alenguy

Hi all... I'm based in Hilo, HI and I'm starting to think about a trip to Europe in late spring or early summer of 2014. I'd like to route myself via SE Asia (preferably in Lufthansa, Asiana or Thai first). A routing like ITO-HNL-ICN-FRA-XXX would be an example of the route I'd like to take with the reverse for the return trip. Is this routing acceptable for a North America to Europe trip given that I'm starting halfway across the Pacific already and never crossing the Atlantic? Or would I be required by the rules to do something like ITO-LAX-FRA/LHR/ZRH-XXX? Anyone have advice or experience here?

Lightman7

I think you might want to clarify what kind of ticket this is - paid or award?

alenguy

Oh yeah. Sorry about leaving out that info and thanks for the nudge. It'll definitely be an award ticket.

AZjohns

Sure, you can route that way, just going to cost you more miles. But trying to get LH first will be tough but you can easily (well, more easy that is) get TG first inventory.

slippahs

I was able to reroute an award for the saver level (at the Europe-HNL pricing, nothing additional) via FRA/NRT on my way back from Europe last December. It took a LOT of time on the phone, and SHARES thinking that I was actually going FRA-(via US)-NRT-HNL and therefore doubling over, but the agents were able to get it done. The routing actually turned out to be much more convenient than going through the CONUS, and we could enjoy an international premium product all the way back with significantly more award availability than the Hawaii routes.

That said, I am not sure what magic the agents had to do to get it to work, and there were some issues with mileage deductions after the fact, but everything got sorted out in the end. Kind of wished it were easier to get to Europe via NRT, always.

love_to_travel

Glad I found this thread. For some reason it's hard wired into my head that I can only go to Europe from HNL by traveling east. Just found a BKK-CDG flight on Thai's A380-800 in First, just have to figure out how to get to BKK now.

AZjohns

Just connect in Japan

alenguy

Why would it cost more miles? I'm not actually stopping in ICN or BKK, or wherever the routing takes me through. And I'm not doubling back or routing over two oceans or anything. I could see additional miles being required if I stopped and vacationed in Thailand or something for a few days and then continued on, but I'm just using an airport in that region as a waypoint to get to FRA or LHR.

craz

Simple to the Idiots running things,Europe is East of the US while Asia is West. Since you want to fly West pay more

Common Sense is anything but Common

alenguy

So I just got off the phone with a 1K agent. I tried to book HNL-ICN-FRA-LHR on a combo of Asiana (first two legs) and Lufthansa (last leg). Agent said that she could see availability in first/business for all legs, but it wouldn't price because of the Pacific routing. She ended up booking me on OGG-LAX-IAD-LHR on United in first/business as a placeholder so I have something to work from, but it's not a routing I like. At all. If I'm going to be forced over the Atlantic then I'd like to at least get on Lufthansa or Swiss from LAX (sad chances, I know).

love_to_travel

I just had the opposite experience, and booked Hawaii to Asia via Europe.

I was poking around looking for HNL-DEL in business and was surprised that united.com returned a HNL-SFO-MUC-DEL routing. For the return I got DEL-BKK-ICN-HNL. A round the world trip in business for 120,000 miles, which I'm guessing is not bad.

And I get to see the ताज महल, woohoo.

Kacee

Keep watching for LX out of LAX, it does open up occasionally. Also consider SFO-LHR on the UA 744. Depending on when you're flying, you might be able to get a 764 with lie-flats or three class 772 from HNL-SFO.

BarScheeze

Based in Hawaii, I usually make my phone calls to the Premier Desk late in the evening here, seemingly the graveyard shift for the agents I reach. They typically have a calm (sleepy?) demeanor and a distinct East Texas accent. I guess I'm reaching ex-CO folks in Houston. (Does anybody have more insight on the phone call routing scheme?)

On this occasion, I had an absurdly complicated award ticket, ITO-KBP (Kiev), booked via North America each way. For merely aviation-enthusiast reasons, I thought I'd try my luck routing the return through Asia instead, to complete the circumnavigation. To my surprise, the United agent had very little to say during the whole conversation and simply processed the change, plus $50 in change-of-carrier fees. I must have waited in the silence, listening to the other agents behind her, for 15 minutes.

End result: KBP-FRA (LH), FRA-PEK (LH), PEK-ICN (CA), ICN-HNL (OZ), HNL-ITO (HA)

Two unforeseen bonuses: I will arrive back home a half day earlier, without an overnight stay in North America, and I wasn't charged the extra 5000 miles for the interisland segment (no idea why).

All I said to preface my request was that it would be more convenient for me to return eastbound via Asia because I would not have to leave the airport for an overnight stay. I mentioned also that I would arrive home about seven hours earlier with the flights I had located through Asia. Best of luck.

Kacee

I also have had good luck calling in the very early morning hours (Pacific time), including getting a GS agent in Dearborn at 3:00 a.m. It's such a pleasure when you get someone who understands exactly what you want to do and knows exactly how to do it.

^

BarScheeze

Well, I may have asked for too much. Shooting for a change to give me a 23 hour 45 minute (supposedly legal) layover in PEK, I did the error-message/call-you-back thing from United.com and reached a polite, articulate agent in Salt Lake City. She told me she had to reboot her computer once she entered my PNR, saying how she wondered if my complex itinerary had something to do with it. I suspected I was already sunk.

She heard my request to delay my PEK-ICN flight until the next morning and continue the itinerary from there. She said the ticket would not price. (It hasn't priced by any agent's computer since day one.) She put me on hold to talk to "the routing desk." She returned to say that it seemed my itinerary didn't follow "the rules," but reassured me that regardless of the outcome of my current request, United would honor the present routing.

I am now awaiting a call back in seven hours from the same agent after she "look[s] it over with [her] supervisor."

Do I already have something I'm not entitled to, and am now asking too much? Feels like more stress than it's worth.