Reward Rant
Apr 15, 2007 | 5:39 pm
#16
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DCA
Programs: Kommissar Giga-Posting Direktor, PWP; Fasano Nouveau Aristocrat; CO Platinum; BD Gold; MR Gold
Posts: 18,733
Was this before the current mileage redemption rates? I'm not trying to bust your chops, I just thought that the cheapest US-Europe roundtrip business class reward was 80k (as opposed to 75k).
Apr 15, 2007 | 5:41 pm
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: NYC
Programs: UA 1K, SPG Platinum, UA Million Miler
Posts: 2,596
Apr 15, 2007 | 5:48 pm
#18
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DCA
Programs: Kommissar Giga-Posting Direktor, PWP; Fasano Nouveau Aristocrat; CO Platinum; BD Gold; MR Gold
Posts: 18,733
Apr 16, 2007 | 1:46 am
#19
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: UA Silver, BA Gold, DL Gold
Posts: 9,779
[QUOTE=channa;7582706]Or AA miles? Neither of them fly that route non-stop, nor do their partners.
Having CO miles, you can fly SEA-EWR on CO or AS, or SEA-JFK on DL. So you actually have best access to that route that you want.[QUOTE]
AA actually serves the route non-stop into and out of JFK, and they code-share with AS on at least one of their SEA-EWR flights. I will give you that CO/Partners have more options, but AA does give you some.
FWIW, AA doesn't seem to have any non-stop availability for May, but they do have availability in F every day in May, except for the 18th, 24th, and 27th Eastbound and the 24th Westbound. On many days, you have several options to choose from. For all I know, they also might have availability on AS, but only the code-share is searchable online. Given that they have an even tighter relationship with AS than CO, I would suspect they would have access to the same (or more) seats as CO.
Having CO miles, you can fly SEA-EWR on CO or AS, or SEA-JFK on DL. So you actually have best access to that route that you want.[QUOTE]
AA actually serves the route non-stop into and out of JFK, and they code-share with AS on at least one of their SEA-EWR flights. I will give you that CO/Partners have more options, but AA does give you some.
FWIW, AA doesn't seem to have any non-stop availability for May, but they do have availability in F every day in May, except for the 18th, 24th, and 27th Eastbound and the 24th Westbound. On many days, you have several options to choose from. For all I know, they also might have availability on AS, but only the code-share is searchable online. Given that they have an even tighter relationship with AS than CO, I would suspect they would have access to the same (or more) seats as CO.
Apr 16, 2007 | 5:34 am
#20
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Charleston, SC, USA
Programs: Avis Pref+, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Life Gold, Honors Silver, IHG Plat via MC.
Posts: 6,789
At least they are offering U a CLE connection. If they offered only an IAH connection 
, she would really have standing to kvetch! 
, she would really have standing to kvetch!
Apr 16, 2007 | 7:02 am
#21
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Lat. N41., Long. W-75, in the NJ foothills of the Poconos
Programs: Ex-Con Million Miler, UA MM, CO Plat dozen, Onepass member since 1988
Posts: 906
I value my CO miles at a little less than one cent per redeemable mile. So... <$900 in miles equivalent or $1300 cash? You decide.
Yes, reward availability is poor.
B7
Apr 16, 2007 | 7:10 am
#22
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Clinging to the edifices of a decadent past from the biggest city in America nobody really cares about.
Programs: (ಠ_ಠ)
Posts: 9,077
From the 2006 10-K:
During the year ending December 31, 2006, OnePass participants claimed 1.5 million awards. Frequent flyer awards accounted for an estimated 6.8% of our total RPMs. We believe displacement of revenue passengers is minimal given our ability to manage frequent flyer inventory and and the low ratio of OnePass award usage to revenue passenger miles.
(emphasis added)
For comparison, here's AA's 10-K blurb on AAdvantage:(emphasis added)
The number of free travel awards used for travel on American and American Eagle was 2.6 million in both 2006 and 2005 representing approximately 7.5 percent and 7.2 percent of passengers boarded. The Company believes displacement of revenue passengers is minimal given the Company’s load factors, its ability to manage frequent flyer seat inventory, and the relatively low ratio of free award usage to total passengers boarded.
(emphasis added)
(emphasis added)
Last edited by J.Edward; Apr 16, 2007 at 11:28 am
Apr 16, 2007 | 7:35 am
#23
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: SEA
Programs: UA Silver, BA Gold, DL Gold
Posts: 9,779
Thanks J. Edward, for the full disclosure. Too bad CO reports in RPMs (which I assume are revenue passenger miles) and AA reports as a percentage of total passengers, and that neither airline breaks down standard vs rulebuster. Still, I would have to guess that AA comes out ahead, assuming that % RPMs > % pax, since I don't think most people like to use their miles for short-haul trips.
Apr 16, 2007 | 11:26 am
#24
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,955
I had no problem booking AS DCA/SEA this summer FC for 44K a ticket. Did it right of the website. Maybe EWR is the issue? Why not I believe AS flys both DCA and BOS so book a FC SEA or BOS and shuttle the wife to NY. It's no worse then a CLE stop and if its over a weekend you can pretty regulary snag a $170 shuttle fare if you have flexibility on DL ( maybe US but I would never put an expecting mother on US)
And by the waqy congrats on the expected new arrival.
And by the waqy congrats on the expected new arrival.
Apr 16, 2007 | 1:40 pm
#25
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Houston
Programs: CO Plat, HH Dia, SPG Plat
Posts: 4
This may be a silly question, but did you try actually *calling*? I was having a heck of a time finding an Easy Pass First flight to Berlin last year online, but when I called, the rep spent a good deal of time with me and made it happen. Just a thought...
Apr 21, 2007 | 4:11 pm
#27
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 723
The horrible award availability situation will probably backfire on CO sooner or later. I find it very irregular that they continue to get away with it.