Using SkyMiles on SkyTeam & Other Partners: The Discussion Thread
 

This is for mnredfox to edit at his leisure.

Link to Master Thread:
Using SkyMiles on SkyTeam & Other Partners Master Thread

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[/B]I've posted this thread in hopes of creating another one-stop guide for many who like me, have run into difficulties in booking SM awards on partner airlines. I hope for this thread to be useful and informative.

It will take some time to build so I encourage your patience, input, and feedback.

Booking SM Awards on ST & Other Partners Guide

This guide is meant to be a collection of tips in booking SM tickets on partner airlines. For further information please refer to the linked threads and if you still don't find the answer you're looking for please post in those relevant threads. If any information needs to be corrected, added, or updated - please post in this thread and I'll update the content accordingly. Thanks!

This guide is divided into 7 sections:
1. General info on partner bookings
2. How to search for partner awards
3. Valid routings and segment rules
4. Inventory, pricing issues, & fees
5. Blackout dates
6. Mileage UG's on partners
7. Various other SM Partner links

In the third post of this thread, I have also posted airline specific information on booking with SkyMiles, this includes:
- Fare class information
- Blackout dates
- How to search for specific airline inventory
- Specific tools to use
- Best SM redemption etc

Thank you for taking on this project, mnredfox.

By the way, you do not need to add placeholders. I have the capability of adding them in chronological order at any time if you should need them.

great effort. Some more partners to add

ST

SV Saudia
AR Aerolinas Aregentinas
ME MEA
AM Aero Mexico
UX Air Europa
OK CSA Czech
KQ Kenya Airways
RO Tarom
VN Vietnam

NON ST

G3 GOL
9W Jet Airways (Ends Oct 15th)

I don't think that's true anymore.

Thanks, mnredfox!

You may want to link http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...-skymiles.html in your upgrade thread since it covers most of that topic.

:)

Got it. Ok, put most of my updates in. Now I need input from all of you. Please either post suggestions/corrections or PM me. Thanks!

Thanks for starting this! I'll be glad to contribute what I know (or believe). Hopefully we can use the tail of this thread as a bit of a scratch space for the moment and then Canarsie can come back and delete the posts where we were discussing and improving the initial posts.

Quick morning thoughts/corrections: AZ often requires a long sell. The statement on YQ/IOS is less than ideal. I'd suggest rewording as follows:

• DL the past few years has been increasing two sneaky and notorious fees often blurred as a tax. First is the carrier-imposed YQ or YR surcharge, which is often labelled as a fuel surcharge. The amount is generally based on the amount of YQ/YR that the operating carrier would charge on a revenue ticket in the given class of service when the ticket is sold with a US origin. DL collects the YQ/YR surcharge on many of its partners at this point. However, DL, AF, KL, and AZ metal will not result in YQ/YR collection except if you originate in Europe. This is often referred to as the International Origination Surcharge. It does not apply for tickets originating outside of Europe on DL metal. In addition to Europe, tickets originating in the Middle East and involving travel on AF or KL (and maybe AZ) will invoke the IOS. Note that the IOS is simply just a rebranding of the YQ/YR surcharge. It will be coded on your ticket receipt as YQ and/or YR. The best way to estimate your fees/taxes is to build a paid ticket with your itinerary on ITA and check the fare breakdown.

I'll work up some instructions on ITA, since, for instance, there are some taxes that won't be charged on YQ-free tickets and it's important to use a US place of issue to get accurate YQ/YR charges.

For the VA section, please change to Virgin Australia (to avoid confusion with VS and VX). The best search method is the Velocity Rewards site. Sign up with any random Australian address and then search for their cheapest awards. Those should be available to DL, but it's important to note that you should not search one-ways. Search round trip originating in the US, as more inventory is made available to Velocity Rewards members for Australian origins. This inventory is reliably bookable on delta.com, but the award calendar will not show it.

Awesome start - great to see this coming together. A few extra tidbits.

Delta.com sees at least some AM flights now, and also VA. On the long sell side, this is not based on any recent personal experience, but I recall multiple takes of long sell required for AZ, and also some of the other partners, but I'll let others with more direct knowledge fill in those gaps.

AF also searches VN, AM, KQ, OK, possibly more.

The only other thing I would add is that I found good virgin australia availability through dl.com. Also, I believe/hope v australia business is z class while economy is x class. I don't believe virgin australia offers first class...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...premium-w.html

I am not sure that I have this right, but I think this long but informative thread suggests the current problem relates more to available O inventory. However, the Sept 13 memo may in fact make O inventory irrelevant and hence the length of the thread.

My understanding is that you cannot use DL miles for any FC travel on a SkyTeam partner, either as an award ticket or as an upgrade into FC. This is supposedly a SkyTeam rule, which applies because DL doesn't offer IFC service. You can, of course, use DL miles to upgrade into DL "domestic" FC or for a FC award ticket on DL metal.

If applicable, the rule would not prevent the use of miles for nonSkyTeam partner FC award tickets or upgrades into FC.

Great effort!

KVS Tool fully supports SU Award Availability via the [Galileo: ETR] Method:
http://Help.KVSTool.com/#SU

O AKA CS, X AKA YS

Long Sell may be required for AZ flights.

O / S

O AKA CS, X AKA YS

KE Award Availability is accessible for JP/TW routes only (applies to all Tools/Services).

For all other routes, the only way to check is by calling DL SM.

Economy Award Booking Class is, indeed, U.

A / D / L

U / X

R AKA CS, X AKA YS


C AKA CS, Z/U AKA YS

Z AKA CS, A AKA YS

Z AKA CS, E AKA YS

O AKA CS, W AKA YS

Z AKA CS, X AKA YS

J AKA CS, U AKA YS

Should be Virgin Australia Intl.

Award Classes are Z / X

KVS Tool does support VA Award Availability via the [Awards/DL-SkyTeam] Method:
http://Help.KVSTool.com/#VA

I / X

OK, updated through KVS's post. Thanks everyone, keep the input/updates coming. Also, feel free to share how if at all this thread helps you.

Thanks, mnredfox!

It appears that due to the mess-up (maintainence, repairment or upgrade) of DL's direct access system, as of now, DL is not able to book any award tickets traveling on China Southern. :(

More tidbits:
AF does UX
EF and AF do RO
EF does GOL

TN Air Tahiti Nui is a redemption partner and is searchable via EF
FM Shanghai Airlines is a partner and searchable with EF, wandr.me

wandr.me does SU, CZ, OK, KE with the typical limits, RO, VN, FM