thebobmc

I doubt anyone knows for sure why it won't work. You probably just need to keep trying routings and agents until you find something that they will book;

Returning to DCA ? If the system doesn't recognize DCA as a co-terminal of IAD then it will consider this an open jaw. Which would reduce or eliminate the stopovers you can have. Try returning to IAD.

Routing via BKK ? Maybe the system won't let you route to North Asia through South Asia ? Try and find a direct flight from MUC to HKG.

And as mentioned previously, if you want to stopover in ZRH then you definitely want to arrive in ZRH on LX.

Or maybe the agent you spoke to didn't know the "secret handshake" required to force the system to give you what you want.

Let us know how it turns out.

magiciansampras

Maybe one of you can help me with this. Try to book a C-class award that looks like this:

IAD-ORD-LHR-CAI (stop)

CAI-SSH (destination)

SSH-CAI-LHR-IAD (end)


Any problems with this?

iztok

YOu need to take MS on LHR-CAI route.

magiciansampras

Hmm, well that sucks.

leejeffrey

I assume if you went

IAD-ORD-LHR-CAI-SSH (destination)

SSH-CAI (Stop)

CAI-LHR-IAD


that would allow you to avoid flying MS with the exception of the CAI-SSH-CAI segments.

iztok

You have to arrive on the hub carrier to that particular hub for a stopover.

gtownguy

Not sure that is necessarily true. Think the stopover simply has to be on a valid routing that includes no backtracking. CDG is not a hub for any Star Alliance carrier but US allowed me to do the following:

IAD-MUC on LH
MUC-VIE on LH (destination)

VIE-CDG on OS (stopover)

CDG-IAD on UA

So...I think the routing to SSH with a stopover in CAI should work. Just ask and you may receive.

vysean

How long ago did US allow you to do this? While I am in complete agreement with the "just ask..." statement, I have personally been advised that the stopover must happen at the arriving carrier's hub. So in example we're referring to, MS would have to be the carrier from LHR-CAI if a stopover in CAI is desired. Not saying you couldn't take BD, but according to the "rule", it wouldn't be allowed.

vysean

Agreed.

Agreed.

Agreed - and thanks for providing a workable alternative.

Agreed...

gtownguy

The itinerary I mentioned previously was for a trip last December, but I booked another one last night (for a trip next month) with a stopover and had no trouble at all. Even asked the res agent if she was sure it was OK. No problem whatsoever. Seems as long as you fly a logical routing then USAirways is pretty much OK with it. At least that's been my experience.

What I'm doing is...

IAD-LHR on UA

stopover in London

LHR-MUC on LH
MUC-VIE on OS

destination is Vienna

VIE-MUC on LH
MUC-IAD on LH

MattTaiwan

I booked the following itinerary:

HKG-HND by NH J class, Stopover

NRT-ZRH by LX F class
ZRH-LHR by LX J class, Destination

LHR-FRA by LH J class, Stopover
FRA-BKK by LH F class (22:45 / 14:05+1)

BKK-HKG by TG TG602 (18:45+1 / 22:30+1) 2 class service
BKK-HKG by TG TG600 (08:00+2 / 11:45+2) 3 class service

My question: for the flight from BKK to HKG, is it possible to get TG600 instead of TG602, I mean lay over in BKK for 18hrs? Someone told me that lay-over over 8 hrs will be considered as stop-over.

Thanks for advice!

kinglobjaw

On the current trip I'm on, US would let me do:

LAX-FRA-MUC-ZRH-JNB (stopover for 3 days)

JNB-MRU (final destination)

MRU-JNB-FRA-ZRH-JFK-LAX.

In this case, arrival was Swiss First into JNB and stop over in JNB even though JNB is a South African Airways hub, not a Swiss hub.

US wouldn't let me do:

LAX-FRA-MUC-ZRH-JNB-CPT (stopover for 3 days in CPT- a SA hub)

CPT-JNB-MRU (final destination)

MRU-back to LAX

Even though CPT is a South African Airways hub and I was arriving on South African Airways, US said that travel was within one region, which was not the case since my overall ticket is travel between different regions (LAX to Africa). Since I had the first option on hold and about to expire I decided to stick with the original PNR.

That said, I got the first option and purchased a round-trip JNB-CPT-JNB directly thru South African Airways. In the end all worked out well, but this was one of the most complext itinineraries I have ever booked using miles.

Hope this helps, or more appropriately said, gives a new perspective.

-Kinglobjaw

gtownguy

Kinglobjaw - Could be wrong, but I think the reason US wouldn't allow the CPT stop is because you'd be backtracking to JNB in order to fly to MRU. If you were able to fly CPT-MRU directly without going back through JNB, I think it would've been ok. At least that's how it was all explained to me by a US res agent a while ago.

MattTaiwan - Unless they've changed the rules recently (which is quite possible) an international stopover wasn't considered a "stopover" unless it was 24 hours or more. So...if that still holds, you should be ok. I added a trip to CPH last year to a US itinerary to CDG. Basically flew CDG-CPH on SK, stayed in CPH 23 hours and a few minutes, then back CPH-IAD on SK. Wasn't a problem at all and didn't count as a 2nd stopover. I'd simply go ahead and call and ask for the later TG flight. Good luck.

gsforfree

I had the same issues with JFK/EWR on an JFK-FRA-PRG;BCN-FRA-JFK itinerary.

JFK was not considered co-terminus with EWR.

kinglobjaw

I didn't have any issues doing co-terminal and stopover last year when I did:

EWR-SIN-MLE-SIN(stopover)-LAX-JFK on SQ/UA.

Normally they tell me, it's either open-jaw or one enroute stopover. If you don't have any enroute stopovers, just argue it as an open jaw trip, even though it really isn't.

-Kinglobjaw