Ask Lucky

Have a travel related question? Post it here, and I’ll do my best to answer it as quickly as possible. Otherwise feel free to email me at onemileatatime@hotmail.com.

270 Responses to “Ask Lucky”

Scholar in Training, on August 2nd, 2009 at 7:10 am Said:

I’ll start. I’ve never done this “free confirmed changes” thing on UA for 1Ks before. If I want to get on an earlier ORD-LAX flight, can I do that with OLCI or do I need to call reservations 24 hours in advance? My upgrades have already cleared but I want to switch to an earlier flight that has intl 767 config, if possible.
Ashley, on August 2nd, 2009 at 8:34 am Said:

I have a question that’s been bothering me for a long time. I live in Chicago; consequently, I’m 1K @ UA, EXP @ AA. I travel a lot and have had status in these programs for a long time.

My question has to do with: upgrades! As an EXP @ AA, the airline will upgrade me on domestic flights almost 100% of the time without payment (certs, miles, or otherwise). On the other hand, with UA, even as 1K, they require “payment” in the form of the ecerts or miles.

Since most people seem to prefer status in order to secure upgrades, I don’t understand the economics supporting upgrades in United’s program. I understand that we get certs deposited in the account here and there based on mileage flown; but it still doesn’t seem to equal out so that one would have enough certs to fly up-front the same amount as they would be able to on AA (100% of the time, assuming domestic). Top it off with the fact that certs on United are more expensive than AA (I recall them being $50/ea vs AA where they were $30/ea…although I haven’t purchased any in a coons age).

Regards,
Ash
lucky, on August 2nd, 2009 at 10:10 am Said:

@ Scholar in Training — You would be best off calling reservations three hours before the flight you want to take to confirm yourself on it. Before that there’s really no benefit to checking in or calling reservations. Since you’re upgraded, it’s also worth noting that you’d be confirmed into coach and would once again have to get on the upgrade waitlist to get into business class. If it’s not a busy business travel day you shouldn’t have too much trouble, though.
lucky, on August 2nd, 2009 at 10:28 am Said:

@ Ashley — Great question, and I don’t think there’s an easy answer, but I’ll try. For one, the only way to sponsor an upgrade for a traveling companions (or anyone else except yourself, for that matter) on American would be to burn miles, eVIP’s, or to buy stickers. At United, on the other hand, you can use confirmed regional upgrades or the 500′ers we get for free to sponsor companions, which I like. At the same time, unless you have a perfectly balanced flying schedule (about 50% longhaul international, 50% domestic), you’re right, you’ll probably end up in coach sometimes. The benefit to others with this is that the lower tier elites actually stand a chance at upgrades, since 1K’s aren’t always getting upgraded.

At the same time there are ways to get creative with upgrade instruments. United counts the distance from the origin to the destination (assuming the upgrade clears before check-in), so you can actually get more than 500 miles worth of flying upgraded with a 500 mile upgrade. Along the same lines, if you’re flying SFO-JFK-LAX-SFO for example, united.com will often upgrade SFO-JFK-LAX with one 500 miler, since that’s the distance between SFO and LAX.

So while it doesn’t get you up front every time, I’m almost always in first class thanks to upgrades, and if not there’s Economy Plus, which is basically ghetto first class. Actually, with the new “choice” menu it might just be better than first class.
Scholar in Training, on August 2nd, 2009 at 10:35 am Said:

Hmm. So if I have a confirmed F seat on the later flight maybe it makes more sense to just standby for C on the earlier flight? Because if I do a confirmed switch and am in Y and I don’t clear… then that would suck. I’d rather fly later on the 319 in F than earlier on the 767 in Y. See what I’m saying?
lucky, on August 2nd, 2009 at 10:46 am Said:

@ Scholar in Training — If your flight is showing NC space when you want to make the switch, I would make a confirmed same day change and get the upgrade confirmed. If there are still quite a few business class seats showing, I would just risk it and make the change, given that you’ll be up there on the upgrade waitlist and there will be misconnects and no shows.
Scholar in Training, on August 2nd, 2009 at 10:50 am Said:

OK and just to confirm, I can make the switch only on day of departure? Or 24 hours in advance? If the flight is at 8am in the morning, when should I call?
lucky, on August 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 am Said:

@ Scholar in Training — You can make the change three hours prior to departure of the flight you want to take. So if you want to take an 8AM flight, you could make the change at 5AM.
Scholar in Training, on August 2nd, 2009 at 10:59 am Said:

Hmmm interesting. This is actually the middle-leg of a three flight journey meaning I’ll be in the air on the first flight when the 3 hour window opens. And I’m guessing one can’t do this once one is already checked in, right?

Tricky!
lucky, on August 2nd, 2009 at 11:14 am Said:

@ Scholar in Training — No, unfortunately not. You never know, if you get a nice agent anything is possible, though.
sam, on August 2nd, 2009 at 1:34 pm Said:

lucky? if you still have that power point file from the Ann Arbor DO, could you send it to me. Thanks
lucky, on August 2nd, 2009 at 1:47 pm Said:

@ Sam — It has been sent.
Vagabond Jim, on August 2nd, 2009 at 11:55 pm Said:

Lucky & Ashley:

It’s worth pointing out re upgrading companions: if you are an EXP at AA you have earned 40 stickers to hit (500 mile upgrades) that level. Now, you may have used many on your way thru the ranks but you’ll probably have some in your account.

And buying that at 60% of the UA’s price ($30 v. $50) is a nice little benefit if you need to buy more.

I do wish AA did the point-to-point distance thing…
yyzatcqq, on August 3rd, 2009 at 4:47 am Said:

Did you ever sort out the Aeroplan ticket issue?
Gene, on August 3rd, 2009 at 7:22 am Said:

@ Lucky — Can I also obtain a copy of the PowerPoint presentation? Thanks!
lucky, on August 3rd, 2009 at 8:14 am Said:

@ Vagabond Jim — True, although you’re not even able to upgrade 20% of your flights with the stickers you earn up until you make Executive Platinum, so I doubt most new Executive Platinum members will have more than a couple of stickers left unless they’re buying them. You’re right though, the price is much more reasonable to buy them at American.
lucky, on August 3rd, 2009 at 8:15 am Said:

@ yzzatcqq — The one with the MCO-FRA issue? If so, I didn’t, because plans ended up changing, so it was for the better. I called back about the flight about a day later and they still weren’t showing it, so I don’t know what’s up with it.
lucky, on August 3rd, 2009 at 8:15 am Said:

@ Gene — I’ll send it right now.
HunterSFO, on August 3rd, 2009 at 4:48 pm Said:

I know I e-mail / ask a lot of questions. Out of curiosity, on average how many questions do people ask you in a day?
yyzatcqq, on August 3rd, 2009 at 5:26 pm Said:

Will you answer just about anything? As long as both the question and the answer could be read in open company no matter the age?
lucky, on August 3rd, 2009 at 7:33 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — Gosh, that’s something you probably don’t want to know. On a slow weekday I’d say I get 50 emails/PM’s/comments/calls with airline related questions. On a busy weekday I get closer to 100. Sometimes I sit at my computer almost nonstop morning to night as my inbox never empties out. Add that to my nasty habit of responding almost immediately, and this is becoming a full time “job.”
lucky, on August 3rd, 2009 at 7:33 pm Said:

@ yyzatcqq — Hmmm, try me, and then I’ll tell you.
Scholar in Training, on August 3rd, 2009 at 9:09 pm Said:

Do you have a significant other?
lucky, on August 4th, 2009 at 8:18 am Said:

@ Scholar in Training — Nope
HunterSFO, on August 4th, 2009 at 11:52 am Said:

@Scholar in Training – (sample personal ad for Lucky) “…enjoys long plane rides in international first class to fantastic exotic destinations…ISO dedicated mileage runner with elite status in many programs…non-smoker a plus” LOL!!!
HunterSFO, on August 4th, 2009 at 11:53 am Said:

@Lucky – can’t believe nobody’s snapped you up yet
jb831, on August 4th, 2009 at 1:42 pm Said:

Hey Lucky,

Seems like you have considerable experience on various OneWorld carriers (in First).

Any experience on BA (F)?

(Just contemplating some award redemption options. You sure have made CX look awfully tempting!
lucky, on August 4th, 2009 at 2:56 pm Said:

@ jb831 — I actually haven’t flown BA yet, but without sounding like too much of an armchair CEO, I do have a few thoughts. The seat itself is quite bad (better than most European airlines, save Swiss), the food will be ok (not as good as Lufthansa or Swiss…. the British are known for many things, but gourmet food isn’t among them), and the service will typically be quite good. Again, without having tried them I’d rate them below Swiss for sure (which I’d argue is the best European airline), and probably on par with Lufthansa, although I think Lufthansa will again take the lead when they unveil their new seats.

Can anyone that has flown BA F chime in?
yyzatcqq, on August 4th, 2009 at 6:04 pm Said:

the last time I flew BA F they still had the Hi-8 tape players in the arm rests. I would not give them a 2nd chance for premium travel unless they bring the Concorde back.
jb831, on August 5th, 2009 at 9:50 am Said:

Thanks for the input regarding BA F, gentlemen!

I guess I’d only strongly consider a BA F redemption (over CX) if BA does another 50% off redemption promo this year.
Jamie, on August 6th, 2009 at 2:12 pm Said:

Here’s a question I’ slightly worried about lucky.
I remember reading somehwere about a similar situation but can’t find it now.

I’ve just booked an award with US Air all in F.
I’ve just looked at my reservation and even though the correct amount of miles have gone out of my account for F, the reservation says coach on every flight.

Am I missing something here or is it a bug on the website?
lucky, on August 6th, 2009 at 2:48 pm Said:

@ Jamie — It’s certainly possible that there’s a glitch, but this is worth looking into. Are you viewing the reservation on usair.com or are you looking at the e-ticket they sent you? If you’re looking at the e-ticket, that might be a serious problem. If you’re looking at the website, it might just be a glitch. I would give US Airways a call and ask them about it to be on the safe side. Feel free to email me your record locator and last name and I could look into it as well, if you’d like.

I’ve certainly had mistakes happen to itineraries of mine in the past, and it sucks. Better to spot potential problems early than when you get to the airport.
Zac, on August 6th, 2009 at 8:50 pm Said:

Hey Lucky,

I am planning a trip to Asia – specifically India and I have ~300,000 membership reward points that I would like to redeem for most value. Which airline should I put my bets on???
Thanks,
Zac
lucky, on August 6th, 2009 at 8:53 pm Said:

@ Zac — In order to help, I’d need some more info. Where are you starting from? Are you traveling alone? Are you looking for a premium cabin (first/business class) redemption, or looking to get the best value from a coach award?
ORDnHKG, on August 6th, 2009 at 11:09 pm Said:

You had travelled on so many F and C class on different airlines, do you just giveaway the amenity kits and PJ ? Or you sell it on ebay ?

Ok, let me come to the point, I am actually an amenity kit collector, curious if you have any amenty kit that you don’t want about to give it away or sell it, I would be very interested, especially pacific carriers. let me know, as maybe able to meet next sunday with you in chicago.
lucky, on August 6th, 2009 at 11:28 pm Said:

@ ORDnHKG — I typically wear the PJ’s I get and use the contents of the amenity kits. Shocker, I know, but in my case I don’t see much use in the contents getting old. I then use the kits as little travel cases to store power cords, etc. So I don’t really have any “unopened” amenity kits, sorry.
David, on August 8th, 2009 at 11:30 am Said:

Lucky,

I’m flying from MIA to FRA on LH in a week. I booked reward travel for FC through Air Canada (Aeroplan) using Amex points. FRA is my final destination, then I fly back FRA to MIA a week or so later. Do I have access to the FCT in FRA when I arrive? Or when I depart? I am flying F on a LH flight, but am confused as to the access rules to the FCT. Thanks.
lucky, on August 8th, 2009 at 6:02 pm Said:

@ David — The First Class Terminal in Frankfurt is not an arrivals lounge, so you could not use it upon arrival. That being said, you can use it on the way back. They keep changing the access rules, but right now as long as you have a same day Lufthansa first class boarding pass (even if you’re arriving from somewhere in first class and continuing within Europe), you get access. Regardless, you’ll have access as a departing first class passenger originating in Frankfurt.

Enjoy the lounge!
HunterSFO, on August 9th, 2009 at 12:04 pm Said:

Hi Lucky- I have a SFO-LAX-JFK flight on Thanksgiving day all in F including the p.s. flight. Since I will already have my samde-day p.s. F boarding pass for the LAX-JFK leg when I get to SFO, will they let me use the IFL at SFO as well, or do I only get to use the one at LAX?

Also, if I go with my family to HNL with everyone on the same PNR, does my 1K status allow everyone to use the 1K check-in line and priority security line, or do I have to *wait* for everone else on the PNR to go through the non-status check-in and security? This will be a SAN-SFO-HNL-LAX-SAN itinerary…

Thanks!
lucky, on August 9th, 2009 at 1:20 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — You should be able to use both. The SFO IFL agents are among the least friendly out there, but lately they have gotten better. So I wouldn’t arrive too early to the airport just to use the IFL, but definitely check it out if you have time.

As far as your second question goes, everyone should be able to go through security with you, use priority check-in, and board via the red carpet. As long as it’s family or only a few friends, I’ve never seen them have an issue.
Patrick, on August 9th, 2009 at 3:54 pm Said:

Hi Lucky,
ANy information on an arrivals lounge at LAX? COming in on Asiana F and connecting up to SFO on UA. Never used an arrivals lounge so any information would be great. Will I be greeted upon arrival or is that soooo 1995?
lucky, on August 9th, 2009 at 4:20 pm Said:

@ Patrick — Unfortunately there isn’t any arrivals lounge (as far as I know, at least) at LAX for Asiana passengers, and United doesn’t have one either. You’ll probably be able to use the United International First Class Lounge at LAX, though, which is quite nice.
ooD, on August 9th, 2009 at 11:48 pm Said:

Just found out I’ll be traveling to Asia and Europe before the end of the year for business and looks like I’ll be just short of 1P on UA after these trips. You predict any DEQM type promotions before year’s end like earlier in the year? Maybe not exactly the same, but something to boots up my EQM. Hopefully I can get some small boots without resorting to mileage runs
lucky, on August 10th, 2009 at 8:12 am Said:

@ ooD — That’s a toughie. There is definitely going to be some kind of a promotion, given that it should be a pretty rough winter for the airlines. At the same time, I kind of expect some sort of promotion for RDM’s instead of EQM’s. A DEQM promotion is certainly possible, although I think it’s unlikely and if it happened I would expect it to be a promotion you have to pay for.
ooD, on August 10th, 2009 at 12:32 pm Said:

What’s RDM?
lucky, on August 10th, 2009 at 12:34 pm Said:

@ ooD — RDM=redeemable miles
crammer, on August 10th, 2009 at 2:36 pm Said:

Lucky,

I heard on the most recent upgrd podcast that you really like Hong Kong. Can you go into a few reasons why you enjoy HK so much? I have never been, and it’s on my list of places to go. (I even know a Cantonese speaker who might be convinced to come along…)
lucky, on August 10th, 2009 at 7:20 pm Said:

@ crammer — Great question. First of all, it was the first Asian city I ever visited, and at the time (when I was maybe 13) Asia was some far off place mystical place to me. So the fact that it’s the first place I visited has something to do with it.

Beyond that, though, it’s just such an amazing, dynamic city, with the most amazing landscape. The two sides of the city are separated by Victoria Harbor, so the views are truly incomparable. Every night they have the “Symphony of Lights” show, whereby most of the major buildings light up as part of a laser show.

There’s also so much to do and it’s a relatively easy city to navigate. What really makes Hong Kong great as an English speaker is that almost everything is written in English (thanks to the British influence), which makes it easy to get around. Most people speak English as well. Compare that to Japan, where getting around can be a real PITA as someone that doesn’t speak the language.

It’s hard to exactly point my finger to it, but there’s something magical about the city. Their slogan is “Live it. Love it.” and I guess that’s very true. You really have to experience Hong Kong to get a real sense of what makes it great.
jb831, on August 11th, 2009 at 3:06 pm Said:

Hi Lucky,

When staying at IHG properties, do you ever book the “bonus point packages”? (ie: the rates where you pay slightly more than the Best Flexible Rate, to earn an additional 1,000 / 3,000 / 5,000 / etc. points?) Is it worth it, or should one just stick to Best Flexible Rates?

Many thanks!
lucky, on August 11th, 2009 at 7:51 pm Said:

@ jb831 — I never have, because it’s almost never worth it. InterContinental did recently have a separate promo where they offered 10,000 bonus points per stay at no additional cost, which I took advantage of. I value Priority Club points at about half a cent per point, and I haven’t seen them “beat” that ratio with the offer.
Alex, on August 12th, 2009 at 7:14 am Said:

Here’s my question…

I live in a small town (CHO – Charlottesville, VA) and therefore my airline choices are fairly limited (largely US and DL through Atlanta and Delta, respectively) but I fly a pretty fair amount for work, 80-100 segments and just over 100k miles per year. This breaks down to about 35 segments on each of DL and US, giving me Silver status on both, and the other 1/3rd spread out among everyone else. Likewise, I end up with about 50k miles on US and DL per year and 50k spread elsewhere, including bonuses, etc.

Is there anything I can do to concentrate my earnings and get more out of them – assigning miles to another program for example? It’s impractical for me to fly only DL or US because of work requirements, and I’m already using SPG Amex and/or AMEX Platinum to purchase the tickets for those miles.

I welcome your thoughts – thanks.
lucky, on August 12th, 2009 at 9:43 am Said:

@ Alex — That’s a tough one. This would be easy if they were in the same alliance, but given that DL and US are in different alliances, there’s not a whole lot I can think of. Is CO an option? Once they join Star Alliance you could hopefully credit US and CO flights to one FFP, helping you to concentrate your miles.
sam, on August 12th, 2009 at 6:32 pm Said:

hey lucky, my girlfriend and I are planning to stay at the IC Bali for a week, your review of the hotel was fantasic. I’d just like to know your opinion on a few things. I Don’t think i can make it to RA in time. I am a Amb right now, and we’re planning to book the Club room, so is it worth it for me to try aquire a RA referal? Are the differences between RA and Amb very big at this hotel? Also, I’ve got enough points to fly to Bali on Both Skyteam and *A in Bussiness class, which airline would you say is the best for the job. Thanks
lucky, on August 12th, 2009 at 7:50 pm Said:

@ Sam — I’m totally jealous of the trip, sounds like fun. At the InterContinental Bali the differences between Ambassador and Royal Ambassador aren’t big, especially when booking a club room. The minibar is pretty crappy, so you’re not losing out on much there. Either way you should get an upgrade to a duplex suite, which is VERY nice. As a Royal Ambassador you would probably have a better shot at a larger suite, although the duplex suite really is very nice. So I don’t think you’d be missing out on a whole lot.

As far as airlines, that’s a toughie. Maybe ANA connecting to SQ? If SQ had any transpacific award availability I’d go with them, but they don’t right now. Who knows, that might change soon, though.
sam, on August 12th, 2009 at 8:50 pm Said:

Now you know how we felt when we saw your review, thanks for the advice on the Royal Ambassador, probably saved me a few SWUs. But do you still get the airport pickup and everything?

I can’t get anything on *A, There are some availabily on the ANA tool, but no dice when i try to book then.

I think i’m going to go with YYZ-EWR-PVG on CO and PVG-DPS on MU. and DPS-PVG on MU, PVG-DTW on DL and DTW-YXU on NW for the return. Never tried CO’s international services in bussiness class yet.
lucky, on August 12th, 2009 at 9:10 pm Said:

@ Sam — Yes, the transfer and greeting service is available for all club guests, regardless of status. Skyteam sounds like a good option, especially with the longhaul CO flight. I’m actually looking forward to giving them a try when they join Star Alliance.
Iceman, on August 13th, 2009 at 9:37 pm Said:

Just looked at your trip report for ORD-NRT on NH last July. If given the choice of NH C versus UA C (on a 747) for that same flight, what would you choose?
lucky, on August 13th, 2009 at 11:04 pm Said:

@ Iceman — Call me crazy, but assuming that this were in a few months when new business class is guaranteed, I’d go with United. The seat and entertainment are FAR superior. No matter how good the food and service are on ANA, it’s not going to make me any more comfortable or keep me any more entertained for 12 hours. Add that to the recent cutbacks in ANA premium cabins, and I’d go with United without thinking twice.
LAXNRT, on August 14th, 2009 at 12:45 am Said:

Lucky,

got a question about status match. I know you got a status match to BMI Gold before. I am a UA GS and would like to get a BMI Gold Card to for domestic red carpet club access. What is the best way to go about this? Is it even possible? I was thinking about status matching to NWA and from there to BMI if that is still possible. WOuld appreciate any advice.

Chris
Iceman, on August 14th, 2009 at 8:08 am Said:

@ Lucky: Thanks for the fast response. I think you’ve convinced me to go back to UA. :-O What did you think of the slanted lay flat on ANA and what were their premium cabins like before the cutbacks?
Iceman, on August 14th, 2009 at 8:36 am Said:

@ Lucky: Sorry for a second response, but I found a good thread on FT talking about the cutbacks in premium cabins. Do they still have a kitchen counter type set-up where you can get food at your leisure?
lucky, on August 14th, 2009 at 9:40 am Said:

@ LAXNRT — You got it, that would be the best way. Match to some other carrier (NWA sounds good to me), and then fax in or email the elite card to Diamond Club, and you should be status matched. Enjoy!
lucky, on August 14th, 2009 at 9:43 am Said:

@ Iceman — I haven’t flown ANA in business for about a year, so I don’t know the details of the cutbacks. I’m sure the service and food is still far superior to United. However, maybe I’ve just become too spoiled, but a slanted flat seat is a killer. And I find ANA’s slanted flat to be among the worst, since it always seems to me like it’s at a pretty high angle. As far as the kitchen counter, they never really had that. They had a counter with cookies and chips and chocolate, but the flight attendants were always there to provide meals at your leisure.
Iceman, on August 14th, 2009 at 9:45 am Said:

Thanks for the info! Guess I’ll be making another call to UA today.
ooD, on August 14th, 2009 at 3:04 pm Said:

Hey Lucky. I need some advice planning a trip.

I will be flying from SFO to MUC on UA, but plan to connect through ORD to be on the same flight as my friend, who will fly from ORD. I am 1P and she is 1K.

Is there a way for me to get on her itinerary so that if she gets a free bump along the trip (for being 1k), I will too since we are flying together? The only thing I can think of is buying 1 RT SFO-ORD myself and haver her book my RT ORD-MUC with her, which is going to be more expensive than me getting 1 RT SFO-ORD-MUC.

There has got to be a trick.
lucky, on August 14th, 2009 at 7:38 pm Said:

@ ooD — Sadly to be on the same record you would both need to have the same exact itinerary and book it together. Frankly, I wouldn’t waste your time trying to get on the same itinerary for that reason alone, because a) if they’re op-upping 1K’s, there’s a decent chance they’re op-upping 1P’s too, b) if your friend would get upgraded and mentioned you were traveling together, there’s a decent chance you’d get upgraded as well, and c) there’s a chance they might just skip your friend on the list if there were two of you on the record and they only needed to move up one person.

Keep in mind that United doesn’t just do free upgrades. They will only upgrade to business if they need to do so for operational reasons.
sam, on August 19th, 2009 at 4:37 am Said:

Hey lucky, when are you leaving hongkong, I’ll be in hongkong next friday, staying at the IC hongkong, are you going to be around?
lucky, on August 19th, 2009 at 11:32 am Said:

@ sam — I’m only there for three days and will be leaving this Sunday. Guess I’ll miss you, unfortunately.
sam, on August 19th, 2009 at 2:55 pm Said:

I thought HongKong was your favourite city, why such a hurry to leave?
imm2b, on August 19th, 2009 at 6:01 pm Said:

@ Lucky – Do you have a FAQs page?
lucky, on August 20th, 2009 at 3:52 am Said:

@ sam — It is, but there’s something called the real world I have to get back to, unfortunately.
lucky, on August 20th, 2009 at 3:53 am Said:

@ imm2b — Interesting idea, but I don’t. There are so many different types of questions I get and similar questions dealing with different programs that it might be a real challenge. Feel free to ask away, though, if there’s anything I can help with.
Rochester Rich, on August 25th, 2009 at 3:36 pm Said:

Ben, Welcome Back. Thanks for your help previusly on this itinerary. After 3.5 hours on the phone with a very helpful agent I got confirmed Business tickets for 4 to Europe but there are some issues. Of those 3.5 hours the flight selection process went quickly as I had done all the leg work. So 45 minutes for the flights and forever and a day for confirmation and fees. And they needed to make changes to get it to price correctly. Here’s the itinerary:
6/19 ROC-LGA (US turbo-prop on a flight to be discontinued shortly)
6/19 JFK-IST (TH on a 777 with the heringbone business class layout)
23 hour layover in IST
6/21 IST-ATH (TH in Y)
6/23 ATH-MUC (LH in C)
7/5 MUC-CLT (LH in C)
7/5 CLT-PHL (US in Y)
7/5 PHL-ROC (US — Y only commuter jet)
80K miles and $95 taxes and probably a fee to book that they’ve neglected to tell me about.
1. They refused to book us on a connecting US Shuttle flight (ROC-DCA-LGA) in F and no seats available in Y. So now we’re stuck on a turbo-prop that will soon be axed from the schedule with the slot exchange with Delta.
2. They refused to book the non-stop CLT-ROC even though F is available. When they book in F the cost in miles goes to 120K.
3. They gave me a hard time about the 23 hour layover calling it 2 stopovers but we worked through that issue.
Do I accept the coach flights — really only the short CLT-PHL flight?
Do I stick with the turbo-prop or request a UA connection through IAD that still leaves enough time to get to JFK?
Is the TH flight aboard a 777 a good choice and worth the hassle to get to JFK?
23 hours in IST?
lucky, on August 25th, 2009 at 4:00 pm Said:

@ Rochester Rich — Holy cow, I hadn’t realized TK was flying their 77W’s to NY. That’s HUGE news, and a post about that will follow shortly. What you were told about first class domestically repricing the itin to a first class award price is BS. That sounds like a cast of “hang up and call again” to me. As far as changing to the UA flight goes, the issue is that you’ll be charged a fee if you try to make a change now, so I would leave it as is.

The 77W in business class is probably the best transatlantic business class option. Watch for my Turkish trip report in the next week or so. It’s a fantastic product, though.

23 hours in IST should be great. I just got back and really enjoyed the city. You should be able to see quite a bit in that amount of time. Stay tuned for the trip report on that too.
Dan, on August 27th, 2009 at 12:54 pm Said:

Dear Lucky,

Thanks for your great blog and your great generosity in sharing your wisdom. I am planning an award trip for my wife and myself SFO-CDG, LHR-SFO for September 2010. I have enough UA miles for two XF tix. I am considering trying for LH SFO-FRA-CDG (I know, Starnet blocking). Your review of the service and the FCT sounded great. For LHR-SFO I guess just old F on a UA 777- I do like the nonstop option.
Any comments or suggestions on my itinerary? Thanks for your help.
lucky, on August 27th, 2009 at 1:01 pm Said:

@ Dan — If you value a nonstop, then LHR-SFO is fine. If it were me, I’d go with either LHR-FRA-SFO on LH, or LHR-ZRH-ORD-SFO (or LHR-ZRH-JFK-SFO) on LX. It all comes down to personal preference.
Dan, on August 27th, 2009 at 3:42 pm Said:

Thanks, Lucky.
Blankeeta, on August 28th, 2009 at 2:57 pm Said:

Lucky,
I recently flew business class on AA to/from GIG. I was excited to experience their 777 with lie flat seating but was dissapointed when trying out the seats. They lie flat but at an angle! I hated having all the blood in my body draining to my feet. Please tell me that other carriers provide business class passengers with true bed-like seating…
HunterSFO, on August 28th, 2009 at 3:54 pm Said:

@Blankeeta – UA has true 180 degree lie-flat on all int’l 767s and 747s. Upgrade of the 777s is postponed till next year though
lucky, on August 28th, 2009 at 5:52 pm Said:

@ Blankeeta — Slanted lie flat seating is a common complaint. Some consider it more comfortable than a recliner for sleeping (because it is flat, although at an angle), while others consider it less comfortable for the reasons you mention. Fortunately most airlines installing “new generation” business class seats have flat beds in business class.

There are two general types — herringbone and normal seating configurations. Herringbone seats are what you’ll find on Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Virgin, etc., whereby the seats are facing sidewards and no one has a “formal” seatmate.

Then there are airlines like Swiss, United (as HunterSFO mentioned, only on the 767 and 747), Singapore, etc., that have flat beds in business class. It really does make a huge difference, and as of late I refuse to cross an ocean in anything but a truly flat bed.
BQ, on September 2nd, 2009 at 7:18 am Said:

How do you efficiently find award availability on Swiss? I have been experimenting with the ANA site to find availability for an upcoming award trip to Croatia/Turkey with United Miles, but Swiss availability isn’t shown there.
Robertol, on September 7th, 2009 at 7:47 pm Said:

I am a BMI Gold (and UA 1K). Given what’s going on with BMI, I am becoming wary of posting my premium *A cabin miles to Diamond Club (mostly C-class on LH, UA or SQ). AC Aeroplan looks like an interesting alternative… otherwise, I can keep posting to BD. Other options? Advice?
lucky, on September 7th, 2009 at 10:01 pm Said:

@ BQ — There are two practical ways to find Swiss award availability. Either get a membership to ExpertFlyer, which will allow you to see their award availability, or get a Miles & More account and search using that. It’s worth noting that in order to search award availability with Miles & More you need some activity in your account, though, which often makes ExpertFlyer the easier option.
lucky, on September 7th, 2009 at 10:04 pm Said:

@ Robertol — Assuming you’re not trying to hoard miles for way in the future, I would keep earning with bmi. Yes, there’s a bit of uncertainty, but I think we’ll have a good amount of notice before anything major changes. The beautiful thing about bmi is that you’re usually getting 200% for business class, and there’s simply no other program that can match that. With Aeroplan you’d typically be getting 125%. So I would say keep going with bmi for the time being, not only because of their great earning opportunities, but equally because of their amazing award redemption rates.
Ross, on September 12th, 2009 at 11:20 pm Said:

I have a question about joining for frequent flyer programs.

I just started working for a job that requires me to travel 50% to 75% every month. Most of my business travels are located domestically in the Western half of the US, with San Francisco and Sacramento as home bases. However, there are times when I have to travel to financial centers such as New York, London, Chicago, and Hong Kong.

I thought about joining United’s Mileage Plus because of its San Francisco hub. But since United is a Star Alliance member, I could be stuck taking its alliance partners (Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa) over oneworld members (Cathay Pacific and British Airways, both my preferred airlines to Asia and Europe).

Is it worthwhile to join United’s Mileage Plus over American’s AAdvantage? I want to join in a program where the airlines can fly mostly nonstop between financial centers around the world.
lucky, on September 13th, 2009 at 12:08 am Said:

@ Ross — First of all, I would suggest signing up for a frequent flyer account with any airline you fly. They’re free and it certainly can’t harm to have an account. That being said, if you’re based out of San Francisco, United is the obvious choice. They have nonstop service to London, Chicago, New York, and Hong Kong, along with a good frequent flyer program. If your company will only pay for coach, you should be able to rack up a good number of upgrades if you travel enough. If your company is paying for business or first, I would suggest flying some Star Alliance partner airlines, like Singapore Airlines from San Francisco to Hong Kong, for example, since they offer a better product. You could still credit the miles for that flight to United, since both airlines are in the Star Alliance.

Hope that helps.
Ross, on September 13th, 2009 at 1:35 am Said:

@ lucky

Thank you for your reply. I’ve been reading your entries about your flight experiences in CX and SQ. SQ has been a trendsetter in the industry, especially in ordering aircrafts. Too bad SQ decided to drop its aircraft titles (Megatop for 747, Jubilee for 777, LeaderShip for the Airbus 340-500, and so on). I want to see those names again.

1. If you’re being offered the chance to travel for pleasure to East Asia and Southeast Asia from the US, which would you choose: CX or SQ?
2. How about Asiana (OZ), which is also a member Star Alliance–do you have plans to take one of their flights in the near future?
lucky, on September 13th, 2009 at 10:39 am Said:

@ Ross — As far as your first question goes, what cabin are we talking about? Assuming it’s a premium cabin, you really can’t go wrong with either choice. I’d give slight preference to Cathay in first class (new product) and Singapore in business class (new product). As far as the second question goes, I’ve flown Asiana several times within Asia. They’re a solid airline, and I would definitely consider them assuming it was the new first or business class product. Their old product is rather ancient.
sam, on September 15th, 2009 at 9:59 pm Said:

hey lucky, i’m trying to book a award tic in biz to HKG. and none of the ORD-HKG flight in feb are showing XC availability at all. Do they usually release availability a little closer, or should i find another way there.
lucky, on September 15th, 2009 at 10:38 pm Said:

@ Sam — That’s a toughie. ORD-HKG has always been one of the tougher flights to get an upgrade on, and that was back when there were over 70 seats in business class. With just 50 seats I’d say the chance of any more seats opening up, at least predictably so, is pretty low. Maybe we’ll see a seat or two, and maybe we’ll see some seats way closer to departure, like a week out, but I wouldn’t count on it. I would find another way there….
sam, on September 16th, 2009 at 8:32 am Said:

in that case, what do you think my chances are of getting an upgrade (or two) after buying W bucket tickets and using SWUs.
sam, on September 16th, 2009 at 8:38 am Said:

Also, i remember you mentioned SQ never releases any availability on trans-pacific flights in C or F. But do they ever release C or F seats on intra-Asia flights, say HKG-SIN? I apologize for all the questions, but being the undisputed expert on the subject comes with some responsibilities
Blake, on September 16th, 2009 at 8:40 am Said:

Question — Just made prem exec on UA and want to status match to gold on CO. UA is telling me 2-3 weeks to get the card (CO says they need a copy of the card). Any way to expedite this? I begged them to send me a digital copy, fedex, etc. — they weren’t helpful.
lucky, on September 16th, 2009 at 9:21 am Said:

@ sam — Chances of getting an upgrade? Generally decent, assuming you travel on an off peak day. This far out I would shoot for a confirmable upgrade if at all possible. SQ does release some intra-Asia awards last I checked, but the availability is very, very limited.

@ Blake — Unfortunately there’s no way to expedite that, and Continental is one of the stricter airlines when it comes to the credentials they require to match. Sorry.
FBKSan, on September 16th, 2009 at 1:33 pm Said:

Lucky,

I posted the following on FT, but it was buried at the end of a thread and I didn’t get a response. Any insight?

If I put a ticket on hold from one region to another (e.g., Europe to Africa), can I change the originating region–and obviously pay the additional miles–before the hold expires without losing the original segments? (I ask because I have enough miles for the EUR-AFR ticket now and will have the extra miles needed for USA-AFR in a few days). If United is going to have to cancel the EUR-AFR hold to setup USA-(EUR)-AFR then I won’t bother.

Related question: could I do the above but actually ticket EUR-AFR and then change the origin region at a later date without jeopardizing my existing seats?

FBKSan
lucky, on September 16th, 2009 at 2:37 pm Said:

@ FBKSan — That’s a good question, and I’m actually not positive. I believe that would require a redeposit, so they might just have to start from scratch. The same goes for later changing the award. It’s easy when you’re talking about the same region, but I’m pretty sure you’d be out of luck in this case.
RDimperio, on September 22nd, 2009 at 10:24 am Said:

Ben, I’m about to break into the ranks of 1K thanks mostly to United’s Fall DBEQM promotion. Now I’m wondering about those 4 e-500 mile instruments that you get at each 10K once a premium member. The 10K is counted on paid United and United Express flights. What about those that post as Y class. Do I count these miles as 1.5 or 1.0 times the actual flight miles? Thanks.
lucky, on September 22nd, 2009 at 10:39 am Said:

@ RDimperio — Congrats on making it to 1K (almost)! As a 1K you’re not actually earning any extra 500 mile upgrades compared to Premier or Premier Executive members. You do earn up to two confirmed regional upgrades per quarter along with a minimum of six systemwide upgrades a year, though. 500 milers are based on “butt-in-seat” miles, so double EQM’s, premium flights, etc., don’t help you to accrue more of them.
David, on September 23rd, 2009 at 7:05 pm Said:

Lucky,

I have a question about the Hyatt Faster Free Nights promo combined with the Fast Track. I signed up for the Fast Track promo and will secure Platinum status with a 5-night stay in Seattle that I was going to make for work anyway. I’m wondering if it’s worth going for Diamond locally doing a mattress run. I’ve never done a MR before and was wondering if 1) I actually have to stay at the hotel or if I can just check-in and pay and 2) how does the Faster Free Night promo work for me? I’ll be heading to Cologne, Germany next September and thought I could use the free nights to book my hotel, but alas the free nights have to be used by March. Is Gold Passport Diamond really worth the effort? Thanks.
lucky, on September 23rd, 2009 at 8:59 pm Said:

@ David — In general I’d say Hyatt Diamond is among the best top tier status levels, and that’s largely thanks to the recent changes they’ve made to the Gold Passport program. You’ll receive access to the club lounge, free internet (which is a Platinum perk as well), along with four electronic suite upgrades, which are especially nice. As far as whether or not it’s worth mattress running, that’s tough for me to answer without knowing your financial situation and your travel plans beyond Cologne. If you could conceivably maintain Diamond with your normal stays in the future, then I think it’s a great status level to maintain. It’s not necessarily worth always mattress running for, though, especially if you only have a few “real” stays.

As far as the actual process of mattress running, you do have to check-in at the hotel, although you don’t actually have to stay there. Might want to go to the room, make the sheet covers a bit messy, and then leave. Your Faster Free Nights stays have to be completed by March of next year, so that wouldn’t really help your trip to Cologne next September.
David, on September 23rd, 2009 at 10:26 pm Said:

Thanks, Lucky. Do the free nights count towards status? If I have ten more nights to go towards Diamond, can I check in for two separate one night stays at a Hyatt Place (~$80/night), then use a resulting free night as an additional stay? Or, do all stays toward status have to be paid?

And, how would you compare SPG to HGP? Would you aim to have all your stays at one or the other or mix them up?
lucky, on September 23rd, 2009 at 10:40 pm Said:

@ David — The free nights you redeem don’t count towards status. Only paid stays booked through hyatt.com qualify for points. Generally I think SPG over promises and under delivers, while Hyatt under promises and over delivers. At Hyatt properties you always know what you’re getting as a Diamond — free internet, free club lounge access (or breakfast), and if you requested it, a confirmed suite upgrade. As a Platinum with Starwood you get club lounge access (if they have a club, which often isn’t the case), and you might or might not get any sort of real upgrade. You might get a room with a view, or you might get a huge suite.

So in general I’d say Hyatt has a more consistent program. Also, I think it makes more sense to have top tier status with one program rather than mid tier status with two programs. The benefits are better, assuming one chain has hotels in all the places you need to travel to.
Dan, on September 24th, 2009 at 11:30 am Said:

Hi Lucky,

I may try for a bump on a SFO-LAX flight in about a week that currently is showing F7Y5 (it’s a 320). If it does zero out, does united.com provide an option to volunteer during online check-in, or can that only be done at the airport the day of departure? Thanks.
lucky, on September 24th, 2009 at 11:37 am Said:

@ Dan — They might or might not offer to add you to the volunteer list when you check-in online, but it really doesn’t matter because you can be added at the gate or at check-in by an agent. The list is sorted much like the upgrade list, so it’s by status first. A quick note about the SFO-LAX flights — they’re an interesting bunch, since there’s basically a flight every hour. That translates to lots of people standing by for earlier flights. So in my experience they don’t tend to be oversold by too much under normal circumstances, but when a flight is cancelled (which is common), it can be bump heaven.
Seth, on September 24th, 2009 at 11:50 pm Said:

I know NWA/DL/Sky Team is not your primary area of expertise, but I’m hoping you can help me anyway. I’m Gold Elite in WorldPerks (for a few more days anyway). I’m trying to book an award ticket for a trip to London (from BOS) in December. My options are pretty limited due to availability and my mileage poverty. First of all, does it make sense to you that NWA is still offering award tickets on CO flights in December, even though CO won’t be in Sky Team by then? Is there risk in booking those? Should I be worried about not getting Sky Team Elite benefits? If not, would you recommend CO over NWA/KLM flights? I’m really only familiar with NWA/DL, but I’m curious about whether CO’s onboard amenities might be better for such a trip. Any advice you have would be much appreciated.
lucky, on September 25th, 2009 at 12:31 am Said:

@ Seth — I’ll certainly do my best to help. Yes, Continental is still offering SkyTeam awards as long as you book before they leave SkyTeam, even if it’s for a later travel date. Your booking will be safe, but keep in mind that if you want to make a change after they leave SkyTeam, flying Continental won’t be an option. You shouldn’t, however, get any elite benefits if you’re flying them when they’re in Star Alliance, so that’s a reason to avoid them.

As far as onboard amenities go, I assume we’re talking about a coach award? If so, I’d say just try your best to get on a plane that has personal televisions. This means it makes sense to avoid DL’s 767-300’s and KLM’s 747’s, along with any 757’s (if there even are any into London from the US). Other than that, you really can’t go wrong. As far as I know CO has PTV’s in their longhaul fleet, DL has them on their fleet except for the 767, NW has them, and KLM has them on their A330’s.
Seth, on September 25th, 2009 at 10:12 am Said:

Thanks for the info. I will definitely be avoiding CO.

So is it only the 767-300s that don’t have PTV? I’m getting a return LHR-DTW on a DL-operated (strange?) 767-400ER.

Also, is it typical for award availability to constantly change, like from search to search within the span of a few minutes? I will do a search and 5 minutes later with the same search the availability is completely different. Can I attribute it to it being within a week of award searching via nwa.com going away?
lucky, on September 25th, 2009 at 11:13 am Said:

@ Seth — Correct, only 767-300s don’t have PTV’s. The -400 series does. Delta and Northwest are shuffling planes between their routes, so it’s common to see 767s out of DTW and 330s out of ATL.

Award availability is fluid, although typically not to the point that it changes every few minutes. I doubt it has to do with the site going away. Probably just bad luck, or maybe good luck, depending on which way the availability is fluctuating.
Ann Simmons, on September 26th, 2009 at 4:03 pm Said:

Can you please tell me witch one of your braches are opened on SUNDAYS for buisness, in the Baltimore, Maryland or surrounding areas.
Blankeeta, on September 29th, 2009 at 7:46 pm Said:

Lucky, here’s a novice question. I’ve booked a OneWorld award ticket taking me to multiple Middle East Desitations. My initial routing is: RDU-LGA-YYZ (AA), YYZ-LHR (BA) all on the same day. What is the luggage situation? Do I have to pick up my checked AA bags in YYZ and then re-check with BA in YYZ? Also, do you think AA will charge me for my heavy checked bags that are going internationally on their OneWorld Partner?
lucky, on September 29th, 2009 at 8:23 pm Said:

@ Blankeeta — I believe you’ll have to pick up your luggage and re-check it in Toronto. At least I did when I flew DFW-YYZ and then YYZ-HKG earlier this year. American shouldn’t charge you for your heavier bag, assuming it’s within the weight limits of one of the partner airlines you’re flying. If they try to, simply show them your itinerary and explain the weight limits of the other airlines. Enjoy your trip!
Dan, on September 29th, 2009 at 9:01 pm Said:

Hi Lucky,

Is it true that after October 1st, Lufthansa will not allow arriving F pax into any FCLs at FRA? I was planning a trip for next year either arriving FRA in F as destination or possibly connecting to CDG or ZRH. Are there no options for showers either UA or LH arriving in F?
Thanks so much.
lucky, on September 29th, 2009 at 9:26 pm Said:

@ Dan — I just saw the 500+ post thread in the Lufthansa forum, although it seems to be much about nothing. As a first class passenger one could never use the FCL or FCT as an arrivals lounge. Lufthansa does have a new “arrivals lounge” you can use, though. If you’re connecting you should be able to use the FCL or FCT, at least as far as I can tell. Happy travels!
Dan, on September 29th, 2009 at 9:48 pm Said:

Thanks Lucky, although on the LH website under “first class at the airport” it does seem to say the FCLs were available to F pax “departing from Frankfurt, changing flights there or arriving” whereas the FCT was available only for departures.
magiciansampras, on October 3rd, 2009 at 7:23 am Said:

Lucky, did you get in on the BOM deal last night? BA across the ocean but then could link up with *A carriers to BOM.

I got in with Orbitz but they promptly canceled my reservation overnight.
lucky, on October 3rd, 2009 at 9:23 am Said:

@ magiciansampras — I saw it but decided against booking. As much as I’d love to actually visit India, I couldn’t fit it in my schedule for the time being. From a mileage run perspective it just wasn’t good enough, in my opinion. I can get more miles than that more comfortably for less by other means. Besides, mistake fares can get pretty frustrating with the airlines trying to cancel reservations, as I guess you’re experiencing. Hope they honor it!
Kevin, on October 9th, 2009 at 2:19 pm Said:

Lucky,

I know that you don’t check bags, but I am thinking you might have an answer. I am going to check because I have a multipurpose trip (business attire and outdoor gear) and I don’t feel like trying to make it work with Carry-Ons.

So here goes: I am flying IAD –> JFK on United 7768 and JFK –> ZRH on LX 15. Should I check through to ZRH (assuming I can) or should I check my bag to JFK and recheck with Swiss. I should have enough time for the latter option since the RJ flight has been on time for the most part.

What do you think?

Thanks
lucky, on October 9th, 2009 at 3:04 pm Said:

@ Kevin — With a trip like that you should be able to check the bag all the way through to ZRH. At check-in simply show them your itinerary and they’ll tag the bag all the way. Actually, in many cases “short checking” (not checking your bag to the final destination) is against the rules. Happy travels!
Iceman, on October 12th, 2009 at 10:45 am Said:

If traveling from USA-NRT with miles in C, what would be your preferred *A airline? Assume that you can leave from any point in North America, but needs to be non-stop to NRT from there.
lucky, on October 12th, 2009 at 5:18 pm Said:

@ Iceman — Assuming you can leave from any point in North America, I could go with Air Canada (777), followed by United (new configuration), followed by ANA. While ANA might have the best service, Air Canada and United’s seats and entertainment blow ANA out of the water.
RDimperio, on October 14th, 2009 at 12:37 pm Said:

I loved my Business Class on ANA earlier in the year but have little to compare it to at this point.

Ben, What to do in light of the recent changes? Upcoming trip to Hawaii in January for two. EWR-DEN-SFO-HNL on 319/320/767 returning HNL-SFO-EWR on 777(redeye)/319. Newly minted 1K. Just saw 2 CR-1s in my account. Have 13 e-500s.
Would like to upgrade westbound and am indifferent about the eastbound.
1. Use the CR1s on the westbound?
2. Hold the CR1s for a rainy day and use miles (no cash)?
3. Gamble with the e-500s westbound.
4. Try to confirm the westbound and gamble with the eastbound flights with e-500s.

Will I still acrue CR1s in 1Q2010?
Thanks for your help, Rich
lucky, on October 14th, 2009 at 1:36 pm Said:

@ Rich — ANA definitely has the best in-flight product, but the seats are slanted flat and the entertainment is somewhat limited. Other than that, ANA is fantastic. As far as the Hawaii trips, I’d use the two CR1’s for the westbound portion, unless you have a future use you’ll definitely need CR1’s for. Since you asked me, I don’t use miles to upgrade domestically, so if I really wanted to upgrade I would use CR1’s. I’m not quite sure whether or not we’ll continue to accrue CR1’s until this policy is fully in place (I haven’t been able to keep up with the 1,200+ post FlyerTalk thread, sadly), but I wouldn’t count on it.

I would then try upgrading the other direction with 500′ers, if it’s something you’d be interested in. Enjoy your trip!
ktpc2005, on October 15th, 2009 at 4:23 pm Said:

Remember the Air New Zealand nothing to hide safety video. Southwest fan site on Facebook posted a video that Air New Zealand is challenging the Southwest crew to help make a body paint safety video musical.

Funny that it will never show on Southwest planes due to the face they have no video equipment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfETlqvBAeE&feature=player_embedded
lucky, on October 15th, 2009 at 8:28 pm Said:

@ ktpc2005 — Hah, very funny! Thanks for the heads up. Wonder how the Southwest people would get to New Zealand. :p
Ron, on October 17th, 2009 at 11:11 am Said:

Lucky, I’m wondering about the value of US elite status. I’m generally a Sky Team flier (accruing my miles on Northwest, now Delta), but I’ll be flying LAX–TLV and back on US over the holidays. The outbound falls within their fast track promotion, and since that one leg is over 7500 miles it would earn me silver status. I also have a mostly dormant United account with about 10,000 miles. So, do I go for silver on US, or build on my existing United miles?

My wife and kids are also flying with me; they’ve been accruing their Sky Team miles on Continental, so they should be able to add the US flights to that (current balances are 36K, 27K, 20K; not enough status miles this year to earn any status). Do they go for silver on US, or build up Continental?

I typically fly alone for business, and with the entire crew for pleasure. My wife seldom flies alone, my kids never. For me, silver on US could make some potential future flights more pleasant. As for the rest, is there even a remote possibility of getting 4 upgrades into a 12-seat front cabin?
lucky, on October 17th, 2009 at 11:58 am Said:

@ Ron — The value of status vs. the value of accruing more miles in a single account is always a tough question. As you know, status as such has zero value if you don’t take advantage of your status on that airline. Miles, on the other hand, can be earned continuously, and as long as there’s some activity every 18 months, they should eventually add up to a free ticket.

Now, first let’s quickly discuss US Silver status. There are definitely some nice benefits for future flights, like free checked bags, first class check-in, and a decent chance at upgrades if you’re not flying on peak routes or during peak times. Unfortunately I think international upgrades aren’t even worth considering.

So if you plan on taking at least a couple of trips with your US Silver status, I would say it’s worthwhile to credit to them. As far as your family goes, unless they plan on taking a couple of US trips next year, I would suggest they credit to Continental, since they already have decent balances.

As a general rule, I like to stick to one program in each alliance and credit to that airline, even if I could get slightly more benefits by crediting to another airline.
Tom, on October 17th, 2009 at 9:40 pm Said:

Ben… I consider you an expert on Intercontinental. Have you been to the IC in Budapest? I am considering a stay there this Dec (especially attractive F&F rate) and am wondering what your impressions are if you’ve stayed there.

Thanks
lucky, on October 17th, 2009 at 10:07 pm Said:

@ Tom — Wish I could help, but I’ve actually never stayed at the InterContinental Budapest. It seems like a pretty good hotel based on the FlyerTalk reviews, though:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/intercontinental-hotels-priority-club-inter-continental-ambassador/779118-ic-budapest-master-thread-merged.html
Simon, on October 19th, 2009 at 1:28 am Said:

Lucky,

Wife & I want to travel from Ft. Lauderdale to London non-stop using MR points. We were thinking about Virgin but you had mentioned ANA was better for the money. ANA does not flight from Ft. lauderdale or Miami. You also mentioned transferring points to ANA and then flight on Virgin. How can I transfer points to ANA and then flight on Virgin while not been hit hard on those other surcharges you are referring to? Pls advise and thanks!
lucky, on October 19th, 2009 at 7:43 am Said:

@ Simon — While there are no nonstop flights from Ft. Lauderdale to London, Virgin does fly from Miami. They are partners with ANA, so if you transfer miles to ANA and book an award through them (they typically have access to the same availability), you’ll only pay 68,000 miles and probably $200, vs. quite a bit a more through Virgin.
Scholar in Training, on October 20th, 2009 at 8:33 am Said:

Next week I need to fly a route serviced by UA/US/CO, both with a connections. Options are US through LGA/DCA/PHL on regional jets. Done this version a thousand times. UA the connection times through ORD/IAD are not desirable. Final option is to give CO a try through CLE now that they are part of *A. This would be on regional jets as well.

So, should I stick with what I know (US) or give CO a try?
lucky, on October 20th, 2009 at 2:06 pm Said:

@ Scholar in Training — Given the new relationship, I see no reason not to give CO a try. You might like them more, in which case you’ll fly them from now on. If not, you can go back to US. Of course if it were me I’d take UA regardless of the times OR whichever routing was worth the most miles.

The only consideration is the 100% RDM bonus on US. I’m sure the same will be coming from CO, but I’m not sure how soon that will be implemented.
Dan, on October 20th, 2009 at 5:42 pm Said:

Hi Lucky,

I had a ticket today SFO-LAX on the 12:44 and this morning saw the previous flight at 11:20 was cancelled. I expected there would be bumps, but they didn’t need anybody. I wonder what happened to those passengers who were cancelled?
lucky, on October 20th, 2009 at 5:55 pm Said:

@ Dan — Ah, the frequent cancellations of SFO-LAX/LAX-SFO flights have led to lots of bumps for me in the past, so sorry it wasn’t the same for you. Chances are United put some people on standby for later flights, and only confirmed passengers to the point that the flights wouldn’t be oversold in anticipation of this. Smart from their perspective but sucks for us.
HunterSFO, on October 20th, 2009 at 6:37 pm Said:

Hi Lucky – I just read through some of your older trip reports and noticed that when actually offered PDB of choice you have a tendency to STILL order orange juice. I have to give you a hard time about this because my logic says that if people order OJ or water when given PDB of choice then it sends a message to UA that just offering OJ or water and nothing else is what passengers want. This is the kind of behavior that contributes to UA framing their announcements about “enhancements” with things like “due to customer feedback….”

Any way I can convince you to order ANYTHING except water or OJ when given a choice???
lucky, on October 20th, 2009 at 6:56 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — Hah, the simple answer is NO!

I don’t usually drink alcohol, so that’s not an option. The last thing I need is more soda while on the ground. So unless it’s a morning flight, I really prefer still water. And I’m betting most people do, which is why those are the two “standard” options. Nonetheless airlines should at the very least accommodate special requests, and for the most part they do, in my experience.
Oliver, on October 21st, 2009 at 6:06 pm Said:

@HunterSFO — on my first Int’l F flight recently I picked water. Guess I sent the wrong message, too.
HunterSFO, on October 21st, 2009 at 9:59 pm Said:

Alright then, well I tried. But don’t go in to the RCC and request half eaten cookies from an 8 year old’s birthday party, okay?
Brad, on October 22nd, 2009 at 9:24 am Said:

Ben,
Quick question for you! I have an award ticket to HNL in December. My routing is ORD-SFO-HNL-ORD I have F from SFO-HNL and C on the 747 from HNL-ORD. My question is: there was no NC/NF space on the ORD-SFO segment….am I automatically put on the wait list since I have purchased a C/F award or do I have to do something to get on this wait list?

Thanks!
lucky, on October 24th, 2009 at 7:20 pm Said:

@ Brad — You’d actually have to manually request to be waitlisted in order to get a premium seat when space opens up. Ideally there will be NC/NF space before departure so you can already clear into it, but otherwise you’d have high priority at the gate for getting any open premium seats. Just call up United and ask to be waitlisted.
Jamie, on October 25th, 2009 at 11:57 am Said:

Lucky,

Been following your blog since it’s birth – awesome!! It’s a daily hit with me now.

Anyhow, I’ve booked a trip in F (thanks to the US Airways 100% bonus miles on purchase), LHR-ZRH-PVG-BKK-LHR.

My question is …..

Is it possible to skip the LHR-ZRH and just board in ZRH?
I’ve heard of problems on award tickets when people do this?

Also, when I land in PVG, can I go to BKK a day earlier if I want to?
Do I have tgo phone US Air to change the ticket? If so will there be a fee involved?

3rd … and a question to everyone … I’m looking to take my GF (who lives in Bangkok) somewhere in Asia for 10/11 days.
Hong Kong is first on the list, but where else?
It has to be within 2 or 3 hours flying time of HKG.
Any ideas? Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, etc etc?
lucky, on October 25th, 2009 at 12:08 pm Said:

@ Jamie — Many thanks for reading!

Unfortunately you won’t be able to stick the LHR-ZRH segment. If you did they would cancel the rest of your ticket, so it’s pretty risky. As far as going to BKK a day earlier, you would have to make that change with US Airways assuming there’s award availability. I don’t believe there’s a fee if you stick to the same route and airline.

As far as where in Asia to go, that’s a toughie. It all depends what you’re looking for. I’d say Hong Kong is pretty unbeatable as far as cities go. Bali is beautiful, although 10 days might be a bit long unless you enjoy spending a ton of time around the pool or at the beach. Otherwise there are parts of Thailand that might be fun to explore, like Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, etc., so that would probably be the most practical trip to take if you were looking at moving around a bit. Singapore is a bit on the sterile side, and definitely not worth 10-11 days, in my opinion.

Hope that helps!
Despina, on October 30th, 2009 at 1:05 pm Said:

Hi Ben,

I’ve been enjoying your London trip posts and can’t wait to hear your detailed thoughts on the BA all-C class experience.

I have a question please. When calculating one’s EQM, can I include “Fare Bonus” and “Elite Bonus”?

Also, if I am un LH metal in C and I get a “Fare Bonus” will that “Fare Bonus” count towards my EQM?

Thanks very much.
Despina
Jamie, on October 30th, 2009 at 4:20 pm Said:

@ Lucky

Thanks for your reply ….

One more thing… am I missing something here or not?

I can buy 50,000 US Miles for approx $1200.
I can then transfer 30,000 miles to my US account from various sources(PC, Amex etc).

With my 80,000 miles I can then book a C ticket to Japan/China with a stop-over in South Asia. All for the $1200 outlay? Plus taxes of course.

Routing is from Europe by the way.

Can I really do that?
lucky, on October 31st, 2009 at 7:59 pm Said:

@ Despina — Yes, the elite fare bonus counts towards elite status. For premium fares you often get a fare bonus which counts towards elite qualifying miles (for business class on United, for example, it’s 50%) and a fare bonus which counts towards redeemable miles (on United 25%). The same applies for Lufthansa metal flights.

Hope that helps.
lucky, on October 31st, 2009 at 8:01 pm Said:

@ Jamie — Sure, theoretically that’s possible. It was an even better deal when US was selling miles for close to a cent per mile. But you could still make a transfer for the other 30,000, most economically from Starwood. US isn’t a Membership Rewards partner, Priority Club won’t have a good conversion rate, etc.

It’s that simple, though.
Ron, on November 4th, 2009 at 9:56 am Said:

Lucky, an update and a new question regarding my question from Oct 17 — remember, I’m flying LAX–TLV on US Airways in December, returning in January, and was debating whether to go for fast track silver on US, or add the miles to United, where I already have a small balance (which turns out to be closer to 12K).

First the update: I got a status match to gold on bmi. This lowers the value of US silver, because bmi gold already gives me many of the benefits (premium check-in, no baggage fees, 25% RDM bonus); pretty much the only advantage left for US silver is domestic upgrades. On the other hand, I now have the option of crediting to bmi, which has some nice features: 25% RDM bonus for the current flight, counting both outbound and return legs towards status for 2011 (since status is based on my anniversary rather than a calendar year), and lower requirements for maintaining status (the 15.5K of the current flight brings me almost up to silver for 2011). Basically my options are as follows.

Credit to US: 15.5K balance, silver for 2010, 7.5K towards 2011 status.
Credit to bmi: 19.5K balance, 15.5K towards 2011 status (with a gold starting point).
Credit to United: 27K balance, 7.5K towards 2011 status.

Still no obvious winner, right?

Now the question: bmi gold gives me lounge access on my upcoming flight, and the Envoy Lounge looks like a nice place to spend the 2-hour layover at PHL. I’m flying with my wife and 2 kids (under 6). Star and bmi rules say I’m allowed to bring 1 guest; US club rules say 2 guests or immediate family, and say nothing specific about Star gold using the US club. So, which rules apply? Do you think it matters whether bmi is also on my boarding pass?
lucky, on November 4th, 2009 at 10:09 am Said:

@ Ron — That’s a toughie. Let me keep it simple — assuming you can requalify for bmi Gold, that would be your best bet. bmi Gold status is the most valuable between the three options, especially with domestic lounge access. If you don’t think you can requalify, I would credit to US, probably.

Either way you can use your bmi Gold card for lounge access, even if it’s not the frequent flyer number on your boarding pass. As far as the rules go, technically you can only take in one guest. Whether or not they let in the four of you is up to the agent. Many agents would allow it, while others wouldn’t. The immediate family rule only applies to members, as you point out.

Good luck!
Ron, on November 4th, 2009 at 11:45 am Said:

Lucky — thanks for your advice! I’ll try to access all the lounges on my way, even if I can only enter with 1 child (can’t leave both kids to roam the terminal unattended, unfortunately). I’m fairly certain the 1-guest restriction will be enforced at TLV, where all non–El Al carriers share the same lounges (should be a deserted terminal on a Friday night, with no El Al flights and only 3 late night departures to North America). I’m hopeful for the US lounges — LAX Terminal 1 (incidentally, the only LAX terminal I haven’t been through yet), PHL Envoy Lounge on the way out, PHL on the way back.
Joe, on November 4th, 2009 at 3:04 pm Said:

Lucky – Any clue why when I check Economy Class seat availability on United.com for a confirmed flight, it shows a ton of open seats, but when I check in and/or ask the gate agent if my row is still open they say “gosh no, we are sold out today”? Are there that many people with unassigned seats that don’t show up on the seating picture on united.com? Thanks
lucky, on November 4th, 2009 at 3:18 pm Said:

@ Joe — It’s all a function of the route. On flights where lots of people book codeshares, like IAD-JFK (because people are connecting to all kinds of international airlines), there are often lots of unassigned seats even though the flight is sold out. But often it’s BS on the part of the gate agent. I hear “we’re completely full” all the time, yet the flight is only 75% full. Keep in mind that there’s often also a long standby list, so those passengers would fill the empty seats.
sam, on November 7th, 2009 at 9:09 am Said:

hey lucky, following the advice given on upgrd a while back, i just got my BMI status match, and i was just checking out the program.

from my understanding of the program rules. F class on UA earns 300% miles, add that to the 25% bonus. So you have 325% RDM and 325% EQM for a domestic F ticket.

Plus since any EQMs after 55,000 are converted to RDMs, you’re effectively earning 750% on F tickets. Ive seen some $600 trancon in F, that’s 7000 miles would get you 52500 RDMs or 1.14 CPM.

So did i mess up my calculations somewhere, if not, the i don’t understand why everyone isn’t crediting to BMI.
lucky, on November 7th, 2009 at 1:39 pm Said:

@ sam — I believe it’s actually 625% on F tickets after 55,000 miles (325% RDM’s and 300% EQM’s), but it might be 650%. Either way, it is a stunningly good deal. You’re not missing anything.
Jamie, on November 7th, 2009 at 3:30 pm Said:

Hi Lucky,

Thanks for your reply so quick.

Just as I was about to buy 50K US miles, they came out with the 100% promo again, so I jumped in quick!

I got LHR-FRA-PEK-BKK-LHR in F.

Hope I made a wise choice.
Anyhow, as I’ll be arriving into FRA at midday and the flight out is at 5pm, I’d love some advice on the First Class Terminal.

Maybe you could do a report on it or something. I presume you have been to it?
Or maybe we can get people to add to the report?

BY the way, if your in NYC on Nov 21st, let me know. I’m meeting up with a FT’er for dinner, come join in!
Mike, on November 7th, 2009 at 5:34 pm Said:

@ Jamie – I’m sure Lucky will give you a more detailed response, but check out the link below.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/2008/08/20/trip-report-lufthansa-first-to-europe-including-the-first-class-terminal-part-two/
lucky, on November 7th, 2009 at 6:07 pm Said:

@ Jamie — Sounds like a fantastic award! I’m sure you’ll enjoy Lufthansa first class and Thai first class, especially the BKK lounge and spa (where you’re entitled to an hour long massage). Thanks to Mike for jumping in and providing the link. That’s the most recent review I have of the terminal. It really is quite nice, and five hours should pass in no time. Be sure not to eat too much in the lounge, as there’s plenty aboard as well! Enjoy your trip.

Wish I were in NY then, but sadly I already know I’ll be down in FL that weekend. Hopefully next time.
Iceman, on November 12th, 2009 at 9:06 pm Said:

Staying at an IC for the first time in a while and had a quick question about the room types. What’s the typical difference between a junior executive suite and a junior suite? Is it possible to be in a suite and not have club level access?
lucky, on November 12th, 2009 at 11:01 pm Said:

@ Iceman — What hotel are you staying at? Each hotel categorizes their rooms differently, and at some hotels it might mean a big difference, while not so much at other hotels. In general I would assume an “executive junior suite” means that it’s slightly larger. It is possible to be in a suite without club access at IC’s. It all depends on the policy of the property. Some hotels automatically give club access to guests that book suites, while others don’t.
Jamie, on November 13th, 2009 at 8:54 am Said:

Lucky … not many people have been able to answer this (partly because no one REALLY knows), so I want your take on it …

I want to buy 50K US miles while the 100% promo is still on, to travel to Japan in F (100K miles).
Now … I can only travel after 1st Jan 2011.

That means I won’t be able to book the award until at least February (due to awards only being released 330 days out).

By then of course, the US “customer enhancement to their award chart” becomes effective. Although there’s no specific mention of *A being it I’m wary!

So, I have 4 choices from what I can see ….

1. Buy miles now and HOPE *A awards don’t increase in value and book in Feb if they don’t.

2. Buy miles now. If they do increase the awards, transfer miles into it from somewhere.

3. Book miles now and book award travel now for late 2010. Wait a few months, pay $250 change fee and book on my confirmed dates in 2011.

4. Wait until Feb, and see what changes have been made. By then though I miss out on 100% bonus miles.

No 3 seems ideal to me at the moment, however, if I do this AND the award miles increase for *A, will I not have to “get” the extra miles, even though I’m changing the award booking, and not “booking” it?

Thanks for your time so much lucky.
I’m just so tempted to get the miles now, as I can F to Japan, with a stopover for approx £800, which IMO is a complete steal.
RDimperio, on November 13th, 2009 at 12:24 pm Said:

@Jamie In this case USAirways gave two months notice of award chart changes. Maybe you gamble, buy the miles (x2) now and keep watch. I’d save the $250 now and see what happens.
lucky, on November 14th, 2009 at 10:07 am Said:

@ Jamie — I would go with option one. Rumor has it Star Alliance award prices aren’t changing, which would be fantastic news. Option three wouldn’t really help you, because your ticket is only valid for one year. If you book now for travel late next year, you wouldn’t be able to change the ticket to the following year. You would essentially be paying the change fee to redeposit and then rebook, paying whatever the current prices are.

Good luck, this is a steal….
HunterSFO, on November 14th, 2009 at 12:41 pm Said:

Hi Lucky – I just noticed this morning that 2 CR1’s just randomly showed up in my MP account today. Of course I’m not complaining, but I have NO IDEA why they put them in there. Any thoughts? While Hyatt has a tendency to do this kind of thing, UA typically doesn’t – usually UA tells you they are going to do stuff like that. Hyatt has stuck a free night and a free confirmed suite upgrade in my account that I still have no idea where they came from…
lucky, on November 14th, 2009 at 1:38 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — Are you sure they weren’t your third or fourth quarter CR1’s? They were supposed to post today, as it’s the second Saturday of the month. Mine posted today as well, so I’m betting that’s it.
HunterSFO, on November 17th, 2009 at 5:35 pm Said:

Hi Lucky – another question. I just opened my business account and CO debit card at chase for another 25,000 miles and 20 mileathon points. The terms and conditions state that $500 must be deposited within the first (30?) days but I’m wondering if that’s IN ADDITION to the opening deposit (was over $500) or if the opening deposit counts. What did you do?
David, on November 17th, 2009 at 6:26 pm Said:

Hi Lucky,

I have a question on the current Hyatt promotion. You have the choice of either a free night after each 2nd stay or 3000 bonus points on each stay. Which option do you think makes more sense?

I’m assuming that the points don’t expire as long as the account is active, but I’d have to use the free nights by March 2010, and don’t have any specific plans. How does 6000 points compare to a free night? I have a fair amount of stays lined up in the next couple of weeks for business and would like to take the most advantage of the promo.

Thanks.
lucky, on November 17th, 2009 at 11:58 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — The opening deposit counts. I only deposited a total of $500 into the account when I opened it, and that got me all the miles. Enjoy!
lucky, on November 18th, 2009 at 12:01 am Said:

@ David — In this case, assuming you could find the time to go somewhere, I would definitely go with the free nights. Upper end Hyatt hotels typically go for 18,000 points a night, so you’re getting quite a bit more value out of that than 6,000 points. Of course that assumes you can use it for a Grand/Park Hyatt. So I would definitely try and find some time to take a quick vacation and earn the free nights.

Hope that helps.
HunterSFO, on November 18th, 2009 at 10:56 am Said:

@David – I’d recommend you really look at your travel patterns. With Hyatt I’ve noticed that category 1 hotels are not bad for mileage runs and business trips. Typically they are as nice as the Hilton Category 3 hotels I’ve stayed at. A Category 1 Hyatt property is only 6,000 points per night. Most of the Hyatts in the US that are not Hyatt Place or Summerfield Suites fall in to Category 3 or 4 and are quite nice. there are very few Cateogry 5 Hyatts in the lower 48 states – Andaz WeHo, Park Hyatt DC and Chicago are the ones that come to mind. Also remember that you can redeem 6,000 points for a suite upgrade – so if you are the kind of person who will pay cash for the cheapest room and then want an upgrade to a “ballerfic suite” that might make the points option worth it. Also, points can be redeemed for suites or club rooms by paying a few more points, whereas the free nights only give you a standard room. Of course diamond members would get the free standard room upgraded to club in most cases and in some rare cases to a suite..,. I chose the points option simply because I have trips planned in april and june so the march expiration for the free nights would be a problem for me.

@Lucky – hope i didn’t step on toes, but I wanted to provide an opposing viewpoint that could apply to some people…
David, on November 18th, 2009 at 6:07 pm Said:

@Lucky and @HunterSFO

I appreciate the advice. My concern is the March expiration date. I tend to be very busy and not able to get away when I want to. The upgrade option is nice and I suppose Gold Passport points can be converted into air miles as well. If I was planning a trip to NYC or Europe, the free nights would make more sense as the rates are much, much higher than the Cat 1 CONUS hotels. Hmmm.

Well, my first run of stays is this Sunday, so I’ll have till then to think about it. Thanks again.
Alex, on November 23rd, 2009 at 8:27 am Said:

Lucky -

Debating whether to push for Delta Gold status this year. I fly a lot, but live in a small town (CHO) and end up splitting travel up typically by whatever airline makes the most sense schedule/cost-wise.

This year I flew enough segments to make both Delta and US Silver on segments, plus a whole bunch of others, but with the Delta bonus MQMs I’m only 18k short of Gold on miles. I could probably push to get the rest (have a transcon flight to make in a week, could do it in 1st plus add the Reserve Card). Just wondering if it’s worth it?

Let me add that for me, Delta are the most valuable FF miles – I know that’s strange, but it’s how it works out for me with my leisure flight patterns. That’s also mostly because US redemption is TERRIBLE for domestic.

Anyway, the question remains is it worth it to push to Gold, and what’s the easiest way to pick up the 18k MQMs. Any thoughts appreciated.

/A
lucky, on November 23rd, 2009 at 11:52 am Said:

@ Alex — That’s a toughie. In general I’d say it’s worth it, but on the other hand 18K MQM’s is a lot, especially without a double elite qualifying miles promotion. Another factor playing in here is rollover miles. If your travel patterns for next year look decent, you can always start the year with some extra miles and then go back to Gold, but on the other hand you’d be losing out on the Gold mileage bonus.

This is a toughie. Given how late in the year it is, the fact that Delta doesn’t have a double EQM’s promotion, and rollover miles, I would probably just sit tight and wait till next year to get back to Gold.
Halothane, on December 1st, 2009 at 2:45 am Said:

Ben,
I need 10,700 EQMs to make it to 175K this year. Would you pull the trigger and book a $270 MR to get to the 175K to get the 25K RDMs from Elite Choice or would you just let it go?
lucky, on December 1st, 2009 at 10:16 am Said:

@ Halothane — Absolutely go for it. You’ll be earning over 35,000 redeemable miles for $270, which is less than 0.8 cents per mile. Do it, do it, do it!
shawn, on December 1st, 2009 at 7:59 pm Said:

Lucy, how do you get “sandwiches and snacks for free anyway.”
Halothane, on December 4th, 2009 at 10:39 pm Said:

Lucky,
Hey! Need some ideas from you. I know you’re much more creative than I am. I’m looking to take my parents to Europe in C over the week of Thanksgiving in 2010. I’m going to be using US Airways miles to avoid *net blocking of UA.

We will be going to LHR and then will probably do a stopover either in Switzerland or Germany…I’ve not decided yet. Do you have an creative ideas for routing options? I want to avoid UA if at all possible. I was thinking about AC YYZ-LHR and then possibly LH from FRA-ORD. I couldn’t come up with anything better.

What are your thoughts?

Halothane
lucky, on December 5th, 2009 at 12:43 am Said:

@ Halothane — Sounds like a fun trip! There are a couple of practical options. My number one choice would be Swiss, especially if you can get their new business class product, which is fantastic. The food, seat, service, and entertainment are among the best out there.

In general I think Air Canada is a great choice, although there’s one reason to avoid them — from YYZ the flight is just too short in my opinion. I’d rather route through ORD and get a half decent nap instead of having a flight that’s most likely under six hours.

As much as I love Lufthansa, I would avoid them on the eastbound flight. The seats just aren’t that comfortable for sleeping. For a redeye I’d actually take new United business over Lufthansa business.

One other option which will no doubt sound crazy. The new Envoy Suites on US Airways look really good, almost like international first class seats. While I doubt I’d continue to fly them in the long run, I’d love to try out the product just to have experienced it. The seats look great, so I’d take that for the eastbound flight, although I’m betting the food and to a large extent service leaves quite a bit to be desired.

Hope that helps!
Ron, on December 5th, 2009 at 1:35 am Said:

Lucky,

I’ll be inaugurating my bmi gold card (status match) on a flight LAX–BOS–LAX on United next week. What lounges should I settle into? At LAX I believe I should be able to access the RCC in terminal 7 and the Presidents Club in terminal 6, as all the other Star lounges are in distant terminals without connection behind security. I’m less familiar with Logan (last time I passed through was in 1982), but from what I can tell, is it true that there’s no connection between the terminals behind security? So this means no Senator Lounge?

Also, are there any arrival facilities at Logan? I’ll be stepping off a red-eye onto the T and straight to work, and would appreciate a chance to freshen up
lucky, on December 5th, 2009 at 11:09 am Said:

@ Ron — Enjoy bmi Gold! You’re correct, at LAX you should be able to use the Presidents Club or the Red Carpet Club. I haven’t been to BOS for years so really couldn’t tell you, but I’d stick to the Red Carpet Club. Sadly there’s not an arrivals facility, but in theory you could use a departure lounge but only if you had an outbound boarding pass, which it doesn’t sound like you would. Besides, lounges in the US rarely allow a chance to freshen up, so you’re not really missing out.

Happy travels!
Ron, on December 5th, 2009 at 11:50 am Said:

Thanks, Lucky. No outbound boarding pass on arrival — I’ll be spending 2 nights in Boston. Oh well. At least I have a Starbuck’s gift certificate
Ron, on December 7th, 2009 at 11:31 pm Said:

Hey Lucky, you should have told me that there are no bathrooms at the LAX Red Carpet Club! I had to make a u-turn out as soon as I got in. Also, it turns out their free local calls don’t include area code 562 (Long Beach), which is a bit lame. At this point a hard-core traveler would probably ditch the place and go to the Presidents Club, but I didn’t feel like trekking over to terminal 6 and back. Other than the above two shortcomings, the club was nice — I sat there for close to an hour, drinking decaf and munching on snacks right in front of my departing plane from gate 70A.
Halothane, on December 9th, 2009 at 10:58 am Said:

Lucky, do you have any ideas for ex-Europe to BKK routings? I have been trying to get into TG F but UA seems to be utilizing *net blocking. I’m on an F award to Asia via Europe for 145,000 miles. I’ve got the following segments

MEM-ORD UA F
ORD-ZRH LX F
ZRH-FRA LH C
FRA-BKK LH C

I already have a TG F segment to HKG and on the return I have a LH F TATL and have a segment on TK F from HKG-IST. The only other thing I can think of is to try and get my FRA-BKK segment on LH F so that I can have access to the First Class Terminal in F.

Do you have any creative routing ideas for ex-Europe to BKK?

Thanks!
Halothane
Ron, on December 10th, 2009 at 1:31 am Said:

Lucky, I’m confused about the upgrade order on United. On the way back from Boston I was flying with a colleague who is Premier Exec, and who tried to upgrade using miles. She was number 10 on the upgrade list with 9 open seats, so she ended up in economy plus. Aren’t mileage upgrades supposed to be processed ahead of the free instruments? Does it make sense that 9 people on a ~70% full 757 from BOS to LAX would try to upgrade with miles?
lucky, on December 10th, 2009 at 1:51 pm Said:

@ Halothane — Wow, amazed you got that US to Asia via Europe for 145,000 miles in first class! Wasn’t aware that was allowed, or maybe it’s not and you just got a clueless agent. Looks great so far, though.

Unfortunately all flights out of Europe are consistently blocked on Thai, so you’re out of luck there. Though if you’re flying them from BKK-HKG, that’s all you really need to fly on them to get the full first class experience. It’s all about the ground service, so be sure to enjoy the massage, lounge, and being escorted all around.

As far as airlines and products go, you seem to have ‘em all covered! My first choice would probably be LX followed by TK followed by LH. Swiss just has the best in-flight product, in my opinion, so if you can fly them even more I’d go for it. As long as you’re not in a rush I think Turkish is great, although they’re always late and the service really isn’t fantastic (though I love the food and hard product). Lufthansa is always predictable, on-time, and all around good.

Other than that there aren’t really any options. OZ doesn’t have much Europe-Asia with three cabins, NH is nearly impossible in F, so that doesn’t leave very many options.

Good luck!
lucky, on December 10th, 2009 at 1:53 pm Said:

@ Ron — At the airport upgrades are sorted first by status, then by fare class, and then by time added to the waitlist, so the order she was processed in sounds right. Keep in mind that 500 milers aren’t really “free” upgrades. Some people purchase them. Along the same lines, some people use systemwide upgrades and confirmed regional upgrades. Before departure management the order is a bit different, as upgrades are sorted by the “priority A” and “priority B” waitlist.
Ron, on December 10th, 2009 at 6:43 pm Said:

Thanks, Lucky. I wasn’t aware of the “priority A” and “priority B” waitlists, but now that I’ve read about them I see that the order is the opposite of what I would expect — upgrade instruments are processed before mileage upgrade awards! I would have thought that miles would be treated on par with cash, just like award tickets are considered to be revenue tickets. But if I understand the A/B priorities then I guess my thinking was wrong, and United does not want to encourage people to burn their miles on upgrades. (??)
ET, on December 14th, 2009 at 7:08 pm Said:

Lucky – although i know you’re not omniscient, i wanted to pick your brain about RA upgrades at the IC SF MH if an RA were to book a 1 Bd suite. It looks like there are a lot of suites above that. Would it be okay to email ahead and try requesting a specific suite if available?
lucky, on December 14th, 2009 at 9:29 pm Said:

@ ET — Absolutely! Emailing the hotel in advance is always a great idea. Nothing wrong with mentioning what you plan on booking and asking what you would be upgraded to, or even doing a bit of old fashion negotiating. Also, if you’re celebrating something special with your stay it wouldn’t hurt to throw that in either. Hope you have a great stay!
PWMFlyer19, on December 17th, 2009 at 1:40 pm Said:

Lucky (or anyone else) – I am flying BA from US to UK and therefore can not credit to AA. Do you have a recommendation on another oneworld carrier that might be best to credit to (Finnair, Mexicana, etc) ? I am thinking of just crediting to BA and maybe using the miles intra-Europe sometime when back in London (which is not infrequent).

Just want to make sure I am not missing some thing. I have SPG Amex, so I can always move miles somewhere to top off an account.

Thanks.
HunterSFO, on December 17th, 2009 at 7:03 pm Said:

Hi Lucky – I’m currently trying to decide what my hotel strategy will be for 2010 as I am about to book my January business travel. I’ve heard you speak very highly of Intercontinental Royal Ambassador but I’d like to know more specifically why you chose that program over all the others. Here are some questions that dig into what I’m wondering about:

1. Do you mostly stay at IC branded properties (for your required 50-60 nights/year for requalification) since the benefits don’t apply to other PC properties? How much does doing that usually cost? I typically spend $50-$90 / night on my average mileage runs. Won’t that limit me to HIX and the like?

2. It seems like many of the benefits i’m interested in may not apply at all properties. I want to make sure I get club access or at least a hot breakfast on every stay – Hyatt guarantees that to me. What could I expect as a RA if staying at IC branded properties, and also would it be different at other PC properties as a PC platinum member?

3. Is internet free?

4. Upgrades seem to be very nebulous to me in the RA program. I guess ambassadors get “1 category” and as an “unwritten rule” RAs get “2 categories” but sometimes suites. What has your experience generally been with upgrades? I’ve been very happy with the upgrade aspect of Hyatt’s program – especially being able to confirm suite upgrades at time of booking either with points or diamond certificates. Also do you get upgrades on award stays? I also like being able to confirm a suite with points at time of booking on an award stay at Hyatt.

5. Early Check-in/late check-out has been the one HUGE weak point with Hyatt. Usually they are very stingy with late checkout sometimes only offering 1pm. 2pm seems to be the most common. Early check-in is even tougher for me at Hyatt. Given the mileage running I do, it would be really nice to have. How has that experience been for you as a RA?

6. how lucrative are the points promos? I hear that they are good but that doesn’t really give me a tangible idea. With 50-60 revenue nights/year and trying to take advantage of many promos in true flyertalk fashion, would I earn enough points to redeem for 5 nights at a property in the highest redemption category? More? Less?

7. Service at Hyatt has ranged from “decent, absolutely no complaints” to “outstanding”. Minus the SNAFU with my suite upgrade at GH NY. This includes my $43/night stays at category 1 “hyatt place” properties. I know service is generally fantastic at IC hotels (is that consistent though?) How would you say service has been with PC once you are staying at lower end properties like HIX and Crowne plaza? With Hilton I’ve had absolutely abysmal service at some properties – to the point where I got a refund.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
lucky, on December 17th, 2009 at 8:42 pm Said:

@ PWMFlyer19 — Great question, unfortunately without a great answer (at least not from me). US to UK on BA is definitely a tough spot to be in as far as crediting miles go. The only alternative I can think of would be crediting to Alaska Mileage Plan, although that only potentially makes sense if you’re on a full fare ticket. They’re partners with virtually every airline, so it’s great to dump “miscellaneous” miles there. Unfortunately they only provide 25% miles on non-full fare tickets, so it probably doesn’t make sense. British Airways isn’t *that* bad of a program to credit miles to given the circumstances. They’re also transfer partners with SPG, so if you keep building up miles with them you can always top off an account that way. I’d just go with that.

Sorry for not having a better answer.
lucky, on December 17th, 2009 at 11:42 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — Wow, what a loaded question! Not even sure where to begin on that one. For what it’s worth, I find InterContinental Royal Ambassador to be the best top tier status level due to the value of the benefits that are guaranteed. That being said, a major challenge with InterContinental is the huge gap between InterContinental hotels and other Priority Club properties, not to mention the inconsistency in terms of benefits received at those hotels.

At InterContinental hotels I’ve always found the service to be phenomenal. As a Royal Ambassador you usually get special check-in at the Ambassador desk, and always get a welcome gift, GUARANTEED 8AM check-in and 4PM late check-out (this is a huge benefit, in my opinion), free consumption of the drinks in the minibar, and a two level upgrade. Hotels are typically pretty consistent about the upgrades they give Royal Ambassadors, which is nice. I can email a hotel and they’ll tell me exactly what kind of upgrade I get. That doesn’t always translate to an upgrade to the club level or a suite, but it’s usually one or the other and often both. Because of this it’s easy to stick to the good properties and avoid the bad ones as far as treatment goes. Internet isn’t free at all InterContinental hotels, although is at a good number of them.

When staying at IC hotels, though, I’ve always felt like a bit of a Global Services compared to status with other hotel chains. Overall they do a great job, in my opinion. The points earning opportunities are also great. While they don’t have anything quite as rewarding as Hyatt Faster Free Nights, racking up points through the various promotions is a piece of cake. With 50 or 60 nights you should easily earn enough for five or more nights at a top tier hotel. Sometimes IC even has top hotels available through “PointBreaks,” whereby hotels cost 5,000 points instead of 30,000-40,000.

Now the problems — you won’t get the same consistent “basic” elite benefits you get at Hyatt hotels such as free internet and club access. If you value the consistency that comes with that, IC probably isn’t for you. Along the same lines, the locations are limited and at Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza properties you’re just treated as a “Platinum,” which doesn’t guarantee you anything. You’ll sometimes get a suite upgrade, sometimes free breakfast, or sometimes nothing, but it does vary hotel to hotel. Many of my stays are at Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotels, although they’re typically only quick overnights so all I care about is a clean bed and earning lots of points. Sometimes they only recognize me as a Priority Club member, while other times they’ll roll out the red carpet. Otherwise I basically plan my travels around the locations of IC properties.

Another frustration with Royal Ambassador is that the qualification criteria aren’t published. So you could be at 50 nights for the year and not be invited, which is frustrating when you’ve been working towards it for so long.

Anyway, given that you just started with Hyatt I’d quite frankly stick with them for the time being. They have a great program and it’s a close second for me to InterContinental. Now that you have the status enjoy it, as working towards Royal Ambassador would be quite a bit of work. But it’s always something to keep in mind.

Anyway, hope that helps and let me know if you have any more qustions.
Alex, on December 21st, 2009 at 7:56 am Said:

Lucky -

You helped me book an award ticket (wonderfully, I might add) from IAD to HNL on DL through MSP in May ‘10, to take advantage of the better configuration FC seats. I was wondering how you’d compare that flight/service to the new CLT-HNL non-stop service on US?

That flight is a much more convenient connection for us (no long drive to IAD), and I’m taking advantage of the big US shopping promotion, as well as a Buy Up (company-funded) to either *P or CP on US this year.

Curious if you think it’s a better option.

Thanks!
Puck, on December 21st, 2009 at 10:33 am Said:

Hi Lucky – as a still-learning mileage runner, I’ve got two questions:

First, a question about matching status. I’m currently 1P on UA, and pretty much think of it as my “primary” airline – I’d like to make a concentrated run at 1K in the next year or two. I’m also Gold on AA. I only occasionally fly AA (just enough to maintain Gold status, never enough to hit Platinum) and will be booking a big award ticket with them in the next year. I’d like to approach AA and ask for a status match, but I’m unsure of how to do this, how likely the chances are of success, and if there are any downsides to doing this. Getting a match to Platinum would be great, really might encourage me to fly them a little more, and would make the upcoming award travel a little more pleasant. Are there any downsides to status matching? Do I get penalized by UA in any way (I suspect not)? Is there an argument that this isn’t “worth it” and that I should just grab some extra AA flights next year to try and hop up to Platinum status? Should I wait until I reach 1K on United (likely another year or so) before trying for a status match? And, of course, what do I actually do/say/write to them to request such a thing? What do you typically get out of a successful “match”? Will AA even do this for UA status?

Second, I earn a lot of my UA and AA miles by flying internationally for work, in coach. I’ve got a lot of 500-mile upgrades bopping around that are useless for upgrading these trips (currently I just stockpile them for use on frankly-not-worth-it upgrades to and from HNL – why aren’t there more three-class planes on the HNL routes??). Again, I’m pretty new at this, so I’m unsure: how does one get/earn systemwide upgrades that can be used on international travel? Are these something I can ask for as compensation during a bump? Do I just wait and work to earn them after becoming a 1K or equivalent? Are there any tricks of the trade that I’ve missed somehow regarding these?

Thanks for the advice, and I love the blog!
lucky, on December 21st, 2009 at 2:14 pm Said:

@ Alex — Great question! Up front I should say that I haven’t tried either product, but I think I’ve read enough about them to give a reasonable answer. They’re both great options. The NW A333 will be in better shape than the US B767, both in terms of “freshness” of the cabin, entertainment, and seats. Nonetheless US does offer their international business class product, which is solid for Hawaii. The service other than that should be quite similar as far as I can tell. In your shoes I’d go with whichever connection is more convenient or whichever award is cheaper, because you’ll arrive well rested either way. And now that I look at it, award availability is surprisingly good for CLT-HNL up front. Enjoy the trip!
lucky, on December 21st, 2009 at 2:21 pm Said:

@ Puck — First let’s talk about status matching in general. It’s important to keep in mind that if an airline status matches, it’s “once in a lifetime,” so only do so if you have a good use for it. Typically you’ll want to write a letter to the airline stating how you want to shift some more business to the airline assuming you get status matched. You can give reasons such as a change in travel patterns, a new corporate policy, or being fed up with your old airline and having heard so many good things about the airline you’re matching to. There’s a thread in the “MilesBuzz!” forum on FlyerTalk which has all the addresses, fax numbers, etc., of airlines when it comes to status matching.

That being said, American doesn’t status match. They’re the only legacy that consistently doesn’t, actually. They offer “challenges,” whereby you can fly a certain amount in 90 days and be offered either Gold or Platinum status. In your case, you’d need 10,000 points in 90 days to get a Platinum match. These used to be free, but unfortunately they charge for them now. In your shoes I’d actually focus on United for now. I’m not sure what you see as the benefit of Platinum status when it comes to booking an award, unless you plan on booking an international coach award ticket and want lounge access or something like that. Getting to top tier on United would be much more valuable, in my opinion.

As far as international upgrades go, you earn six systemwide upgrades with United for making it to 1K, and then two more for every 50,000 elite qualifying miles beyond 1K. Other status levels don’t earn them. Through January you can upgrade all “H” class fares on United internationally with miles, but after that there will be co-pays in addition to miles, so it won’t be cheap to upgrade business trips. So for the time being focus on getting 1K so you can get systemwide upgrades and make your travels more comfortable.

Hope that helps!
Sara, on December 22nd, 2009 at 12:52 pm Said:

Hi Ben,

Just a quick “What Would Ben Do?” question. I made 1K last Friday when the final DEQM posted. I had a trip to STL on Sunday (AA) and returned Monday (UA). When I printed my boarding pass – it printed 1P. I thought we no longer had to call and have our new status reentered on upcoming itineraries??

I have an award booking leaving 12/27 and I want to make sure my new status is included. Would you call and check? I’m flying RNO-SFO on UA and SFO-FRA & FRA- MAN on LH — in case that matters.

Thanks for your help!
lucky, on December 22nd, 2009 at 4:05 pm Said:

@ Sara — Congrats on making 1K! Typically the status updates automatically. It might not have been quite enough given that there were only a few days between you making 1K and the trip, but I would assume it will print correctly for your trip next week. If it doesn’t when you check-in just have them re-enter the number, but it really should do so automatically.
Sean, on December 24th, 2009 at 6:24 pm Said:

I have a question about taxes/fees for award redemption in premium cabins. All of my past award tickets have been in Y, for two reasons: (a) I didn’t have many miles to work with, and (b) I was always under the impression that C and F awards, in addition to requiring more miles, incurred substantially higher taxes/fees than Y awards. I’m about to start a new job that will require frequent travel and I’ve been reevaluating my earn and burn strategies. I read recently in an FT thread that for AA awards taxes/fees should be the same for all classes of awards, with flights to LHR as a notable exception. This causes me to question my assumption that premium travel redemption necessarily requires substantial supplemental taxes/fees (over and above what one for pay for a Y award). What’s the real story?
lucky, on December 24th, 2009 at 9:25 pm Said:

@ Sean — I’m happy to report that for the most part, taxes and fees are the same for premium awards as they are for coach awards. Some places like the UK charge a “luxury tax,” but frankly even that is minimal compared to the added benefits of premium cabin awards. While a business class revenue ticket is often ten times the price of a coach ticket, it’s often less than double the miles. But for virtually every US frequent flier program you’re in luck, as you won’t pay a premium for a premium cabin award. Enjoy, as burning miles for travel up front is the way to go.
HunterSFO, on December 27th, 2009 at 11:00 pm Said:

…so I was just about to get VDB’d on 12/24 SFO-LAX. Then at the last second this lady that had been paging shows up. In front of me they ask her if she will voluntarily re-route through DEN instead of LAX (without compensation) and she says yes. Then they tell me “sorry we don’t need your seat.” First of all the lady should have said “no – not without compensation” but she was stupid (seating area 4) and agreed to do it for free. Second I had higher status as a 1K so shouldn’t I have gotten priority? They already had re-routed like 6 other people NOT to go through LAX. It made me so mad! None of them were on the departure management list for VDB and none asked for any compensation to give up their seats.
lucky, on December 27th, 2009 at 11:21 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — I’ve been in that situation once or twice before as well, and it can be frustrating. At the same time, I have to give the gate agents (and United) credit for doing this, as it’s a smart business decision. Why compensate someone that’s happy to reroute for free, especially when it might get them home earlier? It allows United to maximize revenue while not compensating passengers for something that genuinely doesn’t inconvenience them. While I hate it as a passenger looking for bumps, I think it does make sense. Since they’re not denying them boarding in exchange for compensation, you really wouldn’t get any priority as a 1K unless you wanted to reroute for free as well.

Of course we can sort of fight back. One way would be to inform the passengers being rerouted that they would get a free ticket if they didn’t accept the reroute for free, as the flight is oversold. Of course this might tick off the gate agent and result in us not getting the bump out of anger on their part.

Fortunately for us I haven’t seen this happen too often. At the end of the day getting bumped isn’t really a privilege, so it’s tough for me to get too angry about it….
HunterSFO, on December 27th, 2009 at 11:27 pm Said:

If you fly SFO-SYD-LAX then LAX-SFO and only stay in SYD for less than 12 hours, can you do SFO-SYD-LAX on only one SWU and then just use an e500 for LAX-SFO?
lucky, on December 27th, 2009 at 11:30 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — Yes, no, maybe so. I’ve heard of it working for a similar itinerary, but then sometimes it doesn’t. Really is a crapshoot, not nearly as reliable as it is with domestic itineraries.
HunterSFO, on December 27th, 2009 at 11:42 pm Said:

what is the world coming to if we can’t rely on .bomb to screw up???
HunterSFO, on December 28th, 2009 at 12:51 pm Said:

@Lucky – I should have clarified that once I knew I wouldn’t get VDB I tried to get them to re-route me on the flight she previously said I would be re-accomodated on to SD. I cancelled my drinks plans at LAX with a friend because the agent made it sound like I would get VDB’d. The non-stop to SAN would have gotten me in to SAN early enough to drive my disabled sister home (she was flying WN) rather than her having to wait in the wheelchair for a family member to come pick her up. The agent only wanted to re-route the other pax through DEN and NOT me non-stop to SAN.

I also understand that it’s a good business practice on UA’s part. I think it makes a lot of their customers happy and shows that the GAs are actually proactively solving problems. I just would rather get VDB’d, so I didn’t like it. Technically they were VDB’ing those folks though – its just that if the PAX will arrive within a short enough time of their original planned arrival time (or earlier than originally planned) they legally don’t have to be compensated. I do think they should have had to go by status though. But I get that I wasn’t “entitled” to be VDB’d or else I would have complained to UA after the fact. I do think they should have given me the option to go non-stop to SAN rather than re-route the other lady through DEN though. I’m guessing her DEN flight had more empty seats than my SAN flight though.
JOSH, on December 28th, 2009 at 4:31 pm Said:

BEN,

HAPPY NEW YEARS TO YOU!

JOSH
Mike M, on December 28th, 2009 at 5:01 pm Said:

Hey lucky Ben

Hi !

Do you consider the miles you earn from all that flying on United worth it?
I am contemplating a switch from another *A carrier, which does not do starnet block, and will pretty much book anything as long as there is inventory available.

However – United works for the places I need to go very nicely. Which is why I am considering the switch. I don’t want to switch and find myself with a lot of miles, that are worthless.

Also what do you consider most valuable from the 1K status? The 6 SWUs or the the perks that come with it?
lucky, on December 28th, 2009 at 9:13 pm Said:

@ HunterSFO — In this case United wouldn’t even record those passengers as VDBs when it comes to their statistics. They would just record them as voluntary reroutes, much like someone being confirmed on a different routing by an agent. I agree they should have offered to put you on a different routing, though. I’m guessing since you were (rightfully) expecting compensation, they would have felt bad putting you on a different routing without doing anything else.
lucky, on December 28th, 2009 at 9:14 pm Said:

@ JOSH — Happy new year to you too…. is there a question there?
lucky, on December 28th, 2009 at 9:23 pm Said:

@ Mike M — Great question. The lure of Mileage Plus used to be the amazing award chart back before Starnet blocking and the other recent “enhancements.” I remember back in the day I kept burning United miles because the deals were just too good. 90,000 miles for business class to Australia or Asia or 120,000 miles for first class to Australia or Asia was just incredible. Then they slowly inflated the award chart and added Starnet blocking, which makes it a somewhat unattractive program in that regard, at least compared to a few of the other options out there.

That being said, I love everything else about United, Mileage Plus, and elite recognition/treatment. United does a good job of taking care of their elites, both at the airport (in terms of treatment) and after the fact (via customer service should there be an issue). The systemwides are great, the confirmed regional upgrades rock, and with those two confirmable instruments in place I’m quite happy about the unlimited domestic upgrades that are coming.

Assuming you’re flying United metal I would definitely credit to Mileage Plus. If you’re flying a variety of Star Alliance airlines, I’d go with another program.
magiciansampras, on December 29th, 2009 at 8:16 am Said:

Hey Lucky, we need to fly to CAI from BOS in May and we’re flexible on the timing. We were thinking of maybe doing a stopover in Europe for a couple of nights before heading to the Middle East. We want to be able to upgrade on United (I’m a 1K) and therefore fly UA metal as much as possible but also keep the costs down if possible.

Any suggested routings we should look at? We thought about doing something like IAD-KWI-DXB-CAI but the IAD-Middle East routes are all on old config 777s. I think it would be better to transit through Europe on a new config, rest for a day or two, and then continue to CAI likely in coach.
Despina, on December 29th, 2009 at 2:02 pm Said:

Hi Lucky, any truth to the rumors of LH installing new F seats in 2010?

Hope to see you in SF.
lucky, on December 29th, 2009 at 3:41 pm Said:

@ magiciansampras — Jealous of the visit to CAI, I really want to go! I agree with your conclusion, I’d go with the new config. Ideally I would suggest going through FRA or ZRH. Lufthansa flies three cabin planes out of FRA for the connection to CAI, as does Swiss out of ZRH. While you’d be in coach, you have a better shot at an op-up, and ultimately larger planes are more comfortable and the product is more “full service.” Of course the mileage slut in me also suggests connecting through ORD if possible to maximize mileage.

Enjoy the trip!
lucky, on December 29th, 2009 at 3:43 pm Said:

@ Despina — Lufthansa will be unveiling new first class seats on the A380 when it starts service. As far as the reconfiguration of other planes goes, I’m not entirely sure. I believe they have a project in the works for updating the A330/340 first class cabins, but I’m not entirely sure about the 747. It might be tough for them to do anything there, given that the upper deck limits the type of seats that can be installed without wasting too much space.

Their hard product definitely could use some improvement, though, so I’m anxiously waiting to see what they come up with. I’m a huge fan of Lufthansa, so they’d be in Singapore and Cathay’s league if they came out with something good, in my opinion.
JOSH, on December 29th, 2009 at 7:47 pm Said:

BEN,

Do you know if CO still match 1K status.

JOSH
rktoledo, on January 4th, 2010 at 11:37 am Said:

I have a seven day hotel reservation with Sheraton hotels that will occur in a couple weeks. I made the reservation back in July. I need to modify the reservation to shorten my stay by one day. Starwood’s website will only allow me to modify the reservation if I cancel the reservation first. If I do this, then I lose the discount rate that was available back in July. What are the ramifications of keeping the reservation and checking out one day early? Any penalty fees or other negatives to be aware of ?What is the best way to handle this? Thanks,
Anna, on January 6th, 2010 at 5:06 pm Said:

Hey Lucky!

So I am new to the whole “travel miles” and “travel points” thing and I am trying to travel to Thailand (I used to live there) this summer on limited funds. I can apply, at most, to two credit cards, I would think (I’m only nineteen and I have had a credit card only used for emergencies, all payments made on time and in full) because of my age/minimal credit. How can I maximize my mile points in any way possible to cover the airplane ticket cost for this trip, which I cannot afford? Do you have specific articles you have written or anyone else that would help me? What do you suggest I do at this point?
Despina, on January 6th, 2010 at 5:33 pm Said:

Hi Ben,

According to someone I know at United, they are going to start reconfiguring the 777’s this month. I know you don’t have a crystal ball, but you are my best source of information so I am wondering when you think they will be done with the fleet. Just wondering as I need to decide whether to take LH or UA to FRA in August. UA 900/901 don’t work as well for us as UA926/927 and the LH flights to MUN.

Enjoy SF!
Despina
lucky, on January 6th, 2010 at 11:40 pm Said:

@ rktoledo — Great question I’ve been mulling over for a few days, but sadly I don’t have a great answer. If it’s a pre-paid stay I’d say you’re out of luck in terms of getting your money back for the last night. Otherwise, what’s the cancellation policy of the reservation? If you can cancel up until the day of you *should* be able to just cancel the last day when you’re at the hotel. In your shoes I would give SPG a call and see if they can contact the hotel on your behalf and take care of your modification. Otherwise contact the hotel directly. Unless it’s pre-paid I don’t see this being much of an issue, frankly. Good luck!
lucky, on January 6th, 2010 at 11:50 pm Said:

@ Anna — Sounds like a great trip! It should be possible to do this with a little bit of work and save quite a bit of money. In general I’d say American Citi cards are the way to go, but it would take slightly more than two new cards (which get you 60,000 miles) to get this to work, as it costs 70,000 miles in coach.

The way to go would probably be Continental, as an award to Thailand will be 65,000 miles. With a little bit of work you should be able to earn those miles. First open a business and personal checking account, which will get you 50,000 miles for about $100 in fees. You can read all about that here:
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/2009/08/04/just-earned-25000-onepass-miles/

Just open the business account as a sole proprietorship, with the name of the business being your name. This shouldn’t hit your credit, really, since they’re not credit cards. Then just apply for one credit card, like this one:
http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/content/products/chase/continental.aspx?offer=WL35&mkid=6WLQ

That should be enough to get you to Thailand with considerable savings. Hope it works out and let me know if you need any more information.
lucky, on January 6th, 2010 at 11:53 pm Said:

@ Despina — I’m a realist and not a PR guy, so I’m going to say it’s rather unlikely. I would expect the project to take at *least* 18 months (I would guess longer), so not even a third of the 777 fleet will be reconfigured by then. Now Lufthansa business class isn’t exactly fantastic either in terms of seat comfort, so it *might* be worth a gamble.

Good luck and sorry I’ll miss you this weekend!
UAPremierGuy, on January 6th, 2010 at 11:54 pm Said:

Lucky, I am coming to TPA for the first time ever (for 6 hours) (twice) on a MR this Monday! I should theoretically be getting in around midnight from IAD on Monday night/Tuesday AM, and leaving to sea for a quick one-day turn at 700am via ORD the next AM, Then, I come back that night, on the same IAD flight, and head off to DEN via ORD again the next morning at 0700 hours. Questions would be: should I (or even theoretically can I) spend the night/s in the airport, or are there any cheap, quality hotels near TPA that you’d reccomend? With theoretically 6.5 hours total lay-over time each night, I think an airport hotel would be worth it. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
lucky, on January 7th, 2010 at 12:30 am Said:

@ UAPremierGuy — If there’s an airport that’s tolerable for sleeping overnight, I’d say TPA is it. We have free wifi and you should be able to stay airside, I believe. The nice thing is that there’s a kids playing area right by the United gates which features long, cushioned benches, almost like a bed. Bring a pillow and blanket and you might actually find yourself getting a few hours of solid sleep.

Personally I’d go for a hotel, though, to get some real sleep. Don’t have much experience with local hotels, but you should be able to priceline something for cheap. Published rates don’t seem to be all that low, unfortunately. I’ve had a similar length layover at many airports and the few hours of deep sleep kept me somewhat sane.
UAPremierGuy, on January 7th, 2010 at 12:53 am Said:

Great, thanks so much for the quick reply. I think I’ll Priceline it day of and see what I can get, if I can’t get anything, I’ll be taking you up on the long, cushioned benches idea! Oh, the joys of MRing…
rktoledo, on January 7th, 2010 at 12:21 pm Said:

Lucky,

I took your advice and called SPG to modify my hotel reservation (not pre-paid). After some initial drama (the service rep made a mistake and locked me into a rate $100 more a night than I was paying), Starwood called the Hotel. The Hotel allowed SPG to modify my reservation to the dates I requested under the same rate and terms as the original. So a phone call to SPG was the solution. Thanks for your time on this.
Puck, on January 10th, 2010 at 10:35 am Said:

Hi Lucky -
Another 1P n00b question. I took a VDB a while back on United and got a free ticket voucher. I just used that ticket voucher for a domestic rt ticket over the holidays. It looks like I didn’t get any mileage credit for that itinerary. I was under the impression that one DID earn miles for voucher tickets – am I crazy? The booking class was V (later upgraded to NF) and S for the tickets, not one of the “no credit” booking classes.

Should I contact United and ask them to credit me those miles, or are they right for not giving them to me?
~Puck
lucky, on January 10th, 2010 at 3:16 pm Said:

@ Puck — While the free tickets do book into revenue fare classes in theory, they aren’t eligible for mileage accrual. You’re not supposed to be able to upgrade either, so you got lucky. This is the reason I usually ask for travel credits instead of the “free ticket” when I bump — the travel credits can be used towards revenue tickets which are eligible for mileage accrual.
Puck, on January 10th, 2010 at 5:07 pm Said:

Thanks! I was going to ask what I should go for instead of the “free” ticket – travel credits certainly do sound like a much better idea, so I’ll definitely be going with those from now on…
Kevin, on January 11th, 2010 at 1:40 pm Said:

Hey Lucky,

I have a client going on Russian river cruise from Moscow. There are two non-stop flights from Dulles, one on Aeroflot 767-300 to Moscow-Sheremetyevo or one on United 767-300 to Moscow Domodedovo. I have flown United internationally, but not Aeroflot. The client is leaning toward Aeroflot because it leaves later at night.

Any recommendations?
lucky, on January 14th, 2010 at 1:06 am Said:

@ Kevin — Sadly I don’t have anything good to go off of here other than my perception of the airlines, but I’d go with United. In this case it’s simply an evil I know vs. an evil I don’t know.

Wish I had better advice, sorry!
Hamurabi, on January 14th, 2010 at 1:20 am Said:

Hi Lucky,

I enjoy reading your blog and listening to UPGRD (which led me to this site).

I think you also sit on a bunch of Accor vouchers from the 40 EUR/60 USD promotion.

Here is a nice way to combine it with Gold status with Accor (giving free Club access in Sofitel and upgrade upon availability plus late checkout)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other-hotel-programs/1034475-free-accor-club-gold-membership.html

Unfortunately someone contacted Accor about the promo code (!) and the accounts might be closed. However, it might still be worthwhile to setup a gold account under a secondary address and see what happens. I usually don’t stay w Accor so I will try to use the vouchers plus the Gold status (and spend a few extra bucks to generate incremental revenues for Accor). Maybe their properties convince me to stay there later again. No matter if my account w Gold status still exists…

Thought I should let you know.

Keep it up

Ham
Kevin, on January 14th, 2010 at 5:50 am Said:

Thanks for the help. Your answer is pretty much what I have got from most people. I am pushing United, but we’ll see what happens.
sam, on January 14th, 2010 at 9:30 am Said:

You mentioned you just got a status match to Asiana, can i ask how you did it, was it through the HK residence promo, or was it something else.
Vivek Sawhney, on January 14th, 2010 at 7:04 pm Said:

I have a Blue Card from Amex. It has 107,000 pints. I wanted to transfer to Virgin Atlantic for buying award tickets from NY to London, which they are giving out on promotion @ 29,500 miles + taxes per ticket. They are also giving 20% bonus miles on transfer. Delta is requiring 90,000 miles per ticket for the same dates. So, Virgin offer looks very good. However, Amex is telling me that since I have a Blue Card, which is free, I cannot transfer my points to Virgin miles. Any solution or comparable alternatives?
BTA, on January 20th, 2010 at 10:55 am Said:

Hi Ben,

I was just clearing security at the Premier line at ORD. Who did I see walking from the IFC/GS checking, but our good pal Glen Tilton. I so much with I had one of your famous shirts with me….oh well.
JOSH, on January 21st, 2010 at 3:58 am Said:

What was Glenn doing at IFC/GS?

JOSH
Mark, on January 22nd, 2010 at 6:26 am Said:

Ok, here’s my burning question. Despite being a college student, how are you able to miss so much class (I assume you do)?

Next, what year of college are you in and have you figured out what you will do when you graduate? Are you concerned that you won’t be able to fly as much?
lucky, on January 22nd, 2010 at 12:54 pm Said:

@ BTA — I’m surprised he didn’t do OLCI so that he could avoid the common folk (aka employees and customers). Great stuff!
lucky, on January 22nd, 2010 at 12:58 pm Said:

@ Mark — Great questions. Believe it or not, I almost never miss class. Actually, next Thursday will be the first time I’ll miss a class in almost a year. I’m just pretty good at scheduling my classes. For the past several semesters I’ve had Tuesday/Thursday classes, meaning I can be on the go Fridays through Mondays. I’m hoping I can keep that up, as Monday through Friday classes would really put a damper on my travels, although might cause me a bit less hair loss in the long run (since my Tuesdays and Thursdays are hellish right now).

I’m just finishing up my junior year so should graduate in Spring of 2011. What do I want to do? No shocker here, hopefully something involving airlines, hospitality, or travel. I used to have more specific plans, but not anymore. I’m just waiting to see where life takes me. I’m hoping I’ll still be able to fly as much. Ideally I’d have a job that requires a fair bit of travel, but otherwise I’d be happy to continue spending my weekends crossing the country for miles and hopefully having enough off time to visit some exciting destinations (although that could potentially be an issue).

Gotta lock in million miler before I graduate!
Oliver, on January 22nd, 2010 at 1:47 pm Said:

Good luck finding a job that let’s you work Tuesdays and/through Thursdays, though.
Scott, on January 22nd, 2010 at 3:01 pm Said:

You’re only taking classes two days a week right now?? Are you loading those days up with tons of classes or are you just procrastinating graduation? Also, what are you majoring in?
lucky, on January 22nd, 2010 at 4:20 pm Said:

@ Scott — Loading those days up. Have classes from morning till night. I’m majoring in marketing.
Harry, on January 24th, 2010 at 12:40 am Said:

Hey Lucky,
I just signed up for priority rewards and want to focus all my hotel stays at the IHG places. Do you think I should slowly work towards gold status or buy the Ambassador membership and have the gold status automatically? I will not be staying that much at Intercontinental for now, but might possibly in the future. I will most likely stay at the Holiday Inns and the express locations. Any hints on booking the cheapest hotel prices and still earning points and nights towards qualification? Thanks!
RDimperio, on January 25th, 2010 at 3:20 pm Said:

Ben, Got 4 hours at LAS midday on an upcoming Saturday run. Flying US so looks like getting to the President’s Club is out of the question. Any must sees/dos?
Dan, on January 27th, 2010 at 3:40 pm Said:

Hi Lucky,

Is it your understanding or experience that XF pax starting with a domestic connection to TATL F no longer have access to IFL at original departure airport? My wife and I have award tix SFO-SEA connecting to SEA-FRA on LH F (first leg currently in Y, no XF availability.) Although I was told by a CSR two months ago I should be able to use the SFO IFL with a same-day TATL F ticket, yesterday at SFO an agent told me it only applies to the airport one is departing in international F from. This seems to jibe with the Star Alliance rules on their website. Has there been a change? Some flyertalk threads also seem to confirm this, but I like to check with a real expert!
Thanks.
lucky, on January 27th, 2010 at 7:56 pm Said:

@ Harry — Great question! In general Gold status won’t get you a lot at most Priority Club hotels. So I would say Ambassador isn’t worth it at such for the upgrades at hotels, but I think Ambassador *is* worth it even if you have just one InterContinental stay planned over a weekend. For example, you get the buy one get one free weekend night certificate which more than pays for the price of membership. It’s also worth noting that Gold is really easy to get, and can be achieved in as few as two or three stays. Be sure to check out the master promotion thread on FlyerTalk and enter all those promotion codes. You’ll be amazed by how many points you’ll rack up. You can find the link here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/intercontinental-hotels-priority-club-inter-continental-ambassador/1031891-ic-master-promo-thread-2010-a.html
lucky, on January 27th, 2010 at 7:58 pm Said:

@ RDimperio — Truth be told I’ve only been to LAS a couple of times, so don’t have great advice. I’d say that’s probably not enough time to go into the city (it probably is, actually, but between the cab fare roundtrip and the limited time, I wouldn’t), but the airport itself can be quite an adventure. If you like gambling the slot machines should keep you entertained for a while, or I do recall there being some decent dining options. If you really wanted to use the Presidents Club you could always book a refundable ticket on Continental and then cancel, although that’s morally objectionable (maybe).
lucky, on January 27th, 2010 at 7:59 pm Said:

@ Dan — Wow, I’m flattered to be called a “real expert!”

Unfortunately the agent was *technically* right. The rules were recently changed to only apply to the gateway airport for lounge access. If your international first class segment were on United you would have still gotten access, as United’s rules haven’t changed, but the Star Alliance ones have. It’s also worth noting that many IFLs probably wouldn’t enforce this. I doubt the LAX or ORD ones do, for example. The SFO one will just always rule against the customer whenever possible. Sorry about that!
JOSH, on January 29th, 2010 at 1:07 pm Said:

LUCKY,

You should do a PRIZE DRAWING once a month or a year, like giving free 25k miles or something…

You should HOST a meeting together for our onemileatatime readers/fans!

JOSH
Matthew, on January 29th, 2010 at 3:07 pm Said:

@Kevin: I flew IAD-DME-IAD in United Business last weekend and have also flown Aeroflot in longhau Business Class. I found the food and service to be superior on Aeroflot (8 course meal), but the lie-flat seat and IFE are superior on UA. I must admit, I enjoyed my Aeroflot flight much more than my United flights, but if your client wants a good night’s rest, the UA lie-flat seats are much better than the angled lie-flat seats in SU’s Presidents Class.
JOSH, on January 30th, 2010 at 2:16 am Said:

LUCKY,

I think the airlines should have a Mileage run only flight, flying to nowhere and back.

JOSH
JOSH, on January 30th, 2010 at 8:13 pm Said:

LUCKY,

Should I burn $35-45k (from parent trust fund) and buy UA expensive fare and get GLOBAL status? Please advise and help me making decision.

JOSH
Quick Questions - Musings of The Global Traveller, on January 30th, 2010 at 9:14 pm Said:

[...] is my preferred medium for dealing with travel questions, but copying the idea from One Mile at a Time, I’m also happy for questions to be made on [...]
Seth, on February 13th, 2010 at 12:15 am Said:

I’ve been really procrastinating on this, but…Did you have a blog post at some point asking about the best compensation offers people had experienced on bumps? I searched pretty far back for that post but couldn’t find it. Did I see it on here, another blog, or FT?
HunterSFO, on February 15th, 2010 at 12:23 am Said:

Hi Lucky – I’ve just flown in to TPA twice in the past two days and I noticed some really big UA birds in a hangar at the airport. There was a 747 and a 777 there – do they ferry those in empty or do they schedule them as revenue flights to get them here?
Mike, on February 16th, 2010 at 12:30 am Said:

LH or LX?

The boyfriend and I just returned from DPS (we flew SQ). He is an EXP and was just blown away.

We are looking to repeat this premium travel experience, our next trip will probably be Europe / Middle east. I am torn between LH or LX. Do you have an opinion?

This will be in business, sadly I don’t think i have enough miles in F for the both of us.

Thanks Lucky Ben.
lucky, on February 16th, 2010 at 11:40 am Said:

@ Seth — I’ve had several posts about bump opportunities and compensation, and many times people comment with their experiences. The only specific post I’ve made about the compensation other people received is my post about hobo13’s bump luck at EZE, which you can read about here:
http://boardingarea.com/blogs/onemileatatime/2010/01/08/theres-a-new-bump-king-in-town/

If you have a story about bumps, I’d love to hear it!
lucky, on February 16th, 2010 at 11:41 am Said:

@ HunterSFO — Amazingly enough, despite flying in/out of TPA every week, I still haven’t seen ‘em, although I’ve heard about them. My understanding is that they ferry them in empty, though. Sad, isn’t it?
lucky, on February 16th, 2010 at 1:18 pm Said:

@ Mike — In first class it would be a close call, but in business class I’d say Swiss is substantially better. If at all possible. The seat is substantially more comfortable and I find the food and service to be better as well in business on Swiss. If at all possible get on one of their A330-300s, as they feature lie flat beds in business class. That’s a *really* nice ride.

Happy travels!
HunterSFO, on February 18th, 2010 at 7:09 pm Said:

Lucky – the big UA birds are visible from the CO gates…
Seth, on February 20th, 2010 at 2:49 pm Said:

@lucky – I was coming back from LHR in December on NW781 to DTW. Air traffic throughout Europe, including LHR, was in rough shape because of the recent bad weather and Eurostar shutdown. The flight was oversold by 18. They were offering £500 (at the time almost 1,000 USD) in cash on the spot, in addition of course to lodging and food vouchers until they could get you on a flight. It doesn’t compare to the consecutive bump total of that guy coming back from Buenos Aires, but I thought it was quite generous.

For a variety of reasons I didn’t jump on the offer, probably the best of which was that shortly after that announcement I was paged and got op(ed)-up to BE. It was a 767 with lie-flats so I was quite happy. It was an especially nice surprise since I was on an award ticket.
David, on March 2nd, 2010 at 6:46 pm Said:

Lucky, what is your take on CR-1s, and when to use them in light of “free” upgrades on UA domestic flights?

Should I use them on any trans-con, especially 3-class flights?
magiciansampras, on March 3rd, 2010 at 3:43 pm Said:

Lucky, awhile ago you were researching Egypt and Nile cruises. I’m doing the same now. Did you end up going on a cruise? What did you choose? Did you like it? General thoughts on the whole endeavor? Thanks!
Rick, on March 9th, 2010 at 12:36 pm Said:

Lucky, how do you know the real # of air seats available in each class of service? What software do you use, and how can I get it? Is there a cost? Thanks.
lucky, on March 9th, 2010 at 3:44 pm Said:

@ David — I’ll probably make a blog post about this once UDU kicks in, but for now I’d say that (in general) CR1’s are best off being used for 319/320 transcons, 757 transcons to/from SFO and BOS, PS flights, and on peak days for upgrades to business class on the 767. Of course depending on the day of the week it varies, but I’d say overall you have a good shot at the upgrade on three cabin planes, although the 767 can be tough at times because there aren’t all that many seats. And of course the upgrade is really, really worth it on that plane. Furthermore, I find that they release a bit too much “NC” space on the 767 before upgrade windows, so lots of times there are hardly any seats left by the time we’re within the upgrade window.
lucky, on March 9th, 2010 at 3:47 pm Said:

@ magiciansampras — That was actually a trip for my brother and mom. They did end up taking a Nile cruise for five days (if I recall correctly) and they really enjoyed what they saw. They felt like there was no better way to get in all the sites, especially since there are usually guides on the boats that apparently do a great job. I’ll ask them for some more details and will do my best to share them here.
lucky, on March 9th, 2010 at 3:49 pm Said:

@ Rick — There’s no “real” way to know unless you work for the airline and have access to the loads. You can, however, use websites like seatcounter.com, expertflyer.com, etc., to see how much inventory is left. In coach it often doesn’t reflect the number of seats available, as they often oversell, but in first class it’s usually a better reflection. For many airlines the maximum availability that shows in any “bucket” is 9, so if it’s less than that, chances are there aren’t many seats left. So for example, if a flight is “F3,” it’s relatively safe to assume that there are three seats remaining, and so on. Hope that makes sense.
Despina, on March 9th, 2010 at 3:50 pm Said:

Ben, glad to hear that you are enjoying your trip thus far. Don’t laugh, but what do you think the odds of are the following scenarios/groups getting an upgrade on a Saturday outbound, Wednesday inbound SFO-KOA itinerary?

1P member with a GM on his PNR.
2P member travelling alone.
3P member traveling alone.

Thanks!
Despina
lucky, on March 9th, 2010 at 3:59 pm Said:

@ Despina — I wish I had a good answer, but with UDU not having started yet, it’s really, really tough to get an idea of how hard upgrades will be. I could give you a much better answer in a couple of weeks when there are firsthand reports of upgrades. In general I’d say the Premier Executive and companion have a good chance (let’s say 60%+), the Premier has a decent chance (40%+), and the Premier Associate isn’t eligible to be upgraded since that’s not a benefit.

Hopefully UDU works out for all….
crammer, on March 9th, 2010 at 7:51 pm Said:

Lucky,

Something I’ve always wondered about: How do you (personally) retain Royal Ambassador status from year to year?

I had sort of assumed that when you did mileage runs, you overnighted at a HI or CP for one night somewhere along the way and paid a cheap Sat. night rate (or something like that), but it seems that you also involve a lot of redeyes on your mileage runs, thereby precluding the need for a hotel room at all. But since you need approx 50 nights at PC properties to requalify for RA, where do you get these nights? Do you just book cheap rooms near where you live/work and never actually stay there? Thanks for indulging my curiosity…

One Mile at a Time

Ask Lucky

270 Responses to “Ask Lucky”

Leave a Reply

Polls

Recent Comments

Pages

Categories

Archives

Blogroll