Help! Step-by-Step: How to book a Star Alliance award ticket with Miles & Smiles
Mar 8, 2015, 10:07 am
#46
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 109
Booking Domestic UA Award Using TK Miles
I'm a United Gold member and I'm trying to book an award ticket on United using my M&S miles. According to UA, there is availability, but I can't find anywhere on the TK website explaining how I can book a United award ticket. Can anyone advise how to do this? Do I call the general TK reservation line? Do I have to fax in a request?
Mar 8, 2015, 1:30 pm
#47
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: ZRH / YUL
Programs: UA, TK, Starwood > Marriott, Hilton, Accor
Posts: 7,295
It's complicated. Continue in this thread regarding the use of M&S miles for Star Alliance rewards (UA or other carrier).
Mar 10, 2015, 3:12 pm
#48
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DUB-BOS
Programs: various
Posts: 3,690
Anyone manage to book a domestic US flight under the new chart?
It looks like I should be able to get a Y return with UA for 20k. Does this allow for booking connecting flights?
Are stopovers allowed?
Any other restrictions to be aware of, apart from the ticket office nonsense?
It looks like I should be able to get a Y return with UA for 20k. Does this allow for booking connecting flights?
Are stopovers allowed?
Any other restrictions to be aware of, apart from the ticket office nonsense?
Mar 15, 2015, 1:47 am
#50
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: HEL
Programs: *G, used to be with TK but left due to their corruption and political ties
Posts: 4,406
Mar 15, 2015, 5:17 pm
#51
Join Date: Feb 2012
Programs: Avis Chm, LM Boomielatinum
Posts: 131
TK call center reps are just hilarious, i can almost write a book about it.
Todays brainstorm was when i called up to book J on OS, apparently OS doesn't release to TK, agent suggested i call up OS and ask them to just make me an award booking without paying for it, than call go down to my local TK office with the ref code given by OS to complete the booking and pay with my M&S
Another agent who kept putting me on hold said he cant see OS availability but he can offer me a DL, yes a Delta ??? award flight. I said sure book that for me, agent went through the whole process of passport no. etc until finally the phone got cut off, when i called back saying i wanna speak to that agent again they said no, but he asked what the issue is, i had to keep myself from laughing when i told him what the previous agent did, he put me on 3 min hold, comes back sayin Delta is not part of *A .....
Then he asked me angerly why i need award on partner when i can fly with TK metal [duh... ] i said oh, i didn't know you actually fly plans, anyway he waitlisted me on a TK flight although that same inventory pulls up and is bookable on UA website without waitlist.
Waitlist came with a strict 4 day limit although flight is in a month.
I think TK call center is becoming my go-to place when i'll need some free humor. maybe that's why they're called the best airline in Europe....
Todays brainstorm was when i called up to book J on OS, apparently OS doesn't release to TK, agent suggested i call up OS and ask them to just make me an award booking without paying for it, than call go down to my local TK office with the ref code given by OS to complete the booking and pay with my M&S
Another agent who kept putting me on hold said he cant see OS availability but he can offer me a DL, yes a Delta ??? award flight. I said sure book that for me, agent went through the whole process of passport no. etc until finally the phone got cut off, when i called back saying i wanna speak to that agent again they said no, but he asked what the issue is, i had to keep myself from laughing when i told him what the previous agent did, he put me on 3 min hold, comes back sayin Delta is not part of *A .....
Then he asked me angerly why i need award on partner when i can fly with TK metal [duh... ] i said oh, i didn't know you actually fly plans, anyway he waitlisted me on a TK flight although that same inventory pulls up and is bookable on UA website without waitlist.
Waitlist came with a strict 4 day limit although flight is in a month.
I think TK call center is becoming my go-to place when i'll need some free humor. maybe that's why they're called the best airline in Europe....
Mar 16, 2015, 2:11 pm
#52
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: HEL
Programs: AY, SK, TK
Posts: 7,601
TK call center reps are just hilarious, i can almost write a book about it.
Todays brainstorm was when i called up to book J on OS, apparently OS doesn't release to TK, agent suggested i call up OS and ask them to just make me an award booking without paying for it, than call go down to my local TK office with the ref code given by OS to complete the booking and pay with my M&S
Another agent who kept putting me on hold said he cant see OS availability but he can offer me a DL, yes a Delta ??? award flight. I said sure book that for me, agent went through the whole process of passport no. etc until finally the phone got cut off, when i called back saying i wanna speak to that agent again they said no, but he asked what the issue is, i had to keep myself from laughing when i told him what the previous agent did, he put me on 3 min hold, comes back sayin Delta is not part of *A .....
Then he asked me angerly why i need award on partner when i can fly with TK metal [duh... ] i said oh, i didn't know you actually fly plans, anyway he waitlisted me on a TK flight although that same inventory pulls up and is bookable on UA website without waitlist.
Waitlist came with a strict 4 day limit although flight is in a month.
I think TK call center is becoming my go-to place when i'll need some free humor. maybe that's why they're called the best airline in Europe....
Todays brainstorm was when i called up to book J on OS, apparently OS doesn't release to TK, agent suggested i call up OS and ask them to just make me an award booking without paying for it, than call go down to my local TK office with the ref code given by OS to complete the booking and pay with my M&S
Another agent who kept putting me on hold said he cant see OS availability but he can offer me a DL, yes a Delta ??? award flight. I said sure book that for me, agent went through the whole process of passport no. etc until finally the phone got cut off, when i called back saying i wanna speak to that agent again they said no, but he asked what the issue is, i had to keep myself from laughing when i told him what the previous agent did, he put me on 3 min hold, comes back sayin Delta is not part of *A .....
Then he asked me angerly why i need award on partner when i can fly with TK metal [duh... ] i said oh, i didn't know you actually fly plans, anyway he waitlisted me on a TK flight although that same inventory pulls up and is bookable on UA website without waitlist.
Waitlist came with a strict 4 day limit although flight is in a month.
I think TK call center is becoming my go-to place when i'll need some free humor. maybe that's why they're called the best airline in Europe....
Apr 30, 2015, 1:30 am
#55
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: perth
Programs: SPG(LTG), QANTAS gold, Korean, Accor Plat
Posts: 1,500
Last week I tried to book an award ticket from TK. Wanted to fly Xian to Seoul. Looked up ANA site and saw seat availability in economy on one partner and business on another. Rang up Turkish as have points expiring this year and the one way fare is high in cash terms for a 2 hour flight.
They could only get business class so as I was going to lose the points thought may as well spend them as my main reason for being with Turkish is the easy gold status. So booked the business class ticket and they had wrong date, so rang up again and asked if there was economy on the correct date. They said no so asked them to change the date.
I had 4 other tickets to book on same day. Rang up SQ where I have a lot of points sitting. They had seats available in economy for a flight leaving 2 hrs earlier. Unfortunately SQ require you to nominate the award persons in advance so I had only nominated 2 out of the four required. Booked them anyway then after I completed the nomination process went to book the other 2. Of course no more seats on that flight but had another option of a flight leaving earlier with a stopover that got in after the other two flights. So booked that, arriving at same time wasn't a big priority. All the incidental charges paid over the phone with a points deduction only 5000 more than my business award.
Problem with the Turkish booking was the incidental charges and ticketing needs to be done at a Turkish or the partner office. I was 1000 km away from either. So the booking expired. It happened though I was travelling again and would be near an office so rang up and tried to book again. Asked again about economy seats and told none. So booked a business class same as before. Same as before they put wrong date on the booking and had to ring again and change but forgot this time to ask if economy was available on the correct day.
So arrived at the Turkish office. Said I wanted to ticket an award booking for a partner airline. I got a blank stare. They had no idea how to do it, asked me to return in 2 hrs. Went back after 2 hrs and they told me how much it would cost, I gave my credit card and they deducted the money. Then they went to ticket it, half an hour later they asked for the credit card back. They took it credited the fee back and said we cant ticket this.
Huh? They said come back next week which of course I couldn't as was travelling to the countryside. I insisted they ring up their award line to find out how they could do the ticketing. They were just as clueless. In the end I left with no ticket, now my booking has been cancelled and no more award seats are available so I have had to purchase a ticket.
So you can only book a partner award by going to an office to pay but the office has no clue as to completing it and neither does their head office help line. I have made a written complaint and a phone complaint.
I generally am pretty scathing about SQ award tickets as the cash cost for SQ redemptions are usually larger than many discount fares but booking a partner award is like being in a dream compared to the nightmare of TK.
They could only get business class so as I was going to lose the points thought may as well spend them as my main reason for being with Turkish is the easy gold status. So booked the business class ticket and they had wrong date, so rang up again and asked if there was economy on the correct date. They said no so asked them to change the date.
I had 4 other tickets to book on same day. Rang up SQ where I have a lot of points sitting. They had seats available in economy for a flight leaving 2 hrs earlier. Unfortunately SQ require you to nominate the award persons in advance so I had only nominated 2 out of the four required. Booked them anyway then after I completed the nomination process went to book the other 2. Of course no more seats on that flight but had another option of a flight leaving earlier with a stopover that got in after the other two flights. So booked that, arriving at same time wasn't a big priority. All the incidental charges paid over the phone with a points deduction only 5000 more than my business award.
Problem with the Turkish booking was the incidental charges and ticketing needs to be done at a Turkish or the partner office. I was 1000 km away from either. So the booking expired. It happened though I was travelling again and would be near an office so rang up and tried to book again. Asked again about economy seats and told none. So booked a business class same as before. Same as before they put wrong date on the booking and had to ring again and change but forgot this time to ask if economy was available on the correct day.
So arrived at the Turkish office. Said I wanted to ticket an award booking for a partner airline. I got a blank stare. They had no idea how to do it, asked me to return in 2 hrs. Went back after 2 hrs and they told me how much it would cost, I gave my credit card and they deducted the money. Then they went to ticket it, half an hour later they asked for the credit card back. They took it credited the fee back and said we cant ticket this.
Huh? They said come back next week which of course I couldn't as was travelling to the countryside. I insisted they ring up their award line to find out how they could do the ticketing. They were just as clueless. In the end I left with no ticket, now my booking has been cancelled and no more award seats are available so I have had to purchase a ticket.
So you can only book a partner award by going to an office to pay but the office has no clue as to completing it and neither does their head office help line. I have made a written complaint and a phone complaint.
I generally am pretty scathing about SQ award tickets as the cash cost for SQ redemptions are usually larger than many discount fares but booking a partner award is like being in a dream compared to the nightmare of TK.
May 1, 2015, 3:02 am
#58
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: BA Gold, TP Silver
Posts: 888
May 1, 2015, 5:31 am
#59
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: perth
Programs: SPG(LTG), QANTAS gold, Korean, Accor Plat
Posts: 1,500
It seems as though the process is to ensure you cant book award tickets period. Not sure that is an acceptable approach as that is a requirement of being in the alliance. They must have a workable system for booking partner awards.
May 2, 2015, 9:21 am
#60
Join Date: Nov 2005
Programs: BA Gold, TP Silver
Posts: 888
It is workable - as long as you go to the ticket office.