Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

[smit0847]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

The process involves looking for a connection beyond singapore - for example to CGK or KUL.

Availability might be hard to find... but if you can get it, it should be a two or three segment flight (sometimes even includes sectors on say MS).

You then take the screen shot of the total itinerary (AU-SIN-xx_-CGK), then another for AU to SIN (which will show nothing) and send that off asking LM to ticket just the AU-SIN leg only.

My best mate wanted MEL-BKK-TPE but only the legs individually were showing up. He sent screenshots and asked LMs to join them on the one award which they happily did.

This means that it may be possible to build your own itinerary provided your build fits within LMs sparse routing rules (isnt <8 hours connection and no mixed fare classes their only rules?). Using this example, I wonder, if you could see SQ AU-SIN-xx_-CGK, and, say, SQ SIN-TPE but AU-SIN-TPE did not come up, you may be able to build this by sending in the screenshots?

This potentially turns a frustration into an opportunity as the faulty website could allow us to book itineraries we never could with a functioning website!

 

[Alanslegal]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

This potentially turns a frustration into an opportunity as the faulty website could allow us to book itineraries we never could with a functioning website!

Good point, if life throws us lemons, we make lemon juice

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: Avianca Life Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here

For those interested, I see the occasional SYD-xBKK-(somewhere in Europe) return TG F available for September/October 2015 bookable online. The (somewhere in Europe) have been previously disclosed in these threads. Also SYD-xBKK-DEL return TG J is bookable online, if people need to get to that part of the world - or they can just take the direct AI 787 flight.

I'm sending friends to India and was just looking at bookings yesterday. Air India is a no brainer to DEL... but domestic connections unfortunately don't show on LM... which means screenshots.

 

[coolkid101]

Re: Avianca Life Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here

For those interested, I see the occasional SYD-xBKK-(somewhere in Europe) return TG F available for September/October 2015 bookable online. The (somewhere in Europe) have been previously disclosed in these threads. Also SYD-xBKK-DEL return TG J is bookable online, if people need to get to that part of the world - or they can just take the direct AI 787 flight.

thanks for the heads up.
went back through the thread to find the "somewhere in Europe" but it's a lot of pages to go through - so far i've seen FRA as one of the destinations and i've went through most of oct/nov and found just 1 date for J but not for F.
care to share which other destinations you had looked at?
Thanks in advance

 

[Alanslegal]

Re: Avianca Life Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here

Try FCO, eg 24/10 Syd-Fco has 1 F or 2 J

 

[smit0847]

Re: Avianca Life Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here

Try FCO, eg 24/10 Syd-Fco has 1 F or 2 J

FCO was my immediate guess as to the european destination! MXP may also work

 

[appaz]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

lets hope their geography is as good as some of the US Airways agents

 

[coolkid101]

Re: Avianca Life Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here

Try FCO, eg 24/10 Syd-Fco has 1 F or 2 J

tempted to try screenshot of AUS-BKK-KUL via SQ to show valid segment AUS-BKK and then use the BKK-FCO part of SYD-FCO on TG to piece the itins together... though that might end up making things too complicated.

 

[coolkid101]

Re: Avianca Life Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here

any idea what the chances of a 2nd F opening on the route might be if we take 1 F first? otherwise the backup would be 1 in F and 1 in J and cancelling the J afterwards, which i'd much rather avoid if there's a good chance of a 2nd F opening early.

Try FCO, eg 24/10 Syd-Fco has 1 F or 2 J

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

This means that it may be possible to build your own itinerary provided your build fits within LMs sparse routing rules (isnt <8 hours connection and no mixed fare classes their only rules?)?

This potentially turns a frustration into an opportunity as the faulty website could allow us to book itineraries we never could with a functioning website!

I've been wondering about this for a while but never had the chance to proof it. Theoretically it should work if the itinerary is not too complicated. I personally think AUS-SIN-TPE is fair enough. However, I'm not sure if this will work: AUS-SIN-CGK-KUL (in one screen), then KUL-IST-TLV (in another screen). Guess that's too many layovers?

 

[appaz]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

I've been wondering about this for a while but never had the chance to proof it. Theoretically it should work if the itinerary is not too complicated. I personally think AUS-SIN-TPE is fair enough. However, I'm not sure if this will work: AUS-SIN-CGK-KUL (in one screen), then KUL-IST-TLV (in another screen). Guess that's too many layovers?

I was thinking of attempting something similar.

SGN-SIN SQ
SIN-BKK SQ
BKK-PER TG

too much back tracking? I could just go SGN-BKK-PER which is all on the dreamliner with TG but I prefer SQ and like flying

 

[coolkid101]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

I've been wondering about this for a while but never had the chance to proof it. Theoretically it should work if the itinerary is not too complicated. I personally think AUS-SIN-TPE is fair enough. However, I'm not sure if this will work: AUS-SIN-CGK-KUL (in one screen), then KUL-IST-TLV (in another screen). Guess that's too many layovers?

was just writing about this in the other LM thread, just simpler -- if there was a direct SYD-BKK-FCO on TG but you didn't want to go TG then maybe screenshot SYD-SIN-CGK/KUL-BKK with SQ for the first few segments in one screen and SYD-BKK-FCO as a valid routing to link up the BKK-FCO segment on TG to make it SYD-SIN-BKK-FCO on a combination of SQ and TG, but looks like a lot of effort just to go on SQ instead.

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

was just writing about this in the other LM thread, just simpler -- if there was a direct SYD-BKK-FCO on TG but you didn't want to go TG then maybe screenshot SYD-SIN-CGK/KUL-BKK with SQ for the first few segments in one screen and SYD-BKK-FCO as a valid routing to link up the BKK-FCO segment on TG to make it SYD-SIN-BKK-FCO on a combination of SQ and TG, but looks like a lot of effort just to go on SQ instead.

That won't work. One of the condition for screen shot is to show that your departure point to your final destination is not available online despite flights are available on each segment, in this case, SYD-FCO would show availability in TG and LM will require you to book that one.

What this glitch opened up, is that eg. previously AUS-NRT used to be TG only. But now the BKK-NRT you can pick ANA over TG. That definitely will work.

 

[coolkid101]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

i see.
then maybe going via ADL might be an option - there's ADL-SIN-BKK-KUL via SQ and last leg by TG.
there's no ADL-FCO
maybe then i could use the ADL-BKK part of ADL-KUL and then the BKK-FCO part of SYD-BKK-FCO? might that work then?

That won't work. One of the condition for screen shot is to show that your departure point to your final destination is
not available online despite flights are available on each segment, in this case, SYD-FCO would show availability in TG and LM will require you to book that one.

What this glitch opened up, is that eg. previously AUS-NRT used to be TG only. But now the BKK-NRT you can pick ANA over TG. That definitely will work.

 

[noviceFF]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

huh! I bought 23,000 (plus bonus) miles to top up an account and I just noticed that I can go back and purchase another 68,000 (with 81,600 bonus) if I so desire !

The terms and conditions say 1 transaction per account and 150K max - looks like neither are enforced at the moment.

So, I attempted to purchase 70K miles (accidently) and on check out screen, it shows I would get 84K bonus miles for $2310. Score! After purchase, it doesn't credit me with my bonus miles..70K miles total for $2310 Long story short, computer glitch isn't honoured after purchase and now I'm in a frustrating dialogue with them to sort things out. Sheesh..

Btw-I'm of understanding it's a real headache to cancel/change award bookings with LM. Can someone tell me what are the fees, I can't seem to find it..

Thx

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

i see.
then maybe going via ADL might be an option - there's ADL-SIN-BKK-KUL via SQ and last leg by TG.
there's no ADL-FCO
maybe then i could use the ADL-BKK part of ADL-KUL and then the BKK-FCO part of SYD-BKK-FCO? might that work then?

That might work as long as the connection time in BKK is <8hrs. Plz report back on how you go.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

So, I attempted to purchase 70K miles (accidently) and on check out screen, it shows I would get 84K bonus miles for $2310. Score! After purchase, it doesn't credit me with my bonus miles..70K miles total for $2310 Long story short, computer glitch isn't honoured after purchase and now I'm in a frustrating dialogue with them to sort things out. Sheesh..

Btw-I'm of understanding it's a real headache to cancel/change award bookings with LM. Can someone tell me what are the fees, I can't seem to find it..

Thx

cancellation fee is $50, change fee is $150.

Yeah - the bonus miles will only credit if you are under the limit. When I was playing around with the buy miles page a box would pop up after a few seconds to advise the limit had been reached and no bonus would be awarded... but it took a couple seconds for the warning to show.

 

[JessicaTam]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

cancellation fee is $50, change fee is $150.

Yeah - the bonus miles will only credit if you are under the limit. When I was playing around with the buy miles page a box would pop up after a few seconds to advise the limit had been reached and no bonus would be awarded... but it took a couple seconds for the warning to show.

Sounds a bit like the QF '!'

 

[noviceFF]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

cancellation fee is $50, change fee is $150.

Yeah - the bonus miles will only credit if you are under the limit. When I was playing around with the buy miles page a box would pop up after a few seconds to advise the limit had been reached and no bonus would be awarded... but it took a couple seconds for the warning to show.

The warning pop up box didn't do that initially-hence where my problem lies..
Moral of story: If it's too good to be true, then it probably is.

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

The warning pop up box didn't do that initially-hence where my problem lies..
Moral of story: If it's too good to be true, then it probably is.

The moral of the story is, even if it's too good to be true, as long as it's within the T&C then grab it. Worst comes worst they don't honor it and you get your money back. This is true for those mistake airfares. I personally got a PER-GRU on SAA J for only 45000 LM. Was it a mistake or was it a promotion? I don't know. It only lasted 24 hrs but LM honored it and the ticket is still valid.

In your case, unfortunately it was clearly laid out that maximum mile is 150k so you don't have much ground to argue. It was also clearly stated that all miles purchased is non refundable. One can only hope that at least LM will give you the bonus for 68000 miles that you bought.