The Definitive "How To Search for Low Tier Business Awards"
Jun 2, 2011, 12:14 am
#437
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 36
On the way to Italy we could have connected with a flight to Rome with only a 2 hr layover but we really wanted to spent 1 1/2 day in Paris. We actually arrive in Paris at 8:35am. It's our first time in Paris so we're only guessing but by the time we go through customs & check in our Hotel it will probably be 11:30 & we didn't want to only spend pm & evening in Paris (especially considering potential jetlag) so we extended it an extra day.
On the return the only nonstop flight Paris-Seattle left at 10:30am. So we figure we would fly to Paris a day early so we would already be there in the am. We usually travel light with only carry ons so it should be pretty easy to get in & out of the airport. We'd rather do that than start our day real early in Italy, fly to Paris, catch another flight that has 1-2 more layover before we finally get to Seattle. We hate travelling in airports for a straight 24hrs+.
We could have done our longer layover on our return but by the end of our vacation we don't usually have the kind of energy we have at the beginning of the vacation to be able to do a whilrwind visit to another city :-)
On the return the only nonstop flight Paris-Seattle left at 10:30am. So we figure we would fly to Paris a day early so we would already be there in the am. We usually travel light with only carry ons so it should be pretty easy to get in & out of the airport. We'd rather do that than start our day real early in Italy, fly to Paris, catch another flight that has 1-2 more layover before we finally get to Seattle. We hate travelling in airports for a straight 24hrs+.
We could have done our longer layover on our return but by the end of our vacation we don't usually have the kind of energy we have at the beginning of the vacation to be able to do a whilrwind visit to another city :-)
Jun 4, 2011, 11:01 am
#439
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ & Shanghai
Programs: Happily off the elite hamster wheel
Posts: 214
Try China Airlines (CI). HNL-TPE-KUL. Or if you're willing to go out of the way a little bit, KE. HNL-ICN-KUL. But they both have blackout dates.
Jun 4, 2011, 11:40 am
#440
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: Curr Noob, Ex Road Warrior
Posts: 492
How is HA first class from HNL-HND?
UPDATE: The agent could not find any award availability for low miles. Expert flyer appears to be of no use for this route. I understand I can only check KE availability if I have enough miles for the ticket, so thats a no go there as well. Is there any way to check CI/MH business availability? Thanks
Last edited by ikonos; Jun 4, 2011 at 6:41 pm
Jun 9, 2011, 4:48 pm
#442
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: CLT
Programs: AA ExPlat, Hyatt Globalist, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium
Posts: 1,551
Update 5 (and hopefully last one!)
After a schedule change caused more disruptions, I tried changing flights on the Delta website. While doing this, Delta.dumb glitched out and deleted my entire itinerary. I called Delta 10 minutes later and 8 days later they were finally able to reinstate the itinerary after waiting on partner Malaysian to re-open some legs that were no longer available. This was frustrating and scary waiting for this. On the plus side, I was able to improve some of the return flights because of the schedule change, and avoid China Eastern and a tight connection and Y RJ from JFK - CLT.
Can't ask for much more for low inventory.
Here is how it stands (2 x 120,000 miles):
Aug 27
CLT - JFK - LAX - TPE - KUL (Destination) on Delta and Malaysian (with CLT - JFK on a RJ with Y only and JFK - LAX on the BusinessElite)
Sept 2
KUL - PVG (Stopover) on Malaysian (with an overnight in KUL)
Sept 9
PVG - DTW - CLT on Delta in BusinessElite and F with a 2 hour layover in DTW.
After a schedule change caused more disruptions, I tried changing flights on the Delta website. While doing this, Delta.dumb glitched out and deleted my entire itinerary. I called Delta 10 minutes later and 8 days later they were finally able to reinstate the itinerary after waiting on partner Malaysian to re-open some legs that were no longer available. This was frustrating and scary waiting for this. On the plus side, I was able to improve some of the return flights because of the schedule change, and avoid China Eastern and a tight connection and Y RJ from JFK - CLT.
Can't ask for much more for low inventory.
Here is how it stands (2 x 120,000 miles):
Aug 27
CLT - JFK - LAX - TPE - KUL (Destination) on Delta and Malaysian (with CLT - JFK on a RJ with Y only and JFK - LAX on the BusinessElite)
Sept 2
KUL - PVG (Stopover) on Malaysian (with an overnight in KUL)
Sept 9
PVG - DTW - CLT on Delta in BusinessElite and F with a 2 hour layover in DTW.
Update 4
There was a schedule change last night that moved my departure time on August 27 by 1 hour and 5 minutes. As a result I called in to make changes and was able to make some desireable changes to the itinerary to fly transcon on the BusinessElite JFK - LAX and to avoid an overnight in JFK on the return. All in all very pleased with this itinerary for 2 folks for 120,000 miles.
Aug 27
CLT - JFK - LAX - TPE - KUL (Destination) on Delta and Malaysian (with CLT - JFK on a RJ with Y only and JFK - LAX on the BusinessElite)
Sept 2
KUL - PVG (Stopover) on Malaysian (with an overnight in KUL)
Sept 9
PVG - JFK - CLT on China Eastern and Delta (With a 1 hour 35 minute connection at JFK).
There was a schedule change last night that moved my departure time on August 27 by 1 hour and 5 minutes. As a result I called in to make changes and was able to make some desireable changes to the itinerary to fly transcon on the BusinessElite JFK - LAX and to avoid an overnight in JFK on the return. All in all very pleased with this itinerary for 2 folks for 120,000 miles.
Aug 27
CLT - JFK - LAX - TPE - KUL (Destination) on Delta and Malaysian (with CLT - JFK on a RJ with Y only and JFK - LAX on the BusinessElite)
Sept 2
KUL - PVG (Stopover) on Malaysian (with an overnight in KUL)
Sept 9
PVG - JFK - CLT on China Eastern and Delta (With a 1 hour 35 minute connection at JFK).
Jun 11, 2011, 5:09 am
#443
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Chicago
Programs: UA 1K, HH Diamond
Posts: 2,055
Where does Delta publish all these routing rules? I would love to see the full list..
Jun 11, 2011, 6:24 am
#444
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SUX
Programs: BA Silver; HHonors Gold; SPG Gold; Points but dirt with everyone else
Posts: 8,050
They don't publish them in any freely-accessible way that I know of. You can find them using ExpertFlyer, however. They're now available in the Travel Information section or by using Fare Information and then clicking the routing icon on the fare line.
Jun 16, 2011, 6:48 am
#448
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 736
Malaysia airlines awards
Does anyone know how I can check awards with MAS or Kenya Airways
from CLT-NBO on Kenya via AMS (combined with KLM or DL) in business class for march 24-31, 2012
or
MAS CLT-LHR-KUL (with DL and MAS) in Business or F class same dates....
I have 350K to blow on 2 tickets,
is this do-able?
p.s. im relatively new to skymiles hence how im inept at doing this.
from CLT-NBO on Kenya via AMS (combined with KLM or DL) in business class for march 24-31, 2012
or
MAS CLT-LHR-KUL (with DL and MAS) in Business or F class same dates....
I have 350K to blow on 2 tickets,
is this do-able?
p.s. im relatively new to skymiles hence how im inept at doing this.
Jun 16, 2011, 6:55 am
#449
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: RDU
Programs: A few
Posts: 5,499
Does anyone know how I can check awards with MAS or Kenya Airways
from CLT-NBO on Kenya via AMS (combined with KLM or DL) in business class for march 24-31, 2012
or
MAS CLT-LHR-KUL (with DL and MAS) in Business or F class same dates....
I have 350K to blow on 2 tickets,
is this do-able?
p.s. im relatively new to skymiles hence how im inept at doing this.
from CLT-NBO on Kenya via AMS (combined with KLM or DL) in business class for march 24-31, 2012
or
MAS CLT-LHR-KUL (with DL and MAS) in Business or F class same dates....
I have 350K to blow on 2 tickets,
is this do-able?
p.s. im relatively new to skymiles hence how im inept at doing this.
As for MAS, not too sure. ExpertFlyer can check, and you can also sign up to their FF program at their website and check availability that way, but I have never tried to book so cannot tell you if the availability either of those shows correlates well with what DL can actually book
Good luck!
Jun 16, 2011, 7:53 am
#450
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 736
So i just found this on Airfrance.us using the flying blue tool, sector to sector entry
JFK-LHR - DL 148
LHR-AMS (stopover) KLM
AMS-NBO (destination) KLM
NBO-LHR Kenya Airways (wait overnight for return to US)
LHR-FCO-JFK - Alitalia
All in business available on my dates,
Will DL allow me to book this itenary for the "low" 120K mileage each ?
and is alitalia any good for a day flight? food ought to be nice, right?
JFK-LHR - DL 148
LHR-AMS (stopover) KLM
AMS-NBO (destination) KLM
NBO-LHR Kenya Airways (wait overnight for return to US)
LHR-FCO-JFK - Alitalia
All in business available on my dates,
Will DL allow me to book this itenary for the "low" 120K mileage each ?
and is alitalia any good for a day flight? food ought to be nice, right?