Award Ticket Success - Post It Here
Nov 9, 2012, 2:11 pm
#3241
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: NYC
Programs: AS MVPG, DL KM, Bee Six, Bonvoy Plat, Avis PC, Natl Exec, Greyhound Road Rewards Z"L
Posts: 16,724
Ok this on is a bit left-field but one I consider a success. 60k miles for one week rental of a Suburban in SLC in January. Best cash rate I could find was $1258 all in making this a > 2cpm redemption. This is actually on top of scoring 4 25k level coach tickets roundtrip from RDU to SLC. 160k miles for family of four to go to SLC and hire a car big enough to lug us and all the ski gear works for me
-J.
Nov 9, 2012, 8:38 pm
#3243
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 48
Are there limitations/restrictions with Delta (or Skyteam partners) booking awards on Vietnam Air. Why would Wandering Aramean/Vietnam Air show availability but PM desk can't book?
Nov 17, 2012, 2:13 pm
#3244
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: ORF
Programs: DL SM, AA, BA, WN, UA, SPG Gold, HH Gold, Marriott Gold, Hyatt
Posts: 263
Scored 2 F/J awards Norfolk to Australia 150K each.
8/31/13 ORF-ATL-MSP-LAX-BNE (last leg on VA)
9/14/13 MEL-LAX (on VA)
9/16/13 LAX-DTW-ORF
Lots of VA availability. The hard find was the domestic legs.
8/31/13 ORF-ATL-MSP-LAX-BNE (last leg on VA)
9/14/13 MEL-LAX (on VA)
9/16/13 LAX-DTW-ORF
Lots of VA availability. The hard find was the domestic legs.
Nov 17, 2012, 2:29 pm
#3245
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SUX
Programs: BA Silver; HHonors Gold; SPG Gold; Points but dirt with everyone else
Posts: 8,050
Thanks for the hint! Wandering Aramean seems like a great tool for searching award availability. I used the Wandering Aramean tool and it showed plenty of availability on 6/12 HKG->SGN (4 flights x J=4) and 6/16 SGN->NRT (2 flights x J=4). Called the Platinum desk, she saw the same tickets, same availability. But was unable to book!!!!
Are there limitations/restrictions with Delta (or Skyteam partners) booking awards on Vietnam Air. Why would Wandering Aramean/Vietnam Air show availability but PM desk can't book?
Are there limitations/restrictions with Delta (or Skyteam partners) booking awards on Vietnam Air. Why would Wandering Aramean/Vietnam Air show availability but PM desk can't book?
Nov 17, 2012, 7:24 pm
#3246
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ann Arbor
Programs: HHonors Gold , National Emerald Exec, Hertz Presidents, Delta Gold
Posts: 2,604
Booked DTW-SLC-LAX-MEL-CHC (Christchurch, NZ), with a return of ZQN(Queenstown, NZ)-SYD(stopover)-LAX-MSP-DTW, all in F and C (including the tougher to find domestic segments) for 150K and $156 in tax PP for myself and the wife for 2 1/2 weeks out.
Total time invested in education about finding VA metal to NZ, finding over the water segments (easy), and DTW-LAX and back, about 10 hours.
Had to cancel my originally booked ticket for $150 PP, as I learned I could get to NZ from the friendly people on this board after I already booked to Australia.
Cancellation fee well worth it, as the RT tickets to NZ were pricing between $1100 and $1300, for the two of us.
If you don't have free cancellation, use the hold feature time to tweek your itinerary over 2 days. Remind the agent to move the hold time back to what was originally promised, otherwise the hold time is 12 hours from their change.
Mine was cancelled, but was able to be reconstructed, which shocked me.
Total time invested in education about finding VA metal to NZ, finding over the water segments (easy), and DTW-LAX and back, about 10 hours.
Had to cancel my originally booked ticket for $150 PP, as I learned I could get to NZ from the friendly people on this board after I already booked to Australia.
Cancellation fee well worth it, as the RT tickets to NZ were pricing between $1100 and $1300, for the two of us.
If you don't have free cancellation, use the hold feature time to tweek your itinerary over 2 days. Remind the agent to move the hold time back to what was originally promised, otherwise the hold time is 12 hours from their change.
Mine was cancelled, but was able to be reconstructed, which shocked me.
Nov 19, 2012, 10:25 am
#3249
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ann Arbor
Programs: HHonors Gold , National Emerald Exec, Hertz Presidents, Delta Gold
Posts: 2,604
I view the 10 hours as an education that will pay itself forward. I will be happy to explain to friends and family in detail how to complete their search in under 2 hours, which I believe to be great. It was partly the learning how to find which days VA flies from each major AU city to which cities in NZ (use VA timetable, which shows direct flights, look for flights with 2 or 3 numbers, if 4 numbers, it is a NZ codeshare).
There are 3 cities on the north island and 3 cities on the south island that VA flies to.
Then, the majority of time was the Rubiks cube searching of finding all the pieces that would go together. I was hoping to either get to or get back from NZ, but not both.
Thanks.
So, this award booking exceeded expectations, which is something I've never heard anyone say about a Delta award booking EVER!
And I do want to thank the attendees and presenters at the Chicago DO for inspiring me to book this. I was originally planning on going to Florida before the DO. Boy, was my wife surprised when I told her we weren't going to Florida anymore.
There are 3 cities on the north island and 3 cities on the south island that VA flies to.
Then, the majority of time was the Rubiks cube searching of finding all the pieces that would go together. I was hoping to either get to or get back from NZ, but not both.
Thanks.
So, this award booking exceeded expectations, which is something I've never heard anyone say about a Delta award booking EVER!
And I do want to thank the attendees and presenters at the Chicago DO for inspiring me to book this. I was originally planning on going to Florida before the DO. Boy, was my wife surprised when I told her we weren't going to Florida anymore.
Last edited by Bikeguy; Nov 19, 2012 at 10:33 am
Nov 19, 2012, 12:21 pm
#3251
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Somewhere between here and there...
Programs: WWF, Appalachian Mountain Club
Posts: 11,595
Yeah, man. Sounds like a great trip. The 10 hrs invested is IMHO time well spent learning the ins and outs of the DL award booking system. It took about the same about of time for me to put together a similar trip a few years back and I learned a great deal along the way.
Nov 19, 2012, 11:16 pm
#3253
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Programs: Airline Free Agent, Fairmont Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 3,041
I am so busy with my darn blog I have not had time to get more credit cards!
Last edited by gpapadop; Nov 20, 2012 at 8:12 pm
Nov 20, 2012, 4:50 pm
#3254
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ann Arbor
Programs: HHonors Gold , National Emerald Exec, Hertz Presidents, Delta Gold
Posts: 2,604
Nov 20, 2012, 5:02 pm
#3255
Join Date: Nov 2012
Programs: DL GM, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 11
Did my first reward booking in July for a trip I took last week. ATL-SLC-LAX-SYD all first F and BE on the way out, and then SYD-LAX-ATL all BE the way back. 195k Miles. I think it was decent minus the extra stop in SLC on the way out there. Really easy to book too, got all on the dates I wanted first try. I guess every once in a while you get lucky.