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

[Pumbaa]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice on the best course of action. I'm currently in New York enjoying the last part of my holiday. It went splendidly with all my flights PER-BKK-ZRH|GVA-JFK working out nicely.

Only problem is, I'm flying out with my GF on Tuesday 1pm on Asiana F to Seoul and there is a hurricane heading our way!

The flights are JFK-ICN(OZ)-HKG(OZ)-BKK(TG)-PER(TG). The flights don't have very tight connections, I have a 14 hour layover in HK and a 8 hour layover in BKK. JFK-ICN and HKG-BKK are in F. I don't really want to rebook and miss out on the F flights, but I also don't want to risk flying if its dangerous.

What is my best course of action? Call US Airways? Call Asiana and Thai?
Hope the storm passes over and rock up to the airport on Tuesday and hope for the best?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice on the best course of action. I'm currently in New York enjoying the last part of my holiday. It went splendidly with all my flights PER-BKK-ZRH|GVA-JFK working out nicely.

Only problem is, I'm flying out with my GF on Tuesday 1pm on Asiana F to Seoul and there is a hurricane heading our way!

The flights are JFK-ICN(OZ)-HKG(OZ)-BKK(TG)-PER(TG). The flights don't have very tight connections, I have a 14 hour layover in HK and a 8 hour layover in BKK. JFK-ICN and HKG-BKK are in F. I don't really want to rebook and miss out on the F flights, but I also don't want to risk flying if its dangerous.

What is my best course of action? Call US Airways? Call Asiana and Thai?
Hope the storm passes over and rock up to the airport on Tuesday and hope for the best?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

just sit tight. There are reports of long wait times to get through to USDM (and I guess all airlines) at the moment due to the storm... a couple of hours is not uncommon to be on hold.

There is no way any airline will fly if it's unsafe. If the flight goes then it is safe to fly! In the event your flight is cancelled you have two options - either call and try and get it sorted or head out to the airport and try there. I would always go to the airport in a case like this.

Who has responsibility? Once you check-in then then airline that is going to carry you must find another way to get you to your destination. So if you can check-in on-line - do so! As soon as you can! (if it's at the 24 hour mark then do that - some airlines allow check-in 48 hours before).

If you don't check-in for the flight then it might come down to US airways trying to rebook you - and they aren't always the best at doing that (they might look for award availability... or at least try and tell you they have to find award availability!).

All you connecting flights will be taken care of if you miss anything. So I'd check-in when you can, wait, then head out to the airport at whatever time you need to on the day (which might vary depending on the circumstances... but I would get out there as soon as you know there are OZ reps handling the flight - if flights on previous days have been cancelled then other flights will be packed - you won't want to miss your seats).

If you have to overnight in JFK your travel insurance will pick that up for you + meals etc. (the airline might not offer those as it's a weather related delay.)

 

[Pumbaa]

Thanks for the advice mate, greatly appreciated!
I don't think I can checkin online with Asiana. Their website is pretty coughpy!

I'll make my way to the airport on Tuesday and hope for the best. Its going to be chaos
They're shutting down the subway from 7pm tonight, and Daniel has cancelled my reservations for their restaurant on Monday night.

Its going to be an interesting next 2 days!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for the advice mate, greatly appreciated!
I don't think I can checkin online with Asiana. Their website is pretty coughpy!

I'll make my way to the airport on Tuesday and hope for the best. Its going to be chaos
They're shutting down the subway from 7pm tonight, and Daniel has cancelled my reservations for their restaurant on Monday night.

Its going to be an interesting next 2 days!

you can check-in on line with Asiana - just enter the ticket number into the booking and pull up your reservation that way (ticket number beginning with 037), then your surname, then first and any middle names joined together (no spaces!). The earlier you can check-in the better on this one!

 

[Pumbaa]

you can check-in on line with Asiana - just enter the ticket number into the booking and pull up your reservation that way (ticket number beginning with 037), then your surname, then first and any middle names joined together (no spaces!). The earlier you can check-in the better on this one!

Hi mate,
I've tried and it keeps coming back with "Please Check Your Ticket" which is really frustrating. I've tried using my 037 number, but it appears to be one digit too many. I've taken away the 0 and started with 37, but still no go.

Have emailed them and will have to wait for a reply. Just to check, the eticket number is the US airways one right?

 

[Myrna]

Hi Pumbaa
Leave out the last digit of your eticket starting with 037. Recently I checked my booking on OZ and it worked. Also, try thepointsguy.com there is a list of cancelled flights and what to do for various US airlines - you may find some useful info there. Good luck!

 

[Pumbaa]

Hi Pumbaa
Leave out the last digit of your eticket starting with 037. Recently I checked my booking on OZ and it worked. Also, try thepointsguy.com there is a list of cancelled flights and what to do for various US airlines - you may find some useful info there. Good luck!

Thanks for your advice mate, but that eticket number doesn't work either

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for your advice mate, but that eticket number doesn't work either

then try playing with the way you enter your name - particulary the first name and any middle name. There should be no spaces. Sometimes a middle name is abbreviated so it is just an initial. For example Smith then DavidJohn you might also try DavidJ

The ticket number should come up provided it is a valid ticket! If you are having difficulty and have access to skype, then try calling OZ in Australia or Korea.

 

[dk4]

If not via ticket number then try via PNR...

1.) Join Asiana Club (for free) online Asiana Airlines
2.) Note your FF number down when it is displayed (Asiana has a habit of displaying the number with digits hashed out for your privacy, so as soon as you see it in full, write it down!)
3.) Goto ASIANA e-Check In and enter your FF Club # and your Asiana PNR (as opposed to your overall US PNR)... see if you get access this way

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If not via ticket number then try via PNR...

1.) Join Asiana Club (for free) online Asiana Airlines
2.) Note your FF number down when it is displayed (Asiana has a habit of displaying the number with digits hashed out for your privacy, so as soon as you see it in full, write it down!)
3.) Goto ASIANA e-Check In and enter your FF Club # and your Asiana PNR (as opposed to your overall US PNR)... see if you get access this way

agree - it might be worth taking the extra steps to sign-up for membership given the extraordinary circumstances with the storm.

 

[penegal]

What some people do with SQ which I think is really clever is monitor very, very closely, the SQ routes that are currently 777-300 non ER or 777-200s but may be 'upgraded' to 77W or A380 routes in the near future. They then book regional J on *A redemptions and keep their fingers crossed the route is upgraded before they travel. If so, they get the product everyone is after.

Obviously the route might not get upgraded and you're stuck with a regional seat but some people get lucky.

Some people on here have made that an art form over the past few years

 

[Pumbaa]

If not via ticket number then try via PNR...

1.) Join Asiana Club (for free) online Asiana Airlines
2.) Note your FF number down when it is displayed (Asiana has a habit of displaying the number with digits hashed out for your privacy, so as soon as you see it in full, write it down!)
3.) Goto ASIANA e-Check In and enter your FF Club # and your Asiana PNR (as opposed to your overall US PNR)... see if you get access this way

Great advice mate.
That all worked nicely.

Only problem is I cannot see my JFK-ICN flight. The ICN-HKG flight is visible and available to check in however!
I just called Asiana and when I choose the automated flight option, the JFK-ICN flight is mentioned.

So its back to the old drawing board and getting to the airport early on Tuesday!

 

[thehound]

I know this was mentioned somewhere earlier in this thread, but I just can't find it - it's possible to place an award on hold and then ticket for a cheaper ticketing cost through one of US Airways non-US call centres, isn't it? I seem to recall someone mentioning they saved by ticketing their held award via a Fiji call centre, or something similar. Can anyone comment?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I know this was mentioned somewhere earlier in this thread, but I just can't find it - it's possible to place an award on hold and then ticket for a cheaper ticketing cost through one of US Airways non-US call centres, isn't it? I seem to recall someone mentioning they saved by ticketing their held award via a Fiji call centre, or something similar. Can anyone comment?

no. not an option with USDM. everyone pays the same unless you hold elite status and some fees are waived,

 

[lmere12]

.Its going to be an interesting next 2 days!

I hope all is ok over there & u get yr flight out (sooner rather then later)

 

[smit0847]

I've successfully completed the share promo up to the 50k max for 2 accounts but it looks like I'm going to need 19K more miles in 1 account and 14k in the other before I have the 120K in each needed to book my EU redemptions.

I want to book my flights ASAP (i.e. next week preferably) and was just going to pay the full price for these extra miles in order to secure the flights I want given the shares miles were so cheap) - any suggestions of anyway to quickly get miles any cheaper? Obviously I'll be watching with keen interest to see if they launch a new promo on Friday.

 

[anat0l]

I've successfully completed the share promo up to the 50k max for 2 accounts but it looks like I'm going to need 19K more miles in 1 account and 14k in the other before I have the 120K in each needed to book my EU redemptions.

I want to book my flights ASAP (i.e. next week preferably) and was just going to pay the full price for these extra miles in order to secure the flights I want given the shares miles were so cheap) - any suggestions of anyway to quickly get miles any cheaper? Obviously I'll be watching with keen interest to see if they launch a new promo on Friday.

I think drron posted in the Starwood forum that SPG have a Buy Starpoints promo at the moment which, if you buy 20k (the annual maximum allowed) Starpoints and sweep these to US DM (which gives you a bonus along the way), gives you US DM miles for effectively 2.2c per mile; not as good as 1.9c per mile when you have a Buy bonus, but better than buying at non-bonus rates.

May save you a bit of money.....

 

[Alanslegal]

I think drron posted in the Starwood forum that SPG have a Buy Starpoints promo at the moment which, if you buy 20k (the annual maximum allowed) Starpoints and sweep these to US DM (which gives you a bonus along the way), gives you US DM miles for effectively 2.2c per mile; not as good as 1.9c per mile when you have a Buy bonus, but better than buying at non-bonus rates.

May save you a bit of money.....

To purchase Star points its currently $28 per 1,000 [regular purchase cost is $35 per $1,000]. You can buy a max of 20,000 per year.

Star points transfer to US DM at 1:1 and if you transfer in a group of 20,000, SPG adds a bonus 5,000 to the transfer.

Its only when you transfer in a block of 20,000 that the the value of each mile drops down to ~2.2cents

This price point will not work for smith0487 because he requires 19,000 and 14,000 in respective accounts.

 

[mhen]

I've successfully completed the share promo up to the 50k max for 2 accounts but it looks like I'm going to need 19K more miles in 1 account and 14k in the other before I have the 120K in each needed to book my EU redemptions.

I want to book my flights ASAP (i.e. next week preferably) and was just going to pay the full price for these extra miles in order to secure the flights I want given the shares miles were so cheap) - any suggestions of anyway to quickly get miles any cheaper? Obviously I'll be watching with keen interest to see if they launch a new promo on Friday.

Looks like you might be in luck.

Buy or gift miles November 1 – 30, 2012 and get a 100% bonus – up to 50,000 miles. Buying miles is the quick and easy way to get award travel. And for the perfect holiday present, gift miles to a friend of family member to help them reach award travel.

https://membership.usairways.com/en-US/dividendmiles/programdetails/purchasemiles/default.html

However not active yet.

 

[ndh99]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm a newbie and just signed up to US Div Miles after being a long time Plat QF flyer.

Planning on getting my partner to set up a US Div Miles acct also.

Any thoughts / tips from the group on 2 week trip for late January or Feb 13?

Thanks