UA award tickets for Asia -- too many miles or good value? Saver availability?
Jan 19, 2019, 5:21 am
#2
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,335
Sadly, at this point, we should all be happy when we even SEE business saver awards....on any route!!
Also, FWIW, united.com offers quite a few other options, such as BKK-PVG-ORD RT on select dates for 180k miles in business saver with BKK-PVG on HO (Juneyao Airlines) and PVG-ORD on UA metal. Cheapest I've seen is 75K O/W ORD-DEN-NRT-BKK. None are particularly nice routes....
Bring back BKK....bring back BKK!
Jan 19, 2019, 5:34 am
#4
Join Date: May 2010
Location: AVP & PEK
Programs: UA 1K 1.8MM
Posts: 6,335
Jan 19, 2019, 5:46 am
#6
Join Date: May 2007
Location: LAS
Programs: Delta Gold Medallion
Posts: 258
Just concentrate on searching for PZ inventory and upgrade with the $600 service fees (I don't use the term "copay", it sounds too much like I'm in a doctors office). It's a good deal if you can get an inexpensive economy fare, especially during a time where there is less demand. I flew SFO-HKG round trip at the end of last November and paid a whopping $477 for the economy class fare and then 60K miles and a $1200 service fee to get into Polaris. So $1677 + 60K miles round trip. The downside is the PQD credit only applies to the underlying fare and not the upgrade fees.
Jan 19, 2019, 6:26 am
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,370
If I fly on an award ticket anywhere in Europe, it is 100,000 miles. It doesnt matter if it is non stops or connections. If I fly to US, it’s 90,000 miles no matter if I connect through Europe, Africa or Asia. Basically, we in Asia are being overcharge to fly to Europe from Asia.
If they were to “fix” this, they’d simply raise the North America-South Asia price.
Be careful what you ask for.
Jan 19, 2019, 7:00 am
#8
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: WAS/TYO
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP (3MM), DL PM, BONVOY TITANIUM, HYATT GLOBALIST, HILTON DIAMOND, IHG DIAMOND AMB, et al
Posts: 5,912
-FlyerBeek
Jan 19, 2019, 7:33 am
#9
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Houston
Programs: UA 1K and Million Miler, *A Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hertz Five Star,
Posts: 1,301
It is Yes, I can fly business for 90,000 award miles to travel BKK-FRA-ORD. but to fly non stop BKK-FRA I’m charged 100,000 award miles. SFO to FRA is about the same distance BKK to FRA. To travel these routes on LH non stop flights o/w, is 70,000 miles from SFO and 100,000 miles from BKK.
Jan 19, 2019, 9:08 am
#10
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,424
Like most carriers' award charts, UA's contains some good values and some poor ones. South Asia to Europe (and vice-verse) is a very poor value. Unfortunately, the good values are getting fewer and fewer with each devaluation.
Jan 19, 2019, 9:52 am
#11
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: SRQ
Programs: UA Plat-Million Miler (1.6MM), IHG-Plat Amb; Amex Plat-P, Marriott-Gold;Hertz Gold; Hilton-Gold
Posts: 762
SW Asia is worse
Here in SW Asia (DMM, BAH) we see no saver Business Class award availability. In fact for DMM-TPA the best I can find for June is 180K EACH way and that’s in a mixed cabin on Egyptair. UA MP miles are worth less than Yemeni Riyals if your trying to fly from SW Asia to the USA.
Jan 19, 2019, 10:18 am
#12
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, Hilton ♦ , Hyatt Carbonado, Wyndham ♦, Marriott PE, "Stinking Bum" elsewhere.
Posts: 4,992
Sadly, at this point, we should all be happy when we even SEE business saver awards....on any route!!
Also, FWIW, united.com offers quite a few other options, such as BKK-PVG-ORD RT on select dates for 180k miles in business saver with BKK-PVG on HO (Juneyao Airlines) and PVG-ORD on UA metal. Cheapest I've seen is 75K O/W ORD-DEN-NRT-BKK. None are particularly nice routes....
Bring back BKK....bring back BKK!
Also, FWIW, united.com offers quite a few other options, such as BKK-PVG-ORD RT on select dates for 180k miles in business saver with BKK-PVG on HO (Juneyao Airlines) and PVG-ORD on UA metal. Cheapest I've seen is 75K O/W ORD-DEN-NRT-BKK. None are particularly nice routes....
Bring back BKK....bring back BKK!
I just found a pair of seats in late FEB, BKK-VIE-ORD on OS in J for 90K each. I was checking every day though, for the last 3 months, and finally got my preferred return date.
Jan 19, 2019, 10:26 am
#13
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,424
Jan 19, 2019, 10:45 am
#14
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Colorado
Programs: UA Gold (.85 MM), HH Diamond, SPG Platinum (LT Gold), Hertz PC, National EE
Posts: 5,649
If I don't like prices at XYZ store I stop shopping there. Unless the OP feels that government control should dictate everything, he is peeing into the wind.
Jan 19, 2019, 11:35 am
#15
Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 575
in the old days, it was cheapest to go asia to europe by booking a round trip to TLV and making a stopover in europe. i think that's how i did it, so also got to spend 2 days in TLV and it made the ticket like 40% cheaper. i wanna say 90k round trip in business. add to that some bumps out of europe and it was a very profitable routing.