SEA to RDU with miles
May 13, 2015, 12:35 pm
#1
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SEA to RDU with miles
Hi! I'm new to the points game and am seeking some advice. I need to fly SEA to RDU June 19 and return June 21. I have 55,000 Avios, 55,000 AA miles, and 30,000 AMEX points, and still can find a ticket! Any suggestions would be so appreciated!!!
May 13, 2015, 1:10 pm
#2
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Welcome to FT!
What have you done so far to find a ticket? If you've checked aa.com, delta.com, and aeroplan.com for award seats and found nothing at rates you are willing to pay, then you may just have to pay cash or redeem your MR points as cash to purchase a regular ticket.
Since AA, Aeroplan (an MR transfer partner whose miles can be redeemed on UA), and Delta all offer one-way awards now, I would search separately for the outbound and the return flights on each program's website.
Welcome to FT!
What have you done so far to find a ticket? If you've checked aa.com, delta.com, and aeroplan.com for award seats and found nothing at rates you are willing to pay, then you may just have to pay cash or redeem your MR points as cash to purchase a regular ticket.
Since AA, Aeroplan (an MR transfer partner whose miles can be redeemed on UA), and Delta all offer one-way awards now, I would search separately for the outbound and the return flights on each program's website.
May 13, 2015, 1:48 pm
#3
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guv1976 Thank you so much for your response! I have only checked the AA and BA websites, searching legs of the journey (connecting in CLT, MIA, PHL, JFK, ORD) as well as simply SEA - RDU.
I didn't know that Delta and Aeroplan were options for me. Is that with my AMEX points?
I didn't know that Delta and Aeroplan were options for me. Is that with my AMEX points?
May 13, 2015, 1:52 pm
#4
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Yes. Aeroplan (for United) and Delta are both Amex MR transfer partners.
If you can't find suitable award flights in either or both directions, don't forget to check fares at southwest.com. Southwest's fares will not show up on searches at sites like Expedia, Orbitz, etc.
Originally Posted by Princessswiper
guv1976 Thank you so much for your response! I have only checked the AA and BA websites, searching legs of the journey (connecting in CLT, MIA, PHL, JFK, ORD) as well as simply SEA - RDU.
I didn't know that Delta and Aeroplan were options for me. Is that with my AMEX points?
I didn't know that Delta and Aeroplan were options for me. Is that with my AMEX points?
If you can't find suitable award flights in either or both directions, don't forget to check fares at southwest.com. Southwest's fares will not show up on searches at sites like Expedia, Orbitz, etc.
May 13, 2015, 2:19 pm
#6
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They do sometimes, but it's not predictable. And keep in mind that you're talking about Father's Day weekend. Plus, if you book an award flight within 21 days of departure date, AA will hit you with a $75 close-in redemption fee unless you have elite status. BA has no such fee, even for redeeming on AA flights. Not sure about Aeroplan and Delta.
Originally Posted by Princessswiper
Is there any advantage to waiting until the last minute? Do airlines ever release reward flights if they don't sell out planes?
May 14, 2015, 12:20 pm
#7
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Unfortunately no carrier serves this route nonstop, although this changes October 1st 
Connections add to the cost of avios.
Have you checked cities outside of RDU within a several hour drive?
Connections add to the cost of avios.Have you checked cities outside of RDU within a several hour drive?
May 15, 2015, 8:02 am
#8
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The biggest problem is going to be getting out of and back to Seattle on a weekend during peak cruise season.
This is a city pair in which some round trip (cash) fares are roughly 2 x the one way fares. I can see SEA-xORD-RDU on the 19th (AA) for $243 one way. Even if there were SAAver seats available that day (there aren't as of now) that would only work out to less than 2c/mile in redemption value, a metric most of us would feel is poor value.
Coming back on the Sunday, the one way price is $370 or more, so if there were SAAver seats available then, the value per mile would be a little higher. Or, worst case, you don't have enough money to purchase a ticket, you could redeem 30,000 AA miles for an "EverydAAy" ticket. Terrible value, but if you don't have the cash, better than nothing.
So one option to consider is just buying a seat for the outbound leg, and waiting to see if a SAAver seat comes open for the return, or else either pay cash or redeem 30K miles for the higher-priced award seat if it doesn't.
This is a city pair in which some round trip (cash) fares are roughly 2 x the one way fares. I can see SEA-xORD-RDU on the 19th (AA) for $243 one way. Even if there were SAAver seats available that day (there aren't as of now) that would only work out to less than 2c/mile in redemption value, a metric most of us would feel is poor value.
Coming back on the Sunday, the one way price is $370 or more, so if there were SAAver seats available then, the value per mile would be a little higher. Or, worst case, you don't have enough money to purchase a ticket, you could redeem 30,000 AA miles for an "EverydAAy" ticket. Terrible value, but if you don't have the cash, better than nothing.
So one option to consider is just buying a seat for the outbound leg, and waiting to see if a SAAver seat comes open for the return, or else either pay cash or redeem 30K miles for the higher-priced award seat if it doesn't.
