Hello,

I have an RTW in C starting next week with two really long segments:

1. ORD-HKG on UA (duration: 15:48)

2. BKK-FRA on LH (duration: 11:15)

I am thinking about upgrading one of these flights to 1st class using Miles & More miles. There are two of us, so the upgrade would cost 2x45k on the UA flight and 2x65k on the LH flight.

The question is, which one should I upgrade? I am very familiar with the LH long-haul C and F experience, and also quite familiar with UA's long-haul C and short-haul F, but haven't flown UA in first on an intercontinental flight.

I would lean towards upgrading the very very long UA flight, but if their long-haul F product is anything like their intra-USA F then it's simply not worth it.

A big benefit of upgrading the LH flight would be the use of the F terminal upon arrival in FRA. (We have a 3-hour layover in FRA so we could make good use of the time, especially after an 11-hour fight.)

Any advice?

TIA

International UA F bears no relationship to domestic F. They have suites that are long in the tooth but convert to true-flat beds. Food and bev not a huge improvement from international C. (No Dom or Krug.) I think if you can sleep in the UA C cradle seat it's not worth it; if like me you need a flat bed to sleep then it it probably is.

Have you consdidered rebooking your BKK-FRA segment on TG? You can upgrade for cash on the day of departure for about 20,000 baht (about 500 USD). TG is reconfiguring their aircrafts, not sure if BKK-FRA has new cabins but I've flown old style TG first and it's not bad with flat seats and plenty of Dom. (You wouldn't be able to use the LH first lounge I guess but you'd save a bunch of miles.) New style is supposed to be quite nice with excellent IFE.

Reissue Tickets if mileage permits:
ORD-SFO on UA (Use a 747 or 777 equipment ... the domesric flights have international seat configuration)
SFO-HKG on SQ

My personal opinion is that SQ C(especially upper deck) better than UA F.

Gents,

Thanks for the advice. I neglected to say that this RTW also serves as a mileage run for LH's HON circle, so I'd need to stick with LH and other HON-compatible airlines (like UA until April 1st) as much as possible. As much as I'd like to try TG or SQ, I can't.

The UA 1st class seats are quite tempting. There are photos on airliners.net - while calling them "suites" is an overstatement they do indeed look very comfortable. Therein lies part of the problem: I am traveling with a lady friend and we would *almost* sit in C next to each other rather than fly solo in those beds. On the other hand, it is a 16-hour flight, and the upgrade is substantially cheaper at 2x45k miles than with Lufthansa.

A bit more down-to-earth:

I called LH and asked about 1st class upgrade availability for the BKK-FRA flight - they had to waitlist me but my chances are "very good" apparently. I guess that means no current availability but a low number of paid reservations.

I also asked about upgrading the UA segment. It would take them 48 hours just to get an answer on the availability from UA, then they'd have to issue and mail me an upgrade voucher valid for that particular segment. Given that my trip will be underway a week from today, it would mean we'd be cutting things very close.

If you know someone with UA miles, the upgrade is only 30k per person and no upgrade cert needed.

I don't how flexibe you are in the whole mileage allowance. ORD-HKG will be less miles than a connection ORD-SFO-HKG on UA.

ORD-HKG 7782 for total status miles 17509

ORD-SFO 1855
SFO-HKG 6889
Total 8744 for total status miles 19674

Regarding the upgrades, since not enough time to get the cert in the mail, yes, you are okay in UA C. And hopefully since this month is a pretty busy month for UA flyers, hopefully you are lucky and getting op-ups especially on SFO-HKG which are always full in Y and C.

The upgrades BKK-FRA on LH would be great. If you have a connection in FRA, by having arrived on LH F, you can use the F Lounge for your connection, which is a very good thing for that early 6am arrival in FRA.

Good thinking on ORD-SFO-HKG (esp. since we'd probably get to sit in domestic 1st class on ORD-SFO) but I only have about 300 miles left from the 29k. (Only non-HON flight is TG HKG-BKK. ) Also, I have _paper_ tickets mailed by the agency in Zagreb so last minute changes are probably out of question.

We can always hope for an operational upgrade, but I somehow doubt that a LH *G would get that kind of treatment from UA, especially with a non-status companion in tow. I mean, they'd probably upgrade their own frequent flyers first.

As for getting someone with UA miles to upgrade us: this sounds great, actually. I have a few people I can ask if it's not too much hassle. Can they just call UA, tell them our booking code and that's it?

Are you stopping in HKG? If not, may be you could max UA segments by doing:
ORD-NRT 6294
NRT-BKK 2849
Total 9143

instead of

ORD-HKG 7782
HKG-BKK 1063 (TG segment)
Total 8845

Using up your last 300 mileage allowance, but you are gaining at least 2500 HON status miles.

Note: my mileage info is from OAG which usually overestimate when planning RTW.

Unfortunately, it is somewhat of a hassle beyond that. They can confirm the upgrade (or waitlist) that way. But before your flight segment, they need to go to the airport or a United ticketing office to sign a blue authorization form. The only exception to this is if you and the other person have the same last name. This may or may not be a big deal depending on how far they're located from an airport (not sure if subcontracted stations can handle this sort of thing--you may want to confirm the details with UA first) and how soon your ORD-HKG leg on UA is.

This will work with certs, but I am not so sure about with miles. Might want to check with the UA forum on that one, but I believe miles can be used only for yourself, or somebody on the same itinerary.

As for the initial decision, go with LH F. You have laid out several very good reasons "for" and only one small one "against"--the miles. But the LH F terminal in itself is probably worth a premium of that many miles, and when you factor in the difference between LH F and UA F, I think it's the right choice. (and the suites really aren't that close together in UA F--you two will be happier in C )

Hi All,

Interesting reading, this...sorry to interrupt the proceedings but:

I was searching on the LH board for any postings/FAQ's on LH's HON circle, and how to achieve same, with no results.

Does anyone know if there is a thread for this?

I am debating whether to join LH's FF program, or use UA's (just joined, but they only matched with *S!)

Thanks!

See The how to upgrade on *A carriers thread (link is in the sticky *A useful reference links).

HON is LH's top tier - to qualify need 600,000 HON Circle miles within 2 years, and HON Circle miles can only be earned on LH, LO, OS, OU, JP, AC, LX (and until also 31 March UA).

For more info please search the LH forum - there are plenty of threads on this.

Definitely not true. I just upgraded someone with miles on an itinerary I'm not traveling on.