CPH-Flyer

Still works fine for me, with the link from the OP in this thread. The Norwegian entry point

fassy

For me, I can't log into my EuroBonus account at all. Not just for the Star Alliance award search.

Ok, .se and .dk are broken. .no works.

AStarr

I always had bizarre login discrepancies using the different sites. It's profoundly annoying.

For whatever reason, the link to the English site from that guy's article does not seem to take me anywhere - it doesn't even pop up as an address for me to plug in manually if I hover over it (though my mouse changes to show that it is a hyperlink?) I tried it on both my Mac and my Chromebook and my phone... nothing.

Then, attempting to try to search using the .no or .dk sites, it keeps asking for my login and then claiming my credentials are wrong (they aren't). They work on the English version of the site. Can't find the English version of this while logged in to even try it out.

Don't know if that's a better explanation of my experience so far with this.

I'll just keep using the United site to look for stuff... though that's showing some phantom availability for SAS it seems - because some dates/routes I checked (and would like) are not available on the SAS booking engine. I can book SAS awards pretty seemlessly but nothing else with Star Alliance carriers. So. Meh.

(Did manage to score a desperately needed one way return flight from Miami to London in September in business so that was niiiiiice)

Mapttn

I just run into handy-looking online tool for searching Eurobonus partner award tickets.

It seems to find the availability quite nicely, but it seems to be missing the first class awards entirely. I wasn't sure at first since I was searching for some limited availability long-haul flights, but then my suspicious got much stronger as I wasn't able to find any USA domestic first class flights either.

Is it somehow known issue? Has anybody successfully found any first class availability with that tool?

alibi

The tool is a great improvement, but still lacks first class (has been discussed on other sites too). I use United's search first and then confirm with SAS.

fassy

True, also note that LH only makes F available 14 days before departure, LX and SQ doesn't release F awards to partner programs at all which limits the search to the US anyway. As far as I know, since May 18, UA doesn't sell Global First anymore after the switch over to Polaris. UA Global First was poor for a F product anyway, so not sad about that.

Realistially, this only leaves LH F. And there you got the 14 days restriction. I was always able to get a 7 to 12 days vacation in LH F confirmed as I'm very flexible where to go and when but SFO, LAX, MIA, CLT and ATL are very hard to get. NYC, IAD, BOS and ORD are not that bad.

As alibi said, use the United webpage, AC webpage or the KVS Tool (best with the AC account). In my experience you can always get flights confirmed with EuroBonus if they are available via AC (or KVS) and in 90% of times with UA.

Not sure where you live, but often it helps for the F award on LH to book HAM/HAJ/DUS/TXL/STR-US. Lufthansa often enough releases HAM-US while the individual segments HAM-FRA/HAM-MUC and FRA-US/MUS-US are not available. Then just add a feeder flight from CPH/ARN/OSL or wherever you live to HAM/HAJ/DUS/TXL/STR

Just to make sure you know: US domestic First != International First. Domestic first is more like Business class.

Mapttn

Thank you fassy for a comprehensive reply.

Yes, I am aware of these restrictions for F awards. I actually checked from Expertflyer the availability for LH in O class in general for a certain flight in few days, then the partner award availability from UA website and only then checked SK tool only to find out that the availability is not there. After playing around for a while, I specifically decided to check if I can find any award availability for US domestic first flights with the SK tool and I didn't, which lead me into conclusion that somehow the tool is missing all awards ticketed as "First" no matter International or US domestic.

Finally thanks for the tip about HAM/HAJ/DUS/TXL/STR.

fassy

For HAM, another good tip is that you can book a transfer (not a stop over!!!) of up to 24 hrs. E.g. in July we found a flight HAM-JFK on the 3rd, but couldn't make it from CPH in time to get the HAM-MUC flight. Not a problem adding the CPH-HAM for the 2nd in the afternoon. Had a nice dinner in Hamburg (my local recommendation is the "Positano", 20 minutes by S1 and U1 plus 5 mins walking from HAM, absolutely needs a reservation....) and crash in the Radisson Airport (44k Radisson Reward points) or Courtyard by Marriot (15k marriot points) for the night.

That's what I love about Hamburg (and I know it best of all bigger German cities, since I lived there for 2 years), the airport is close to the city and it is not a problem to use public transportation to have a quick trip to city center and back. (Just make sure not to stay on S1 from the aiport, get out at Ohlsdorf and siwtch over to the subway U1 down to central down down. Avoid 45 minutes ride on the east bank of the Alster.)

For the flight back from HAM to any Nordic capital the midday/afternoon flights work pretty well.

aju

Well, you do have some other choices in first. From my experience, booking Asiana is quite easy in first. They (at least last year) had loads of availability europe-Seoul. I booked a first class trip with companion ticket from myself and my husband to Seoul. We wanted to have a confirmed booking in advance, but also wanted to try Lufthansa first in order to try the Lufthansa first class lounges as well as Asiana first.

We ended up booking Oslo-Frankfurt-Seoul-Frankfurt-Oslo with Asiana first class three months in advance. Two weeks before departure we rang up customer service and was booked on Lufthansa first Oslo-Frankfurt-Seoul, but kept Asiana for the return flight. That way we got two different companies' home base first class lounges. Hadn't we ended up with Lufthansa on the outward journey, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to visit the first class lounge in Frankfurt.

From the back of my mind, I can think of seven international first class carriers in Star Alliance:

• Air China (based on reviews, flying first on them isn't worth it)
• Air India (same as above, but new seats are soon arriving?)
• ANA (dying to try them)
• Asiana
• Lufthansa (releases F tickets 14 days in advance)
• Singapore Airlines (only SQ and SAS for first class awards if I remember correctly?)
• SWISS (only Lufthansa group award redemption if I remember correctly?)
• THAI
• United (though, terminating first class due to Polaris I seem to remember having read)

Jainzar

I think since this year you can get SQ F on CPH - SIN but still not in general.

Nick Art

Only M*M Elites (Senators and HON (both *G)) can book LX F Class award seats.
LX F seats are like a jackpot to hit when you can reserve them without being LX/LH/OS *G.

AStarr

I was able to check the inventory from the .no site accurately today. I can't book from it online - still have to call in. But I was able to do so without any pain or major hassles or issues (aside from the 30 minute wait time... but... mreh it's summer, I'm literally trying to waste time in the US right now so not too big of a deal for me personally but others may differ).

From what I could tell, it does show some similar availability to what United shows but also not - and I know United has this history of inaccuracies which I've come across myself when chasing down SAS award flights lately.

Anyways, I lucked out, got to rebook an interesting flight I needed (my recent long haul flights have been... uhm, complicated to book and rebook). Maybe I'll get to keep this one?

fassy

AStarr

Alright then. So they release a bunch of SAS flights for United members that SAS members cannot book? Because they had several listed that SAS wasn't showing the other day.

This just seems weird to me. I've heard they often show availability when there isn't any. I could very well be wrong (and I'm totally okay with being wrong).

rava.stuff

Hey, I hope I'm not off-topic, but if I book a Star Alliance award flight online, can I change it online as well? What are the fees?

The Eurobonus fine print says:
2.25 A service fee will be charged for cancellations or changes of Star Alliance award tickets.

But I could not find out how much this fee will be. Thanks!