DEN-SIN Ideas?
Mar 7, 2012, 1:27 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Denver, CO
Programs: UA Premier Exec, DL, HHonors Blue, Starwood Gold, Hertz 5*, Marriott Silver
Posts: 261
DEN-SIN Ideas?
I posted this over at another site, but there were few answers. I'm hoping someone here might have some thoughts.
I've found myself in a bit of a quandary. We have a great friend moving to Singapore. Since we lived together as a dysfunctional family in Paris for awhile we want to go invade her home and return the favor
.
DEN-SIN depart 9/10 return 9/18
On DL: via MSP and NRT is pricing at:
$1,200 each in coach
240,000 points each in BusinessElite
On UA: via LAX and NRT is pricing at:
$1,100 each in coach
240,000 points each in Business
I have:
202,000 DL
43,000 UA (no SWU's available)
60,000 Chase Ultimate
76,000 SPG
77,000 Marriott
80,000 Hilton
Suffice to say UA can blow that award seat out its jet exhaust given my points. And, obviously even if I bought points (DL 105,000 (w/bonus) @$2,100; SPG 20,000 @ $700; Marriott 25,000 @ $625) I'd still be short of 2 BusinessElite tickets by about 70,000 points. Given that Chase and UA aren't nice enough to let me transfer points to DL I'm at a decision point.
Do I beg AMEX to give me the DL points for a DL AMEX despite already carrying the SPG AMEX? Do I charge everything and the kitchen sink to the SPG AMEX and transfer? Should I buy a coach ticket and a points ticket and play rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock with my wife to see who gets the BizElite seat for which leg? Do I get the two tickets in coach and make use of Economy Comfort and the free liquor to sleep through the flight?
I'm open to many suggestions and thoughts. Of course if DL's website wasn't such a pain and I could get the seats in Low it wouldn't be a problem, but alas I've tried all the tricks I've used successfully before and I can't get those Low dates. The usual irony is the calendar shows Low/Low, but the pricing is not (unless I forgot basic math and 60,000+60,000=200,000 now
)
I've found myself in a bit of a quandary. We have a great friend moving to Singapore. Since we lived together as a dysfunctional family in Paris for awhile we want to go invade her home and return the favor
.DEN-SIN depart 9/10 return 9/18
On DL: via MSP and NRT is pricing at:
$1,200 each in coach
240,000 points each in BusinessElite
On UA: via LAX and NRT is pricing at:
$1,100 each in coach
240,000 points each in Business
I have:
202,000 DL
43,000 UA (no SWU's available)
60,000 Chase Ultimate
76,000 SPG
77,000 Marriott
80,000 Hilton
Suffice to say UA can blow that award seat out its jet exhaust given my points. And, obviously even if I bought points (DL 105,000 (w/bonus) @$2,100; SPG 20,000 @ $700; Marriott 25,000 @ $625) I'd still be short of 2 BusinessElite tickets by about 70,000 points. Given that Chase and UA aren't nice enough to let me transfer points to DL I'm at a decision point.
Do I beg AMEX to give me the DL points for a DL AMEX despite already carrying the SPG AMEX? Do I charge everything and the kitchen sink to the SPG AMEX and transfer? Should I buy a coach ticket and a points ticket and play rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock with my wife to see who gets the BizElite seat for which leg? Do I get the two tickets in coach and make use of Economy Comfort and the free liquor to sleep through the flight?
I'm open to many suggestions and thoughts. Of course if DL's website wasn't such a pain and I could get the seats in Low it wouldn't be a problem, but alas I've tried all the tricks I've used successfully before and I can't get those Low dates. The usual irony is the calendar shows Low/Low, but the pricing is not (unless I forgot basic math and 60,000+60,000=200,000 now
)
Mar 8, 2012, 9:23 am
#3
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SUX
Programs: BA Silver; HHonors Gold; SPG Gold; Points but dirt with everyone else
Posts: 8,050
Have you called to ask about partner availability to SIN? You're outside the KE blackout dates, and KE has a ton of US destinations that you can get to easily from DEN on a paid ticket (or using UA miles) if you can't find DL low seats from DEN to a gateway.
Mar 8, 2012, 9:34 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Planet Earth
Programs: | *G | STE | HGP ♦ | SPG Au | MR Au
Posts: 3,772
if your dates are flexible and you are lucky, try pricing it out on KE/MH for 120K miles in Sept for J
You can also try to play with the DL award calendar, seems to have some low class J awards within Sept.
The reason why it is 200,000-290,000 miles is because there is no low award for the dom sector.
if you price it out from the departure cities, e.g. MSP - SIN it should be @ 120,000 miles. Just buy a ticket from DEN to MSP to cover you and save the miles.
Either that or the Award calendar is spewing rubbish like it usually likes to does, i.e. it is working the way it is suppose to work: wrongly!
You can also try to play with the DL award calendar, seems to have some low class J awards within Sept.
I'm open to many suggestions and thoughts. Of course if DL's website wasn't such a pain and I could get the seats in Low it wouldn't be a problem, but alas I've tried all the tricks I've used successfully before and I can't get those Low dates. The usual irony is the calendar shows Low/Low, but the pricing is not (unless I forgot basic math and 60,000+60,000=200,000 now )
)if you price it out from the departure cities, e.g. MSP - SIN it should be @ 120,000 miles. Just buy a ticket from DEN to MSP to cover you and save the miles.
Either that or the Award calendar is spewing rubbish like it usually likes to does, i.e. it is working the way it is suppose to work: wrongly!
Last edited by DHalltheway; Mar 8, 2012 at 9:47 am