FlyerTalk Forums - JFK - SFO (stopover) - LIM

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- - JFK - SFO (stopover) - LIM - JFK (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/milesbuzz/1362919-jfk-sfo-stopover-lim-jfk.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by celetheo (Post 18865117)

Hi all,

Wanting to book the following trip on miles..stopover would be for Christmas this year and would be in LIM for new years and about a week after.

Christmas airfares to Latin America as extremely expensive and the award flights fill up quickly. I was able to book a Delta award last year but only departure before Dec 12 and returning after second week Jan. If you're trying to find something tight around Xmas I can't imagine it can be found.

BA on LAN:
If you have BA Avios, JFK-LIM is 20,000 coach/40,000 miles in business, MIA-LIM is 12,500/25000. It's not world shattering business class, but did the trick.

Beware of phantom LAN availability on BA/Qantas websites and KVS Tool. It will show you open seats, but those will disappear when you try to book. It's an issue on LAN end.

AA on AA:
AA is prohibitively expensive. I was trying to find LIM-JFK/MIA availability and mostly saw 60,000 business class seats, so occasional low level economy awards would pop-up.

I occasionally saw routes through Guayaquil, Bogota, Cancun but connecting times were off.

UA on US/Taca:
UA allows several creative routes:
LIM-IAH-JFK
LIM-PTY-JFK
and my favourite:
LIM-MIA-CLT-JFK

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy (Post 18871292)

I seriously suspect this is PURPOSELY done by AA due to the loophole of appending a SouthAmerica 1 on an award returning from Hawaii, one can essentially travel in high season returning from Hawaii yet pay a low season S1 fare if one can use the NA Gateway stopover to go home, with LESS miles to boot if you use Coach Saaver.

Since AA does not intend to eliminate the NA gateway stopover on award involves NA and S1, it has no choice but make LIM and other S1/Central America locations largely AAnytime only in Coach and a lot less Saaver Business unless booked 8 - 9 months out, making it impossible to game the system.

Given AA recently eliminate Caribbeans for the NA gateway stopover eligibility, it is quite possible we would see some further loss to this benefit in coming months, after it has been touted everywhere, especially the Hawaii - S1 loophole.

Meanwhile those of us who really want to visit S1 with Saaver award basically are shut out. Now with Star A adding 3 airlines in the region, if one wants to go to S1 or Central America, UA miles would be the ticket.

If that is true, then AA is cutting its nose to spite the face. Their SA routes and zone divisions (and affiliation with LAN, of course, which is now in question) are AA's strongest features, IMHO. If I have to start redeeming my award travel on Star to Latin America--something I've never had to do before--I might give them my revenue business, as well. Well, that is if I was a loyal flyer which I'm not, but truly frequent flyers might feel that way.

I hope, there is another explanation, though. I mean wouldn't it be easier for them just to tweak a few redemption rules, than doing this carpet bombing?