GIG-LAX Award ticket advise please! (over New Years)
Oct 16, 2011, 10:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 522
GIG-LAX Award ticket advise please! (over New Years)
Hi Everyone
Trying to book 2 award seats in Biz or First Class from Rio to Los Angeles on Sunday Jan 8 (after new years). Obviously at the saver level.
Been searching CO.com and ExpertFlyer for months trying many routings through GRU, IAD, ORD, IAH and even Air Canada thru Toronto and TAM thru NYC and MIA. No luck.
All the Star Alliances airlines just seem to not release any Biz or First class seats out of Brasil for the first 3 weeks of January as it is so popular I guess after New Years. PErhaps something will open up as we get closer?
Any advice.... as for routings / airlines to score 2 seats?
I am Prem Exec now but will become 1K on Dec 28th, 2011 exactly 11 days before I am due to fly.... so perhaps I can wait list for a route (GIG-IAH-LAX on CO) and my IK status will help me clear closer to travel date?
Also have a lot of BA and AA miles and been searching for LAN or AA space but nothing there either! (AA would be a one stio through JFK, MIA or DFW) but LAN would have to go through Sao Paulo, then Lima then Santiago then LA - so less than ideal.
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Korean Air has First Class avail on Jan 7 - GRU-LAX nonstop - but I'd need 140,000 miles (70k each one way) and I only have 65,000 Chase which I could transfer to Korean.
So many options - none quite working.....!
Trying to book 2 award seats in Biz or First Class from Rio to Los Angeles on Sunday Jan 8 (after new years). Obviously at the saver level.
Been searching CO.com and ExpertFlyer for months trying many routings through GRU, IAD, ORD, IAH and even Air Canada thru Toronto and TAM thru NYC and MIA. No luck.
All the Star Alliances airlines just seem to not release any Biz or First class seats out of Brasil for the first 3 weeks of January as it is so popular I guess after New Years. PErhaps something will open up as we get closer?
Any advice.... as for routings / airlines to score 2 seats?
I am Prem Exec now but will become 1K on Dec 28th, 2011 exactly 11 days before I am due to fly.... so perhaps I can wait list for a route (GIG-IAH-LAX on CO) and my IK status will help me clear closer to travel date?
Also have a lot of BA and AA miles and been searching for LAN or AA space but nothing there either! (AA would be a one stio through JFK, MIA or DFW) but LAN would have to go through Sao Paulo, then Lima then Santiago then LA - so less than ideal.
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Korean Air has First Class avail on Jan 7 - GRU-LAX nonstop - but I'd need 140,000 miles (70k each one way) and I only have 65,000 Chase which I could transfer to Korean.
So many options - none quite working.....!
Oct 16, 2011, 3:58 pm
#2
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Hi Everyone
Trying to book 2 award seats in Biz or First Class from Rio to Los Angeles on Sunday Jan 8 (after new years). Obviously at the saver level.
Been searching CO.com and ExpertFlyer for months trying many routings through GRU, IAD, ORD, IAH and even Air Canada thru Toronto and TAM thru NYC and MIA. No luck.
All the Star Alliances airlines just seem to not release any Biz or First class seats out of Brasil for the first 3 weeks of January as it is so popular I guess after New Years. PErhaps something will open up as we get closer?
Any advice.... as for routings / airlines to score 2 seats?
I am Prem Exec now but will become 1K on Dec 28th, 2011 exactly 11 days before I am due to fly.... so perhaps I can wait list for a route (GIG-IAH-LAX on CO) and my IK status will help me clear closer to travel date?
Also have a lot of BA and AA miles and been searching for LAN or AA space but nothing there either! (AA would be a one stio through JFK, MIA or DFW) but LAN would have to go through Sao Paulo, then Lima then Santiago then LA - so less than ideal.
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Korean Air has First Class avail on Jan 7 - GRU-LAX nonstop - but I'd need 140,000 miles (70k each one way) and I only have 65,000 Chase which I could transfer to Korean.
So many options - none quite working.....!
Trying to book 2 award seats in Biz or First Class from Rio to Los Angeles on Sunday Jan 8 (after new years). Obviously at the saver level.
Been searching CO.com and ExpertFlyer for months trying many routings through GRU, IAD, ORD, IAH and even Air Canada thru Toronto and TAM thru NYC and MIA. No luck.
All the Star Alliances airlines just seem to not release any Biz or First class seats out of Brasil for the first 3 weeks of January as it is so popular I guess after New Years. PErhaps something will open up as we get closer?
Any advice.... as for routings / airlines to score 2 seats?
I am Prem Exec now but will become 1K on Dec 28th, 2011 exactly 11 days before I am due to fly.... so perhaps I can wait list for a route (GIG-IAH-LAX on CO) and my IK status will help me clear closer to travel date?
Also have a lot of BA and AA miles and been searching for LAN or AA space but nothing there either! (AA would be a one stio through JFK, MIA or DFW) but LAN would have to go through Sao Paulo, then Lima then Santiago then LA - so less than ideal.
Any advice greatly appreciated!
Korean Air has First Class avail on Jan 7 - GRU-LAX nonstop - but I'd need 140,000 miles (70k each one way) and I only have 65,000 Chase which I could transfer to Korean.
So many options - none quite working.....!
Also, CO does release some J award inventory on the EWR-GRU route but you will be on a 767-400 with pretty crappy J seats.
I would not waste my miles on UA F. The 777s flying to Brasil have the old F seats and many are in bad shape.
Oct 16, 2011, 7:30 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 522
JJ (TAM) sometimes releases 2 J award seats on routes such as MIA-GIG/GRU but seldom releases any F awards.
Also, CO does release some J award inventory on the EWR-GRU route but you will be on a 767-400 with pretty crappy J seats.
I would not waste my miles on UA F. The 777s flying to Brasil have the old F seats and many are in bad shape.
Also, CO does release some J award inventory on the EWR-GRU route but you will be on a 767-400 with pretty crappy J seats.
I would not waste my miles on UA F. The 777s flying to Brasil have the old F seats and many are in bad shape.
yes, CO flies the old Biz Class seats 767 from Brasil to both Houston and Newark. At least till July 2012 when theya re all due to be lie flat.
I've been searching for 5 months for Biz or F space from GIG or GRO to any US hub on Star and oneworld airlines. And nothing on Jan 8!
So I'll cash in UA miles even for a so so F if it opens up!
yes - thx! searched that one too.
Probably not what you are looking for product or city-wise but CM has saverpass C-seats available from both POA and MAO on your date.
Where do those Copa flights go to"?
Last edited by iluv2fly; Oct 16, 2011 at 11:41 pm Reason: merge
Oct 16, 2011, 7:43 pm
#6
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Oct 17, 2011, 4:26 pm
#7
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Op, in case you are not aware, January is a vacation month for Brazilians. It is summer. Kids are on a break from school until early February.The airlines know that and aren't going to be giving away award seats. You might get lucky at the last minute, but can you wait that long to firm up your plans?
Oct 17, 2011, 7:40 pm
#8
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Op, in case you are not aware, January is a vacation month for Brazilians. It is summer. Kids are on a break from school until early February.The airlines know that and aren't going to be giving away award seats. You might get lucky at the last minute, but can you wait that long to firm up your plans?
I have alerts set for 30 diff flights on expertflyer and if worse comes to worse will just book an Standard awards (double miles) a few days out if nothing opens up
Oct 17, 2011, 9:17 pm
#9
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You are looking at the peak of peak season, it's not impossible, but you need patience and luck.
Oct 18, 2011, 7:32 am
#10
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 522
Some do. Although a minority, there are many wealthy Brazilians. There are also many Americans who go to Rio to spend the new year. And also airlines may want to oversell Y rather than open up C/F award space.
You are looking at the peak of peak season, it's not impossible, but you need patience and luck.
You are looking at the peak of peak season, it's not impossible, but you need patience and luck.
yep i hear you - i know it is patience and luck alright.
i'm wait listed on CO flight in BusinessFirst GIG-IAH-LAX and come mid Noc I will be Platinum with CO so maybe that will help my chances
Last year my partner and I go an op-up upgrade from coach to the new biz class on United from GIG-IAD - and we were on award fix!
so you are right - clearly they oversell coach
Oct 18, 2011, 3:11 pm
#11
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I've been doing the IAD-GRU/GIG trip on UA every month for almost 4 years and almost always see kids in F or C and wonder how they managed that and I'm back in E+ since I'm on my own dime. And nowadays, like iwillflytheworld said, there are many wealthy Brazilians. And some of the kids/spouses might be using SWUs to upgrade as around that time, UA generally doesn't make the lower non qualifying SWU fares available for purchase.
Oct 18, 2011, 3:35 pm
#12
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Try routing through Europe, see if co.com gives you an option there!
I was looking at an HKG-NYC itinerary, and co.com gave me a valid award ticket option of HKG-JNB-JFK on SA. My jaw did drop!
I was looking at an HKG-NYC itinerary, and co.com gave me a valid award ticket option of HKG-JNB-JFK on SA. My jaw did drop!
Oct 19, 2011, 1:23 am
#13
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