Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

[LA10]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Thanks for your assistance Mel_Traveller and Beta4Me. After looking at your suggestions, the only SQ flight available is SQ238 with the angled seats in J (refitted 700-300). I think I'll just stick with TG J direct to BKK then.

Thank you once again.

Amending the above - I decided to book SQ J going to BKK and TG J returning back to MEL.

The screen shot method worked. Now just awaiting the call for payment.

 

[ermen]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

the SQ through connection / transit from Oz - Asia has not been fixed?

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

the SQ through connection / transit from Oz - Asia has not been fixed?

If you mean TG, no, it hasn't been fixed. SQ has it's own problem. You can't find simple direct OZ-SIN (except PER), but a complicated itinerary such as MEL-SIN-CGK-KUL which involves multiple airlines, the MEL-SIN with SQ will show.

 

[burmans]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

the SQ through connection / transit from Oz - Asia has not been fixed?

Based on LM history, why would you expect anything to be fixed quickly! It took them forever to fix the loopholes, it will now take them ages to fix the bugs this fix introduced

 

[ermen]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

If you mean TG, no, it hasn't been fixed. SQ has it's own problem. You can't find simple direct OZ-SIN (except PER), but a complicated itinerary such as MEL-SIN-CGK-KUL which involves multiple airlines, the MEL-SIN with SQ will show.

i am not sure what the situation is with TG, but for me, HKG - xBKK - PER works.
Can't see any availability within 14 days for SQ going HKG - xSIN - PER

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Anyone with more recent experience with LM booking using screenshots and emails? I tried to make another booking and emailed them yesterday with the screenshots. It used to be replied overnight, but not this time. Do they take longer to reply now due to increased requests lately?

 

[legroom]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Saw post #4216 ?

They apologised for taking > 48 hrs to get back to me.

Anyone with more recent experience with LM booking using screenshots and emails? I tried to make another booking and emailed them yesterday with the screenshots. It used to be replied overnight, but not this time. Do they take longer to reply now due to increased requests lately?

 

[LA10]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Anyone with more recent experience with LM booking using screenshots and emails? I tried to make another booking and emailed them yesterday with the screenshots. It used to be replied overnight, but not this time. Do they take longer to reply now due to increased requests lately?

It was overnight for my initial email and 2 days for subsequent ones.

 

[nz09]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Have a crack at MEL-KUL. You may find MEL-SIN available as part of that...convince the LM support team to let you book just that leg or simply ditch the other flights. Coming back, however, you'll have to wait to see if SQ J still has availability at T-14.

Hi all, I am new to AFF. I used to do all my award bookings to Australia with DM before but now giving Lifemiles a try and would need some help.
Does anyone have experience in booking itineraries for three passengers on one booking?

I am currently searching for business availability mid June from Asia to ADL or MEL. It doesn't really matter which Asian city as we will be flying in on Lufthansa award which has availability to BKK, SIN, PVG, PEK, KUL, etc. All i can find for the onward travel is Air China from PVG or PEK but I am a bit hesitant on booking because there a mixed reviews and I can't find information if the product will be a guaranteed lie flat seat or not.

Now I came across the quoted post and was wondering if there are other city pairs where SQ or other carriers will become available for 3 pax? KUL-MEL unfortunately has no availability.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Hi all, I am new to AFF. I used to do all my award bookings to Australia with DM before but now giving Lifemiles a try and would need some help.
Does anyone have experience in booking itineraries for three passengers on one booking?

I am currently searching for business availability mid June from Asia to ADL or MEL. It doesn't really matter which Asian city as we will be flying in on Lufthansa award which has availability to BKK, SIN, PVG, PEK, KUL, etc. All i can find for the onward travel is Air China from PVG or PEK but I am a bit hesitant on booking because there a mixed reviews and I can't find information if the product will be a guaranteed lie flat seat or not.

Now I came across the quoted post and was wondering if there are other city pairs where SQ or other carriers will become available for 3 pax? KUL-MEL unfortunately has no availability.

Any help would be appreciated.

Your best bet is TG. Although to book for 3 pax, you need to book 2 at a time as TG only release 2 at a time. If there are more award seats it will immediately release 2 more until it's all booked.

SQ has pretty much closed it's award to OZ flights to their *A partners. You may find some odd space here and there, but to get 3 PAX is very hard.

If you don't mind North Asia, Asiana is another one that is very generous.

 

[nz09]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Your best bet is TG. Although to book for 3 pax, you need to book 2 at a time as TG only release 2 at a time. If there are more award seats it will immediately release 2 more until it's all booked.

SQ has pretty much closed it's award to OZ flights to their *A partners. You may find some odd space here and there, but to get 3 PAX is very hard.

If you don't mind North Asia, Asiana is another one that is very generous.

Thanks for the reply, just looked into OZ but unfortunately not flying into MEL. Would be ICN-PVG-MEL so Air China again. Only direct flights into Sydney.
TG has good availability but of course remains a gamble to see if more space opens up once I book two and I would rather have one PRN for the family.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Thanks for the reply, just looked into OZ but unfortunately not flying into MEL. Would be ICN-PVG-MEL so Air China again. Only direct flights into Sydney.
TG has good availability but of course remains a gamble to see if more space opens up once I book two and I would rather have one PRN for the family.

ICN-PVG is a short flight - and PVG-MEL is guaranteed to be operated by full flat beds on Air China.

The beds are in fact some of the best business class beds in the sky... not so private... but full forward facing, spacious, and soft and comfortable.

Service on board air china is attentive and genuine (and indeed genuinely good!), and the food and wine is passable without being memorable. There is a limited selection of movies, with good noise-cancelling headphone, but TV shows are limited (just one or two episodes of each rather than the full box-sets you might get on other carriers).

Air China is one of my preferred carriers to Asia, better than TG's offering with angled beds (or at least the lottery of whether or not you will get an angled bed).

 

[sergeyvzn]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Thanks for the reply, just looked into OZ but unfortunately not flying into MEL. Would be ICN-PVG-MEL so Air China again. Only direct flights into Sydney.
TG has good availability but of course remains a gamble to see if more space opens up once I book two and I would rather have one PRN for the family.

Air China's J product is actually very good. It's a fully flat bed, fairly decent food and new planes. If you have a choice between Air China and TG's old angled beds Air China is better

 

[smit0847]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Air China's J product is actually very good. It's a fully flat bed, fairly decent food and new planes. If you have a choice between Air China and TG's old angled beds Air China is better

I agree- on the overnight PVG - MEL flight I'd absolutely recommend Air China. Have a few drinks in the lounge then sleep the whole way on an excellent flat bed.

Try and get someone else for the outbound- CA would be a bit dull for a day flight.

 

[nz09]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Thanks Mel_Traveller and sergeyvzn.
This is probably what I needed to gain some confidence in Air China. The fully flat bed is what I am looking for, IFE and food doesn't bother me too much as I try to sleep most of the time anyway. Reading your reviews I'd much rather book three awards on one PRN with Air China than taking gambles with TG on availability and angled seats which I had plenty of times over the last year. So looks like we'll be flying LH or LX into PVG and then connect to CA177 from there. It would probably be easier to just book FRA-MEL with Lifemiles but I need to burn some old LH miles for the first leg of the journey. Shouldn't be too much of a problem to collect luggage and re-check with four hours layover.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Thanks Mel_Traveller and sergeyvzn.
This is probably what I needed to gain some confidence in Air China. The fully flat bed is what I am looking for, IFE and food doesn't bother me too much as I try to sleep most of the time anyway. Reading your reviews I'd much rather book three awards on one PRN with Air China than taking gambles with TG on availability and angled seats which I had plenty of times over the last year. So looks like we'll be flying LH or LX into PVG and then connect to CA177 from there. It would probably be easier to just book FRA-MEL with Lifemiles but I need to burn some old LH miles for the first leg of the journey. Shouldn't be too much of a problem to collect luggage and re-check with four hours layover.

No problem to collect bags in the four hours. However... a friend of mine did it just last month and found out the CA check-in doesn't open until three hours prior to departure... so if the LH flight is early you'll have a bit of time up your sleeve before you can go back through. (The airport doesn't offer wi-fi land-side, but if you really want to get on line you can go to one of the cafes land-side and log-in there.)

You can get transit without visa for shanghai if you don't already have a visa... and you can ask if LH will through check your bags. They wouldn't through check the bags for my friend because they originated in London (via Frankfurt) - or so they claimed. You'll have to clear immigration anyway as I don't recall seeing LH->CA on the transit list.

CA has good availability, and I wouldn't even consider TG if CA was available.

 

[nz09]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

No problem to collect bags in the four hours. However... a friend of mine did it just last month and found out the CA check-in doesn't open until three hours prior to departure... so if the LH flight is early you'll have a bit of time up your sleeve before you can go back through. (The airport doesn't offer wi-fi land-side, but if you really want to get on line you can go to one of the cafes land-side and log-in there.)

You can get transit without visa for shanghai if you don't already have a visa... and you can ask if LH will through check your bags. They wouldn't through check the bags for my friend because they originated in London (via Frankfurt) - or so they claimed. You'll have to clear immigration anyway as I don't recall seeing LH->CA on the transit list.

CA has good availability, and I wouldn't even consider TG if CA was available.

Is this actually something they would be able to do? Even when you are on two different awards issued by different carriers?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Is this actually something they would be able to do? Even when you are on two different awards issued by different carriers?

Theoretically star alliance->star alliance would be fine... even on separate tickets.

The problem is more to do with China, and the handling of baggage there. PVG only has limited passenger transit options (specific flights VS->NZ and AA->CX if i remember correctly), the rest you have to clear immigration.

Transit baggage is another matter, sometimes airlines will, and sometimes they won't through check bags. It seems to depend very much on which combination you're flying. In my friends case LH claimed they could have through-checked the bags if travel had originated in Germany rather than London... but I'm not necessarily convinced that's the case (they may just have been fobbing them off).

However... as you'll have to clear immigration anyway, you might as well hang around for 10 mins to collect your bags. Priority baggage works really well at PVG.

Separate tickets you want to beware of a miss-connect however. If the flight looks like it's going to be more than two hours late I'd be approaching the LH desk in the lounge to see what they can do for you.

 

[nz09]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Theoretically star alliance->star alliance would be fine... even on separate tickets.

The problem is more to do with China, and the handling of baggage there. PVG only has limited passenger transit options (specific flights VS->NZ and AA->CX if i remember correctly), the rest you have to clear immigration.

Transit baggage is another matter, sometimes airlines will, and sometimes they won't through check bags. It seems to depend very much on which combination you're flying. In my friends case LH claimed they could have through-checked the bags if travel had originated in Germany rather than London... but I'm not necessarily convinced that's the case (they may just have been fobbing them off).

However... as you'll have to clear immigration anyway, you might as well hang around for 10 mins to collect your bags. Priority baggage works really well at PVG.

Separate tickets you want to beware of a miss-connect however. If the flight looks like it's going to be more than two hours late I'd be approaching the LH desk in the lounge to see what they can do for you.

I'll give it a shot when the time comes to see if they can check it through and keep an eye on the miss connect as well. My other option is getting into PVG in the morning but not too keen on hanging around the airport for 12 hours, especially with collected luggage not ready to be checked in again as per your previous post.
Thank you for all the valuable advise!

 

[coolkid101]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

ICN-PVG is a short flight - and PVG-MEL is guaranteed to be operated by full flat beds on Air China.

The beds are in fact some of the best business class beds in the sky... not so private... but full forward facing, spacious, and soft and comfortable.

Service on board air china is attentive and genuine (and indeed genuinely good!), and the food and wine is passable without being memorable. There is a limited selection of movies, with good noise-cancelling headphone, but TV shows are limited (just one or two episodes of each rather than the full box-sets you might get on other carriers).

Air China is one of my preferred carriers to Asia, better than TG's offering with angled beds (or at least the lottery of whether or not you will get an angled bed).

+1 to this. just did PVG-MEL in end jan this year. great flight. we went there ADL-HKG on CX and i daresay it wasn't as good as our CA experience - might just have been a bad flight for us on CX as i know they're a lot better but i had a stewardess whose first response to anything i said was "sorry no" - extra ice cream (cmon was 1/3 full in business and she wouldn't let me have another??) - no extra meal (when i saw them wheel a whole tray full to the back and i did a walkaround so i knew almost everyone already had a meal - seat was good but service a bit meh.

AC on the other hand was fantastic. full cabin but no problems for the staff. IFE was a letdown but it's an overnight flight so not important. seats were fantastic and service impeccable (except for the stewardess who split a glass of OJ on the lady in the row just in front of us). no hesitation flying with them again