Trying to Get Navy Personnel Home For Christmas- need help
Oct 13, 2014, 1:27 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 246
Trying to Get Navy Personnel Home For Christmas- need help
I am trying to get a member of the Navy home for Christmas. Travel this time of year is tough schedule wise using points and expensive both point wise and cash wise.
I have tried various airlines and booking portals including Chase Ultimate Reward and AMEX travel booking sites. Tried most of the airlines directly as well. What I don't know how to do is use some of the various backdoor methods to book cheaper tickets. Using other airline sites like AVIOS etc can turn up some good deals. If anyone is sitting around the airport or something and is well versed in booking special deals could they please assist.
I have a lot of points in Chase UR, SPG, AA, USair and some AMEX MR. A cheap cash ticket is acceptable as well as I can use my Cap1 points to pay for it.
The schedule is leaving late on 12/19 and returning 12/27, back by midnight. Route SAN to ATL Any assistance would be greatly appreciated
I have tried various airlines and booking portals including Chase Ultimate Reward and AMEX travel booking sites. Tried most of the airlines directly as well. What I don't know how to do is use some of the various backdoor methods to book cheaper tickets. Using other airline sites like AVIOS etc can turn up some good deals. If anyone is sitting around the airport or something and is well versed in booking special deals could they please assist.
I have a lot of points in Chase UR, SPG, AA, USair and some AMEX MR. A cheap cash ticket is acceptable as well as I can use my Cap1 points to pay for it.
The schedule is leaving late on 12/19 and returning 12/27, back by midnight. Route SAN to ATL Any assistance would be greatly appreciated
Last edited by toddreg; Oct 13, 2014 at 2:07 pm
Oct 13, 2014, 2:08 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 246
Posted edited to add route.
Oct 13, 2014, 3:20 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2009
Location: South Park, CO
Programs: Tegridy Elite
Posts: 5,678
I'm not sure what you're referring to regarding "backdoor methods to book cheaper tickets". There are ticket consolidators, though I have no personal experience with them.
AAdvantage has availability but the lowest mileage rates are 25K for F SAN-ATL and 50K for AAnytime Y on the return.
Have you looked at availability from LAX? If he doesn't have a car he could hop Amtrak from SAN to LA Union Station for $37 one way (or transfer Chase UR to Amtrak Guest Rewards for 1,500 each way) and then take the bus to LAX.
Except for DL and US, you can redeem for one-way trips at 1/2 the RT price, so don't forget to consider a mix-and-match between programs.
Depending on how much you want to spend in cash and miles, you could pay cash one way and miles the other. You can redeem your Chase UR for cash airfare just like Cap1 - not the best use of UR and I wouldn't normally do it...but again, depending on your cash/miles budget and how important it is to make the trip happen, it may be worth considering.
AAdvantage has availability but the lowest mileage rates are 25K for F SAN-ATL and 50K for AAnytime Y on the return.
Have you looked at availability from LAX? If he doesn't have a car he could hop Amtrak from SAN to LA Union Station for $37 one way (or transfer Chase UR to Amtrak Guest Rewards for 1,500 each way) and then take the bus to LAX.
Except for DL and US, you can redeem for one-way trips at 1/2 the RT price, so don't forget to consider a mix-and-match between programs.
Depending on how much you want to spend in cash and miles, you could pay cash one way and miles the other. You can redeem your Chase UR for cash airfare just like Cap1 - not the best use of UR and I wouldn't normally do it...but again, depending on your cash/miles budget and how important it is to make the trip happen, it may be worth considering.
Oct 13, 2014, 4:04 pm
#10
Formerly known as iahsumr
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 520
I would 100% book the Southwest nonstop flights for roughly 34,000 points transferred from your Ultimate Rewards account. You can refund the points to your Southwest account (though not all the way to your UR account) if you need to for some reason, but those are VERY peak days, and even the Southwest options are looking quite limited.
Oct 13, 2014, 4:18 pm
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
12/19 1:25PM 8:25PM 430 Nonstop 14,846
12/27 12:45PM 2:45PM 3251 Nonstop 19,144
delta has availability including nonstops but much higher 60K
but might be available for less through skyeam / delta partner
Oct 15, 2014, 3:38 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 246
Here is an example I just stumbled upon that is a "back door" method I was referring to-
Redeem Virgin Atlantic points for Delta Flights:
You can also use your Virgin Atlantic miles for flights operated by partner Delta Airlines. Flights in the continental United States, Alaska, and Canada are just 25,000 miles round trip in economy or 45,000 round trip in domestic first. That isn’t bad factoring in the 35% transfer bonus from Membership Rewards at 19,000 Membership Reward points for a round trip.
To Hawaii, flights are 40,000 miles round trip on Delta in economy and 75,000 in domestic first. With the 35% transfer bonus that comes to around 30,000 Membership Reward points needed for a round trip award to Hawaii in Delta economy, which isn’t bad! Of course, the biggest limiting factor there is limited availability on saver awards to Hawaii on Delta. These awards also have to be booked over the phone with Virgin Atlantic.
Redeem Virgin Atlantic points for Delta Flights:
You can also use your Virgin Atlantic miles for flights operated by partner Delta Airlines. Flights in the continental United States, Alaska, and Canada are just 25,000 miles round trip in economy or 45,000 round trip in domestic first. That isn’t bad factoring in the 35% transfer bonus from Membership Rewards at 19,000 Membership Reward points for a round trip.
To Hawaii, flights are 40,000 miles round trip on Delta in economy and 75,000 in domestic first. With the 35% transfer bonus that comes to around 30,000 Membership Reward points needed for a round trip award to Hawaii in Delta economy, which isn’t bad! Of course, the biggest limiting factor there is limited availability on saver awards to Hawaii on Delta. These awards also have to be booked over the phone with Virgin Atlantic.
Oct 15, 2014, 6:45 pm
#14
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Home Airports: CAE/CLT
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, National Executive
Posts: 5,452
Oct 15, 2014, 7:30 pm
#15
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: NYC
Programs: QF LTG
Posts: 1,200
Well the military rates I have seen on the published city pairs program are pretty good fares if you ask me.