US Dividend Miles - Award Booking Questions and General Discussion

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

It's not that SK have removed it, but more so ... welcome to "business class" intra-EU

Also... re: OU ... welcome to intra-EU "lounges"

it IS that SAS have removed it.

 

[bcworld]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

it IS that SAS have removed it.

Correct. Yes, previously business was typcial intra-EU middle seat blocked business, now there is no business product at all...in terms of catering etc.

 

[Flashback]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Correct. Yes, previously business was typcial intra-EU middle seat blocked business, now there is no business product at all...in terms of catering etc.

Ah! The description didn't really indicate that and given the first time J flights for the OP I was under the impression they were expecting a 'proper' J product

 

[Solid]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

That's a strange itinerary. Was BNE-SIN-HND on SQ, BNE-SIN (SQ) then SIN-NRT on ANA or BNE-BKK-NRT on TG unavailable? I didn't know TG even flew to XMN....

Not on the days I wanted in J and I had fairly fixed dates. XMN to BKK is a 777 on Tues, Thurs, Sat until March next year.

 

[Timba-Jet]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Okay, I got it!

TG MEL-BKK (16 hour layover)
TG BKK-NRT (TGA380) (6 day stopover)
UA NRT-GUM (3 days destination)

UA GUM-NRT
SQ HND-SIN
SQ SIN-MEL

2 people in business class, 30,000 miles each, plus $151.50 in taxes, plus $50 processing fee each. What is even better is the 30,000 miles are 'freebie' miles from a miss priced first class award we did earlier in the year, so it is a dam cheap trip!

Also I was actually calling up to cancel but when the agent said 'your itinerary MEL-GUM-MEL' I thought I had a chance. So I got her to split the booking for me for the miles to come from two accounts and then she said to me, oh that will be 90,000 miles each and you only have 30,000 in your account. I then said, oh, I thought it would be 30,000 for SWP-SWP. So she had a look at it and said, yep your correct someone has mistakenly put in the wrong amount in your booking, I'll fix it up for you.

So even though it went to the rates desk and I was told it was an illegal itinerary, then priced at 90,000 I somehow managed to come out a winner. Geeze I am going to miss these guys.

Congrats on your perseverance, many others would of given up, that's showing really FF spirit.

On the other hand I do have concerns, is this a case of too much of a good thing! Then again, why is the actual extra cost to the airlines for allowing a stopover.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Congrats on your perseverance, many others would of given up, that's showing really FF spirit.

On the other hand I do have concerns, is this a case of too much of a good thing! Then again, why is the actual extra cost to the airlines for allowing a stopover.

its not the cost of the stop over per se... it's that the stopover is in a higher zone, and if you choose to take that higher zone you should pay for it (distance based).

 

[smit0847]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Okay, I got it!

TG MEL-BKK (16 hour layover)
TG BKK-NRT (TGA380) (6 day stopover)
UA NRT-GUM (3 days destination)

UA GUM-NRT
SQ HND-SIN
SQ SIN-MEL

2 people in business class, 30,000 miles each, plus $151.50 in taxes, plus $50 processing fee each. What is even better is the 30,000 miles are 'freebie' miles from a miss priced first class award we did earlier in the year, so it is a dam cheap trip!

Also I was actually calling up to cancel but when the agent said 'your itinerary MEL-GUM-MEL' I thought I had a chance. So I got her to split the booking for me for the miles to come from two accounts and then she said to me, oh that will be 90,000 miles each and you only have 30,000 in your account. I then said, oh, I thought it would be 30,000 for SWP-SWP. So she had a look at it and said, yep your correct someone has mistakenly put in the wrong amount in your booking, I'll fix it up for you.

So even though it went to the rates desk and I was told it was an illegal itinerary, then priced at 90,000 I somehow managed to come out a winner. Geeze I am going to miss these guys.

Nice work!!! Congratulations!

I thought NRT exceeded the MPM whereas NGO or KIX didnt but I guess YMMV.

How long is your time between flights in Tokyo on the way back? Im sure you are aware NRT and HND arent that close together?!

 

[smit0847]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

It's not that SK have removed it, but more so ... welcome to "business class" intra-EU

Also... re: OU ... welcome to intra-EU "lounges"

As others have said - they removed it completely. OU have intra-EU J and TK have a proper J like VA on European flights.

OU was particularly bad because TK have domestic lounges even where they only have a few flights per day (we were the only ones in the ASR lounge).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Nice work!!! Congratulations!

I thought NRT exceeded the MPM whereas NGO or KIX didnt but I guess YMMV.

How long is your time between flights in Tokyo on the way back? Im sure you are aware NRT and HND arent that close together?!

doesnt every combination (except cns-gum) exceed MPM?

 

[travelislife]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Congrats on your perseverance, many others would of given up, that's showing really FF spirit.

On the other hand I do have concerns, is this a case of too much of a good thing! Then again, why is the actual extra cost to the airlines for allowing a stopover.

It is a risk I have taken, i guess it is the whole argument of risk vs. reward. I did think twice about posting the itinerary up here as the WWW is a big place and airline reps do peruse some airline forums. The other issue is if there are changes once US have left Star Alliance but again another risk I am willing to take.

its not the cost of the stop over per se... it's that the stopover is in a higher zone, and if you choose to take that higher zone you should pay for it (distance based).

This is correct. The actual itinerary probably isn't illegal (maybe some issues with MPM) but should be priced at 90,000 due to the higher transited region rule. Saying that there are stories of people on here getting first class return to Europe for 45,000 so YMMV!

Nice work!!! Congratulations!

I thought NRT exceeded the MPM whereas NGO or KIX didnt but I guess YMMV.

How long is your time between flights in Tokyo on the way back? Im sure you are aware NRT and HND arent that close together?!

It is a tad over 4 hours. Yes I realise we have to pay for our own transfer between the airports. We will most likely be travelling HLO so shouldn't be too much of an issue hopefully, just a small annoyance but worth the trade off to get the itinerary!

 

[bcworld]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

It is a tad over 4 hours. Yes I realise we have to pay for our own transfer between the airports. We will most likely be travelling HLO so shouldn't be too much of an issue hopefully, just a small annoyance but worth the trade off to get the itinerary!

Yikes. I would be a tad concerned. Last year when we arrived into KIX we waited 90 mins+ at passport control...we'd arrived on NH J and there was no priority line...it was a pretty unexpected introduction to Japanese efficiency!

 

[travelislife]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Yikes. I would be a tad concerned. Last year when we arrived into KIX we waited 90 mins+ at passport control...we'd arrived on NH J and there was no priority line...it was a pretty unexpected introduction to Japanese efficiency!

Wow! I have never waited more than 30 seconds at Japanese passport control both in NRT and KIX over multiple trips. Surely something must have been up with that kind of wait?

 

[anat0l]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

It is a tad over 4 hours. Yes I realise we have to pay for our own transfer between the airports. We will most likely be travelling HLO so shouldn't be too much of an issue hopefully, just a small annoyance but worth the trade off to get the itinerary!

Check-in at HND must be completed 60 minutes before departure (assuming standard check-in timing), so that makes it 3 hours from last plane to get to HND.

Quick check myself - I haven't looked at the other options - but from NRT to HND via, say, the Keisei line train (direct service, it says) will take around 90 minutes or thereabouts. That's without any other waiting time (i.e. line up with the timetable). Apparently a limo bus should take around the same amount of time (the bus is naturally more frequent).

This cuts any other auxiliary time down to 1.5 hours.

In my experience, NRT immigration doesn't take too long. There is no priority, but they do work pretty quickly as long as you don't mess around in answering their questions. Just don't dawdle to the passport control!

Only thing that may upset your plans is delays, but then it is one ticket so you have some protection (in theory). In this case, you may be able to resort to staying in NRT and negotiating with SQ / NH directly there rather than hike out to HND. (If they tell you that you can make it, off you go!)

Not the thinnest of connections, and makes a nice story to relate over a drink when you get home

 

[bcworld]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Yikes. I would be a tad concerned. Last year when we arrived into KIX we waited 90 mins+ at passport control...we'd arrived on NH J and there was no priority line...it was a pretty unexpected introduction to Japanese efficiency!

All I can tell you is there were loads of empty desks for Japanese nationals but no attempt to re-balance the queues at all. It was the slowest moving snake I've ever been in and very nearly resulted in us missing all available transport options to get to Kyoto that night...other than $350 taxis of course!

 

[travelislife]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Check-in at HND must be completed 60 minutes before departure (assuming standard check-in timing), so that makes it 3 hours from last plane to get to HND.

Quick check myself - I haven't looked at the other options - but from NRT to HND via, say, the Keisei line train (direct service, it says) will take around 90 minutes or thereabouts. That's without any other waiting time (i.e. line up with the timetable). Apparently a limo bus should take around the same amount of time (the bus is naturally more frequent).

This cuts any other auxiliary time down to 1.5 hours.

In my experience, NRT immigration doesn't take too long. There is no priority, but they do work pretty quickly as long as you don't mess around in answering their questions. Just don't dawdle to the passport control!

Only thing that may upset your plans is delays, but then it is one ticket so you have some protection (in theory). In this case, you may be able to resort to staying in NRT and negotiating with SQ / NH directly there rather than hike out to HND. (If they tell you that you can make it, off you go!)

Not the thinnest of connections, and makes a nice story to relate over a drink when you get home

Thanks for the tips. I did do some googling before booking it and 4 hours did seem enough especially with HLO only. I would have thought we would already have our BP's for the HND-SIN flight so wouldn't have to worry about checking in again or am I wrong there? Yep all on the one ticket so not too concerned.

 

[serfty]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Wow! I have never waited more than 30 seconds at Japanese passport control both in NRT and KIX over multiple trips. Surely something must have been up with that kind of wait?

Haven't you seens the 60 / 45 / 30 /15 minutes (to end of queue) signs at NRT? We had a good look at them starting from the 45 minute one after arriving ~4pm after a JAL flight from SIN. (It was pretty accurate too :-|)

 

[travelislife]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

Haven't you seens the 60 / 45 / 30 /15 minutes (to end of queue) signs at NRT? We had a good look at them starting from the 45 minute one after arriving ~4pm after a JAL flight from SIN. (It was pretty accurate too :-|)

No I haven't, cause I guess we have just been able to walk straight up to a counter so haven't noticed any signage or snaking barriers/lines. It appears we may have got lucky over the last few trips! :shock:

 

[anat0l]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

I would have thought we would already have our BP's for the HND-SIN flight so wouldn't have to worry about checking in again or am I wrong there? Yep all on the one ticket so not too concerned.

Never done it myself, but in any case you never really know if you'll receive your next BP at first check in, unless you're travelling on the same carrier, and even then. From an academic standpoint, I would harbour further doubts as the two ports are not the same (whilst they are co-terminal, they are not the same port). Finally, whilst SQ is happy to check you in at SIN 24 hours before your flight, at outstations they may reduce the check-in window to, say, 3 hours beforehand, unless there is another SQ operated HND/SIN flight earlier that day (again, many carriers are similar).

That's all just speculative, but in the worst case scenario barring delays, you should still be able to make it anyway.

 

[travelislife]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

I just checked and it is 4.5 hours. Arrive 8:00pm, depart 12:30am. Should be fine and well over MCT of 3.5 hours.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

unusual to hear of long lines at Japanese immigration! I have caught the last flight into NRT several times (arrives about an hour before the last train) and both immigration and customs were doing everything they could to literally push people out to make the train!