Over the past few months since I joined FT, I've come across quite a few posts pointing out how difficult it is to get flight awards.

I've never experienced any real trouble getting flight awards (NW, UA, CO) originating in Tokyo. I should point out that these awards have always been for destinations in Asia (I find this a more efficient use of points), and so have never requested an award to the US (other than Hawaii). So, I guess I haven't had to compete with Stateside FF's for awards.

Could this easier availability of awards be because Asian residents are not yet as "mileage-conscious" as those in America, and so there is not as great a demand for awards? It's only in the past few years that I've noticed that credit cards and airlines here in Japan are starting to offer airline miles and flights as rewards instead of/in addition to the usual handkerchiefs, keychains, clocks, etc. (Actually I find most of the Japanese credit cards companies still only offer these items for your points.)

Has anyone else found it as easy, or more difficult, to get awards here in Asia?

I don't think it's easier per se; if a given flight has 3 open seats in I class, that's the way the ball bounces, regardless of from where you book. In fact, it maybe slightly easier to pull of magic stateside because CSRs can call inventory mgmt while you wait or you can do so yourself (as opposed to sending an easy to ignore telex). On the other hand, I've found that Asian CTOs and res offices are more willing to bend the rules (e.g. put pax on sold out flights) once travel has commenced. Furthermore, in the case of NW, the Asian web sites have a more powerful booking engine than the US counterpart. On a few occsasions, I've been able to book flights on the Chinese site that don't show up on the US site at all, but this says more about the US site's limitations than availability itself.

[This message has been edited by moondog (edited Jan 03, 2004).]

I find it incredibly difficult to get seats in any class with NW in Asia. Its generally ok if you fly one leg (as you would from Tokyo) but if you have to connect its another matter.

As for SQ, TG, CX, UA its all good from HKG...generally very easy. I suppose in Japan the mileage awareness thing is just beginning but in HKG and SIN (plus OZ), everybody is elite level.

TMK NW awards are only valid on city pairs for which NW publishes fares. Since the vast majority of these include NRT, there are VERY few intra-Asia options on NW that allow for connections. In other words, PVG-NRT-MNL counts as a RT rather than a connection. If you want to return, you need to fork over an additional 20K miles.

I've had good luck getting saver awards on CO SPN/GUM-NRT and NW SPN-NRT, although I've been flexible with my dates, and due to the overall difficulty in spending my hoard of CO miles, have used award tickets where I probably should have just purchased a ticket ($450 RT x 4).

CO SPN/GUM-MNL has been considerably more difficult. I basically cancelled my 2002 summer vacation because of almost no availability throughout the summer from ten months out onward. (!)

The only way I've gotten to MNL has been waiting to within two weeks, when award availability opens up and CO can then charge you an extra $75 for "waiting until the last minute." The new non-stop SPN-MNL flights operating Tuesdays and Thursdays at least through March generally still have award availability.

I hear other CO flights out of GUM, such as to DPS, HKG, and CNS have had seats reasonably available. I don't know about GUM-YAP-ROR or the island hopper.

UA has a NH code-share GUM-NRT that I'm interested in trying out.

Overall, my answer to the thread topic query would be "yes."


[This message has been edited by SPN Lifer (edited Jan 03, 2004).]

My experience in getting NW intra-Asia awards has also been very bad. If you can originate from NRT and have date flexibility (i.e. can book inside the 3-week window), your odds might be OK, but just try getting from BKK to anywhere through NRT.

They did slip up in 2003 at the height of the SARS thing and, with great difficulty, I was able to book BKK-NRT-GUM-CNS and vice versa as a CO elite. They were apparenly so mad that someone actually did that that 3 months later CO created a special award category and doubled the miles required.

As for CO, luck has been better there, but generally only on CO-only itineraries unless it's to/from NRT (in which case you might get a single NW segment thrown in). But if you're in NW-only markets like BKK, you're hard pressed to get much at all. And with DL weak in Asia and adding its own people wanting flights, the situation for U.S.-Asia trips just gets worse.

Thanks for the responses, everyone. As all my award flights (NW or otherwise) originate from NRT, I've never had the opportunity to take an intra-Asian flight connecting through NRT on NW. From your comments, it looks to be pretty difficult. Still have no problems with booking award flights from here. In fact, I'm on my way to GUM on CO at the end of March.

And SPN Lifer, about that UA - NH code-share GUM-NRT you're interested in trying out, I love NH (except for their mileage program), but NH's GUM-NRT flight is not one I would want to take. Lv GUM 0525, Arr NRT 0800; Lv NRT 2200, Arr GUM 0225. Not my kind of schedule. On the bright side, in my searches over these past few years I've noticed that the fares are usually cheaper than the other flights offered (NW, CO, JAL), and there are always more open seats.

My experience has been that I could get standard WorldPerks awards without difficulty online on NW for NRT-SIN (20K coach)and NRT-BKK (35K coach). I Could not get business class. However, for NRT-KUL I had to call NW because I could not book it online. The agent had to put in a request to Malaysia airline for business class (30K)which was available. The problem with the NRT to KUL flights on Malaysia airline is that the last flight out of NRT departs before or just around NW or AA arrival in late afternoon/evening. So you cannot connect the same day. Also for the return from KUL to NRT, the earliest flight on Malaysia airline arrives too late to make a same day connection on either NW or AA. If you plan to spend the night in NRT then it works out fine for either airline.

[This message has been edited by MyDearMiles (edited Jan 07, 2004).]

[This message has been edited by MyDearMiles (edited Jan 07, 2004).]