US Dividend Miles - Award Booking Questions and General Discussion

[lmere12]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

if you can get it take it!! the most important element of any long journey is the flat bed... UA offers those. no amount of service can make up for an additional 20-30 hours travelling via Asia as opposed to the non-stop.

Thanks MEL_Traveller !! appreciate your comments. Will call them up and hope they can see avail.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

Thanks MEL_Traveller !! appreciate your comments. Will call them up and hope they can see avail.

UA globalfirst has one of the most comfortable beds in the sky, and business doesn't look too bad either (never been... but without any curtains on board it's easy to see!)

food is good tasty American cafeteria style. nothing fancy but plenty of it. expect zero service and you will be pleasantly surprised

 

[lmere12]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

if you can get it take it!! the most important element of any long journey is the flat bed... UA offers those. no amount of service can make up for an additional 20-30 hours travelling via Asia as opposed to the non-stop.

US can't see availability

ended up with on hold : SYD-ICN-LAX// YYC - SFO (SKY WEST J) SFO - SYD ON UA $281 TAX + $50

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

US can't see availability

ended up with on hold : SYD-ICN-LAX// YYC - SFO (SKY WEST J) SFO - SYD ON UA $281 TAX + $50

you got the return which is good, you can keep looking for UA availability, it often opens up in the couple of weeks (or week) before departure. it would be worth paying the change fee, especially if the SYD-ICN is still an angled bed. is icn-lax full flat even?

 

[anat0l]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

If it's outside the 2 week period, EU261/2004 won't apply.

See, that's something which isn't made awfully clear (but regulation - even at the EU wide level - is not necessarily clear cut).

Which means of course it comes mainly back to carrier goodwill. Think I've got the short straw here.

 

[Flashback]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

See, that's something which isn't made awfully clear (but regulation - even at the EU wide level - is not necessarily clear cut).

Which means of course it comes mainly back to carrier goodwill. Think I've got the short straw here.

I would think so. I'd be looking for alternative flights then ringing USDM to try and book, with no change fee.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

See, that's something which isn't made awfully clear (but regulation - even at the EU wide level - is not necessarily clear cut).

Which means of course it comes mainly back to carrier goodwill. Think I've got the short straw here.

I would think so. I'd be looking for alternative flights then ringing USDM to try and book, with no change fee.

see discussion at #4416 above. where does the two week limitation come in?

one thing I am not sure about is if you accept the changes to the itinerary, does that affect your right to potential compensation?

 

[Flashback]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

see discussion at #4416 above. where does the two week limitation come in?

one thing I am not sure about is if you accept the changes to the itinerary, does that affect your right to potential compensation?

Check with JohnK

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

Check with JohnK

sorry, what does that mean?

 

[anat0l]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

I would think so. I'd be looking for alternative flights then ringing USDM to try and book, with no change fee.

Problem there are no viable F alternatives between Europe and North America. Unless I route through another USA hub, e.g. ORD or IAD, which has Global First on it. That's seriously going to grind on my folks' timings into New York.

I could wait until 14 days before their scheduled departure of that flight and try for LX F; pipe dream, though.

Most likely I think we'll just have to wear it. As most people have said, between UA Global First and BusinessFirst is not much difference. Had it been another carrier which has a much more pronounced difference, that could be different...

 

[serfty]

Re: US Dividend Miles Buy/Gift Miles 100% bonus - Cheap way for F/J *A Awards

see discussion at #4416 above. where does the two week limitation come in?

one thing I am not sure about is if you accept the changes to the itinerary, does that affect your right to potential compensation?

True, there is absolutely no refernce to any two week limitation in respect to Article 10 (Upgrading and Downgrading). As a comparison there is indeed reference to a two week period in Article 5 (Cancellation) [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2004:046:0001:0007:EN:PDF]

 

[bcworld]

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

TG931 F CDG-BKK (A380) (13 hours transit)
TG475 F BKK-SYD

She also want to have long transit for the BKK F lounge with spa/massage/food. She never tried F before so hopefully she will enjoy the trip.

Just be aware that she may have to go through customs and collect bags and recheck them.

I know another person, travelling F on TG, with similar 13 hours connection who had to do so. I was surprised at this and looked it up, and sure enough it was stated that 12 hours is the max for thru checking baggage at BKK on TG.

I'm guessing what with buggies and baggage porters etc that it won't take more than about 30 mins to do all this...but she might have to pay the 700THB departure tax too?

 

[hummel]

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

Just be aware that she may have to go through customs and collect bags and recheck them.

I know another person, travelling F on TG, with similar 13 hours connection who had to do so. I was surprised at this and looked it up, and sure enough it was stated that 12 hours is the max for thru checking baggage at BKK on TG.

I'm guessing what with buggies and baggage porters etc that it won't take more than about 30 mins to do all this...but she might have to pay the 700THB departure tax too?

FWIW on our trip last year. We did ICN-BKK-SYD with a 6 hour layover at BKK. ICN desk couldn't give us our next boarding pass so we had to clear customs, then wait for 4 hours before desks could open. We ended up talking to TG staff and being allowed to sleep in the First Class check in area, a weird situation but something we look back and laugh on!

 

[kamchatsky]

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

Just be aware that she may have to go through customs and collect bags and recheck them.

I know another person, travelling F on TG, with similar 13 hours connection who had to do so. I was surprised at this and looked it up, and sure enough it was stated that 12 hours is the max for thru checking baggage at BKK on TG.

I'm guessing what with buggies and baggage porters etc that it won't take more than about 30 mins to do all this...but she might have to pay the 700THB departure tax too?

Oh well, she is in the air now with TG476. I will find out from her when she comes back. But she only has carry on luggage with her on her 5 week trip! (What a waste of luggage space allowance!)

 

[bcworld]

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

If she only has carry on it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[kamchatsky]

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

If she only has carry on it shouldn't be an issue.

Well she is going there with carry on but then again I never know how many suitcases she will be bringing back from Europe with all those shoppings!

 

[Flashback]

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

Just be aware that she may have to go through customs and collect bags and recheck them.

I know another person, travelling F on TG, with similar 13 hours connection who had to do so. I was surprised at this and looked it up, and sure enough it was stated that 12 hours is the max for thru checking baggage at BKK on TG.

I'm guessing what with buggies and baggage porters etc that it won't take more than about 30 mins to do all this...but she might have to pay the 700THB departure tax too?

Hopefully that's the same for HKG. We arrive in HKG at 9.55am then fly out 8.45pm (so ~11 hour transit). We were planning on heading into town for the day but hopefully our bags will be checked straight through.

Oh well, she is in the air now with TG476. I will find out from her when she comes back. But she only has carry on luggage with her on her 5 week trip! (What a waste of luggage space allowance!)

Don't worry, I'm making up for it - I'm bringing a few things back here including my golf clubs so am flying over with a few empty suitcases

 

[hummel]

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

Not successful


Just tried a MEL-GUM J trip stopping at NRT on the way back for a day, no dice 90,000 miles PP. Asked why, 'Tokyo is the furthest destination' was the answer.

Will try again.

 

[burmans]

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

I'm guessing what with buggies and baggage porters etc that it won't take more than about 30 mins to do all this...but she might have to pay the 700THB departure tax too?

Have just had 2 layovers in BKK last month of < 24 hrs, no 700 THB departure tax either time.

 

[travelislife]

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

Not successful


Just tried a MEL-GUM J trip stopping at NRT on the way back for a day, no dice 90,000 miles PP. Asked why, 'Tokyo is the furthest destination' was the answer.

Will try again.

I was so close. The agent even said to me, that should be 30,000 miles but I will just get it checked out. The reason the rates desk provided was that Tokyo is not a hub for Thai (arriving on TG) so routing is not valid, let alone the rest of it!