skymiles redemption - aeroflot disappeared ?
 

I've been looking to redeem Skymiles for two one way first/biz class tickets departing from NYC in July. Just a few weeks ago I swear there was NYC-SVO non-stop service available but nothing this week. Gone forever? Any thoughts/guidance?

Backup plan is NYC-AMS, stay in AMS for a few nights and grab a revenue ticket to Moscow.

Working on a ~18 day Europe trip, committed to 7 nights in Sopot, Poland, but before that would like to do Moscow (post-World Cup / post 07/15/2018). Redeeming AA miles and Delta miles, two one-way tickets on each. Still trying to figure out which program to redeem in which direction.

When you see an attractive SkyMiles redemption TAKE IT. You have at least 24 hours to change your mind.

Delta Europe-USA awards can have high international origin surcharges not part of a USA-Europe-USA award.

Yesterday and today, I was looking at flights from PIT to Zagreb and Split, Croatia, and Delta.com did, indeed offer me some connections via SVO on Aeroflot, but, the fees were INSANE, so I booked via CDG using the PIT/CDG nonstop flight in Delta One.

Just a side note that I booked for 140K miles:

PIT/CDG/ZAG

TXL/CDG/PIT

Intra-europe flights will be on Croatia airlines ZAG/DBV, and on EasyJet DBV/SXF

:)

Yes SU almost to be completely disappeared on transatlantic flights from JFK/LAX to SVO some time ago, but connections to 3rd countries are still available.

For example, on May 24:

JFK-SVO : nothing
JFK-SVO-TFS : 35K Y / 85K J

Which is insane, because SVO-TFS is another 7 hour flight.

​​​​​​I know about "married segments", but I can not believe it's intentional in SU case. Someone probably screwed up ticketing rules.

Example of PIT/ZAG J award search for Aug 13 showing a connection at JFK to SVO, but, look at the INSANE FEE compared to DL/AF

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...5f40b184d9.png

When I search ONLY JFK/SVO, flight SU101 doesn't show up at all . . .

. . . but, when I search JFK/ZAG, it reappears - again, with the INSANE FEE!
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...e2dfde1384.png

Yes, I post a similar question earlier. It seems that SU applies married segments logic to most partners awards. For those flights originating/ending in SVO, only certain days (for example, every Sunday in March) are available for partner booking.

That fee is not insane. With other FFPs its common to pay $1000+ in YQ/YR for an simple 2 flights each way connecting RT ticket (and no, I am not talking just about BA). $364.90 one way is not low, sure, but it's certainly better than $600+ something similar could cost using other FFPs (from any alliance).

DL, however, charges sometimes 2x+ more miles for the same sector flights as other FFPs (talking about the normal "lowest" price). So, what is crazy here is the high cost in miles AND the $ component. If it was normal cost in miles + high fee, that's one thing, or vice versa. But DL of course has to have its cake and eat it too.

That sounds like quite the deal! Pick up some nice caviar on the way to the beach.

I booked SVO-LAX in business class 8 months ago (70k miles one way). At the time, availability in Y was very good. I had to move my plans a couple days to get the J class seat.

And no, 300 EUR in taxes for a business class award is not 'insane', it's fairly normal, maybe even cheaper than many European carriers (unfortunately). That's one area where DL hasn't enhanced yet....

Aeroflot flights have been hit with YQ surcharge, even with a U.S. origin, for several years. AF/KL will be cheaper in $ on awards USA-Europe, when available.

What airlines charge more than 1k in fees, if you have time also compare their mileage costs to Delta.

BA awards (RT) booked using any OW program.

LH for most airline awards - $1000~$1200 RT easily, while booked with UA it would be something like $50~$70 for the very same flights.

JL is not that much, but for RTW (8 flights) can be also $1000+.

Really most European FFPs.

With LH for example sure I'll pay $1000+ in YQ/YR, but I get two stopovers and an open-jaw, and I pay 70K for RT that with DL as OW with no stopover will be more than that, and UA for the same flights (with stopovers, so 4 segments) would be also about thrice as much cost in miles. Plus if booking LH flights I get availability that is not there via other FFPs.

So, what I meant was, where you pay more $, you pay less in miles. Just DL is getting so greedy to charge more $$ while also the highest prices in the industry in miles, often more than double of others, while giving you no stopovers, no open jaws (under an RT fare I mean), nothing.

Thanks for the reply.

Your original post BA is called out for their egregious fees I wanted to see other examples. AF and other european players seem to be more reasonable than LH on YQ (AF is around 400 in fees round trip US to CDG, Iberia charged around 200 last year in business).

But to compare mileage costs LH to delta isn't really fair. A diamond at Delta earns miles at twice the rate as an elite at LH. In general it looks like the European programs are just not as lucrative. Is there a specific reason for that? Are national carriers just too powerful to require strong loyalty programs?

You cited the BA surcharges and note they're payable under OW programs. They're certainly payable when redeeming AA miles, and AAdvantage doesn't allow stopovers either. DL essentially copied the one way awards features of AA when it implemented one way awards in 2014.

LH Barclay's CC earns the same as DL AmEx. But it's an MC, so you can obviously earn a lot faster, and Barclay's always has lots of promos and offers (unlike AmEx) to speed up your earning. That is what really matters, considering that most miles are earned by CC spend and promotions, not by actual flying.

LH has a much stronger FFP than DL (no real devaluations for quite a few years, two open jaws + two stopovers per RT allowed), much more reasonable costs of awards, etc.). I think that other airlines just value their customers more and customer loyalty more and thus have stronger FFPs. DL's focus is clearly on infrequent leisure traveler market and DL doesn't care about the business or frequent travelers, and so it feels it doesn't need to do anything to be the choice of such higher spend pax. Other airlines, however, do more to once they get a customer, keep them. Just two very different management approaches.

As for the high fees, those came on when fuel prices rose and have stayed that way. That is a shady way how the YQ/YR fees have remained. That's just how it has played out competitively. It applies across the board to most airlines in other FFPs, esp. in EU. Four OZ flights RT? Still $1000+, vs $50~$75 in fees if booked using UA. At least it's consistent...but again that's just a cost of a much stronger FFP that allows open-jaws, stopovers, and doesn't keep devaluing the miles, while the earning is easier and quicker than that of DL. To me it's a price well worth paying for honesty, transparency, ethics plenty of notice of any changes (which are rare), and a much more usable, stronger FFP; in other words, the polar opposite of DL.