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]
Oct 14, 2012, 7:53 pm
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 448
I booked a rewards flight that has segments on lufthansa, swiss and ANA. For swiss and ANA I was able to get their confirmation numbers but I don't having a booking code for lufthansa so I can't log in online to select seats. Is the only way through their phone support?
Oct 14, 2012, 9:38 pm
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 642
I booked a rewards flight that has segments on lufthansa, swiss and ANA. For swiss and ANA I was able to get their confirmation numbers but I don't having a booking code for lufthansa so I can't log in online to select seats. Is the only way through their phone support?
Oct 14, 2012, 9:44 pm
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,596
Oct 14, 2012, 10:07 pm
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 448
Just a note in case this might help someone.
I have 2 accounts that were more than 12 days old and 1 account that was 5 days old. I couldn't wait 12 days to do the A,B,C sharing as there were only 2 business seats left within a 2 week timespan so I went ahead with the sharing.
There was no issues receiving or sharing the miles from the 5 day old account and I was able to get my reservation ticketed without any issues.
I have 2 accounts that were more than 12 days old and 1 account that was 5 days old. I couldn't wait 12 days to do the A,B,C sharing as there were only 2 business seats left within a 2 week timespan so I went ahead with the sharing.
There was no issues receiving or sharing the miles from the 5 day old account and I was able to get my reservation ticketed without any issues.
Oct 14, 2012, 10:16 pm
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
Oct 15, 2012, 1:30 am
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 15
Oct 15, 2012, 10:18 am
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 64
Booking Help: JFK/EWR to LIM
HI All FT, I am new to using US airways and have done research on ANA star alliance flight tool for award booking.
I was able to configure the following using Star Alliance Partners
4-3-12
EWR to LIM
4-10-12
LIM to EWR
68k miles in business
A couple of questions for more experienced Star Alliance souls:
1. If I book using the US airways card, I will shave off another 5k miles?
2. How can I check availability for how many rewards seats are left? I think of BA Avios who list the remaining amount of seats in the award classes.
Thank you!
I was able to configure the following using Star Alliance Partners
4-3-12
EWR to LIM
4-10-12
LIM to EWR
68k miles in business
A couple of questions for more experienced Star Alliance souls:
1. If I book using the US airways card, I will shave off another 5k miles?
2. How can I check availability for how many rewards seats are left? I think of BA Avios who list the remaining amount of seats in the award classes.
Thank you!
Oct 15, 2012, 10:25 am
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: IAD
Programs: DL-Silver; BA-Bronze
Posts: 1,162
Not sure how you're coming up with 68K in business. North America - South America awards are 100K in business.
For your questions : 1) No, the 5K discount is only when booked entirely on US - not available for partner awards.
2) No way to do so. The only way to get any information would be to change the number of passengers in your search and see at what point the availability goes away.
I assume you are traveling in 2013 and NOT 2012!
For your questions : 1) No, the 5K discount is only when booked entirely on US - not available for partner awards.
2) No way to do so. The only way to get any information would be to change the number of passengers in your search and see at what point the availability goes away.
I assume you are traveling in 2013 and NOT 2012!
Oct 15, 2012, 5:21 pm
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 13
MSP-SCL; Need confirmation that I'm doing the right thing
I'm wondering if someone can confirm that I actually did anything right when looking for *A award travel using US Airways miles. The following:
1. I can use US Airways DM to book award travel on any segments/flights which are listed in the "Saver Award" column on united.com's award travel search results.
2. Even though (purely as an example) a search of SCL-MSP doesn't reveal any "Saver Award" Economy travel, if I'm able to piece together various segments, all of which have "Saver Award" Economy availability, then I should be able to call US Airways and book that flight, right? Say I'm looking for RT MSP-SCL. Fine on the MSP-SCL portion, but need to get back from SCL a week later. Though nothing showed up when just searching SCL-MSP, I was able to piece together: SCL-PTY, PTY-JFK, EWR-MSP. That's a valid, bookable one-way portion of the RT award, right?
Thanks!
1. I can use US Airways DM to book award travel on any segments/flights which are listed in the "Saver Award" column on united.com's award travel search results.
2. Even though (purely as an example) a search of SCL-MSP doesn't reveal any "Saver Award" Economy travel, if I'm able to piece together various segments, all of which have "Saver Award" Economy availability, then I should be able to call US Airways and book that flight, right? Say I'm looking for RT MSP-SCL. Fine on the MSP-SCL portion, but need to get back from SCL a week later. Though nothing showed up when just searching SCL-MSP, I was able to piece together: SCL-PTY, PTY-JFK, EWR-MSP. That's a valid, bookable one-way portion of the RT award, right?
Thanks!
Oct 15, 2012, 5:37 pm
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: SEA/ORD/ADB
Programs: TK ELPL (*G), AS 100K (OWE), BA Gold (OWE), Hyatt Globalist, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Plat, IHG Plat
Posts: 7,763
2. Even though (purely as an example) a search of SCL-MSP doesn't reveal any "Saver Award" Economy travel, if I'm able to piece together various segments, all of which have "Saver Award" Economy availability, then I should be able to call US Airways and book that flight, right? Say I'm looking for RT MSP-SCL. Fine on the MSP-SCL portion, but need to get back from SCL a week later. Though nothing showed up when just searching SCL-MSP, I was able to piece together: SCL-PTY, PTY-JFK, EWR-MSP. That's a valid, bookable one-way portion of the RT award, right?
Oct 15, 2012, 6:25 pm
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: USA
Posts: 13
Excellent. Thanks for your help! 
Oct 15, 2012, 8:27 pm
Join Date: May 2003
Location: australia
Posts: 438
Nh Success
Just wanted to post was able to secure NRT-JFK in first using us airways 2 seats as well, took some agent roulette, but somehow it worked out
manged to get get NH on the way over and Asiana on the way back and PS on United from JFK to LAX so not too shabby
manged to get get NH on the way over and Asiana on the way back and PS on United from JFK to LAX so not too shabby
Oct 15, 2012, 11:15 pm
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 5,439
HI All FT, I am new to using US airways and have done research on ANA star alliance flight tool for award booking.
I was able to configure the following using Star Alliance Partners
4-3-12
EWR to LIM
4-10-12
LIM to EWR
68k miles in business
A couple of questions for more experienced Star Alliance souls:
1. If I book using the US airways card, I will shave off another 5k miles?
2. How can I check availability for how many rewards seats are left? I think of BA Avios who list the remaining amount of seats in the award classes.
Thank you!
I was able to configure the following using Star Alliance Partners
4-3-12
EWR to LIM
4-10-12
LIM to EWR
68k miles in business
A couple of questions for more experienced Star Alliance souls:
1. If I book using the US airways card, I will shave off another 5k miles?
2. How can I check availability for how many rewards seats are left? I think of BA Avios who list the remaining amount of seats in the award classes.
Thank you!
2. I don't think you can, trial and error with number of passengers is the best way to go...
Oct 16, 2012, 8:43 am
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: US Silver, UA Plat, HHonors Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 212
Excited!
Only a couple of weeks away from an itinerary booked when things were still really good with USDM:
Long hauls (7 hrs plus):
3 LX F
2 SQ F
1 TG F
Long hauls (7 hrs plus):
3 LX F
2 SQ F
1 TG F
Oct 16, 2012, 9:52 am
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: PHX
Programs: US (DMS), UA (no status), SPG (Lifetime Platinum)
Posts: 18
Involntary Downgrade
Curious if anyone has had this happen and how they resolved it (if at all).
Back in July, I booked a *A trip for wife and self for May-June 2013 using 125,000 USDM each, PHX-CDG and return, on US (first class) for the domestic portions, and UA GlobalFirst for the T/A portions. The GlobalFirst confirmations were for B767-300 3-cabin aircraft with the nice suites in f/c. I recently discovered that UA has substituted a B767-300 for the return (CDG-IAD) with two cabins, and we've been involuntarily downgraded to BusinessFirst. I feel that this is wrong and an anticipatory breach of contract. Several calls to UA, speaking with a CSA and a CSA supervisor, have been fruitless. They say they can't change us to a different routing where we could be accommodated in GlobalFirst unless there are award seats available. My position is that once they accepted our miles back in July and confirmed our travel, the quid pro quo had changed hands and the issue is no longer whether there are award seats, but only whether there are GlobalFirst seats available on a reasonable alternate routing (such as, for example, CDG-ORD). BTW, I also spoke with US about this and they, as expected, said it's UA's issue and there is nothing they (US) can do.
Would appreciate any comments and suggestions on how we might convince UA to get us back into GlobalFirst. Thanks!
Back in July, I booked a *A trip for wife and self for May-June 2013 using 125,000 USDM each, PHX-CDG and return, on US (first class) for the domestic portions, and UA GlobalFirst for the T/A portions. The GlobalFirst confirmations were for B767-300 3-cabin aircraft with the nice suites in f/c. I recently discovered that UA has substituted a B767-300 for the return (CDG-IAD) with two cabins, and we've been involuntarily downgraded to BusinessFirst. I feel that this is wrong and an anticipatory breach of contract. Several calls to UA, speaking with a CSA and a CSA supervisor, have been fruitless. They say they can't change us to a different routing where we could be accommodated in GlobalFirst unless there are award seats available. My position is that once they accepted our miles back in July and confirmed our travel, the quid pro quo had changed hands and the issue is no longer whether there are award seats, but only whether there are GlobalFirst seats available on a reasonable alternate routing (such as, for example, CDG-ORD). BTW, I also spoke with US about this and they, as expected, said it's UA's issue and there is nothing they (US) can do.
Would appreciate any comments and suggestions on how we might convince UA to get us back into GlobalFirst. Thanks!