Oct 14, 2013, 4:55 pm
Last edit by: NewbieRunner
Update 08APR2014: Star Alliance Awards must have been booked by March 30, 2014. They are no longer available through US. This thread is mostly useful for historic purposes, and discussing issues such as schedule changes/route changes that affect FTers existing *A awards booked before 3/31/2014.
Discussion on using US miles to book oneworld awards is available here.
If you are looking for discussion on US's new partner awards that use various partners not in oneworld (many of whom are former *A partners), see the devoted thread on using US miles to book NON-oneworld partners here.
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Update 07JAN14: American Airlines award tickets bookable online on usairways.com or through reservation.
Please see the devoted thread on using US miles to book AA here.
Discussion on using US miles to book oneworld awards is available here.
If you are looking for discussion on US's new partner awards that use various partners not in oneworld (many of whom are former *A partners), see the devoted thread on using US miles to book NON-oneworld partners here.
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Update 07JAN14: American Airlines award tickets bookable online on usairways.com or through reservation.
- Award travel must be wholly on American Airlines or a combination of American Airlines and US Airways.
- American Airlines awards cannot be combined with any of our current partner.
- American Airlines award travel chart (PDF)
Please see the devoted thread on using US miles to book AA here.
Star Alliance Award Bookings Using US Airways Miles - FAQ and Help Thread [MERGED]
Jul 27, 2013, 12:33 pm
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: hong kong
Programs: Centurion, Lan Platinum, ANA Mileage Club, HHonors D, SPG G
Posts: 401
To the brain trust,
It's been a while since I last put a truly challenging USAirways award, I've been dirtying myself with paid travel on the glut of good premium fares if you are flexible supplemented by award tickets from programs with a little more flexibility than the beloved DM.
I digress.
Without divulging too much and making myself a target, i am looking to do the routing below and would appreciate the trust's take on the probability of success with the USDM team.
South Pacific to East coast North America (via North Asia) ~ 2-3 segments
1 week stopover
East coast north america to Southern Africa (destination)
-> via direct (~1-2 segments)
-> via Europe (~2-3 segments)
Southern Africa to South Pacific (~1-3 segments)
It's been a while since I last put a truly challenging USAirways award, I've been dirtying myself with paid travel on the glut of good premium fares if you are flexible supplemented by award tickets from programs with a little more flexibility than the beloved DM.
I digress.
Without divulging too much and making myself a target, i am looking to do the routing below and would appreciate the trust's take on the probability of success with the USDM team.
South Pacific to East coast North America (via North Asia) ~ 2-3 segments
1 week stopover
East coast north america to Southern Africa (destination)
-> via direct (~1-2 segments)
-> via Europe (~2-3 segments)
Southern Africa to South Pacific (~1-3 segments)
AKL-BKK in NZ C class
BKK-NRT in TG A380 F
NRT-North America- ANA F if you're lucky, or OZ F , if you add a NRT-ICN segment or CA F if you add a NRT-PEK segment
or BR C if you add a NRT-TPE segment or just fly BKK-TPE direct.
JFK-JNB (your sole viable option sans connection) SA- C
if u connect through europe, your options are wide open since a ton of airlines fly to Jo'burg
JNB-PER- SA- C
PER-AKL NZ-C
Jul 27, 2013, 1:45 pm
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP, BA Bronze, TK Elite, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Gold, Fairmont Premiere, IHG Ambas
Posts: 180
Jesus Christ, i'll bite..
AKL-BKK in NZ C class
BKK-NRT in TG A380 F
NRT-North America- ANA F if you're lucky, or OZ F , if you add a NRT-ICN segment or CA F if you add a NRT-PEK segment
or BR C if you add a NRT-TPE segment or just fly BKK-TPE direct.
JFK-JNB (your sole viable option sans connection) SA- C
if u connect through europe, your options are wide open since a ton of airlines fly to Jo'burg
JNB-PER- SA- C
PER-AKL NZ-C
AKL-BKK in NZ C class
BKK-NRT in TG A380 F
NRT-North America- ANA F if you're lucky, or OZ F , if you add a NRT-ICN segment or CA F if you add a NRT-PEK segment
or BR C if you add a NRT-TPE segment or just fly BKK-TPE direct.
JFK-JNB (your sole viable option sans connection) SA- C
if u connect through europe, your options are wide open since a ton of airlines fly to Jo'burg
JNB-PER- SA- C
PER-AKL NZ-C
The key questions still remain, would this get priced by USDM? And would it be priced as a SWP-N. AMERICA or SWP-Africa award?
Will try to book next week and come back with my original routing and what I'm successful with.
Jul 27, 2013, 3:19 pm
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: AGP/GIB
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA EXP
Posts: 358
Looking to sneak in one more C class reward before we lose *A rewards.
Has anyone had success with something similar to this?
CMH-ORD/JFK-IST TK
IST-MLE TK
MLE-SIN SQ
SIN-NRT SQ
NRT-ORD/JFK-CMH NH
I am not set on flying West one way and East another (if it's even possible), looking for ideas!
Thanks
Has anyone had success with something similar to this?
CMH-ORD/JFK-IST TK
IST-MLE TK
MLE-SIN SQ
SIN-NRT SQ
NRT-ORD/JFK-CMH NH
I am not set on flying West one way and East another (if it's even possible), looking for ideas!
Thanks
Jul 27, 2013, 5:55 pm
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: ORD
Programs: US Air, UA BA LH AI DELTA MARRIOTT CHOICE SGP
Posts: 9,883
JFK SYD +++++
Saw a blog post, using 110000 Star A miles
NY Taipie, BKK SYD BKK ICN JFK. In J Using Eva, TG and Asiana.
I tried to fighure out if I can do this with a BKK BOM (stopover 30 days) BKK and back to ORD ? Stopover 15 days in SYD also.
Start anytime after Jan1.
How do I try this on ITA ?
Is it doable ?
Thank you
NY Taipie, BKK SYD BKK ICN JFK. In J Using Eva, TG and Asiana.
I tried to fighure out if I can do this with a BKK BOM (stopover 30 days) BKK and back to ORD ? Stopover 15 days in SYD also.
Start anytime after Jan1.
How do I try this on ITA ?
Is it doable ?
Thank you
Jul 27, 2013, 8:57 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
With all due respect, if you're trying to abuse USDM to do a 5-continent award on as little miles as possible, don't ask people to test this for you, or assume that people have done the work for you. Be a trailblazer. You have a possible routing. Let us know how it goes...
Jul 28, 2013, 12:11 am
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Flying: VA; Buying: AA, AS, AV, BA, UA!
Posts: 2,349
Jul 28, 2013, 4:26 am
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 4,396
Jul 28, 2013, 6:08 am
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,439
Furthest point is your destination, which in most cases will be North Asia.
Jul 28, 2013, 6:58 am
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
But come on, you could have asked your questions by yourself...
I'm looking to book a RT itinerary from Bangkok to Kuwait. Two questions:
1. I want to stop over for 3 days in Muscat. It's not a hub, so I know that a stopover there is technically not allowed. What are the chances that the agent will catch that, and is there any strategy to avoid having the agent or the rate desk reject the itinerary on that basis. The itinerary would be PNH-BKK-MCT (stop) - BAH-KWI-CAI-BKK-PNH.
1. I want to stop over for 3 days in Muscat. It's not a hub, so I know that a stopover there is technically not allowed. What are the chances that the agent will catch that, and is there any strategy to avoid having the agent or the rate desk reject the itinerary on that basis. The itinerary would be PNH-BKK-MCT (stop) - BAH-KWI-CAI-BKK-PNH.
It does not make any sense to discuss such questions, at the end the member that wants to play against the USDM rules just doesn't stop HUACA until he got what he wants... A good example just a few threads back, discussed back and forth: Thread #17249. At the end, the member got what he wanted (Thread #17271), even if the voices at this thread were different...
Seen it this way, it's not worth to answer such questions...
2. I'd like to include a 16 hour stop in Cairo on the return. Will the fact that I stop in Cairo (Africa) kick the itinerary into a higher mileage cost, or should it price out as South Asia-Middle East (75,000 in business class) even if I have a layover in Cairo on the return?
No wunder, USDM has tightened up the screw regarding award ticket routings. MPM was barely never enforces a few years ago, now it's hard to get a ticket US-Asia-Australia...
Thank you, dear bloggers and members trying to squeeze out the lemon more than to the max... Soon this game anyway will be over...
Jul 28, 2013, 7:32 am
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 181
Hello everyone. I have found a strange thing today when trying to book an award flight on Lufthansa on June 9 2014. I tried FRA-AMS or CDG-FRA and US Airways say no Lufthansa flights are showing. I see them via United and on Aeroplan as being available. Is Lufthansa limited the awards available to US Airways because they are leaving the Alliance?
Jul 28, 2013, 8:05 am
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: ZRH/SFO
Programs: A3*G - AZ CFP- HH DIA
Posts: 3,666
Hello everyone. I have found a strange thing today when trying to book an award flight on Lufthansa on June 9 2014. I tried FRA-AMS or CDG-FRA and US Airways say no Lufthansa flights are showing. I see them via United and on Aeroplan as being available. Is Lufthansa limited the awards available to US Airways because they are leaving the Alliance?
Jul 28, 2013, 8:06 am
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Bergen, Norway
Programs: AA PLT, CC Concierge, A3*G
Posts: 291
Hello everyone. I have found a strange thing today when trying to book an award flight on Lufthansa on June 9 2014. I tried FRA-AMS or CDG-FRA and US Airways say no Lufthansa flights are showing. I see them via United and on Aeroplan as being available. Is Lufthansa limited the awards available to US Airways because they are leaving the Alliance?
Last edited by Peppep; Jul 28, 2013 at 8:07 am Reason: Too late...
Jul 28, 2013, 9:13 am
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: OKC
Programs: AAdvantage EXP, Marriott Rewards Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond, TK M&S Elite
Posts: 290
Looking to sneak in one more C class reward before we lose *A rewards.
Has anyone had success with something similar to this?
CMH-ORD/JFK-IST TK
IST-MLE TK
MLE-SIN SQ
SIN-NRT SQ
NRT-ORD/JFK-CMH NH
I am not set on flying West one way and East another (if it's even possible), looking for ideas!
Thanks
Has anyone had success with something similar to this?
CMH-ORD/JFK-IST TK
IST-MLE TK
MLE-SIN SQ
SIN-NRT SQ
NRT-ORD/JFK-CMH NH
I am not set on flying West one way and East another (if it's even possible), looking for ideas!
Thanks
PHX-IAH (US)
IAH-IST (TK)
IST-MLE (TK) 6 nights in paradise
MLE-SIN (SQ) one day stopover
SIN-ICN (SQ)
ICN-SFO (OZ)
SFO-PHX (US)
This came to 120,000 miles each and $80 in taxes. This is c class by the way and will occur in November. Hope this helps!
Jul 28, 2013, 10:31 am
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: AGP/GIB
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, AA EXP
Posts: 358
In the mix-I did the following:
PHX-IAH (US)
IAH-IST (TK)
IST-MLE (TK) 6 nights in paradise
MLE-SIN (SQ) one day stopover
SIN-ICN (SQ)
ICN-SFO (OZ)
SFO-PHX (US)
This came to 120,000 miles each and $80 in taxes. This is c class by the way and will occur in November. Hope this helps!
PHX-IAH (US)
IAH-IST (TK)
IST-MLE (TK) 6 nights in paradise
MLE-SIN (SQ) one day stopover
SIN-ICN (SQ)
ICN-SFO (OZ)
SFO-PHX (US)
This came to 120,000 miles each and $80 in taxes. This is c class by the way and will occur in November. Hope this helps!
Jul 28, 2013, 1:56 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: SEA, but up and down the coast a lot
Programs: Oceanic Airlines Gold Elite
Posts: 20,397
No wunder, USDM has tightened up the screw regarding award ticket routings. MPM was barely never enforces a few years ago, now it's hard to get a ticket US-Asia-Australia...
Thank you, dear bloggers and members trying to squeeze out the lemon more than to the max... Soon this game anyway will be over...
Given that the exec is from AA, though, and Parker's on record as going "the bigger airline is going to win ties"... I doubt this. So we'll have things like "must have a published fare" and "can't go to India via TPAC on one award" to deal with...
So at this point, USDM is terminal. Might as well burn, baby, burn...