Co-terminal standby travel is possible on award travel. Recently I booked an ANA first class award from Chicago to Tokyo Narita with a connection on Thai Airways from Narita to Bangkok in business class the following afternoon. I was...
The Five Best British Airways Avios Redemptions
With news that American Express points once again transfer at a 1:1 ratio to British Airways, I want to highlight my five favorite redemption options. Hint: It’s all about shorthaul. For years, I talked up the amazing rate between Boston and Dublin...
How to Use Your Miles for Qatar’s New QSuite Business Class
Qatar Airways unveiled its next generation business class product today, dubbed QSuite. It is set to premiere on 777-300ER flights between Doha and London this June, but will expand to all 777s and A350s. Here’s your guide to using...
Top 10 American Airlines Award Redemptions
After a substantial devaluation last March, American Airlines AAdvantage miles are not worth what they once were. Nevertheless, there are still sweet spots on the award chart (mostly premium cabin) that are worth taking advantage of. Here are my...
Star Alliance Iceland Stopover Now Much Easier
Iceland fascinates me. Not only does it contain immense natural beauty, it offers Northern Lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer. I’ve been before and had a great time — now I want to take the family....
Flying Blue Now Lets You Book Award Travel One Year in Advance!
Traditionally, Air France/KLM Flying Blue only allowed award bookings 10 months in advance. Now you can book up to 12 months in advance! I was working on an award to Tel Aviv this morning for an Award Expert client...
Here’s How to Eliminate Risk When Booking a United Award
Earlier today I wrote about phantom SWISS award inventory appearing on united.com. The result of this inaccurate award space can be dramatic: hundreds of thousands of orphaned miles in United. Here’s how to eliminate risk when booking a partner award with United...
Caution: Lots of Phantom SWISS Award Space on United
If you have been searching united.com for award space lately, you may noticed something that was once as elusive as a four-leaf-clover: SWISS business class space. Be careful, though, before you transfer points over — some of the space...
My Garuda First Class Award is Ticketed!
Wow, talk about about a close call! It came down to the wire, but a generous act of goodwill by a reader of this blog saved me a trip to Asia and saved my trip in Garuda Indonesia First...
A Trick for Finding Hidden Award Seats
Earlier today I wrote about married segments, attempting to explain them, their purpose, and how to use them to your advantage. Just like in real life, however, sometimes marriage is not the answer. While married segments and “direct flights”...
A Primer On Married Segments
Airlines are increasingly using “married segment logic” in the allocation of revenue and award seats, which can create more difficulty in booking, but at the same time opportunity. Explaining Married Segments When two segments are married it means you can...
My Strategy for Ticketing the Garuda Reservation
News broke yesterday of a 90%-off sale with Garuda Indonesia. Acting swiftly, I successfully booked (held) a first class ticket from Jakarta to Amsterdam, a hurdle in itself, but now I face the specter of how to ticket it. 1. Mile...
The Best Time to Call Aeroplan?
Aeroplan hold times have historically been so horrible that even Aeroplan admitted it in a recent ad campaign— The only problem? Wait times are almost as bad as before. Aeroplan states– Truthfully, while this may have happened in the past,...
Avoid This Error When Holding AA Award Space
American Airlines is by far the most generous carrier when it comes to letting you hold award space prior to ticketing. While neither United or Delta allow award holds, American not only permits holds whether you have miles in...
When Will American and Delta Learn?
Two carriers, two unannounced devaluations effective immediately. Using your miles and points may be easier than ever before but it will cost you like never before. The bottom line is this: don’t trust the airlines and always consider your...
Unicorns, Four-Leaf Clovers, and Air New Zealand Business Class Award Space
After four years of absolutely no business class award space on its transpacific and transatlantic longhaul routes, Air New Zealand has suddenly decided to open business class award space to its Star Alliance partners. It is too early to...
LifeMiles Mixed Cabin Redemptions Now Possible
In a surprising move that suddenly makes Avianca LifeMiles much more valuable, mixed cabin awards are now bookable! First, business, and economy class can now be mixed on a single itinerary, with the highest cabin establishing the price of...
Are the Etihad First Class A380 Apartments Worthwhile?
Etihad has released a generous amount of first class award space on its A380 Abu Dhabi to New York Kennedy flight. Etihad’s trend-setting “First Apartments” on this flight certainly set a standard for spaciousness in a first class seat....
Last Day to Purchase Discounted Alaska Miles
We’ve seen a renaissance of attractive mileage sales this season and one of the leaders in hawking points has been Alaska Airlines, which has a great loyalty program with attractive redemption partners like Emirates and Cathay Pacific. The current...
American Airlines Won’t Proactively Waive Telephone Booking Fee
American Airlines has a number of award partners that are not bookable on aa.com. A call to AA Reservations is necessary to book this space and reservations made over the phone carry a $40 booking fee. This fee was...
