One of the things I really enjoy doing is responding to reader questions. Here’s your chance. I will my best to cover many of your questions. Some I may answer right away, others that I answer will take me a few weeks.
Please leave requests in the comments section. Some I may answer there and some will be standalone posts if they seem like the answers would help many readers..
As my boss once wrote making a similar request on his blog, “The only promise is that of weak monotonicity, namely that your mention won’t lower the chance of the topic being covered.” In other words, I won’t promise to cover everything, though I’ll read and ponder everything that’s written here in the comments.
I’d love to hear from you!
I’m needing a recommendation on a good, reasonably priced airport hotel at JFK. Any suggestions?
where has all the Y award space on AA Gone to Hawaii?
How to get to Australia on points for Christmas and New Years?
Gary, here’s one for you: Why are the Maldives more highly sought after, over Tahiti (the next logical comparison, with over water bungalows and such)? I know why you like MLE, because of the remote/disconnectedness, but the overall miles and points community is just so incredibly focused on them. This asked from a guy who has not yet made it there (but hopefully in 2017!).
I’m a 1K who will requalify soon. If I start crediting United flights to singapore, I assume I won’t get E+ or upgrades? Maybe would at least get lounge access?
I’d like a post about using points for award flights and hotel rooms for families, and especially those of 5+. Which airlines have that kind of availability in economy and business? And which hotels with award nights have rooms for 5 (Ergo Embassy Suites or Residence Inn)? In other words, which loyalty programs should families be focused on.
@Donna the best JFK airport hotels are (1) the Hilton, (2) the Sheraton. Before either of those was opened/converted the best a decade ago was the Hilton Garden Inn but I haven’t been there recently to vouch. For an airport hotel you want the hotel attached to the airport, if there is one (there isn’t at JFK) and next you want the most recently renovated one. Not sure what you consider reasonably priced but for my own preferences I usually go with the Hilton.
@Jeff the same place all the other award space on AA has gone. 🙁
@TravellerAtoZ – that is peak of peak high season, the flights sell out, award space is tough. Last year American had just launched their new flight, and it was going out half empty. But in general you can only get non-stop US-Australia awards when there’s a big dump of award space, perhaps by mistake, so you watch for it. Otherwise fly via Asia, and that’s tough for Christmas and New Years too. I long for a few years ago when Virgin Australia would make 4 business class award seats available even over those holidays…
@Trevor, I think it’s several things…
1. The Maldives, as remote as it is, is easier to get to. French Polynesia has service only on Air France (non-daily) and Air Tahiti Nui from Los Angeles and Hawaiian once-weekly from Honolulu. Price and mileage costs are high and availability can be tough. In contrast the Gulf carriers are great for the Maldives, plus there’s been growing service in recent years such as Cathay and Turkish.
2. Few great value award properties in French Polynesia, though I think the Hilton Bora Bora Nui probably qualifies. (If you could get award nights more easily at Intercontinental Thalasso that would be your best bet.) Park Hyatt Maldives is a great points value in comparison and lots of people have Hilton points for the Conrad Maldives.
3. French Polynesia has an element of France to it…. they go on strike, service is surprisingly lacking for the price point.
4. I far prefer Sri Lankan food common in the Maldives.
I have been earning and saving AA miles so that my wife and myself can travel one day in First Class from LAX to New Zealand and/or Australia around the month of November(2017 or later). I have 580k American Airline miles before the devaluation messed up my strategy. What is my best strategy now to get us First Class tickets and how many more miles do I really need?
@AE you can get your economy plus seat and even upgrades and then switch the program you’re crediting miles to. If you earned Singapore status (Star Gold) you’d get lounge access domestically.
@Beck I can speak to award routes but am sadly clueless on rooms that accommodate 5 people 🙂
@Jonathan your best strategy is to wait and watch for award space to open up, rather than paying the triple miles or so that American will want for their flights.
Or plan a trip US -> Asia, Asia -> Australia at the saver level.
So here it is my question:
I’m already an ExecPlat at AA with 163 EQM as of now. Soon I’ll have some flights on AA and BA and some others in JJ in Z class.
I was wondering… with all these changes at the Aadvantage program, would you start building up status in another FF program? I was thinking about Latam Fidelidade – TAM (not Latam Pass – LAN) since “domestic-wise” it is the only airline that I fly. Internationally I’ll be using more OneWorld carriers.
I only use Alaska Air to buy miles and redeem those aspirational awards (like Emirates F class, CX F class, for instance).
What would you do?
Speaking of the Maldives – what’s your best strategy for getting there and back from the east coast on a premium award, assuming fairly good flexibility on transferable and AA miles to redeem?
I’m trying to find two F seats on Cathay in about a year. What would you suggest? Also, I read a report that close in space doesn’t show on BA. Have you run into this?
Thanks for doing this.
Oops. Flexible cities.
If I earn Hyatt Diamond status early next year, when will the status expire?
What’s the message the new AA ad campaign is really trying to convey? Did they intend to be so very insulting to EVERYONE or was it just poor execution of some different message? I cannot, for the life of me, figure out what I’m supposed to be taking from it . . .(and I say that as one of the “greatest flyers”, apparently).
Hi Gary…
Do you predict that AA will allow high-tier (EXP) status to be earned through credit card spend (similar to Delta)?
Is there any way (other than registering a primary address outside the US) for minors to avoid PQD requirement for UA? Husband and I will both meet ours AND are exempt per Chase spend. But what about for our kids (ages 11 & 13), who will both have miles for Platinum but not PQD?
Mileage running is largely gone and multiple credit card bonuses don’t look long for the world. What’s the next game going to be?
Hi Gary,
Starting a new job (actually adventure!) and will be flying to west Africa every other month. Need rewards card but credit score at 610. Never owned cc, now have TD Bank secure card w $2,500 ceiling. Suggestions?
Thanks so much, love your insight!
Always,
Will
@Gary
A million thanks!
@Will Wharff – most important thing is, do you have any card balances? Because you want the lowest interest rate possible, look at 0% balance transfer offers as well with no balance transfer fee. 610 is a bit low for most rewards cards, airline cards tend to approve with lower scores, Southwest’s in particular. I’d also look at Citi’s Double Cash but you also probably want a card with no foreign transaction fees.
@LarryInNYC – mileage running TO EARN MILES really hasn’t been a thing in a decade. for status it still exists, cheap business class fares on partners.
I think credit cards have more of a future, with new products and issuers. long run (10-15 years) I think interchange is a bigger problem than bonus restrictions. when that happens things will get harder.
@Travel Mom– you’ve identified a real hole in the exemption…
@Jason they seemed to suggest there’d be something like that back in June but they came out with new credit card deals and we haven’t heard anything about it yet. We should know soon.
@GloverParker – I think the new ad campaign can be criticized but it’s coming under some unfair criticism too. I think execution was poor but also some criticisms are off.
I don’t think American is saying “great flyers take what they’re given and shut up” as people seem to be claiming.
They’re saying experienced flyers want to fly American, and here are some things we all know as experienced flyers….
The problem is that business travelers DON’T really want to fly American these days, they don’t have the generous mileage program they used to and they don’t have the airline operation Delta does. So the ad campaign exposes a disconnect between marketing and reality.
As I wrote in my post on the ad campaign, it actually COULD be quite good if it served as a real touchstone for the company, BECOMING THE AIRLINE THAT GREAT FLYERS WANT TO FLY. Then doing everything possible with that focus to actually be that airline.
@Christian if you earn the status in 2017 it will expire Feb 2019
@Christian – BA.com wasn’t showing some specific routes for sure. Check Qantas, check Expertflyer. Cathay tends to open only one seat on long haul US-Asia a year out. Some Europe routes they open more, intra-Asia also. You could book 1 F / 1 J and hope something else opens or book on two different flights and monitor both for another seat.
1. What’s the best program to use for redeeming points within Australia? I know AA is 10k one-way but am miles poor with AA right now and have tons of MR & TY Pts.
2. What’s the best miles currency to use for redeeming points for shorthaul within Southeast Asia and for travel on which airline? (Or shall I just pay cash on a low fair carrier?)
3. Rank the best 3 or best 5 low cost budget airlines in Asia.
4. When redeeming BA Avios for a short flight between two cities (under 650 miles & outside the USA) that requires a connection should it cost 4,500 miles per segment (like BA website shows me) or should it be 4,500 Avios for the entire two-segment, single ticket? (i.e. HKT – SIN via KUL on MH)
5. Finally, I was ticketed x2 in first class on SY flight SIN-IAH via DME in early January ’17 and wait listed on the 380 flight to JFK when SY changed their routes. Now my flight goes through MAN and arrives at IAH 15-minutes later. Could I use this schedule change as grounds for pushing through my wait list on the A380 to JFK? Should I?
@Steve I love Etihad first class US-Abu Dhabi but that’s going to require an overnight connection to get to Male. I’ve done it 4 times I think. You can also look for Qatar business class, ideally on their A350.
@George I’m not really sure what the benefit of status on another oneworld airline is going to be for you, how much status will you earn and how much will you fly the local airline?
Why is the Amex biz plat $300 per AU while the personal is $175? Are there additional benefits for biz AUs?
Of all of the world’s airlines, has the best mileage program?
@Justin not REALLY, there are a few business plat benefits but nothing to ‘justify’ the fee other than who is paying it. Business Platinum cards really are for small businesses and the product decisions are being made by a different team.
Planning trip on Aeroflot from LAX-LED and return SVO-LAX using Flying Blue miles. Even though the Delta website showed available seats (30k each way), FB customer service didn’t seem interested in searching anything other than AF or KLM. Placed 4 calls, 2 to FB’s US and 2 to customer service in France. No luck. Finally had to bite the bullet and pay the extra 10k/RT using Sky Miles. Any suggestion for dealing with FB in the future?
@Joe that’s a GREAT question. And my first instinct is to demur, different programs are great for different purposes, depends on what’s important to you…. I love Korean Air SkyPass, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, and Etihad Guest a lot from a “transfer credit card points and redeem” perspective. I think that American AAdvantage still (barely) offers the best top elite program that you can qualify for based on published criteria. For reasonable redemption availability, no fuel surchrages, and a good elite program united should probably be up there. But this all underscores that you have to specify whether you’re talking about the earn and burn aspects of a program, or elite recognition, and what’s important to you…
I have a QF F booking SYD-DXB-LHR, with an 8-hour layover in DXB First Class Terminal.
I also have the opportunity to change DXB-LHR into a BA F bookinig, for a longer layover in DXB. If I do that, will I have access to the FCT at all?
Thanks! It’s stumped BA, QF, and EX agents.
What’s the best airline for a biz/first class award from east coast to tokyo?
Thanks for doing this!
Gary,
I’m seriously wondering if AA miles are worth much. Looking even 11 months ahead for award travel on business class to Europe or Mid East, 95%+ of the award inventory is something using BA through LHR whose fuel surcharge means effectively you pay $1100 for a biz class and they take 130K+ miles from you too. United has way more award inventory out 11 months. I’m a lifetime million miler on AA but looking forward, it all seems Star Alliance over oneworld to me.
@Kamal Ali – I suspect you’re looking for award space at AA.com and the website simply doesn’t support most of their airline partners, so you don’t see the space that *is* available. Search online using the British Airways site and then call…
American isn’t great for Europe precisely for the reason you identify, the BA fuel surcharges and BA is their primary transatlantic partner. American releases space on their own flights in spurts and you have to be vigilant. For Mideast though no miles are better than AA’s since they partner with both Etihad and Qatar as well as Royal Jordanian.
@Danielle – for quality, or do you mean best mileage program for awards? I’d say that Star Alliance miles get you United and ANA plus Asiana via Seoul, good availability and good products.
@Cliff Redeker as an arriving Qantas first class passenger, connecting onto BA F, you would not have access to Emirates lounges in Dubai.
British Airways first class is definitely inferior to Qantas first class as well.
@Ralph this wasn’t bookable on the AirFrance.us website?
What is the best strategy for people who get miles by buying them? What programs have miles that are worth buying (at a price that is at least sometimes available)?
Which mileage programs do you think are overdue for a devaluation?
Focusing on hotels, what do you think are reasonable benchmarks for hotel currency redemptions? Just as a rule of thumb-I get some are points rich and cash poor, others may want to earn an elite stay night (some programs only grant for paid stays).
Within Hyatt, SPG and Hilton which properties do you think offer the best redemption value/are your favorites?