jsloan

Welcome to FlyerTalk!

Awards to PPT are notoriously difficult to get. You may be seeing phantom availability. Try searching on a different Star Alliance airline such as ANA. If they show the flight as available, then I'd call United and try to get an agent to ticket it for you. If not, the award space probably doesn't actually exist.

belfordrocks

Check AKL-PPT standalone and see what you get.

Exleftseat

Most likely nothing, My last success has been five years ago. It has even become very hard to find awards out of Japan just to AKL which used to be easy before. Wasn't hard to score NZ space although I always preferred to go via BKK or SIN on TG or SQ. But UA did put restrictions on this routing a while back. Luckily, we are very flexible and when space to AKL pops up we lock in and just pay for the onward flight to PPT. The connections are not perfect and we usually have to stay at a hotel in AKL on the way back. But that's the price one has to pay if paradise is your destination.

belfordrocks

Exactly, the AKL to the islands leg is very likely phantom. You'll see it checking a through fare via AKL but you'll never see it standalone AKL-island, and it will always error out. PPT is not the only island where this is the case, as a matter of fact I think it happens to all of them.

erik19283

Hello!

I was looking at availability of flights between Seoul, South Korea (ICN) and Nadi, Fiji (NAN) and all I could find to go there was one single date in the whole year for award flights. What am I doing wrong?

Actually, I won't book anything now, even if I find something, because I want (hope!) to travel any time in July or August 2021. I was just looking at availability now to have an idea of what I could do, and to be prepared to book early if necessary, which seems a bit complicated now as I cannot even fin any flights available except for a single one!

UPDATE!
I checked for a one-way ticket instead of a round -trip and surprisingly I could get 3 dates instead of one for the first flight... I didn't look for a return flight. Anyway, there seems to be only 3 Thursday when one could leave from ICN to NAN in the whole year: May 21, May 28, and June 04. Prior to this, when I checked for a round-trip ticket, I had only found June 04. In all cases, the flight would be a mixed cabin one: economy and business.

jsloan

I'm surprised that you could find even one.

The only United partner who flies to NAN is Air New Zealand, which (a) is a little out of the way from ICN, and (b) is known to release little award space in general.

The only airline that has flights more-or-less in the right direction is Fiji Airways. They're a connecting partner with Oneworld, so you might be able to fly ICN-NRT-NAN using AA miles / BA Avios / etc. Otherwise, I'm afraid you may be out of luck.

erik19283

Actually, I didn't find direct flights. I just checked again today, and now there is nothing left for May 21, only May 28 and June 4 are available. What I found was ICN-PEK-SYD-AKL-NAN or going through MEL instead of SYD on May 28. On June 4, ICN-SYD-AKL-NAN, ICN-SYD-WLG-AKL-NAN, ICN-SYD-CHC-AKL-NAN, or ICN-PEK-MEL-AKL-NAN. All of those flights are mixed cabin ones; usually economy between Australia and New Zealand and the rest in business.

I really don't mind at all all the detour, especially in business class, but is there a way to make searches to find more availability? Is calling a better option than searching online?

jsloan

The agents won't be able to find anything that doesn't show up online.

You're just running into the fact that Air New Zealand doesn't open much award inventory.

The best that you can realistically do is to start by searching AKL-NAN, since that may be the hardest leg, and then use that information to guide what days to search more deeply.

Note that if you have to use multi-city search to book the itinerary -- e.g., ICN-SYD and then SYD-NAN or something -- you're going to end up paying extra miles.

erik19283

Thank you for the information!

susiesan

I just booked 2 saver coach tickets, one way MCI-PPT for next January for 35K each. These are on the UA flight from SFO. My return dates are not available yet so hopefully there will be award seats at good rate. if not, I will just buy the tickets. I looked at the award calendar and there are 0 business award seats for the prior 12 months except at 175K each.

Mwenenzi

I would not be assuming saver awards will show on the date you want.
Have you priced out a one way ticket? You may be surprised (for the worst)
Several airlines fly PPT to USA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faa%27...tional_Airport

rankourabu

For the worse?
One way tickets on UA PPTSFO are <$250!
So, a complete waste of 35000 miles, considering the ~$70 tax

susiesan

I am flying from Kansas City, not San Francisco. My tix are MCI-PPT. It would cost me $635 to buy those tickets. The tax on the award tickets is $5.60.
The one way return PPT-MCI on UA flights looks like it will come in at $700 when the date I need, Jan. 21, is available for booking.

rankourabu

Dont get fooled. When we were looking 10 months out, the PPTSFO tickets were 2x more than they are now, 5 months out.

We booked a J award on Hawaiian, but cash was considered, and if it drops further, we ll probably do that. Even PPTHNL via SFO is just $400.

susiesan

I am monitoring the airfare for the return flights. I need to fly Jan. 21, a Thursday, which is the day the cruise ship docks and we disembark. The one way air fare is $728 PPT-SFO-MCI in economy. it would take 57K miles for an award seat. The prior Thursday Jan. 14 is $474 and the next Thursday Jan. 28 is $474. There is nothing special about Jan. 21 that I can see. Do you think by searching for a ticket on this date UA computers are raising the price? Might the price come down if I wait to buy it?