The Definitive "How To Search for Low Tier Business Awards"
#751
Join Date: Mar 2011
Programs: AMEX Plat, Emerald Club Exec, Avis President's Club, Hertz Gold, Hyatt Plat, CO Presidents Club
Posts: 8
#752
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: JFK/LGA/EWR
Posts: 1,296
JFK-LHR stay in london 5 days
LHR-AMS stay in Amsterdam 3 days
AMS-FRA stay in Frankfurt 1 day
FRA-JFK
Still 100k and taxes cut to $168.60 saving me $150 and a train ride. Thanks for the advice!
Now my next step is to book flights on aircraft other than 767s. For the flights I booked just now that would require a connection to another city. However, when I originally looked at JFK-AMS I saw that KLM operates a 777 and 747 but they were not availalble as an award at all (even on FB) and all I could book was DL's 767. Not that I'm complaining but I'd like to try BE in one of those planes.
#753
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Before you go adding connections to book away from the 767-300ERs, check out ClipperDelta's recent thread on which routes are to get the converted (lie-flats) 767s this summer, and remember that all 767-400ERs already have lie-flats. Enjoy your trip.
#754
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: JFK/LGA/EWR
Posts: 1,296
Per Delta.com both TATL flights are on 767-er400s and have flat beds. JFK-AMS are on recliners (which aren't so bad). I wasn't thinking of doing the connections on this trip but in the future. I was never in BE on a foreign carrier or a large plane and would like to experience it at some point.
Before you go adding connections to book away from the 767-300ERs, check out ClipperDelta's recent thread on which routes are to get the converted (lie-flats) 767s this summer, and remember that all 767-400ERs already have lie-flats. Enjoy your trip.
#755
Join Date: Oct 2005
Programs: Delta SkyMiles
Posts: 237
Going Blind . . .
Friends,
I'm working to build an award itinerary from South Florida to Italy with a stopover. And, I feel like I'm going blind with all the possibilities, and I find myself getting discouraged when half the trip works but the other half doesn't.
My top concern is to fly BE on the TATL. Second concern is to build in a cool stopover. (My wife and I have been thinking BCN, but we're open to suggestions that might make for more availability.) Third concern is to build in a long layover, but I'm having a hard time getting DL.dumb to price this right. (We're not married to this idea, but think it'd be cool to spend an evening in LHR or CDG, for example). Fourth concern is to build in an open jaw, if it's feasible and makes sense for our trip.
We live in Key West. We'd prefer to fly out of EYW, but, since the low tier availability in BE would have to marry up to TATL from its one destination, ATL, it appears flying out and returning from home isn't going to work. So, we're probably going to have to fly out of MIA or FLL and route through ATL or JFK. (TATL out of MIA don't seem to have good low tier availability.)
In your collective experience, are there times where building the itinerary one way has much less (or more) availability than another?
Here's an example.
I've been trying to building something like this: (FLL or MIA) - (JFK or ATL) - BCN (stopover) - (destination in MXP or FCO) - (MXP, FCO, FLR) - (insert necessary layover) - (MIA or FLL).
Continually, though, I'm having difficulty getting each of the segments to work together. But, if I insert the stopover on the reverse, something like this:
MIA - JFK - ROM - MXP - BCN - JFK - MIA
There is plenty of low tier availability according to DL and FB's award calendars. (Though, I haven't priced it out segment by segment.)
Yikes . . . this is frustrating . . .
I'm working to build an award itinerary from South Florida to Italy with a stopover. And, I feel like I'm going blind with all the possibilities, and I find myself getting discouraged when half the trip works but the other half doesn't.
My top concern is to fly BE on the TATL. Second concern is to build in a cool stopover. (My wife and I have been thinking BCN, but we're open to suggestions that might make for more availability.) Third concern is to build in a long layover, but I'm having a hard time getting DL.dumb to price this right. (We're not married to this idea, but think it'd be cool to spend an evening in LHR or CDG, for example). Fourth concern is to build in an open jaw, if it's feasible and makes sense for our trip.
We live in Key West. We'd prefer to fly out of EYW, but, since the low tier availability in BE would have to marry up to TATL from its one destination, ATL, it appears flying out and returning from home isn't going to work. So, we're probably going to have to fly out of MIA or FLL and route through ATL or JFK. (TATL out of MIA don't seem to have good low tier availability.)
In your collective experience, are there times where building the itinerary one way has much less (or more) availability than another?
Here's an example.
I've been trying to building something like this: (FLL or MIA) - (JFK or ATL) - BCN (stopover) - (destination in MXP or FCO) - (MXP, FCO, FLR) - (insert necessary layover) - (MIA or FLL).
Continually, though, I'm having difficulty getting each of the segments to work together. But, if I insert the stopover on the reverse, something like this:
MIA - JFK - ROM - MXP - BCN - JFK - MIA
There is plenty of low tier availability according to DL and FB's award calendars. (Though, I haven't priced it out segment by segment.)
Yikes . . . this is frustrating . . .
#756
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,423
ExpertFlyer supports awards searches in Business for China Southern and China Eastern; in coach for China Airline; FlyingBlue will search CI in Business. Korean via LAX, SFO, SEA and YVR could also be part of a thorough award search. Find the TPAC availability and then look to add the SLC-xxx segment.
#757
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 15
Need help: LSE-CDG --- CDG-MLA --- FRA-LSE
I am new to this and need some help. I am planning a trip to Europe for my wife and me and after reading several pages on this board I wonder if you could help me with seat availability. I have 197K Delta miles, my wife has 107K Delta miles that we would like to use.
LSE-CDG (stopover) CDG-MLA (open jaw with a stopover) FRA-LSE
3 nights in Paris
10 days between arrival in MLA and leaving FRA
I would have to seperatly get the flight from MLA to FRA.
If possible I would like to be in business class for the transatlantic flight.
Travel dates are flexible as long as they are between June 23rd and July 24th 2012. The 3 days in Paris could also be cut to 2 days if needed and the flight leaving FRA could be +- if needed.
I would be very apreciative if you could let me know if seats are available and how I could book them. Again, thank you in advance!
LSE-CDG (stopover) CDG-MLA (open jaw with a stopover) FRA-LSE
3 nights in Paris
10 days between arrival in MLA and leaving FRA
I would have to seperatly get the flight from MLA to FRA.
If possible I would like to be in business class for the transatlantic flight.
Travel dates are flexible as long as they are between June 23rd and July 24th 2012. The 3 days in Paris could also be cut to 2 days if needed and the flight leaving FRA could be +- if needed.
I would be very apreciative if you could let me know if seats are available and how I could book them. Again, thank you in advance!
#758
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Hercomserv, your requirements are very specific. This is a 'How to' thread. If you're not interested in conducting your own search, here is a thread listing paid award search services.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...ices-list.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles...ices-list.html
#760
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,578
Wow. So I used the AF tool and found several dates with 2 open business seats at 50k each way on AF and KLM, but when I called DL, they told me that they did not have those seats available for most (not all) of the dates I told them. They kept checking and quoting me the standard ridiculous DL mileage requirements and said they did not have the open seats on KLM. SOME of the dates they did have, but many they did not, and it was always either the outbound or the inbound that was not available.
#761
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
If you have specific dates and schedules for AF/KL-operated award flights at FB Classic level in coach or business, try delta.com with those dates (not the calendar) and search by schedule (not price).
#762
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: KUL/TPA/OTP
Programs: UA1k, DL
Posts: 3,138
Wirelessly posted (iPhone 3G: Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)
In addition to 3C's comments, be sure to have the agents search point to point on their end. I have had challenges with them in the past insisting a flight was not available due to an "improper" search on their end.
Good luck.
Originally Posted by antonius66
Wow. So I used the AF tool and found several dates with 2 open business seats at 50k each way on AF and KLM, but when I called DL, they told me that they did not have those seats available for most (not all) of the dates I told them. They kept checking and quoting me the standard ridiculous DL mileage requirements and said they did not have the open seats on KLM. SOME of the dates they did have, but many they did not, and it was always either the outbound or the inbound that was not available.
Good luck.
#763
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 3,578
Ok well, I will call back then and try again. I found about 7 or 8 days out and inbound but the agent said only about 1 or 2 of the days had availability and never on both out and inbound. I tried the DL website and it is a worthless hunk of **** as we all know. I randomly found 100k mile seats once or twice by trying "medium" days that the AF tool said were low. However, several of them still came up at 150k on the DL site.
This is exactly why I switched to UA . For all their faults, using my miles is easy as pie over there.
Called again. They still said no. They found one day outbound and supposedly only 1 seat on the return, and then tried several other dates and I even gave them the flight numbers and they said no. DL agent told me that they found only coach seats.
I give up. Whatever Delta..you win. Keep my 200,000 miles. I finally got the DL website to bring up 100k mile seats a couple of times on a couple of dates, but after I select the return flight, it kicks me out and says "one or more of your flights just sold out."
This is exactly why I switched to UA . For all their faults, using my miles is easy as pie over there.
Called again. They still said no. They found one day outbound and supposedly only 1 seat on the return, and then tried several other dates and I even gave them the flight numbers and they said no. DL agent told me that they found only coach seats.
I give up. Whatever Delta..you win. Keep my 200,000 miles. I finally got the DL website to bring up 100k mile seats a couple of times on a couple of dates, but after I select the return flight, it kicks me out and says "one or more of your flights just sold out."
Last edited by antonius66; Jan 9, 2012 at 1:01 pm
#764
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,423
Ok well, I will call back then and try again. I found about 7 or 8 days out and inbound but the agent said only about 1 or 2 of the days had availability and never on both out and inbound. I tried the DL website and it is a worthless hunk of **** as we all know. I randomly found 100k mile seats once or twice by trying "medium" days that the AF tool said were low. However, several of them still came up at 150k on the DL site.
This is exactly why I switched to UA . For all their faults, using my miles is easy as pie over there.
Called again. They still said no. They found one day outbound and supposedly only 1 seat on the return, and then tried several other dates and I even gave them the flight numbers and they said no. DL agent told me that they found only coach seats.
I give up. Whatever Delta..you win. Keep my 200,000 miles. I finally got the DL website to bring up 100k mile seats a couple of times on a couple of dates, but after I select the return flight, it kicks me out and says "one or more of your flights just sold out."
This is exactly why I switched to UA . For all their faults, using my miles is easy as pie over there.
Called again. They still said no. They found one day outbound and supposedly only 1 seat on the return, and then tried several other dates and I even gave them the flight numbers and they said no. DL agent told me that they found only coach seats.
I give up. Whatever Delta..you win. Keep my 200,000 miles. I finally got the DL website to bring up 100k mile seats a couple of times on a couple of dates, but after I select the return flight, it kicks me out and says "one or more of your flights just sold out."
#765
Join Date: May 2004
Location: BNA
Programs: DL Platinum
Posts: 112
Thursday night I noticed some 100,000 options for a fall trip, so I put a reservation on hold while I checked my schedule. On Saturday I came back for more research, but every flight was now 180,000 or more. Fortunately I had an option on hold, but was angry at the ridiculous game of price gouging 9 months ahead.