Can I still transit Europe on the way to Asia on award?
Nov 6, 2013, 9:35 pm
#91
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: Jose Cuervo Gold, Bud Light Platinum, Schwab 401K, VW Bug 2MM
Posts: 1,100
posted this in the stopovers/oj thread, but wanted to add that i booked
lax-icn-tpe/tpe-bkk-cdg/cdg-yul-lax
on the fourth attempt with no problems
lax-icn-tpe/tpe-bkk-cdg/cdg-yul-lax
on the fourth attempt with no problems
Nov 6, 2013, 9:54 pm
#92
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: AA LT Plat, UA 1k/1mm+, National EE, IC Plat, Bonvoy Gold
Posts: 2,605
I'm not sure why you're so invested in defending UA, but just to debunk the myth that AA won't allow you to book complex itineraries...
Using the AA Explorer award which is distance based and allows travel on all OW partners with very limited rules, one could book (in business class):
JFK-NRT-JFK-LIM-IPC-SCL-AKL-SYD-HKG-MNL-KUL, BKK-DOH-ADD-DOH-DME-HEL-JFK flying a mix of JL, LA, QF, CX, MH, QR and AY.
and stopover in EVERY ONE of those places provided all travel is complete within one year for only 220,000 AA miles.
Using the AA Explorer award which is distance based and allows travel on all OW partners with very limited rules, one could book (in business class):
JFK-NRT-JFK-LIM-IPC-SCL-AKL-SYD-HKG-MNL-KUL, BKK-DOH-ADD-DOH-DME-HEL-JFK flying a mix of JL, LA, QF, CX, MH, QR and AY.
and stopover in EVERY ONE of those places provided all travel is complete within one year for only 220,000 AA miles.
Nov 6, 2013, 10:35 pm
#93
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: BOM, Ex-TX/ CA
Programs: Ex CO/ UA Gold, Hotels.. TBD
Posts: 734
Kudos to you! Not sure how you did it, but that's a great routing.
And that's what is so crazy right now. The unpublished rules, misinformation, misinformed agents, etc. While I've taken advantage of liberal routing rules in the past (and even as we speak), it's the inconsistency that's so tough. I suppose you might argue that as long as it gets done somehow, at least that's better than not getting it done at all. But then we get warnings, false positives, etc., and we all go crazy again because this stuff isn't documented anywhere.
Case in point -- the 4 segment max rule that's floating around. I just called, 10 minutes ago, to add a segment to a trip to SGN next June. Current routing:
SFO-IAH-IST(stop)-FRA-BKK-SGN(dest)
SGN-BKK-ICN-JFK
I was worried that the fifth flight to SGN was going to be a problem. The first agent I got was nice, entered in the BKK-SGN-BKK piece, told me I was getting $1.90 back in taxes, and it ticketed immediately. No rate desk. No hold music. Nothing. I'm extremely grateful, but if the 4 segment rule is true, then this should have failed, either by the system or the agent.
Again, I'm not complaining about the fact I get to do this, but if a "rule" exists, why can't we officially know about it?
And that's what is so crazy right now. The unpublished rules, misinformation, misinformed agents, etc. While I've taken advantage of liberal routing rules in the past (and even as we speak), it's the inconsistency that's so tough. I suppose you might argue that as long as it gets done somehow, at least that's better than not getting it done at all. But then we get warnings, false positives, etc., and we all go crazy again because this stuff isn't documented anywhere.
Case in point -- the 4 segment max rule that's floating around. I just called, 10 minutes ago, to add a segment to a trip to SGN next June. Current routing:
SFO-IAH-IST(stop)-FRA-BKK-SGN(dest)
SGN-BKK-ICN-JFK
I was worried that the fifth flight to SGN was going to be a problem. The first agent I got was nice, entered in the BKK-SGN-BKK piece, told me I was getting $1.90 back in taxes, and it ticketed immediately. No rate desk. No hold music. Nothing. I'm extremely grateful, but if the 4 segment rule is true, then this should have failed, either by the system or the agent.
Again, I'm not complaining about the fact I get to do this, but if a "rule" exists, why can't we officially know about it?
I am wondering if I can add/ insert a segment like that here SFO/SJC to IAD or CLT? : Thoughts & Suggestions?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...-segments.html
The full award was ATL-IAD-CDG-BOM <open-jaw> HAN-CDG-IAD-ATL <stop> - IAH. Didn't need 10 segments.
There's a 4 segment rule for one-ways, 5 segments for roundtrips. You have 5 segments and a roundtrip.
(The official wording is 3 connections on one-way and 4 connections for a roundtrip).
There's a 4 segment rule for one-ways, 5 segments for roundtrips. You have 5 segments and a roundtrip.
(The official wording is 3 connections on one-way and 4 connections for a roundtrip).
Nov 7, 2013, 11:04 am
#94
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Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: En Route
Programs: Many
Posts: 6,798
I just successfully changed EWR-AMS-ZRH-NRT(destination)-ZRH-ARN(stopover)-ORD-LGA
to
LGA-ORD-NRT(destination)-ZRH-ARN-ORD-LGA
saves a day in the air and the agent didn't blink, processed it in 5 minutes. I don't understand the lack of any sort of rhyme or reason when it comes to these routings. Oh well, 7th time around the world, here I come.
to
LGA-ORD-NRT(destination)-ZRH-ARN-ORD-LGA
saves a day in the air and the agent didn't blink, processed it in 5 minutes. I don't understand the lack of any sort of rhyme or reason when it comes to these routings. Oh well, 7th time around the world, here I come.
Nov 7, 2013, 12:02 pm
#95
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: BOS
Posts: 267
Last year when I was having trouble issuing a US-SE Asia routing with some legs on QR a helpful agent who was genuinely trying to help me found some award rules which among many other things stated that I was not permitted to route via Africa. So at least that part appears to have been present in writing for a while, although nothing has stopped shares from ticketing it.
Nov 7, 2013, 12:05 pm
#96
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: WAS
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Nexus, GE
Posts: 2,123
Last year when I was having trouble issuing a US-SE Asia routing with some legs on QR a helpful agent who was genuinely trying to help me found some award rules which among many other things stated that I was not permitted to route via Africa. So at least that part appears to have been present in writing for a while, although nothing has stopped shares from ticketing it.
Nov 8, 2013, 6:18 am
#97
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: SF Bay Area
Programs: AA Plat Pro; DL Gold; UA Silver; IHG Plat; Marriott Titanium; Hyatt Globalist; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 104
sorry if this comes off as a newbie question, but can i do the reverse award where i travel from asia via europe to US and then back to asia via pacific ocean?
i'm based in tw right now. thanks in advance!
i'm based in tw right now. thanks in advance!
Nov 8, 2013, 7:35 am
#98
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: UA PP, AA, DL, BA, CX, SPG, HHonors
Posts: 2,002
what the OP has proclaimed on the title is blatantly false. Through the recent YYZ-MUC thread on BoardingArea, *numerous* people have reported successful ticketing of US-YYZ-MUC-Asia, including 2 tickets myself in the past 72 hours
Nov 10, 2013, 11:42 am
#99
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: UA
Posts: 27
*CORRECTION*
My bad, apparently people have reported booking such itinerary. Just ignore my post.
Nov 10, 2013, 11:46 am
#100
Moderator: United Airlines
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: UA Plat 1.995MM, Hyatt Discoverist, Marriott Plat/LT Gold, Hilton Silver, IHG Plat
Posts: 66,846
Nov 10, 2013, 1:30 pm
#101
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: San Antonio
Programs: AS MVP
Posts: 2,276
I had no problem getting U.S.-SE Asia via RAK or CMN to price out online earlier this year, but now it consistently errors out, even with only 6 segments total EWR-LIS-CMN(stop)-IST-BKK-FRA-EWR. I didn't actually book anything; I was doing dummy searches for Nov. 2014.
Nov 10, 2013, 3:31 pm
#102
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: SEA
Programs: AS 75k, OW Emerald, Hyatt Globalist, HHonors Gold, National EE
Posts: 303
+1. I find it amazing that agents get confused about what an RTW ticket is, and end up making up rules here and there. My trip referenced earlier was first booked online as JFK-IST-FRA-BKK-ICN-JFK with no problems. Many agents (well, probably 3 on this round) told me previously that this was crossing two oceans, an RTW ticket, and would only transfer me to the *A RTW desk. After I booked a multi-segment ticket online as above, and then called in, no one has blinked, even as I've made a dozen changes to the ticket.
Nov 10, 2013, 10:44 pm
#103
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: PDX
Programs: DL Plat, UA Plat 1MM, AS MVP, Hyatt Discoverist, Avis Presidents Club, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 3,938
I spent awhile tonight searching award availability in F between the US and BKK via Europe with the idea of a SE Asia trip/one final F reward in March. I search from JFK to BKK would pull up routings via Europe (though the same was not true from SFO). However when searching multi-city routings it was impossible to get anything but errors when searching via Europe (despite knowing that there was plenty of availability on the dates I was searching).
Nov 10, 2013, 10:58 pm
#104
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: WAS
Programs: UA Silver, Marriott Titanium, Nexus, GE
Posts: 2,123
I spent awhile tonight searching award availability in F between the US and BKK via Europe with the idea of a SE Asia trip/one final F reward in March. I search from JFK to BKK would pull up routings via Europe (though the same was not true from SFO). However when searching multi-city routings it was impossible to get anything but errors when searching via Europe (despite knowing that there was plenty of availability on the dates I was searching).
I recently had a weird case where only some flights that were available displayed when booking with multi-city. Just to be clear, I was looking at IST-MUC as one leg of a longer trip, and found tons of availability just searching that segment. In the middle of a multi-city itinerary (I bet you can guess where I'm flying from MUC), it would only show me 2 of the 7 or so flights that were available.
Jan 25, 2014, 8:32 pm
#105
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: 36,000'
Posts: 1,206
I'm looking at booking DPS-ORD and can get award routings online DPS-BKK-Europe-ORD, but cannot get it to price out online with DPS-BKK-NRT-Europe-ORD. I was hoping to transit NRT and Europe (with less than 24 hour stops). Is this a possible routing or am I wasting my time by trying?