Oct 14, 2013, 4:55 pm

FlyerTalk Forums Expert How-Tos and Guides

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.

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]

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Nov 3, 2013, 10:48 am

#18571

BoeingBoy

Join Date: Apr 2006

Location: High Point, NC

Programs: None

Posts: 9,171

I did once when looking at my wife non-reving to a smaller community in Europe. Apparently US doesn't have every smaller airport that's served by *A carriers in it's res system - the res system didn't even recognize the airport code of the airport my wife wanted to fly into. Fortunately UA did and even had the correct express-type flights from FRA/MUC to it (Swiss affiliated).

Unfortunately, when you call US res they're using the same res system the web site uses and a lot of smaller airports aren't in there. If you can piece together the itinerary and give the US agent the carriers and flight numbers/dates/cities they may be able to book it.

Jim

Nov 3, 2013, 10:58 am

#18572

tagavor

Join Date: Oct 2009

Posts: 15

Thanks, Jim

It definitely comes up in the UA system, on ANA, and even on Avianca, but I have tons of US miles to burn.

I called back with a new agent and we tried punching in every segment, but that agent got the same error and said there was "absolutely nothing we can do."

So I'm guessing this is a hard wall?

Nov 3, 2013, 11:16 am

#18573

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Mar 2001

Location: AU

Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)

Posts: 14,401

Quote:

Originally Posted by zink88

I have the following itinerary on hold for 2 award tickets...

5/18 RDU-CLT US2069
5/18 CLT-MUC LH429 arrive 5/19
5/19 MUC-IST TK1630 (dest)

5/26 IST-NAP TK1879 (stopover)

6/1 NAP-IST TK1880
6/1 IST-JFK TK11 arrive 21:55
6/2 JFK-CLT US1983
6/2 CLT-RDU US2056

All legs are showing Business/First availability on United. The agent told me this is pricing out at 125K each because I believe she indicated the RDU-CLT, JFK-CLT, and CLT-RDU legs are in First Class causing the whole award to price as First Class. These are cabins with only 2 classes of service.

Is this correct? I believe if this was a United award it would price out at the Business level of 100K.

Or is the problem that I am returning through IST from NAP on the way back?

no idea if this is the case here... but didn't CO used to provide domestic first connections in 'I' class rather than 'O'? is it the same with united? there's no 'I' class availability, but there is 'O' (more expensive). or are they both one and the same?

Nov 3, 2013, 2:26 pm

#18574

cardinalkid1891

Join Date: Aug 2012

Posts: 432

Really disappointing if this is the case. Was planning on going to a few lesser known destinations with my US miles. I'd call a third time and try speaking to a manager. Third time's the charm, right?

Nov 3, 2013, 5:45 pm

#18575

finny52

Join Date: Nov 2009

Location: NYC

Programs: DL Diamond + 1MM; AA Gold; UA Gold

Posts: 185

US Award on THY Metal

I am flying THY from IAD-IST-MLE in about 3 weeks. I was able to confirm business from IAD-IST but there was no availability from IST-MLE.

Does anybody know if THY opens up business seats to awards closer to departure?

thanks

Nov 3, 2013, 6:00 pm

#18576

FlyingDoctorwu

Join Date: Mar 2004

Location: Baltimore MD

Posts: 3,457

So because of my prior situation, I've decided to move my itinerary to business... unfortunately in the interim TPE-JFK on BR has become unavailable... but here's the curious thing- the agent was unable to book me a segment on CTU-TPE (on both BR/CA)- she says it kept coming back as market unavailable.. and she was excellent, probably the best agent I've ever had.. she even pulled up aeroplan and saw that the segment was available there.. I asked her to try a manual sale and she tried a couple times to no avail.... star net blocking? or just more US IT weirdness....

FDW

Nov 3, 2013, 6:48 pm

#18577

FlyingDoctorwu

Join Date: Mar 2004

Location: Baltimore MD

Posts: 3,457

Alright, me again...
just wanted to pick y'alls brains... I know that this is probably better suited for the star alliance forum but this thread seems to get a lot of experts and a lot of traffic.. here are my options for transpacific coming back.....

TPE-SEA on BR 747 in Premium Lauren (angled lie flat)
TPE-NRT-YYZ on AC 777-300 ER (Full flat)
TPE-NRT-ORD on NH 777 (not the flat product)

Any thoughts? NH seems to be a great option for service right? BR would leave me a long segment SEA-EWR on United (redeye 737)... all the others would be short United segments back to EWR.....

FDW

Nov 3, 2013, 7:06 pm

#18578

McSam18

Join Date: Sep 2012

Location: PHL

Programs: AA Gold, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 480

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlyingDoctorwu

Avoid BR on that route. It's not worth the miles at all. Although, BR Royal Laurel Service is what you would want (flown from TPE to LA, NYC, LAX, Toronto). Royal Laurel has Rimowa amenity kits, Dom Perignon, and their excellent new lie flat product.

Don't know much about the NH flight, but I'd pick AC for the seat. Business class is about the seat, and lie flats are always greater than non! Just my two cents!

Nov 3, 2013, 8:20 pm

#18579

davem4

Join Date: Feb 2004

Location: BNE / LHR

Programs: QF Gold

Posts: 1,601

Quote:

Originally Posted by PVDtoDEL

Per DOT rules, once you have a confirmed ticket, US cannot cancel it.

Can you provide more details please?

I have a Australia - Guam ticketed at 30k points (should be 90k as there is a stopover).

Even if I call about another booking (to Europe) and they discover it, they cannot cancel it?

Nov 3, 2013, 8:44 pm

#18580

goodo

Join Date: Nov 1999

Location: SYD

Posts: 2,903

Quote:

Originally Posted by eponymous_coward

Just keep HUACA. I've done routing changes on schedule changes on two US award tickets, in one case going from FRA-YYZ(AC)-ORD-SEA(UA) to FRA-SEA(LH).

Attempt #4: Could do it but couldn't see the availability I was seeing on NH, UA and Aeroplan site. Forgot that I need to +1 for LX flights.
Attempt #5: Found alternate availability that would work, called up was able to do it, took a while for everything to go through and price in their system. Then I get told there's a $150 change fee. I told her I thought there wasn't a fee when there's a schedule change, and she said the changes i'm making which were the stopover city and pushing back some flights by a day meant this was a voluntary change, and if I didn't want to pay she could leave everything as is. So I paid up, maybe I could've gotten it for free if I called back but by then i'd had enough of HUACA.

goodo

Nov 3, 2013, 8:48 pm

#18581

jamar

Join Date: Aug 2008

Programs: HHonors Gold, Marriott Lifetime Gold, IHG Gold, OZ*G, AA Gold, AS MVP

Posts: 1,874

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardinalkid1891

Been there, done that, unfortunately if it doesn't show all you can do is wait until it does. The first time I bumped into this issue was KIX-GMP on Asiana and it did become available a few months or a year later. More recently it's been flights like KMQ-TPE and KHH-PVG on BR that will pop up the same error, and I'd like to hope they'll show up, but if the AA merger goes through it won't be the same set of carriers to book on anymore.

Nov 3, 2013, 8:48 pm

#18582

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

FlyerTalk Evangelist

Join Date: Mar 2001

Location: AU

Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)

Posts: 14,401

Quote:

Originally Posted by davem4

as long as there are no schedule changes or flight changes requiring anyone to look at your ticket, and provided you had no part whatsoever in tricking the agent into providing you with a stopover (ie multiple calls to agent shop) then the protection should apply

if you had any part in the 'fraud' then you are potentially on shaky ground for any protections.

but otherwise, no one going to do anything proactively to cancel you existing booking.

Nov 3, 2013, 8:53 pm

#18583

davem4

Join Date: Feb 2004

Location: BNE / LHR

Programs: QF Gold

Posts: 1,601

Quote:

Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF

if you had any part in the 'fraud' then you are potentially on shaky ground for any protections.

but otherwise, no one going to do anything proactively to cancel you existing booking.

Only called once. So all good.

Thing is I wan't to book a friend to also come, and I want to use my points.

However, I am not willing to do this if it is risking my existing booking.

Nov 4, 2013, 12:40 am

#18584

nick5000

Join Date: Nov 2007

Location: PVG

Programs: SK*G, QR*G

Posts: 514

Wrong date of birth for friend when booking award

I booked a trip China - Japan - Australia - China on NH and TG for my friend, and I wasn't aware that they would ask for her birthdate. I got it one year wrong.
Do I have to call back to fix this, or will they update it at check-in at the airport?

The trip doesn't involve flights to the US, is this information also required for tickets other places?