That's the whole point. The OP suggested that DL had award inventory around his dates. If that is still the case, he should seize the opportunity to unload his Sky Miles. UA and AA miles are both considerably more valuable.

Next time try CX F (for same amount of miles) and a world of difference from AA F. CX F are relatively easy to get (easier than J). You would have to connect in HKG but it would be well worth it, IMO. You could even have a short stopover in HKG (under 24 hrs).

Our next trip to that part of the world will hopefully be HK in '13 - I'll keep both of your ideas (Paulchili and moondog) in mind.

This particular trip was MCI-PVG-MCI. The allure of one-stop through Chicago was what caused us to book AA metal the whole way.

After redeeming this trip and redeeming 270,000 BA miles for a '12 trip (BA F to India), my stockpile of miles is now mostly *A. Maybe the HK trip will simply start with a weekend in New York...seems crazy to backtrack that far and *not* go hang out in Manhattan for a day or two. @:-)

That's exactly how I did my last trip over here a few weeks back. I hope you saved enough BA miles to Asia because 50k each way in biz is a steal. In fact, I just booked JFK-HKG-SIN RT for a friend... there has been some speculation that BA is going to raise the price of this award very soon (after all, it doesn't make sense that JFK-CDG is costs more miles than JFK-SIN), so I've been in burn mode.

In case you aren't aware of BA's rules, the 50k price only works if your travels are on a single airline.... but you can obviously fly one airline over and a different one back. For Asia, JL, CX, and AA are your choices. The advantage of AA as you note is that you can get all the way from MCI to PVG or PEK on a single ticket and the taxes are lower, though higher than the $5 they used to be. BA tries to push BA flights, naturally, but these are a sucker's play because they are priced as US-LHR + LHR-Asia. Worse yet, if a single AA segment shows up on your CX or JL itins, the price sky rockets to a truly absurd number (e.g. for a while last year, LAX-HKG searches presented lots of LAX-SFO-HKG options... and, strangely SFO-HKG pushed SFO-LAX-HKG).

But, if you can get yourself to a CX gateway, then you can add a CX or KA segment on the other end. In fact, last year, I booked LAX-HKG plus a HKG-PEK segment several months later, which I regarded as an extra gift (I never fly biz to HK with money because it is crazy expensive... at least on CX/KA).

The extra segment can be to anywhere CX/KA flies within East Asia (a zone whose western boundary is pretty close to India).

Last point: in F, I actually prefer JL to CX by a significant margin (more comfortable than most hotel beds and stellar catering ex-NRT). However, JL taxes are really high these days (as much as $400 each way). Furthermore, CX/KA has a much deeper reach into China and SE Asia. Finally, the new CX biz product (available on all 5 JFK flights) is really great (not the food so much, but the seat). I know I've said this before here, but it bears repeating because I actually prefer it to both AA and UA F... as crazy as that may sound.

I'm debating whether or not to exit BA entirely. Any thoughts as to whether it'll stay at 50k each way past November 16th? I don't read their board all that much but there are tons of threads speculating how the program is going to change.

I'm down to a small number of BA miles now but could continue to use the BA Visa if it's worthwhile. I like it a tad better than my SPG Amex for all non-USD charges since it has a 2% or so better FX rate. That, plus maybe a Marriott Travel Package, and I'd quickly be back in the 200k range.

Hi Birdseye,

My fiance is not averse to taking a different flight than mine. It looks like AA FF tickets are easily available in mid-December when she and her daughter would be flying. I just want to be extra clear -- I am permitted to obtain FF tickets in her name and address in Beijing under my American based FF miles that I have from AA. Just being extra cautious before I start getting tickets in a little bit of a complicated situation.

Also, thanks to the additional people who commented since my last reply. Everyone has been helpful.

Best wishes,


DB

Yes, you are entitled to book award tickets in anyone's name, wherever they live. They will ask for a passenger name, contact number in case of delays, and possibly for a passenger passport number to expedite check in on international flights (no address needed, it will be an electronic ticket). Your name does not need to be on the reservation.

they are not up to mark, so better go for others.