US Dividend Miles - post your SUCCESSFUL award bookings here.

[bcworld]

Just for context, "visa free entry" in this context refers to transit without visa, which is possible for transit less than 24 hours (I'm not sure if PRC has relaxed the time frames so you could stay a little longer, but for US DM rules on transit, the current rules would suffice anyway).

Never thought of trying to do part of Beijing within 24 hours (or less than that anyway).

As mentioned, TWOV without visa has been 72 hours for a while now in PEK and PVG...and more recently extended to CAN and CTU I think.

 

[diningdecadence]

That's an AWFUL long way to get to your destination - CDG-FRA-ATL-IAH! My partner was annoyed we had to take 5 flights to get SYD-KEF (I did point out it was one of the most remote airports in the world!)

Coming back I would probably go via BKK - ICN-SYD is an overnight flight and is going to be a pretty horrible end to the trip in Y, especially after coming off F (even if it is UA). I guess there was no OZ or NH F from LAX/SFO/IAH/IAD?

it is - but the only other option i found was CDG-FRA-IAH in Y and the layovers aren't too bad, so much prefer to go in J

couldn't find any of that availability you mention - only UA F to ICN - i'll be happy for the bed, and based on reviews, be happy with anything extra on top.

Looking at the booking again via the saudi website, it says the ICN-SYD is a "Z" award booking which i thought meant Y? However using TG PNR and logging in it lets me choose from the J seats, so maybe it is J? how could i confirm?

the only other option (if available) would be IAH-PEK on air china F followed by SYD with full flat beds. Great opportunity to visit Beijing (and it would be visa free entry if you hold an eligible passport).

yes there was CA F to PEK, but again Y to SYD from PEK. feel more comfortable flying OZ than CA, not exactly sure why but basing off a gut feel.

Wow, it definitely is a long way =P And that OZ flight after coming off UA F ..... OMG!

Also just one long haul F BKK-CDG, I hope it's not the midnight departure as that would mean enjoying your caviar at 3am AEST

But hope you do make the most of it ...... as any excuse to go RTW is a good excuse

thanks. it is the midnight departure. it will be our first TG F experience so will be worth it nonetheless!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Looking at the booking again via the saudi website, it says the ICN-SYD is a "Z" award booking which i thought meant Y? However using TG PNR and logging in it lets me choose from the J seats, so maybe it is J? how could i confirm?

business class award travel will be in 'I' class. If you want to know for sure you can give OZ a quick call.

 

[smit0847]

it is - but the only other option i found was CDG-FRA-IAH in Y and the layovers aren't too bad, so much prefer to go in J

couldn't find any of that availability you mention - only UA F to ICN - i'll be happy for the bed, and based on reviews, be happy with anything extra on top.

Looking at the booking again via the saudi website, it says the ICN-SYD is a "Z" award booking which i thought meant Y? However using TG PNR and logging in it lets me choose from the J seats, so maybe it is J? how could i confirm?



yes there was CA F to PEK, but again Y to SYD from PEK. feel more comfortable flying OZ than CA, not exactly sure why but basing off a gut feel.



thanks. it is the midnight departure. it will be our first TG F experience so will be worth it nonetheless!

Whens the trip? Members here usually book their trips 6+ months in advance in order to get as many legs in J or F as possible.

 

[anat0l]

Whens the trip? Members here usually book their trips 6+ months in advance in order to get as many legs in J or F as possible.

Ha! I should've taken your advice...

I'm trying to assemble a trip for my folks at the moment. Current devil I'm battling is the dreaded LH bug. Which means a substantial reroute or additional trip time which the folks will need to spend at the destination. (They are positioning for a few cruise holidays).

Also pulling together a GUM routing to meet this and other Asian stop, but I fear how to break to them the amount of flying they'll have to go through......

 

[smit0847]

Ha! I should've taken your advice...

I'm trying to assemble a trip for my folks at the moment. Current devil I'm battling is the dreaded LH bug. Which means a substantial reroute or additional trip time which the folks will need to spend at the destination. (They are positioning for a few cruise holidays).

Also pulling together a GUM routing to meet this and other Asian stop, but I fear how to break to them the amount of flying they'll have to go through......

Well then come on, give us your intended routing and we'll give you some advice - you know how this forum works!

 

[anat0l]

Well then come on, give us your intended routing and we'll give you some advice - you know how this forum works!

The real complication is that there is more or less exact timing involved. Yes, I did tell the folks the consequences of being so date specific (too bad the cruise ships don't let you be so flexible), so I do surprise myself at times as to what was available out there (which, as I've found, is constantly evolving both out of and into availability).

As this is the "success" thread, I'll post my enquiry at the "question" thread instead.

 

[diningdecadence]

Whens the trip? Members here usually book their trips 6+ months in advance in order to get as many legs in J or F as possible.

for sept 2014 so yep 6 months out but i guess end of summer and possibly school holidays

Ha! I should've taken your advice...

I'm trying to assemble a trip for my folks at the moment. Current devil I'm battling is the dreaded LH bug.

is the bug not being able to book LH/LX F, or that supposedly can only book wed/sat flights? i was expecting to get that resistance with my booking last night, but the flights went through fine for both intra europe and across the pond to USA for a tuesday flight.

 

[anat0l]

Is the bug not being able to book LH/LX F, or that supposedly can only book wed/sat flights? i was expecting to get that resistance with my booking last night, but the flights went through fine for both intra europe and across the pond to USA for a tuesday flight.

I was more referring to the Wed/Sat thing; seems to be, as has not been unexpected, "consistently inconsistent". I've found the availability on Awardtravlr and ANA (for LH, the latter being a subset of the former for unknown reasons), but when calling up to try and book it, the agent has found nothing at all. So I've resigned to trying to find availability on other carriers besides LH, or attempting to work the Wed/Sat theory.

 

[hossein_au]

Whens the trip? Members here usually book their trips 6+ months in advance in order to get as many legs in J or F as possible.

I AM trying to put something together for October, but still finding it difficult :-(

 

[hossein_au]

Well then come on, give us your intended routing and we'll give you some advice - you know how this forum works!

While you're offering ;-) I am trying to get from HAM to MEL/SYD/BNE, leaving on or around 24th of October. I'm happy to fly via Asia, or long way round, via the USA. But am finding it difficult to put it all together; I'm after F, but I seem to get quite a few legs in Y :-(

 

[hossein_au]

As this is the "success" thread, I'll post my enquiry at the "question" thread instead.

Oops! Sorry about that... I'll need to move my post then

 

[legroom]

When it is time to ticket, the CSR referred to the rates desk..... and said it is an invalid itinerary

Back to the drawing board !

Should have ticketed right there and then.

The new (degraded) routing is:

SYD BKK (TG J)
BKK ADD (ET J)
ADD JRO (ET J)

***

JRO ADD (ET J)
ADD PEK (ET J)
PEK SYD (CA J)

My 2nd attempt to insert LHR (JRO ADD LHR PEK SYD) was ruled invalid - again.

130K + ~$USD200

TG F is available but for another 30K so I thought it is not worth it as some of you had fantastic trips for only 40K.

Thoughts ?

Worth ticketing now ?

Thanks

Friends / Gurus

I made quite a coughoo last time, so here I am with (hopefully) a better redemption plan:


SYD BKK (TG F, 747)

BKK ZRH (TG F, A340)

ZRH IST (LX J, A320)

IST JRO (TK J, 737) - destination

*******

JRO ADD (ET J, Dash 8)

ADD LHR (ET J; 787)

LHR PEK (CA F; 777)

PEK SYD (CA J, A330)


45 min on Viber

160K and ~$USD250


I am putting this on hold for now to sleep on it.

There is no alternative to ET ex JRO at all, not a single TK outbound for a couple of days either side of the planned departure date.

Just hope the co-pilot does not do anything funny this time.

Any major issue that any of the gurus could see ??

Appreciate any feedback.

Thanks

 

[MEL_Traveller]

When it is time to ticket, the CSR referred to the rates desk..... and said it is an invalid itinerary

Back to the drawing board !

Should have ticketed right there and then.

The new (degraded) routing is:

SYD BKK (TG J)
BKK ADD (ET J)
ADD JRO (ET J)

***

JRO ADD (ET J)
ADD PEK (ET J)
PEK SYD (CA J)

My 2nd attempt to insert LHR (JRO ADD LHR PEK SYD) was ruled invalid - again.

130K + ~$USD200

TG F is available but for another 30K so I thought it is not worth it as some of you had fantastic trips for only 40K.

Thoughts ?

Worth ticketing now ?

Thanks

my concern with your original itinerary was the back-track ex ADD to LHR... I booked some flights back from CAI to AU and the agent was looking at the flight options and said 'there's a flight via London but oh, that's too far'. Which was fine as we wanted the direct MS flight anyway.

(On the other hand there was no guarantee it would have been ticketed in any event when you first booked it. It might still have been rejected by the rate desk. )

Depends on the routing available with TG for F? 30K is $500. If you had an upgrade opportunity with QF for $500, confirmed, would you take it?

 

[legroom]

. Depends on the routing available with TG for F? 30K is $500. If you had an upgrade opportunity with QF for $500, confirmed, would you take it?

Guilty of not seeing the woods, only the trees !

Your comment made perfect sense.

Thanks

 

[boomy]

TG F is available but for another 30K so I thought it is not worth it as some of you had fantastic trips for only 40K.

Thoughts ?

I guess it depends how many miles you have left and what you want to do with them. 30K will take you to GUM in J which is fantastic value.
I don't know what I would do because most likely there won't be another bonus sale of USDM so points balance is important... But, on the other hand, how many times you will have the chance to upgrade to F for only 30K...?

 

[get me outta here]

I recently paid 40K SYD - BKK - HKG - TPE - GUM - TPE - HKG - BKK - SYD to GUM for all TG F where long haul and J on BR for short flts.

I guess it depends how many miles you have left and what you want to do with them. 30K will take you to GUM in J which is fantastic value.
I don't know what I would do because most likely there won't be another bonus sale of USDM so points balance is important... But, on the other hand, how many times you will have the chance to upgrade to F for only 30K...?

 

[Alanslegal]

I recently paid 40K SYD - BKK - HKG - TPE - GUM - TPE - HKG - BKK - SYD to GUM for all TG F where long haul and J on BR for short flts.

Had a friend who paid 35K (yep thirty five!) for SYD-BKK-CDG return in F. For her and her daughter, that was 70K in total. The remaining 230K (since they had 300K to start with and expecting the entire miles to be redeemed) was recently used to book 2 x J to USA, so now they have 10K left and are waiting for a promotion (which I told them may not come under the USDM banner).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Had a friend who paid 35K (yep thirty five!) for SYD-BKK-CDG return in F. For her and her daughter, that was 70K in total. The remaining 230K (since they had 300K to start with and expecting the entire miles to be redeemed) was recently used to book 2 x J to USA, so now they have 10K left and are waiting for a promotion (which I told them may not come under the USDM banner).

why wouldn't your friend do the right thing and tell US Airways about the mistake rather than keeping the points dishonestly?

 

[hummel]

why wouldn't your friend do the right thing and tell US Airways about the mistake rather than keeping the points dishonestly?

Because a lot of people aren't honest? However if I was in that situation I'd be concerned the mistake would be picked up and the trip cancelled without notice from USAirways.

GUM trips on the other hand... just playing by the rules!