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]
Dec 15, 2013, 1:41 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
but basically yes - you can open jaw (but if you open jaw no stopover is allowed) and you can feed flights you have found (not all agents appreciate this however) and you can leave from your home town 9doesn't have to be a United hub) and yes it really is as easy (if you get the right agent) as you outline
Dec 15, 2013, 1:51 pm
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 108
Thanks Air Raratonga. I only want it if I can get the Royal Laurel.
they have availability through ZRH on LX but Im thinking that maybe an issue with backtracking as well. Do the agents look at MPM, routing, both, or is it all subject to the agent?
I would ideally fly it in reverse starting in PEK but cant get availability from Europe to US that weekend. (Sunday after the 4th of July)
they have availability through ZRH on LX but Im thinking that maybe an issue with backtracking as well. Do the agents look at MPM, routing, both, or is it all subject to the agent?
I would ideally fly it in reverse starting in PEK but cant get availability from Europe to US that weekend. (Sunday after the 4th of July)
Dec 15, 2013, 1:56 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
Thanks Air Raratonga. I only want it if I can get the Royal Laurel.
they have availability through ZRH on LX but Im thinking that maybe an issue with backtracking as well. Do the agents look at MPM, routing, both, or is it all subject to the agent?
I would ideally fly it in reverse starting in PEK but cant get availability from Europe to US that weekend. (Sunday after the 4th of July)
they have availability through ZRH on LX but Im thinking that maybe an issue with backtracking as well. Do the agents look at MPM, routing, both, or is it all subject to the agent?
I would ideally fly it in reverse starting in PEK but cant get availability from Europe to US that weekend. (Sunday after the 4th of July)
Some agents are more strict than others.
The best bet is to try your itinerary exactly as you want it, and if you are denied, hang up and call again.
If a second agent also denies your itinerary for the same reasons, probably better to start looking at alternatives.
Some callers will try the 'call again' many times till they get what they want - it's entirely up to you if you want to spend hours on the phone, or accept something which an agent is happy to ticket after maybe one or tow calls.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:04 pm
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: TXL
Programs: US, LH, HH
Posts: 725
With regards to Air China I think you should be also aware of that story: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...d-us-gate.html
Some agents simply make up rules. But chances are the more segments you feed them, something snaps and they find something they don't like.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:05 pm
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 108
Ok, im going to give swiss a try through ZRH and see if it flys.
Waiting on my friend to confirm that this itin works for him so if it does fly I can ticket on the spot and not have to call back.
Going back to my original question: Am I better off calling once and booking both flights at the same time and then switching the orgin of one ticket to ATL?
Our itins will be the exact same except the first leg DTW-FRA vs ATL-FRA and last leg IAH-DTW and IAH-ATL
Waiting on my friend to confirm that this itin works for him so if it does fly I can ticket on the spot and not have to call back.
Going back to my original question: Am I better off calling once and booking both flights at the same time and then switching the orgin of one ticket to ATL?
Our itins will be the exact same except the first leg DTW-FRA vs ATL-FRA and last leg IAH-DTW and IAH-ATL
Dec 15, 2013, 2:07 pm
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 108
I thought the blogs said round the world was legal as long as you use only one stop and one dest. All of my other layovers are <24hrs. I hope I dont have to track back through Europe on the return. Availability is scarce.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:15 pm
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: TXL
Programs: US, LH, HH
Posts: 725
Most likely no agent is going to bother to check it, if such a rule is written somewhere.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:21 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
This has eased somewhat to the extent it is no longer a major issue, but there is still the odd itinerary being rejected on those grounds.
MPM is clearly listed in the rules as something which agents are to consider so they are within their rights to use it.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:28 pm
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: TXL
Programs: US, LH, HH
Posts: 725
"Bad patch" so it's/was enforced by the system not the agent? And here I thought US never changes their IT.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:35 pm
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Programs: Flying: VA; Buying: AA, AS, AV, BA, UA!
Posts: 2,349
An 'around the world' award is one which allows multiple stopovers. Crossing both oceans when the itinerary has only one stopover or one open jaw is not an issue so long as no other routing rules are broken.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:44 pm
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 108
Is LX a superior product to TG or vice versa? I can take either one from ZRH to BKK. I have flown TG F longhaul, regional C and Y, but never a longhaul C and never flown LX. If about equal id pick LX but just in case im missing something.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:47 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
I don't know how much the system intervenes - many times an agent will make stuff up as to why an itinerary is not allowed, and the reality is that it might be due to stuff like MPM.
but it doesn't really make much of a difference. If an agent correctly identifies MPM and puts notes in your booking to that effect it can be very difficult to get that overruled.
Dec 15, 2013, 2:49 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
On board LX First also walks all over TG First - except for the ground handling which brings TG out in front.
Dec 15, 2013, 3:16 pm
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 432
Star Alliance Award Bookings Using US Airways Miles - FAQ and Help Thread [MERGED]
Got a ticket for dfw-fra-vie-bkk-icn-nrt-sea-den-dfw. Only the last two are by UA. Got UA PNR but when tried to view on United it only shows the last 3 segments, not all the 8 legs. Nrt-sea is by NH. Is there a way to make it show all the segments? Also is there a way to make it sticky on united app so I can review when there is no Internet? I don't like the US app since it takes so long to load itinerary and Internet needed every time.
Dec 15, 2013, 3:23 pm
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,406
Got a ticket for dfw-fra-vie-bkk-icn-nrt-sea-den-dfw. Only the last two are by UA. Got UA PNR but when tried to view on United it only shows the last 3 segments, not all the 8 legs. Nrt-sea is by NH. Is there a way to make it show all the segments? Also is there a way to make it sticky on united app so I can review when there is no Internet? I don't like the US app since it takes so long to load itinerary and Internet needed every time.
(a) an arriving flight (so they know if you are running late) and
(b) the final destination for that day's travel (so they know where to check your bags to)