asiamiles, but still, the wait is long if you have no status.

People may try calling during regular HK business hours when there are more agents on duty, or try again during the wee hours of the night when there aren't much phone traffic.

But leading up CNY or any major holiday event is going to be a wait as many will be calling in to check on status of waitlists etc.

Asiamiles/MPC is not known to be be very informative when booking on-line! It is actually FASTER and more effiicient to use the FAX if you can't reach anyone by phone.