The Definitive "How To Search for Low Tier Business Awards"
#2701
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, BW DE (lifetime), HH DE, Marriott PE (lifetime), National Emerald Executive
Posts: 7,204
Thanks for this - I wasn't searching segment by segment, so this is a huge help. That being said, I can only find 95k reward tickets for SFO - ICN and 62.5k for ICN - NAN. There's also no availability for next April yet, and KE only seems to release one seat on each flight, so I'll have to keep looking.
#2702
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: San Francisco, Ca
Programs: DL DM; Hilton Gold; Hertz President circle
Posts: 111
KE is always limited to 1O/2X per flight (and some routes are blocked out Fri-Sun entirely, while others are always completely blocked out), so if you have 2 pax who want to fly, your choices are 1 in O and 1 in X if you want to be on the same flight, or to fly on different flights or dates. This is not unique to DL; that is so for all SkyTeam airlines and is the limited inventory that KE releases.
#2703
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Melbourne, Florida, USA
Posts: 2,983
#2704
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Providence, RI
Programs: DM , MM ,Natl-Exec Elite,HH diamond,SPG gold
Posts: 373
Looking to book BOS-VCE and return FCO-BOS in Biz mid October. Will pay for one tcket and hope to get one on points. Right now DL is showing anywhere from 250 to 305K. We really could leave and return from any EC city. Any insight on lowering the points required?
2nd Question, Should I be looking to book now or wait until after labor day for a fare sale?
Thanks
2nd Question, Should I be looking to book now or wait until after labor day for a fare sale?
Thanks
#2705
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: ORD
Programs: Once a somebody now a nobody
Posts: 514
I'm sure this has been discussed at length....but having some issues searching threads via my tablet.
Is it possible to book AF J class using skypesos? I'm looking at next MAy and have found some AF routes that have 4+ seats available using Flying Blue pts but can't find even 1 using DL. Is there a better program than DL/AF to use to book AF awards? Skyteam is not my goto alliance and I'm loaded with Chace/AMEX pts so am pretty open to wh i ticket thru. Thanks for any help.
Is it possible to book AF J class using skypesos? I'm looking at next MAy and have found some AF routes that have 4+ seats available using Flying Blue pts but can't find even 1 using DL. Is there a better program than DL/AF to use to book AF awards? Skyteam is not my goto alliance and I'm loaded with Chace/AMEX pts so am pretty open to wh i ticket thru. Thanks for any help.
#2706
Join Date: May 2013
Location: RMS
Programs: DL Plat, UA Gold, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Credit Card Diamond
Posts: 8,782
I'm sure this has been discussed at length....but having some issues searching threads via my tablet.
Is it possible to book AF J class using skypesos? I'm looking at next MAy and have found some AF routes that have 4+ seats available using Flying Blue pts but can't find even 1 using DL. Is there a better program than DL/AF to use to book AF awards? Skyteam is not my goto alliance and I'm loaded with Chace/AMEX pts so am pretty open to wh i ticket thru. Thanks for any help.
Is it possible to book AF J class using skypesos? I'm looking at next MAy and have found some AF routes that have 4+ seats available using Flying Blue pts but can't find even 1 using DL. Is there a better program than DL/AF to use to book AF awards? Skyteam is not my goto alliance and I'm loaded with Chace/AMEX pts so am pretty open to wh i ticket thru. Thanks for any help.
If you have lots of Chase URs, you might look into transferring to Korean. You can only book roundtrip, but US-Europe in J is 80k.
#2707
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Columbia, SC
Programs: AA Plat, SPG/Marriot Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Expl
Posts: 2,363
You should be able to book AF J with SkyMiles. Are you sure the awards you're seeing are available at the lowest price in miles? Those are the only ones that would be available to partners.
If you have lots of Chase URs, you might look into transferring to Korean. You can only book roundtrip, but US-Europe in J is 80k.
If you have lots of Chase URs, you might look into transferring to Korean. You can only book roundtrip, but US-Europe in J is 80k.
#2708
Join Date: May 2013
Location: RMS
Programs: DL Plat, UA Gold, Bonvoy Titanium, Hilton Credit Card Diamond
Posts: 8,782
#2709
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Columbia, SC
Programs: AA Plat, SPG/Marriot Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Expl
Posts: 2,363
#2710
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Singapore
Programs: SQ KF Gold, HHonors Gold, SPG Plat
Posts: 300
Looking to book 2x one way tickets in cheap J from Singapore to somewhere near DTW, Thursdays or Fridays in early to mid April 2018. Can do ORD/CLE/CMH and whatever else is reasonably close by. Cheapest I can find is in China Southern (or Eastern?) to ORD at 95K SkyMiles per ticket, but I'd rather not do that.
Have ~300K SkyMiles so with a stretch I could probably do a 160K ticket (which I can find pretty easily), but looking to go out the door max 240K, so thats 120K per person.. Any tips? I used to be able to find KE inventory quite easily but that seems to have disappeared. Otherwise a transpac flight on DL metal is minimum 160K, most of the time 200K and up. Any point in calling up the call center and asking them to search?
KLM.com gives me 300K per person and some ridiculous amount in taxes on AF metal, so that is absolutely out of the question.
Have ~300K SkyMiles so with a stretch I could probably do a 160K ticket (which I can find pretty easily), but looking to go out the door max 240K, so thats 120K per person.. Any tips? I used to be able to find KE inventory quite easily but that seems to have disappeared. Otherwise a transpac flight on DL metal is minimum 160K, most of the time 200K and up. Any point in calling up the call center and asking them to search?
KLM.com gives me 300K per person and some ridiculous amount in taxes on AF metal, so that is absolutely out of the question.
#2711
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, BW DE (lifetime), HH DE, Marriott PE (lifetime), National Emerald Executive
Posts: 7,204
Looking to book 2x one way tickets in cheap J from Singapore to somewhere near DTW, Thursdays or Fridays in early to mid April 2018. Can do ORD/CLE/CMH and whatever else is reasonably close by. Cheapest I can find is in China Southern (or Eastern?) to ORD at 95K SkyMiles per ticket, but I'd rather not do that.
Have ~300K SkyMiles so with a stretch I could probably do a 160K ticket (which I can find pretty easily), but looking to go out the door max 240K, so thats 120K per person.. Any tips? I used to be able to find KE inventory quite easily but that seems to have disappeared. Otherwise a transpac flight on DL metal is minimum 160K, most of the time 200K and up. Any point in calling up the call center and asking them to search?
KLM.com gives me 300K per person and some ridiculous amount in taxes on AF metal, so that is absolutely out of the question.
Have ~300K SkyMiles so with a stretch I could probably do a 160K ticket (which I can find pretty easily), but looking to go out the door max 240K, so thats 120K per person.. Any tips? I used to be able to find KE inventory quite easily but that seems to have disappeared. Otherwise a transpac flight on DL metal is minimum 160K, most of the time 200K and up. Any point in calling up the call center and asking them to search?
KLM.com gives me 300K per person and some ridiculous amount in taxes on AF metal, so that is absolutely out of the question.
Last edited by RealHJ; Aug 25, 2017 at 1:55 am
#2712
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: KUL/TPA/OTP
Programs: UA1k, DL
Posts: 3,138
Folks, what is the current going rate for DL "Saver" Business Class awards each way for USA - APAC? A few weeks ago, I was able to find flights in the range of 80,000 miles each way, which I think had DL partners and a DL domestic flight combined into the routing. Now, looking at the same type of carriers / routings, I am seeing 95,000 at a minimum. Any thoughts?
Cheers
Cheers
#2713
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: SFO
Programs: AS MVP Gold 75K, UA Gold, Marriott LTT, Avis President's Club
Posts: 1,539
Folks, what is the current going rate for DL "Saver" Business Class awards each way for USA - APAC? A few weeks ago, I was able to find flights in the range of 80,000 miles each way, which I think had DL partners and a DL domestic flight combined into the routing. Now, looking at the same type of carriers / routings, I am seeing 95,000 at a minimum. Any thoughts?
Cheers
Cheers
http://pointmetotheplane.boardingare...a-no-good-yet/
#2714
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Columbia, SC
Programs: AA Plat, SPG/Marriot Gold, HHonors Diamond, Hyatt Expl
Posts: 2,363
Folks, what is the current going rate for DL "Saver" Business Class awards each way for USA - APAC? A few weeks ago, I was able to find flights in the range of 80,000 miles each way, which I think had DL partners and a DL domestic flight combined into the routing. Now, looking at the same type of carriers / routings, I am seeing 95,000 at a minimum. Any thoughts?
Cheers
Cheers
I'm no DL expert, but I did read DL increased Asia awards recently (this already happened to Europe previously). Below is a link blog post noting the 95K one way Asia awards.
http://pointmetotheplane.boardingare...a-no-good-yet/
http://pointmetotheplane.boardingare...a-no-good-yet/
#2715
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,528
So what's the "best" way of finding the elusive low-level (saver/whatever) business/First awards?
Do you still have to literally go through delta.com and try each segment (since we have no award chart, how do we know what the "low level" is anymore)?
Or is this where expert flyer comes into play?
Thanks!
Do you still have to literally go through delta.com and try each segment (since we have no award chart, how do we know what the "low level" is anymore)?
Or is this where expert flyer comes into play?
Thanks!