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Add to del.icio.usThe differences between one airline's mileage award and another can yield little-known and lucrative values.
The "formula" used to determine the number of miles it costs for a given award, such as discount Business Class travel for the price of coach, varies widely from one carrier's program to another.
Sometimes, all it takes to acquire discount Business Class travel is the willingness to do a little geeky scrutiny.
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Different Business and First Class Award Charts
Essentially there are two types of airlines award charts. The most commonly used chart by US carriers is based on "departure region to destination region." In this system, whether you fly from New York to London (3,500 miles) or from Los Angeles to Athens (6,900 miles), you’ll pay the same number of miles -- about 90,000 in Business Class and 125,000 in First Class.
The second way award charts are built -- and at some level this way makes more sense -- is by the flight distance, the actual number of miles flown from the departure to the destination. This system is often used by flag or foreign carriers.
The key to this strategy is using one system against the other. Specifically, using an Asian carrier’s flight distance award charts (with miles you may now be earning via common US credit cards) to score a deal for travel on your choice of several carriers to Europe.
Example: Business Class for the Price of Coach
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Transfer 90,000 Amex Membership Rewards points into Delta miles and you can redeem them for what amounts to discount Business Class travel to Europe from North America (excluding Hawaii).
Transfer 65,000 Amex Membership Rewards points, however, to the card's Asian program partner, All Nippon Airways, and you'll have enough miles to net discount Business Class travel to Europe -- via that carrier's very different award chart based on flight distance. With these miles, you can net Business Class to Europe on Lufthansa, United, and US Airways from US gateways less than 4,000 miles each way from your destination.
That’s about 20 percent fewer miles!
The example appears to be incorrect. Try booking business class travel using ANA miles (online) for a flight between the United States and the UK and you'll find that they do not allow use of the 65k miles, but switch it to a (Star Alliance) partner award of 80k miles, i.e. the same amount of miles that United (or AirCanada for the same flight) would charge. Note that with mileage tickets the fees/taxes also vary quite significantly between the Star Alliance carriers for the same international flight.
I have the miles, but find that the carriers limit the number of uprades so that even booking many months in advance I often can't get upgrades to popular destinations.
I have the miles, but find that the carriers limit the number of uprades so that even booking many months in advance I often can't get upgrades to popular destinations.
Hawaii
Sounds interesting. I fly to Edinburgh quite often-hv been using Continental (nonstop) or BA or VirginAir via London,but hate that connection at Heathrow.But their Bus.or FC beds make it much more bearable. Upgrading to Bus. or First would be wonderful for it is very expensive to buy fullfare tickets in those classes, and I keep nurturing my mileage points carefully.
What's going on with Delta's upgrade policy which states that if there are Business class seats available that they will award them five days out for Platinum level flyers and three days out for Gold? Previously, I would get an upgrade right on schedule, as advertised. Recently, I have not been upgraded at all even though I am Gold and soon to be Platinum. When I check the availability a day or so prior to the trip, there are eight to ten seats available that have not been assigned. When I call and email Delta they tell me that the seats are being controlled at the station level and even the reservations clerks can not release the seats. When I get to the airport on the day of departure, the seats have already been assigned and no upgrades are available. Has anybody else had this problem and if so what has Delta told you as to why you were not upgraded? Is this a new policy that they have instituted without notifying the medallion flyers about?
I continue to read about the bad rap that American Airlines gets for its customer reward programs. I have been a member of AAdvantage for over 10 years and have yet to have a single problem with booking my desired flight or upgrading my seat as long as I give plenty of notice (usually three months is sufficient). With all the bad press that AA has gotten over the past few months, I believe it is important for other travelers who might be considering AA to know that there are a lot more of us out here that are happy with American Airlines than are dissatisfied. Thanks for letting me vent....
For the person who feels it necessary to defend American's FF program I just have to say, keep booking seats with them for popular destinations and he will soon find some of the same problems the rest of us mere mortals have encountered. It's very common to not be able to get an award seat even a year in advance for popular destinations! Three months? Give me a break! Who are you related to who works in reservations at AA? Rich O. St. Louis, Mo (an American mini-hub airport for all the good it does!)
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