US Dividend Miles - Award Booking Questions and General Discussion

[anat0l]

Hmmm, looks good, bit of room to play around with there... So would that be almost 40k miles return???

That is pretty generous come to think of it! Too bad it's only a hunk of mileage...

Of course, with oneworld getting there within 25M is a piece of cake.

 

[shellthom]

I have OZ heebie jeebies based on having flown them for the first time recently!

I am putting together my itinerary (searching for flights to match up etc) and I have the option of OZ NRT-ICN-CDG or NH NRT-PVG CA PVG-CDG ... based on your experience you would suggest ANA/Air China over Asiana? I used to think they were a good airline... but SFO did freak me out and they had a couple of safety things all at once... I would prefer 15 hours in Seoul over Shanghai, as I have a friend in Seoul, but I might be scared of the airline.

 

[Flashback]

Has anye flown Ethiopian airlines recently??? Not sure which route has the 787 on it but anyone got and good or bad stories about it??

I assume you mean... other than the one that caught fire at LHR?

I'm looking forward to being able to do 1 way awards, and pay 1 way prices rather than return!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I am putting together my itinerary (searching for flights to match up etc) and I have the option of OZ NRT-ICN-CDG or NH NRT-PVG CA PVG-CDG ... based on your experience you would suggest ANA/Air China over Asiana? I used to think they were a good airline... but SFO did freak me out and they had a couple of safety things all at once... I would prefer 15 hours in Seoul over Shanghai, as I have a friend in Seoul, but I might be scared of the airline.

safety issues aside - as OZ is probably one of the safest airlines you could fly on at the moment (they'll have accident investigators pouring over every procedure!) - you would want to look at the equipment being offered for your flight.

If both airlines are offering full flat beds, take OZ (better than CA). If only one airline is offering flat beds, take that airline

 

[bcworld]

I am putting together my itinerary (searching for flights to match up etc) and I have the option of OZ NRT-ICN-CDG or NH NRT-PVG CA PVG-CDG ... based on your experience you would suggest ANA/Air China over Asiana? I used to think they were a good airline... but SFO did freak me out and they had a couple of safety things all at once... I would prefer 15 hours in Seoul over Shanghai, as I have a friend in Seoul, but I might be scared of the airline.

I have no safety qualms about OZ.

I just didn't enjoy the experience...I had high expectations and it was amateurish and the service downright intrusive.

Lounge at ICN 5/10
Crew 6/10
Food 6/10
IFE 5/10

All round it was nowhere near close to the alleged other Skytrax 5* airlines.

Yes, I would pick NH over OZ any day unless I was looking at a long haul flight in NH older business product vs OZ lie flats.

CA, no. I've defended CA in the past based on reading some favourable trip reports but I've decided they're going on my no fly list based on a thread I read recently on FT on their continual inability to properly handle rerouting of tickets issued by other carriers in the event of delays / cancellations etc. As I've mentioned before some friends of mine had personal experience of this. Unless my routing through China involved a >24 hour stopover I don't feel they can be trusted.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I have no safety qualms about OZ.

I just didn't enjoy the experience...I had high expectations and it was amateurish and the service downright intrusive.

Lounge at ICN 5/10
Crew 6/10
Food 6/10
IFE 5/10

All round it was nowhere near close to the alleged other Skytrax 5* airlines.

Yes, I would pick NH over OZ any day unless I was looking at a long haul flight in NH older business product vs OZ lie flats.

CA, no. I've defended CA in the past based on reading some favourable trip reports but I've decided they're going on my no fly list based on a thread I read recently on FT on their continual inability to properly handle rerouting of tickets issued by other carriers in the event of delays / cancellations etc. As I've mentioned before some friends of mine had personal experience of this. Unless my routing through China involved a >24 hour stopover I don't feel they can be trusted.

interesting comments regarding OZ... that was in first class? I have found their first class to be excellent... for short haul their business class was 'fine'.

 

[bcworld]

interesting comments regarding OZ... that was in first class? I have found their first class to be excellent... for short haul their business class was 'fine'.

No it was in J. As it was on the A330 and I knew exactly which product I was getting I have no complaints about the seat etc.

 

[shellthom]

never mind - its too many segments.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Ok, so it looks like my flights are going to be a choice of angled or angled or recliner. I don't have much choice of anything on the days so I can't be too picky.

I found J on:

CNS-GUM (15 hours to see the area)-NRT (20 hours to see Japan)-DEL-ZRH-VCE (20 hours)-FRA-CDG (20 hours)-ZRH-BOS ...

I couldn't find J to NYC (my goal is to get to GEG anyway so JFK/EWR/BOS all requires a flight or a road trip) but there was 1 day with J to BOS.
My concern is that this is just the way over and is 9 segments with transit through ZRH twice. I needed to slow down the trip as the flight to US is only available on 1 day in J and getting their faster means I have stopped for 36 hours which wastes my 1 stop over with not much time to enjoy anything, so I added in VCE, but that puts me through ZRH twice.

Do these make it invalid??

what about the return flight?

you are generally limited to 8 segments in total for your whole set of flights... outbound and return. that's 4 each way.

even if you decide to fly one way only, you'd want to create something with 4 (and possibly max 5) flights.

 

[shellthom]

I thought it was 8 each way... back to searching.
I wish they didn't change the date of the wedding!

21st June worked much better (over at least) then 5th of July!!

what about the return flight?

you are generally limited to 8 segments in total for your whole set of flights... outbound and return. that's 4 each way.

even if you decide to fly one way only, you'd want to create something with 4 (and possibly max 5) flights.

 

[Flashback]

I thought it was 8 each way... back to searching.
I wish they didn't change the date of the wedding!

21st June worked much better (over at least) then 5th of July!!

You'll get hit with the ZRH backtracking also.

 

[smit0847]

I thought it was 8 each way...

Good lord no! Don't be ridiculous!

Look for something far more direct

 

[shellthom]

Good lord no! Don't be ridiculous!

Look for something far more direct

I didn't know..
It's my first time haha
Learning fast.

Have found SYD-PEK-YVR in J
and SYD-YVR-SFO in J but cant get SYF-YVR in J unless there is a connection somewhere (even though SYF-YVR in J is made available by AC when I want to fly to SEA or SFO) IF YVR is my destination I need to fly to PEK ... sigh

 

[shellthom]

Ok SYD-YVR-YYC (close enough) J AC
Drive down to wedding and back so no open jaws ... then for YYC oh dang it now JFK can't be a destination for MPM blergh haha

 

[shellthom]

Best I have found now is:

SYD-YVR-YYC (Dest)-MUC-CDG (Stop)-BKK-SYD

Does it fit into MPM if they make CDG the Dest? MPM is calculated off the Destination isn't it??

 

[smit0847]

Ok SYD-YVR-YYC (close enough) J AC
Drive down to wedding and back so no open jaws ... then for YYC oh dang it now JFK can't be a destination for MPM blergh haha

I'd be very happy with AC across the Pacific - its a pretty tricky one to get.

 

[smit0847]

Best I have found now is:

SYD-YVR-YYC (Dest)-MUC-CDG (Stop)-BKK-SYD

Does it fit into MPM if they make CDG the Dest? MPM is calculated off the Destination isn't it??

I'm no MPM expert but that itinerary looks perfectly legit. Very direct and logical.

 

[Flashback]

Best I have found now is:

SYD-YVR-YYC (Dest)-MUC-CDG (Stop)-BKK-SYD

Does it fit into MPM if they make CDG the Dest? MPM is calculated off the Destination isn't it??

The destination is whichever point in the itinerary is furthest from the origin and yes, that's what MPM is calculated on.

 

[bcworld]

I'm no MPM expert but that itinerary looks perfectly legit. Very direct and logical.

Nope. The destination is CDG (furthest from SYD). And travel from South Pacific to Europe is not permitted via North America.

 

[shellthom]

Nope. The destination is CDG (furthest from SYD). And travel from South Pacific to Europe is not permitted via North America.

Dang it always something..
Where do I find those rules?