SoCalGal14

I am trying to get two business class seats w miles back from Copenhagen to LAX in early June 2012. Have been calling United since last Sept and there is hardly anything and if anything it is for one not two. Some of the flights go the other way thru China which is a ridiculous amount of time - does anyone have any ideas of city pairs i can use or tips on how to get? i got the fight outbound to BCN on Lufthansa pretty quickly /easily but the return has been a nightmare. I even tried AMS to LAX assuming i'd get off the ship 3 days early but that was not good either. From CPH there is no UA - just partner airlines which is ok - they have economy but no business - should i just suck it up and take economy or does anyone think it will get any better? thanks for your tips - i am new to Flyer talk to pls spell out any acronyms !

rankourabu

check continental.com - should be easy to book something.

Transfer your United miles. Book online.

Welcome to FT!

cesco.g

Welcome to FT, SCG14!

Not sure of what/any eilite status you do have. In case it is 1K, you could grab the one available seat and move for the second seat from there. Whatever turns up, you can change/cancel as you need - again, provided you re 1K or GS.

SoCalGal14

thanks both repliers to my question - i was Prem last year so not 1K and normally in Jan they would offer me a deal to buy miles to get to next level if i was close - i am close to Prem Exec Silver but alas no email to get there w $$ ...or at least not yet - maybe they will offer in March when the current status extension expires - i will try that on Continental though.

omegadeal

You can also use the (paid) expertflyer.com website to check for inventory. I booked a European vacation this week using miles and can tell you I checked just about every route from the US to Europe from September to October and was only able to find one that had two business class seats available. Getting saver awards in business in the summer is pretty difficult.

FlyerChrisK

Without straying too far off topic, before you shell out an arm and a leg for premier silver, verify that it's actually worth it to you given the massive cuts that have happened to it.

nic3456

Any idea on why this particular day wouldn't have any saver passes? There are only 1-2 days/month where this occurs.

What's interesting is the flight I was looking at is literally 9% full (11/120). I realize its still 2 months away, but this is crimping my plans

I have a flight booked from DEN-HNL on this day is it possible to get waitlisted for a Saver ticket for a DFW-DEN portion (I was reading something about this on CO.com, but don't fully understand)

sbm12

Why? Because they can.

As for the waitlist, after you are confirmed on the flights you want call in and ask to have the additional segment added as a waitlist. You cannot waitlist online but you can do it. You might have to wait until after the 3rd to waitlist UA metal flights; I think that might not be possible yet. But it can be done.

nic3456

Thanks - so if I waitlist, but it never comes through would I still have to pay the $25/ticket booking fee?

Also, if I booked DEN-HNL for a 40K saver and then add the DFW-DEN segment would the DFW-DEN segment cost me more miles or will it be free? (assuming a Saver opens up)

Often1

Capacity today means nothing. UA (like all carriers) has sophsiticated software which tracks historical patterns, local events and other factors and then determines the likeluhood that however many seats are left will be sold and at what fare buckets.

I have no idea why this particular date fares the way it does, but it may be that it traditionally sells at the last minute, there is a major event in one city or the other, or UA is considering cancelling another flight on that route and needs to hold availability until a decision is made.

Lastly, how do you know how many seats have been sold? If you are looking at KVS, that's one thing, but if it's UA's seat map, all that means is that 11 seats have been selected. Could well be a large group is booked and the tour operator hasn't yet done seat assignments.

qmacker

It seems to me that loyalty to any airline is simply a waste of time. The only thing having a pile of miles has ever done for me has got me into an airline lounge now and again. Big deal.

With United, it seems impossible to actually use your miles. I've never been able to redeem anything - ever. Nothing is available. I'm a very busy person. Why waste my precious time looking? I can EARN THE MONEY to pay for a flight in the endless hours wasted trying calibrate my searches.

I just don't see the point. You lock yourself into a particular airline (maybe missing out on a better deal on another at times) in the vain hope that you will get a free flight or a better seat someday. Maybe I'm being cynical, but the whole concept seems an exercise in futility. I'm wondering if it better to just pay up front for the better seat and flight?

UPDATE/CORRECTION: I did manage to redeem miles in the old days (late 90's early 00's) with BA and Virgin, but alas it is not so easy to accumulate with them anymore.

aacharya

OP - if you read the forum rules and therefore actually read tricks on mileage redemption in the FAQ**, you wouldn't rant so much.

I'm dialing in from the UC Club in Chicago on an overnight, and I found my honeymoon flights in 5 minutes. But I know what I'm doing.



**ANA trick, sbm12's finder, EF subscription - need I go on....

sinoflyer

I hope your rant made you feel better. You made lots of generalized hyperbole but nothing specific for us to comment on. I for one don't agree with you 100%. It might take some work to arrange for an award ticket, but the possibilities are plenty out there. If you are too busy to deal with that, go on and look for another airline that works better for you. I've used my miles for travel to places in the U.S. and across the globe, plus magazines, newspapers, etc.

belfordrocks

I have no idea what you're saying in terms of not being able to redeem miles. Many partners, most notably Lufthansa among others offer a ton of award space in both economy and premium cabins which one can redeem with UA miles.

It's not just a "free flight", it's being able to experience premium cabins (something that one would usually be unable/unwilling to pay full fare for), on multiple occasions (thanks to loose routing/stopover rules) for far less cost than that of revenue tickets.

amieuro

The key to redeeming miles with flying is flexibility with dates and routes. Try off-season and avoid holidays in country of orgin and destination.