Help with open jaws ideas please
 

I am starting to think about plans for summer 2013, and we are leaning toward an Alaska cruise & Northwest trip. I did this once (10 years ago) and was able to use USAirways miles into ANC and out of SEA (to/from PHL).

I am hoping to do the same this time (maybe into ANC & out of SFO or somewhere in Oregon). I wasn't able to check on the website about number of miles (and my dates are too far off anyways).

I was wondering:

1. How difficult open jaws award bookings are

2. I have about 100K USAir + 120K Chase UR points. I need 4 tix. Can I use United miles on USAir (or vice versa)?

Sorry if these are dumb questions, but it's been a really long time since I have used these miles!

Thanks!

1. For US, you'll need to call on the phone, but actually booking the award isn't any harder than anything else (subject to award availability, as always). You just tell the agent the city segments you want.

2. US and United are both Star Alliance members, so you can use their miles to book on each other's flights, but you can't combine them into one big pot to book all 4 tickets (you'd have to book some through US and some through United, as they have separate routing restrictions when redeeming miles).

Thank you!
 

That is very helpful!

Just to clarify, I could book 2 tickets using the USA miles & 2 tickets using United - all on the same flight (hopefully!), but by calling each airline program separately to book? And the flight could be on either airline?

Thanks!

If you're flying economy class, it should only be 25K miles each, a total of 100K miles, so you could book all 4 tickets with the same airline (assuming availability).

In first class, it should be 50K miles each, so yes, you could book 2 tickets with US miles and 2 tickets with United miles all on the same flights. I'd go online with United, place the award tickets on hold temporarily (no fee), then call US Airways to book the other two tickets. Once the US Airways tickets were confirmed, you could go back to "pay" for the United tickets.

To Clarify: You would all be on the same flights in either scenario. You would simply be "paying" two different airlines.

Exactly right! The only real hassle is that you would have to make two calls (1 to USAir, 1 to United). You will be able to get on the same flight though (assuming availability).

I'd recommend calling USAir first and putting the two tickets on hold. Make sure to write down your confirmation number.

Then, call United, make sure you can get two tickets with them. Pay for those tickets. Then call back to USAir and pay for your those tickets.

Only reason I stress doing this is because if you just pay for the tickets the first time you call USAir and then can't find any tickets on United for some reason, you are out of luck. Once you pay for your tickets on USAir, it is costly to make changes, so just put them on hold first and make sure that you can get the United ones.

The Alaska cruise I did went YVR-ANC, just to give you another option for flights if you choose just the cruise, or if you might find Vancouver interesting in its own right.

Vancouver is awesome but don't fly out of YVR - Canadian taxes and surcharges are a killer. Grab a transborder bus to SeaTac instead and save some $$$$.

Quick question on this subject I've been meaning to ask: I know you can do open jaw on a *A award, but how about on a US metal award? Thinking of doing PHL-FRA/MUC-PHL next winter and wonder if that's legit.

Open jaw is allowed on US metal award. Can't do it online, got to call. Your PHL-FRA/MUC-PHL is fine.

That would be GREAT if it was 25,000. I can't check yet, because we want to go July/Aug 2013. I checked the latest dates available (May 2013) on the USAirways site (for roundtrip PHL/ANC) and it was 50,000 (45,000 with the 5,000 dsicount) per economy ticket. I wonder why:confused:

We LOVED Vancouver when we did our cruise 9 years ago! The tentative plan is to fly into ANC & spend a few days. Cruise leaves from Seward, goes to Vancouver. We'd spend a few days & then take the bus to Seattle. Spend some time, then rent a car & spend another week or 2 going down the coast. Possibly fly home from Portland or San Fran.

I guess it all depends on the flight availability!

I'm not sure why it was telling you 50,000 roundtrip. If you look at the USAirways chart, it is always 25,000 roundtrip to Alaska in economy class. Plus, if you put in the 5,000 miles off for having the card, you can get it for 20,000.

Either you were looking at first class tickets, or the way you were putting in the itinerary it was reading it as two separate tickets (hence charging 2x, meaning 50,000). That's the only thing I can think of.

But yeah, with USAirways, you are always going to pay 25k for domestic redemption, plus than you can get the 5k off bonus!