This one was a big project but I got it all done with I think the best possible routing for trying to get J for 5 ppl and the lowest possible points expenditure. This will be a family trip post bar-mitzvah for my son, during Yeshiva Week, and I really wanted to make sure we had Shabbos with a minyan and nice meals. I know it's really only supposed to be flights in this thread but I thought others might like to see where we are booked to stay since a couple of the hotels aren't typical ones DDFers book. Also, I think it's way harder finding space with more than two people and above 4 ppl trying to get J flights is so hard. Hope you all find it useful.
Den-SFO (need to still buy or book, wouldn't let me book on the same mileage ticket on Virgin because it wasn't coded yet as Alaska but I'm hoping that will change and I can add in that leg to our outbound to free).SFO-HKG CX 893 12:55AM arrives 8:55AM Friday 50kAS plus $61.10 so 250k for 5 people and $305.50 and would have been $3500pp so .07 pp (Used hotels.com free nights for 2 rooms for 3 nights at the Royal Garden next Kehillat Zion).
HKG-BKK CX included in the above mileage ticket but I am planning to cancel this leg because I found a direct flight
HKG-USM Bankok Airways 8:45AM arrive 11:10 AM Monday in Koh Samui. Only 10k pp and 50k total AF milesIt was $90pp taxes and fees or $452.30 over .06pp redemption even though they are in economy because it is the only direct flight and are over $600pp for a paid ticket (Staying 4 nights in the Conrad Residences).
USM-SIN Silk Air 12:05 with a 15:15 arrival on Friday. Only 10,625 SQ miles pp so 53,125 total miles I booked before the chart changes and decided I'd rather pay the $36 fuel fees for the 1375 discount because I had almost that exact amount sitting in Singapore that would only need a couple thousand point addition and I generally try to redeem at much higher than .03 per dollar for my transferable currencies (but maybe that was a mistake). Total of $75pp in taxes and fees and $305 total. A paid flight was $271 so was a .0255 redemption in economy. Staying 2 nights at the new Hilton Garden Inn near the shul for only 10k HHonors a night, so not fancy but such a great redemption. I want to have our last night there be my only paid hotel night and stay at the Marina Bay Sands.
SIN-HKG-LAX on CX 8:00AM will at 9:25 arrival on Monday the same day. Again only 50k AS miles plus $81.76 so a total of 250k miles and $408.80 taxes and fees. Paid tickets are 3158pp so it was a .06 pp redemption
LAX-DEN booked on American for 7500 Avios and and 5.60 fees pp for a total of 37.5k and 28.00All together, I spent:500k AS I was able to take advantage of that short-term deal where I transferred to Virgin with the SPG bonus and then got another bonus when exchanging to AS so those tickets really cost me about 300k SPG or 60k SPG pp RT. That more than an $.11pp redemption of SPG points for those CX flights.
50k AF53,125k SQ37.5k Aviosand
All together all the taxes and fees were $1500 for all 5 ppl.
I am very happy!
