Multiple Carrier award rules
 

Brand new to Star Alliance: all my miles are in US (DM).

I downloaded and printed the *A schedule (all 240 pages!) and there's a lot of interesting routes in there. Before I go all wobbly fantasizing, just what are the rules:

1. If I want to go from, say, city A to city C and the route is A-B-C, what are the restrictions on whose metal I have to fly on? Ideally, of course, I'd like to use whatever carrier was convenient, but I don't believe it could be that loosey-goosey.

2. No matter what carrier(s) I select, I'd have to make the arrangements with US 'cuz that's where my miles are, right?

3. Since US is relatively new to *A (and they have other troubles, too), what has people's experience been so far in working out awards with US res personnel?

Thank you all in advance.

Since you mentioned both miles and awards, I'll assume you're talking about redeeming a Star Alliance award with US.

As far as I know, but you should be verifying the specific rules with Dividend Miles, but in general if you're going on a Star award you must:

a) use more than one Star carrier. So if you book a flight pair on UA, say NYC-LHR-NYC, you'll be under the US-UA rules, rather than the Star rules: NYC-LHR/UA, LHR-FRA-NYC/LH would be a Star award

b) awards must be on the most direct routing between two city pairs you want, so for example, you shouldn't be allowed to do NYC-LAX-LHR, but you could go NYC-FRA-LHR since in transits a Star hub in an permissible routing between NYC and LHR.

c) You will find that you will be more limited by airline award availability than the "rules" about which carrier you can have. For example, you might want to try SQ for NYC-FRA, but LH may only have seats in the appriate class. Obviously if both carriers have availability then you be able to choose.

d) In general, Star awards within regions (eg: North America is a region, Europe is a region, etc) do NOT allow stopovers, however awards BETWEEN regions do, however the stopover usually needs to, again, be on the permissible routing between the points you want. And you can't have a stopover in another region (eg: you couldn't go LAX-SIN-FRA on one award).

Hope this helps as a starter....

First and foremost, welcome to *A!

Next, you should go to the *A website and download the *A timetable. Much easy than the 240 pages you printed out.

Now, as for the rules.... They varry a bit by carrier. Rule of thumb is that "most direct routing" applies, though you may be able to work around this.

I was able to get a ticket as one award that had this routing:

LAX-NRT-BKK (NH, F)
Destination
BKK-PVG (TG, C)
Stopover
PVG-NRT (NH, C)
Under 24 hour overnight connection
NRT-SFO-LAX (UA, F)

I got another ticket like this:
LAX-FRA (LH, F)
Under 24 hour overnight connection
FRA-TLV (LH,C)
Destination
TLV-FRA-CDG (LH, C)
Stopover
CDG-SFO-LAX (UA,F)

Bumping up this old thread with a question. How do you determine premissible routing?

I am trying to burn my US miles and at one point was trying to do DFW-ORD-LHR(stopover)-CDG(final destination)-PHL-DFW. 1st agent said ok but was not prepared to book then, and subsequent agents have said that LHR is not in the routing. UA does not blink if I want to book this as an award, so I do not understand what US's issue is.

Currently, looking at DFW-ORD-LHR(stopover)-VIE(final destination)-IAD-DFW, but am assuming that I will be told the same thing by US.

BillJ

Well my boyfriend was just able to reserve the VIE trip with the LHR stopover with US. Took a little bit of doing, but was able to get it done. Must be me I guess.

BillJ

Routings and rules of this sort are determined by each member carrier, not *A as a whole, so you'd be better off asking that question in the US forum.