Tiki

Your chances would be better if you make somewhere on the east coast (JFK, MIA, or whatever) the destination and use SFO as a stopover as you will get more miles to play with. I got a fairly convoluted route ex BNE ticketed a month ago but that might have been just a lucky call (inexperienced agent?) and it took 3 hours just to find flights. BNE-BKK-ICN-YVR-IAH-BZE /- HNL-ICN-BKK-BNE.

BNE only has 3 *A carriers we can use, TG, SQ and NZ and from those only TG is generous with awards. Once EVA Air comes on board, we will have another carrier so that might make awards between USA and Australia a bit easier.

For Aussies, it's probably best to use USDM between Australia and Asia or Europe for now. UA still has some of those routings via Asia.

belfordrocks

SQ is pretty generous in terms of regional business class...

oneworld82

Would an AKL-NRT-ORD be allowed?

Also, from DFW, which are the options to NBO?

rankourabu

Never heard of this rule - UA/AC certainly dont charge like that, did US ever do it?

wheresmybagba

Yes.
Keep it under 13,412 miles.

pm6163

how much does USAirways charge for a biz award tkt to just change routes (no change on the travel date, departure, and destination, no stopover)? no status on USAirways. Thanks.

babs

Was just pondering one of life’s great mysteries, which one you ask? Well that would be the US Airways miles gravy train.
Having read the board the last few weeks about MPM and seeing what my already ticketed awards would look like in this new world (luckily going east Coast USA so no worries there)

I wonder what does US have to reimburse star alliance carriers. I know a fair while back there was some discussion but not sure if there was ever an answer? Seems to be a well held secret.

My thoughts are that it could be either of these
1. That award flights are cut up into zones either based on distance? So i.e. 1000miles to 2000 miles costs say $200 and then a multiple for business and first?
2. Or that an award flight in a particular region e.g. Asia no matter the distance only costs US Airways say $200 and then the multiple. And then the flights between regions are charged at a set amount no matter the region?

See to me I don't think it would be overly complex. I don't believe it would be based on distance flown, so if you use 12000 miles to get from SYD-JFK and 3000 goes to Thai, 5000 to Asiana etc and they charge a cost per mile flown, just seems too hard to reimburse to be honest? But I know I am just hypothesizing so if someone else knows for sure please share!!

I think overall the US Airways model on selling miles etc is becoming more sophisticated in that I think the original theory was everybody would redeem on US or us within North America etc and that a flight cost x amount for us to get from star alliance inventory and it was a nice simple model.

However I think after further analysis down the track the realization has come that some awards actually cost them money take for example the wonderful world of Russia being in Asia (now in Europe before you get excited) and you could transit (stopover even) in Frankfurt and enjoy the FCT etc, and they were only charging 60K miles was it? Anyway something like that or about $1300USD at the 100% bonus buy rate including taxes.
So say your routing was HKG-BKK-FRA-DME and back so a nice simple 6 flight itn that no agent would have even thought about as Moscow is in Japan right?

So price this up using my theory in first class say costs 1.5 times economy class rate per segement. I get the following I have assumed between zones is $400 dollars but just guessing.
HKG-BKK $300 (200*1.5)
BKK-FRA $600 (400*1.5)
FRA-DME $300 (200*1.5)

So you can see that for a return it is costing $2400 for US Airways to reimburse star alliance carriers for this. Even if you half my cost used it’s still very marginal and pretty unbelievable if US are only charged $300 for FC from BKK to FRA. So to me the MPM problems people have been facing are essentially driven by US Airways wanting to make a dollar hence I would assume it is really US Airways who blocks LH as LH obviously want more than the standard rate for first class etc and US Airways are not willing to pay as it affects their dividend miles selling model.

So if Thai Airways and Asiana ever catch up you may as well change the name to skypesos!

If we take the current issue for MPM seems to be South Pacific to West Coast USA. So the award chart says 110K points in business we think greatthat’s going to cost me about $2200 return in business class did I tell you!!

So if I use my cost as above $400 per flight between regions and then a multiple of 1.25 for business class so a return SYD-SFO costs US Airways $1000. So they make $1000 dollars of margin perfect everyone wins, except for the other star alliance carriers and their frequent flyer members. So say United go I have had enough I will reduce the amount of inventory available to star and let my members have first go and then if there is anything left I will let star have a look.

However the US Airways Dividend miles buyers and burners go hmm I can't get to Disneyland the easy quick way now I will consult flyertalk and low and behold I can route my flight through Bangkok and Tokyo and get to see Mickey Mouse and get a massage on the way!

So using my theory on the cost per flight
SYD-BKK $500
BKK-NRT $250
NRT-LAX $500

So return US airways pays star alliance carriers $2500 for miles that cost $2068 and there we have it why MPM is being enforced in my opinion? What is everyone else’s theory?

Air Rarotonga

US$ 150.- / ticket

buschoi

Technically yes, and some call center agents do enforce it. HUACA until you find one who quotes 90K.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

I thought there was some sort of mileage clearance house... so for starters, before money changed hands, if USDM claimed 1 million miles for TG flights, that was off-set against 1 million worth of TG redemptions on USDM flights??

And I thought that was part of the problem for LH. No LH pax would want to use US airways to fly to the USA, hence a huge deficit US to LH if they were to allow F class rewards.

bacook

I've seen conflicting information so apologies if this is an often asked question. If taking a domestic UA flight as part of a business itinerary, are there circumstances that allow an F seat on either a 2 or 3 class service?

Air Rarotonga

yes

no

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

you have not seen any conflicting information.

international business connects (in the USA) to domestic business on a three cabin aircraft and to First on a two cabin aircraft.

It is different for china. International business connects to domestic economy only (not First).

WeHoVoyageur

Two months ago I booked LAX - ICN - BKK - SYD (dest) - BKK (stopover) - ICN - LAX in OZ F and TG F / J.

Is this routing no longer permissible under USDM MPM rules?

PVDtoDEL

Unfortunately.

if you want ICN and BKK, you're best option is probably buying a rev ticket to ORD and flying ORD-ICN-BKK-SYD