Points to SA
 

Does anyone know the best way/most efficient way to use points to get from Toronto to South Africa.I have loads of AC points and smatterings of various US carriers

I've seen posts on FT saying that using Awards to South Africa is very difficult. See what a search will turn up.
In early 2001 I paid 120,000 miles for a ticket to CO using a combination of CO, NW, and KLM flights. It really was difficult to get even close to the dates that I wanted. I see now that CO is partnered directly with KLM. Be cautioned, they advertise 90,000 mile seats from time to time but these awards are very limited.
I think that your first step should be to simply price flights and fares. I paid $1,200 a few months ago (to Delta) to have a family member come here and visit. Maybe you find a bargain in which case keep your miles for those expensive last minute flights in North America.
Mark, Dallas

i know people who xfered amex points to dl for bus awards dfw-jnb-dfw.[via atl]

Have you tried the *a award chart published by AC? Iknow the LH loads to Johannesburg are very full. But they have just introduced a flight from Munich 3 days a week.

Hi there....

Getting to Jo'burg and Cape Town is quite tough via Europe, as all flights are filled weeks in advance. I sat next to the director of South African tourism on a flight last August, and she said that flight capacity, not violence, is the number 1 tourist problem for South Africa.

That being said, I think the AA awards on BA or Iberia are the best I've seen. Both are for 75K miles. This may not jelp you with AC/Star Alliance, but I think it still deserves mentioning. I booked my son on a FF trip on Iberia just after the US Thanksgiving, as there was NOTHING availiable on BA to JNB or CPT for all of December.

The other option is SAA via JFK or ATL, which is for 80K Delta miles. I recommed JFK over ATL, as the latter is full of small children full of energy after a Dinsey holiday that tend to run up and down the aisles.



[This message has been edited by jtadman76 (edited 01-03-2002).]