US Dividend Miles - Oneworld Award Booking Questions and General Discussion

[QF029]

Try HKG-BNE or ADL and then QF to Melbourne

Thanks. There's actually QF HKG-MEL available it's just a much longer (+12 hours) layover so I'll go with that if necessary.

Seems like you are dealing with an issue called "married segments".
The bottom line is you can't book them separately.
Is there a problem with departing from EWR?
A bird in the hand and all that...

No problem at all except that she was unable to book that either. I asked her if it was because the first segment was on hold and she said no after checking but I have my doubts.

 

[Flippantflyer]

Looks like another 100% bonus buy miles offer... Just got the email, not sure if its targeted or not

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Looks like another 100% bonus buy miles offer... Just got the email, not sure if its targeted or not

Looks targeted. I didn't get the bonus.

 

[tm.smile]

Is it till the 31st jul? I got an email, but it was just reminding me it finishes on the 31st. Was a targeted promo.

 

[casanovawa]

Yeah i got it, think I probably have enough at the moment...

 

[Cruiser Elite]

IAH-JFK / JFK-LAX using USDM - need to call up I understand - but is it possible to book US on 1st leg and AA 2nd leg? First Class of course. Search on AA says can do so I assume US will yield similar response?

 

[boomy]

IAH-JFK / JFK-LAX using USDM - need to call up I understand - but is it possible to book US on 1st leg and AA 2nd leg? First Class of course.

I don't believe US allow one way bookings.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

I don't believe US allow one way bookings.

Not ow it's Multi City is it not? IAH-JFK then JFK-LAX.

 

[boomy]

Not ow it's Multi City is it not? IAH-JFK then JFK-LAX.

Oh ok, I thought you want to book 1st leg using USDM and 2nd using AA miles.

 

[anat0l]

I don't believe US allow one way bookings.

IAH-JFK / JFK-LAX using USDM - need to call up I understand - but is it possible to book US on 1st leg and AA 2nd leg? First Class of course. Search on AA says can do so I assume US will yield similar response?

US allow one-way bookings....basically it's the same price as a return. For example:

1) Brisbane - Hong Kong - London - Hong Kong - Brisbane in Business: 120k points per passenger.
2) Brisbane - Hong Kong - London only in Business: still 120k points per passenger.

Naturally unless you had a good reason, it doesn't make economical sense to book one-ways.

The proposed routing looks like an open jaw booking, which for intra zone travel is allowed (stopovers - by rule - are not allowed on intrazone awards). I can't remember what the rules on open jaws are, and you might be able to book this kind of itinerary online with the US website rather than through the phone, saving a modest assistance fee. From my first impressions, however, I see nothing wrong with the proposed routing.

The proposal wouldn't look like a one-way booking IMO since it would be a highly irregular way to get from IAH to LAX one-way!

 

[Beta4Me]

IAH-JFK / JFK-LAX using USDM - need to call up I understand - but is it possible to book US on 1st leg and AA 2nd leg? First Class of course. Search on AA says can do so I assume US will yield similar response?

This will be no problem at all. As long as the airlines are OW (which US and AA are) then there's no problem. You're booking an open jaw (sort of) at the departure end and the destination is JFK. Good luck!

 

[Swan]

After this experience I will be reluctant to put bookings on hold again. The sorry saga is as follows:

I called US on Friday night and after an hour on hold I got a really helpful agent who used my flight numbers to confirm availability of my itinerary. Travelling ARW across Atlantic with S/O LHR and dest CLT. I was quoted 150,000 miles and $403 I requested she re check which she did and explained the full 150,000 would be charged as I was travelling through Europe. I did not have time to get ticketed so I was informed it was on hold for 72 hours.

Last night I called to pay and get ticketed and it took nearly 3 hours to get an agent. The agent checked the itinerary with me and put me on hold. About 15 minutes later he informed me the cost was 140,000 miles and $1,560. I explained to him it had been informed differently the previous evening but he was adamant his costing was correct so I had no choice and paid up. I had another booking so we ticketed and paid that, which was the same as the previous evening. He then put me on hold for quite a while and then informed me they ( never found out who they were) were re examining the booking. Every so often he would come back and thank me for being patient and then put me back on hold. All I could get out of him was it was a complicated booking involving various airlines and they were having difficulty costing it. I had other bookings to get ticketed but he would not deal with them until the first booking was resolved which I had already paid for. After one and a half hours with this agent I was cut off. I am totally confused and will probably have to go through the same performance to night.

I realize the UK and BA are expensive but I have to stop over there. I am flying F into LHR from DOH on QR and flying on BA to IAD. Can anyone help me to understand how the $ and miles can change so much and has anyone experienced some group taking over 45 minutes and still going to determine the ticket cost. Any guesses what is going on.

Hopefully the results of their deliberations have been recorded so I don't have a repeat. There is a substantial cost involved with two of us travelling.

 

[sergeyvzn]

After this experience I will be reluctant to put bookings on hold again. The sorry saga is as follows:

I called US on Friday night and after an hour on hold I got a really helpful agent who used my flight numbers to confirm availability of my itinerary. Travelling ARW across Atlantic with S/O LHR and dest CLT. I was quoted 150,000 miles and $403 I requested she re check which she did and explained the full 150,000 would be charged as I was travelling through Europe. I did not have time to get ticketed so I was informed it was on hold for 72 hours.

Last night I called to pay and get ticketed and it took nearly 3 hours to get an agent. The agent checked the itinerary with me and put me on hold. About 15 minutes later he informed me the cost was 140,000 miles and $1,560. I explained to him it had been informed differently the previous evening but he was adamant his costing was correct so I had no choice and paid up. I had another booking so we ticketed and paid that, which was the same as the previous evening. He then put me on hold for quite a while and then informed me they ( never found out who they were) were re examining the booking. Every so often he would come back and thank me for being patient and then put me back on hold. All I could get out of him was it was a complicated booking involving various airlines and they were having difficulty costing it. I had other bookings to get ticketed but he would not deal with them until the first booking was resolved which I had already paid for. After one and a half hours with this agent I was cut off. I am totally confused and will probably have to go through the same performance to night.

I realize the UK and BA are expensive but I have to stop over there. I am flying F into LHR from DOH on QR and flying on BA to IAD. Can anyone help me to understand how the $ and miles can change so much and has anyone experienced some group taking over 45 minutes and still going to determine the ticket cost. Any guesses what is going on.

Hopefully the results of their deliberations have been recorded so I don't have a repeat. There is a substantial cost involved with two of us travelling.

What happened was the agent gave your itinerary to the rates desk to look at and recalculate the taxes. It is a manual process and takes a while. Even if you had asked to ticket on Friday it would have taken a long while on hold to have it all confirmed
from my experience, the best way to avoid it and also to get to an agent sooner rather than later is to call between 8 and 10 pm AEST which translates at 2 to 4 am Phoenix time or 4 to 6 am East Coast US time, that when there are the least calls and you can get to an agent within a 10 min wait
now, as to the points and taxes:

150k and $400 sounds wrong, 150K is for Europe not the US but it's a known thing that some agents will charge you the amount of the highest zone you are passing so I wouldn't protest...look it's on 10k! The taxes were certainly wrong, there should be at least something like $180 UK departure tax per passenger in F and the BA fuel surcharge for LHR - IAH I would think would be something like $600
so the quoted 140k and $1560 is probably closer to what it should be ...however the $1560 (if it's per person) still looks a little too high
the moral - ticket straight away if the points/$$$ sounds acceptable

 

[MEL_Traveller]

150k and $400 sounds wrong, 150K is for Europe not the US but it's a known thing that some agents will charge you the amount of the highest zone you are passing so I wouldn't protest...look it's on 10k! The taxes were certainly wrong, there should be at least something like $180 UK departure tax per passenger in F and the BA fuel surcharge for LHR - IAH I would think would be something like $600
so the quoted 140k and $1560 is probably closer to what it should be ...however the $1560 (if it's per person) still looks a little too high
the moral - ticket straight away if the points/$$$ sounds acceptable

Using ITA matrix the taxes fees and charges come to about AUD647 just for the LHR-IAD sector on BA (luxury departure tax of GBP138 and fuel surcharge of GPB159.50)

That being said... other flights in the itinerary shouldn't attract fuel surcharges, and I'd expect the taxes to be maybe another $100-$150 (plus booking fees and stuff). So all up somewhere in the region of $800 per person.

Pricing for miles... if you are stopping in the UK (or Europe) the higher zone is applicable (150K). As always YMMV, and some people are getting it for the cheaper 140. But that is a bonus rather than the norm.

There was discussion a while ago that the rates desk were incorrectly adding fuel surcharges on complex itineraries. That's the bit that you would want to get removed.

 

[Swan]

Using ITA matrix the taxes fees and charges come to about AUD647 just for the LHR-IAD sector on BA (luxury departure tax of GBP138 and fuel surcharge of GPB159.50)

That being said... other flights in the itinerary shouldn't attract fuel surcharges, and I'd expect the taxes to be maybe another $100-$150 (plus booking fees and stuff). So all up somewhere in the region of $800 per person.

Pricing for miles... if you are stopping in the UK (or Europe) the higher zone is applicable (150K). As always YMMV, and some people are getting it for the cheaper 140. But that is a bonus rather than the norm.

There was discussion a while ago that the rates desk were incorrectly adding fuel surcharges on complex itineraries. That's the bit that you would want to get removed.

Thanks for the info sergeyzn and Mel Traveller.

Ok it seems it got held up at the rates desk but this is odd as the agent had already spent a lot of time on pricing and the booking was ticketed and paid for. Why would they check again after they ticketed?

Regarding call time I do not seem to have any luck on this. Friday I called 4pm and Sat 5pm. I have just called and they are so overloaded they will not accept any more calls. It looks like another long session.
Thanks for the information on the cost. I had expected 150,000 and around the $800 mark. that is why when I was quoted $400 I asked for a re check.


Could you provide me with a pointer to the incorrect adding fuel surcharges discussion. I don't recall being aware of it.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for the info sergeyzn and Mel Traveller.

Ok it seems it got held up at the rates desk but this is odd as the agent had already spent a lot of time on pricing and the booking was ticketed and paid for. Why would they check again after they ticketed?

Regarding call time I do not seem to have any luck on this. Friday I called 4pm and Sat 5pm. I have just called and they are so overloaded they will not accept any more calls. It looks like another long session.
Thanks for the information on the cost. I had expected 150,000 and around the $800 mark. that is why when I was quoted $400 I asked for a re check.


Could you provide me with a pointer to the incorrect adding fuel surcharges discussion. I don't recall being aware of it.

ITA matrix (.com) is a good source to find fuel surcharges and taxes. Just type in a one way for the particular sector you are interested in, and make sure you select the right class of service.

As for rate desk pricing, I have previously read that if you have a booking 'on hold' it may still go back to the rate desk before ticketing. So a double review by the rate desk. you can also get the rate desk to review a booking after ticketing, and if they find in your favour, they will return the taxes.

For an in depth discussion, you can google something along the lines of 'fuel surcharges US Airways' and there'll be lots of discussion - you may want to look at results such as one mile at a time - but check the date of the article... the fuel surcharge discussion has moved quite a lot over the last couple of months. Fuel surcharges are only applicable to BA and IB bookings via USDM, but have been incorrectly applied on reservations including Finnair (just as an example). There have also been examples of where the entire ticket has been levied with fuel surcharges even if only one segment has been operated by BA. So you need to make sure that hasn't happened as well.

 

[The Rok]

Can you use USDM for bookings on Jetstar?

 

[Doggy]

Can you use USDM for bookings on Jetstar?

Jetstar is not part of OW so no. As far as I know, Jetstar has no partners (except for QF of course) so you can only get award seat on JQ metal with QF.

 

[The Rok]

Oh I was thinking more of using USDM to get from Per-DPS. I thought Jetstar might be an option,

 

[Doggy]

Oh I was thinking more of using USDM to get from Per-DPS. I thought Jetstar might be an option,

Yeah I understand. USDM can only be redeemed for OW airlines and US Airways partners. JQ is not a partner, so it's a no-go.