Using freq. flyer miles- anyone?

[love2vacation]

Is there anyone out there that has been able to use frequent flyer miles to get a free ticket that coordinates with thier cruise???? If so, what is your strategy? We tried to use our a couple years ago and it didn't work. It doesn't look like we will be able to this time either, help!!:mad:

[stanford's girl]

We did last year in March and it was during spring break. But we booked it almost 10 months in advance. Went on Alaska Air from Portland to Miami.

[DanJ]

As you've probably discovered, to use FF miles to go anywhere you want, when you want, you have to book right when the booking window opens, and even then, you might miss out. So, you might have a chance if you plan the cruise almost a year in advance, so you know what flights to book when the time comes. Remember that most port cities are popular flights, and the airlines only have very limited reward seats.

[CruisinMatt]

I was able to use my miles for my September cruise. I am coming in two days prior and leaving the day after the cruise. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it or not as I planned it that way. Also I booked almost 7 months out.

[curtis1313]

You have to do it way in advance and be very lucky and very flexible. I got my Tickets in November for my July cruise. I was able to get all four tickets from Boston to London using FF miles. It took a lot of patience and and an ncredibly helpful agent at United. She tried all sorts of routes and after about an hour and a half was able to get us on Air Canada through Toronto. The layovers are quite long, but hey, you can't argue with free (well, relatively free)

 

Good luck

[ciana]

We also find that you need to book very far in advance if you want to ensure you get seats.. sometimes the FF seats are very few. We try to save our FF miles for long hauls and very seldom use them for US flights. The cost of flights, eg. Buffalo to FLL are only in the $200 range so we pay for them. We have used FF points for Toronto to Paris and have booked for Toronto to Auckland for next year. In that case I called on "the" day 330 days from return(first day I could call) and was told that no seats were available. I called back 1/2 hour later and got a different person who worked for 30 min. and found us flights through a different routing. It never hurts to try!

Ciana:)

[VernaF7449]

Since I travel a lot on American Airlines for business, I was able to use FF miles for my upcoming 3 cruises. Like others have said, need to book early for popular routes since there are so few seats. For American Airlines, earliest can book is 330 days ahead, and you may still miss out!

 

If you are flexible about airports and arrival/departure dates, that will increase your chances at getting seats. For my Alaska cruise, I am flying from Hartford to Seattle (via Chicago) FIRST CLASS (heck, I had the miles :) ). I also fly out of Boston especially if I can get direct flights.

 

 

Check to see regular fare as well -if the fare is reasonable then it would not be worth it to use FF miles. I am now saving my miles for Europe for 2007.

 

 

You have to watch out for schedule changes when you book so far in advance. Most of the flights I have have changed times at least once already, and I expect more changes.

[Cruise Junky]

We were able to use ours for the Med. and got the best possible connections as well, Direct Vancouver - Frankfurt both ways. Two things are key: A: Book the day the seats open up B: Get a helpful agent on the phone. The first guy I had almost had me in tears he was an Ass.....I told him what I thought of him, hung up and get the greatest person.

[love2vacation]

We are only able to get one free ticket so we have to consider the other ticket we need to purchase. The flights change so often, I check every day. I am now thinking that we may just save the points for another trip. I don't want to be flying for a day and a half through 3 or 4 airpports, just to get a free ticket. :cool: We are 8 months away so I just don't think it is going to happen. Our problem last time was getting a flight home in time to see our daughter on the last night of her HS swing show (she was MC!). Oh well, thanks much for your suggestions, I will keep plugging away. You are right though, sometimes I think you have to call them and not use the web site. A person is able to see more options that the site ever shows. THANKS .....:)

[travelnnana]

I called UA on May 26th to book to Auckland from Phoenix; return from Sydney. I called late at night 320 days before we wanted to come back. We wanted business class. They could not get us there the day we wanted to leave - but got us on Air New Zealand vie Fuji - no plane change - 2 days earlier (which we are delighted with). We get home non-stop Sydney-LAX the day we wanted to leave.

I thought I was really smart and called the next night to depart one day later - guess what - they only had economy - that day is a Friday - I also called the following night - the rep told me they had not released business class yet - I finally figured out - they know they can probably sell business class on weekends - so they hold off making FF business class available right away.

Anyway we are thrilled.

We leave on March 27, 2006 and return April 20th. Taking a Princess cruise which leaves Auckand APril 2nd and disembarks Sydney April 14 - since we got free air - we are taking a Princess tour following the cruise.

We are excited!

[love2vacation]

lizelwis,

 

Good for you. I wish I had known I needed to start at 11 months out. I bet you are excited.

[love2vacation]

I just noticed I did a typo.. so sorry. For anyone who is offended by my typo.:mad:

[Corym]

There are two strategies to award tickets-try finding availability as soon as the window opens (330 days for UA, don't know about others) or wait until 90 days before traveling.

 

Option #2 is WAY too risky for something like a cruise with a firm date requirement.

 

You'll need to try a bunch of dates, and you may need to check other carriers that your airline has a partnership with ie: Star Alliance, Skyteam, etc.

[AAAMom]

We just booked 3 tickets for April vacation 2006 from Bos to FLL. We had no problem. However, we did use an upper level reward so we could have non-stop flights. We are flying down 2 days before, but we could have flown the day of or before (we wanted to relax a couple days before cruising) and we are returning the day we return from the cruise. Keep in mind that this is Easter week and we were able to get our seats. Basically, planning is the key. Good luck...

[MandyGirl]

I feel your pain... I have almost 100K AA miles begging to be used, but by the time we decide on a vacation, the two or three seats that AA allocates for FF miles are already gone.

 

Another option that we have used several times: Southwest Rapid Rewards tickets. Very few blackout dates, and all 137 seats are available to use RR tickets with. If you have Rapid Rewards credits and decide to go on a cruise next week, as long as there are seats for sale on the flights you want (no matter what fare they are advertising), your Rapid Rewards ticket is good for it!! And as soon as that Wright Amendment hopefully goes away, it will reallllllly help those of us in Dallas a whole lot. :)

[takeabreath3]

mandygirl, stop letting those FF miles beg...just send them over my way and i can take them anywhere they want to go! lol

 

funny that while i was reading this thread i was thinking to myself...i have never had these problems with my aa/ff miles! so i must be one of the lucky ones, or maybe i just pick dates and times that NOONE else wants! i usally go on the aa site...pick the flight and times and seats i want and then give them a call tell them what i want and off i go! ok, probably my luck is i'm a solo traveler and only need 1 seat! ok, now that i have said all this out loud that makes perfect sense!

 

thanks for making me think this monday morning! lol

 

hope to sea ya on the sea, judy

[MandyGirl]

Hey Judy! That's what my parents say, too!! LOL! I'm a teacher, so my vacation times are dictated by the district I teach for since I can't take vacation during the schoolyear like I could when working in the corporate world. We're usually wanting to head to the Caribbean or Hawaii, and by the time we get it figured out (and the school calendar is offiicial) then no more options (usually Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Spring Break). Usually about 3-6 months in advance. Sometimes I can a get a flight to Hawaii by going through Chicago and spending the night... or get to St Thomas by going through Boston and spending the night. Ugh. Then I've lost a day of vacation on each end and an extra hotel-stay in cities I'm not really wanting to visit at that time (late arrival at night, early departure next morning). AA has nonstops DFW-HNL for Hawaii and nonstops to San Juan to get to the Caribbean, but I always seem to be offered the flights going way out of the way (Chicago or Boston) that require an overnight stay in each direction. And it's never on the days I want or can really use - making the vacation in Hawaii about 2-3 days because of the available dates that come back. Maybe it's because I'm asking for two seats (me and hubby) and only going during peak times when everyone else in the world can travel it seems. I think we're just going to use them for a Mediterranean cruise and go in the summer - and book as far in advance as possible. Then I can schedule all my unpaid professional development courses around that. Can't really do Caribbean in the summer due to hurricane season, and we've both wanted to go to the Med for a cruise. :) Maybe as a happy graduation present for me. :) But right now the state is still trying to come up with a statewide calendar of when to start/end school, so hopefully that will be revealed soon. So we just use our Southwest RR passes since they can be used as long as a seat is on the plane is available - no limit on frequent flyers who can be on the flight. And we can use them as walk-up as long as seats are available. Domestic only, so that's why we try to save the AA miles for elsewhere - just haven't been lucky with dates yet based on calendar constraints and when it actually becomes official. Then throw in the college calendar of when summer courses are offered... hopefully I'll be in all web-based classes next summer and can take them anywhere. :D

[love2vacation]

Judy and Mandygirl,

 

We don't have a lot of choices here in the the Midwest when it comes to airlines and flight connections. The South and East coast seem to do better. I think we are going to drive to Chicago (5hrs) and fly out from there. I started looking almost 9 months out, but then you have to realize we are going the main spring break week. :eek: Some one told me that they have "black out" dates and this is one of them. Not sure if this is true or not. But next time I will be better prepaired and get on the ball earlier or convince my hubby to go at a different time. We also want to do a Med. cruise one of these years and that will be in the summer, so I guess we will just keep saving FF miles. :) I would also like to do a Haiwaii cruise and FF miles would probably work will for that also. Live and learn....

[MandyGirl]

Good luck with your FF searches. :) Hawaii and the Mediterranean are good goals. :D Yep - Spring Break seems to start in February and go through April throughout the US. I've learned it varies from school district to school district, even within a single state. Some (like my mother-in-law's school) wrap it around Easter each year, some do it in March regardless, and others have two breaks in February/April (like a nearby district). I haven't found the AA blackout dates online, but the Southwest blackout dates are listed here. Someone had told me that AA places very few seats on their flights for FF use, and on high-demand flights (like around holidays such as the weekend after Thanksgiving) they just put the count at zero. So, technically maybe no blackout dates, but also no FF seats available so it doesn't matter anyway by putting zero FF seats on certain dates. Not sure how true that is, but would make sense. The closest we have ever used frequent flyer miles to a holiday is on the holiday itself (Thanksgiving). Good luck!

[dsweet]

Be persistent and insistent. For example, if you have elite status, ask them to open other seats for you. Both Delta and American have done this for me in the past. Delta will do this once per year for their top level flyers.

 

If you have no elite status, better book early. I have two upper class tickets on Virgin Atlantic for my 7/21 cruise, but I secure them using miles on September 24, 2004. They had any date I wanted at that time. Had I waited even two months later, no award tickets would have been available.

 

Another strategy is to look for added flights/service. Because most frequent flyers book near the opening of the "window" (usually 330 or 360 days), seats on new flights tend to stay open longer. For example, I was able to book business class seats to Australia 5 months ahead when Qantas added additional LAX/Melbourne service.

 

Lastly, there are a number of search tools that will allow you to see the availability in the various fare classes, including the award fare classes, so you do not need to rely on having the agent on the telephone search. A good resource for these tools is www.flyertalk.com. On many occasions, I find availability even when the agent on the phone tells me that there is none. If I ask for the specific date, they suddenly seem to find it.

 

Good Luck.

[greatam]

Be persistent and insistent. For example, if you have elite status, ask them to open other seats for you. Both Delta and American have done this for me in the past. Delta will do this once per year for their top level flyers.

 

If you have no elite status, better book early. I have two upper class tickets on Virgin Atlantic for my 7/21 cruise, but I secure them using miles on September 24, 2004. They had any date I wanted at that time. Had I waited even two months later, no award tickets would have been available.

 

Another strategy is to look for added flights/service. Because most frequent flyers book near the opening of the "window" (usually 330 or 360 days), seats on new flights tend to stay open longer. For example, I was able to book business class seats to Australia 5 months ahead when Qantas added additional LAX/Melbourne service.

 

Lastly, there are a number of search tools that will allow you to see the availability in the various fare classes, including the award fare classes, so you do not need to rely on having the agent on the telephone search. A good resource for these tools is www.flyertalk.com. On many occasions, I find availability even when the agent on the phone tells me that there is none. If I ask for the specific date, they suddenly seem to find it.

 

Good Luck.

 

RANT:

Geez, we don't need anymore "newbie" questions on Flyertalk. Sure, the forum is open to everyone, BUT. No one seems to read the rules anymore-"USE the search feature". There are still postings (newbie's) for the $51.00 to Fiji fare. "I can't book this. Is the fare gone?" DUH!!! Did you really think you were going to fly to Fiji from Los Angeles any time you choose for $51.00?

 

Flyertalk is a VERY valuable resource, but it is geared more toward elite flyers or those looking for status. Lots of acronyms, etc., which most don't understand. Hence, lot's of "newbie" questions, wanting everyone to do the work for them Heck, there is even a thread willing to PAY someone to find mileage runs for them. Talk about NOT in the spirit of FT.

 

You are correct-FT can assist in getting award tickets when none seem available. BUT again. Most people on cruises are looking to use their credit card miles and seem to DEMAND those very few FF seats. I put in over 60,000 BUTT IN SEAT Miles so far this year. I will be D**** if I am going to let a cruise passenger have my First Class Award just because they saved for four or five years with their credit card miles. Sorry if this sounded arrogant, but FAIR is FAIR. You don't fly the miles, you should have second choice on the CHOICE seats. Book EARLY or Book LATE is my only advice.

[dsweet]

Wow your response sounds incredibly selfish. I have over 100,000 "butt in seat" miles as you call them, will be the highest tier in AA, BA and DL programs again this year, and don't mind sharing a resource.

[MandyGirl]

I have over 100,000 "butt in seat" miles as you call them, will be the highest tier in AA, BA and DL programs again this year, and don't mind sharing a resource.

Wow - that's a lot of flying! I only made it to AAdvantage Gold when working in the corporate world, but don't fly nearly as often being back in education now.

[DanJ]

It's a typical misguided FF'er misconception that just because they have the BIS miles and status, that the person with tens or hundreds of thousands of "consumer"-gained points are less valuable to the airline. The fact is though, that when the airline gives a free ticket to the frequent flier, this is a freebie from the airline. When the credit card user gets a free seat through points, this is revenue to the airline. Those points that credit cards give away aren't free.

 

Now, this said, it is true that the airlines should have a separate "award bucket" for FF'ers from consumer loyalty users. But since they get the revenue from the credit card points anyway, there's no pressure on them to make more seats available, since these could be taking away seats that somebody might actually pay for. And most FF'ers are savvy enough to know that to get a free seat on desirable routes, you need to book when the window opens almost a year in advance. The "less free ticket savvy" credit card user isn't usually going to know to book that far ahead, if they've even decided to go on a trip that far ahead, and will find no free seats available anyway.

[love2vacation]

Wow your response sounds incredibly selfish. I have over 100,000 "butt in seat" miles as you call them, will be the highest tier in AA, BA and DL programs again this year, and don't mind sharing a resource.

 

Well.... those of us who aquire our FF miles via hotel points and air points appreciate any knowledge and kind recommendations you are willing to part with. Thanks for being helpful, I assumed that is what this site was about. Helping others and sharing information.:) (Althought sometimes you have to wonder.)