Topic Wiki

Please follow the following rules when posting in this thread. Failure to do so may result in you request being ignored or deleted.

(If you are looking to purchase a paid ticket, please post here)

FAQs:

Q: How can I use my credit card points to book a USA-TLV ticket?
A: Please read Dan's very helpful and informative guides found here and here

Great tool to see the mileage cost for a route http://www.awardhacker.com

Q: Do I have to pay a lot of money when using miles for a ticket?

A: Sometimes. For more information read this

Q: How do I find award availability?
A: For Star Alliance (United, AirCanada, Lufthansa, Swiss, and others) see this guide

For OneWorld (AmericanAirlines, BritishAirways, Iberia, Malev, and more) You can use BA's award search engine (you need to have a free BA account to access the engine). In addition, you can use Qantas' engine (free account needed as well), which will (to an extent) search Elal. As of this posting, the Elal business flights that show up are coach, and vice verse.

For Delta and AirFrance, use their respective sites. While not perfect, they are quite manageable for the casual searcher.

And of course, many of us here will take time out to help someone who is trying to learn.

Q: All this searching is making me crazy. Is there an easier way?
A: Yes, but it might cost you. Check out AwardNexus.com, KVStool.com, and expertflyer.com.

Q: I see AirCanada availability, but when I call AirCanada they say I can't use my United miles with them. Aren't they partners?
A: You can only use miles with the airline that issued them. Through that airline (in our case United) they can issue a ticket on a partner (ie AirCanada). Trying to call AirCanada with United miles, is like trying to use shekels in Mexico.

Q: I can't find availability on my dates. What should I do?
A: You should try to be as flexible as possible. Can you add a stop or 2? Can you be more flexible with your dates? The airports?
If all else fails, keep trying. Availability is constantly opening up.

Q: Can someone please help me find a ticket?
A: No! Find it yourself.  ;D ;D Just kidding. Please copy the following lines, delete the non bolded parts, and fill it out in your post.

One way/Round-trip:
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any:
From: All airports from which you can depart
To: All airports which you can arrive at. For multiple destinations, just keep adding this line
Departure dates: All possible dates that you can depart on. Please be as specific as possible.
Return airports:If different from 'To' line. Delete this line for One-way tickets
Return dates: Delete this line for One-way tickets
Class: First/Business/Coach/Any
Seats: Total number of people traveling over the age of 2
Alliance/Airline: What airline or alliance are you looking to fly with

IF you have any airline status or credit cards (Ie, United CC or status) that gives extended seat availability, please add that. Would be helpful to find you correct availability.

An additional note about using miles for direct flights from NYC-TLV

NYC-TLV is only served by 3 carriers non-stop, United, Delta, and El Al. Saver availability on Delta is non-existent. Saver availability on United is rare but sometimes available close-in. It is almost never available on or near holidays or holiday weekends, or around yomim tovim. Any award space that opens will be snatched up immediately so you have to constantly be checking if you hope to snag it if/when it opens. El AL awards are more readily available but prohibitively expensive using Matmid points (El Al's frequent flyer program) but may be able to be booked using Quantas points (transfers from Citi & Amex) at a much more reasonable rate.

This leaves the following options if no saver availability:

The Chase travel portal will let you use Ultimate Rewards, or a combination or UR and cash to book flights. If you have a Sapphire Reserve or a Sapphire Preferred, the redemption rate will be 1.5 cents per point or 1.25 cents per point respectively, instead of the regular 1 cent per point without them. (A, Ink cash or Ink Preferred will also give you the 1.25 cpp redemption rate.)

The Amex travel portal will let you redeem points at 1 cent per point towards the cost of air travel. If you have a grandfathered Business Platinum card, you will get 50% of the points you redeem back around a month after you book the ticket. If you have a non-grandfathered card, you will get 35% of your points back. (This is only available when redeeming points for tickets on your selected American carrier in economy class or on any airline in business or first class.)

The Citi travel portal also lets you redeem points at 1 cent per point towards travel and seems to have better pricing on El Al in business class.

Alternatively, you can sell your points (not here on DDF) and use the cash to buy regular tickets. This is usually the best option for people without either a Chase Sapphire Reserve or grandfathered Business Platinum who are flying economy.

Those are your only options for nonstop travel. For options with a stopover and more information in general, see https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/milespoints/the-ultimate-israel-mileage-award-chart/

This keeps on getting asked over and over. Besides Dan's comprehensive list of how to get to, or from, TLV here is a short list of options for travel to or from NYC in Y:
Lowest point per RT is FB 50K (less with promo, but YQ of ~$500 unless you can find unicorn DL availability), AA 80k (AA metal for transatlantic), AC 80k (LX or LO for low YQ) and UA 85k. Half that for OW.

Please add any other information to this wiki that you feel might be useful.



Author Topic: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)  (Read 1838752 times)

Offline jds

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6060 on: December 28, 2014, 06:19:13 PM »
One way/Round trip: RT
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Non-stop
From: NYC
To: TLV
Departure dates: May 3-5, 2015
Return dates: May 11 or 12, 2015
Class: Cheapest
Seats: 3
Alliance/Airline: Any

Offline shimino1

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6061 on: December 28, 2014, 06:34:02 PM »
From: TLV
To: NYC
One way
Jan. 13/14
Business Class
2 travelers
any type of points

Thanks in advance!
Check out United.com. lots of flights available with stopovers.

Offline miles12

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6062 on: December 28, 2014, 07:48:14 PM »
I need First class ticket from LHR-JFK
I found on BA using AA miles for 62.5k +$580 on a 777-200
Is this worth it? is there better?

Offline miles lover

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6063 on: December 28, 2014, 08:47:09 PM »
London -tlv
One way
Jan/4 or 5
 Any way to get around the airport tax in  london ? Dont care if its business or economy on the miles part but dont want to pay $200 to leave the city.
 Any ideas or tricks ?

Offline Pupashtetl

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6064 on: December 29, 2014, 07:16:40 AM »
Check out United.com. lots of flights available with stopovers.
Only with stops, and austrian doesn't have business ftom tlv to vie only middle seats roped off.
I really want non stop, and if a stop, then something that has business from tlv to the first stop to.

Offline shimino1

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6065 on: December 29, 2014, 07:27:19 AM »
Only with stops, and austrian doesn't have business ftom tlv to vie only middle seats roped off.
I really want non stop, and if a stop, then something that has business from tlv to the first stop to.
Keep dreaming about non-stop J availabilty.
The best you can hope for if you want non-stop is to find United Y and do plan B.
Your other option is to do a stopover with an airline that flies J from Israel.
Swiss air and Turkish have real J on some flights.

Offline smart brit

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6066 on: December 29, 2014, 07:31:40 AM »
I need First class ticket from LHR-JFK
I found on BA using AA miles for 62.5k +$580 on a 777-200
Is this worth it? is there better?
It's a good product, but most probably you will be cheaper off with virgin upper class

Offline smart brit

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6067 on: December 29, 2014, 07:32:38 AM »
Keep dreaming about non-stop J availabilty.
The best you can hope for if you want non-stop is to find United Y and do plan B.
Your other option is to do a stopover with an airline that flies J from Israel.
Swiss air and Turkish have real J on some flights.
+1
Swiss has on almost every flight

Offline miles12

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6068 on: December 29, 2014, 08:51:50 AM »
It's a good product, but most probably you will be cheaper off with virgin upper class
Virgin upper class is like first class? or more like J?

Offline bortunkm

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6069 on: December 29, 2014, 07:40:16 PM »
One way/Round trip: Round Trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Any
From: MIA/FLL/PBI
To: TLV
Departure dates: 07/17/15
Return dates: 08/01/15
Class: Cheapest
Seats: 7
Alliance/Airline: Cheapest on mileage

Offline dealfinder85

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6070 on: December 30, 2014, 09:20:19 AM »
Round Trip
NYC-DEN
5/17/15 (no later than late morning)
5/20/15 (afternoon)
« Last Edit: December 30, 2014, 10:51:31 AM by dealfinder85 »

Offline shmaichel

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6071 on: December 30, 2014, 05:58:12 PM »
From: NYC
To: LAX or Miami (want to know my point options)
Round trip
Jan. 12 evening- Jan 15 morning
Cheapest (but if can get higher class for a good deal would do it.)
1 travelers
any type of points

Thanks in advance!

Offline Krow81

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6072 on: December 31, 2014, 06:08:22 AM »
One way/Round trip: RT
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Non-stop
From: Jfk
To: Cun
Departure dates: Jun 24-25 2015 morning
Return dates: July 1, 2015 evening
Class: Cheapest
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: Any

I have MR and UR points which I can use. I see one seat avail on aa through ba avios for the return flight, everything else looks very pricey.

Thanks for any help you can offer

Offline scr

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6073 on: December 31, 2014, 09:42:42 AM »
Can someone please advise me on how to book a U.S. Airways flight with a combination of Dividend miles and Avios?  Thanks!

Offline MeirS

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6074 on: December 31, 2014, 11:12:16 AM »
Can someone please advise me on how to book a U.S. Airways flight with a combination of Dividend miles and Avios?  Thanks!
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=11484.msg1011189.msg#1011189

Offline Elchay

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6075 on: December 31, 2014, 11:52:20 AM »
+1
Swiss has on almost every flight

Actually just booked that for mid febuary. But they do sometimes switch the aircraft to a320 last minute so you are taking a small chance

Offline Drago

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6076 on: December 31, 2014, 01:42:20 PM »
One way/Round trip: RT
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: 3 legs ideal
From: CLE
To: Hanoi
Departure dates: March 9 or 10
Return dates: March 22-24
Class: Biz/First
Seats: 1
Alliance/Airline: One World, using AA miles

$25 if the booking gets done.

Offline shmaichel

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6077 on: December 31, 2014, 02:16:46 PM »
Is 15000 BA avios the normal amount of points for a round trip ticket to Florida? Is that the cheapest way to go?

Offline Alexsei

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6078 on: December 31, 2014, 02:18:25 PM »
One way/Round trip: RT
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Non stop
From: All airports from which you can depart NYC
To: All airports which you can arrive at. For multiple destinations, just keep adding this line LAX
Departure dates:  JAN 11
Return dates: JAN 23 (its a friday so should arrive early enough)
Class: Business/First
Seats: 1
Alliance/Airline: Have Amex Points
« Last Edit: December 31, 2014, 02:39:41 PM by Alexsei »
Jews ≠ Zionists
Palestinians ≠ Hamas
Satmar ≠ SatmarHQ

Offline kangarruu

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #6079 on: December 31, 2014, 04:57:25 PM »
One way/Round trip: RT
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: 3 legs ideal
From: CLE
To: Hanoi
Departure dates: March 9 or 10
Return dates: March 22-24
Class: Biz/First
Seats: 1
Alliance/Airline: One World, using AA miles

$25 if the booking gets done.

For the outbound, it looks like these flights are available (unless I'm totally misreading the JAL site, which is likely):

AA2429 (CLE-DFW) in F, departing 7:17am on March 10
AA175 (DFW-NRT) in F, departing 10:40am on March 10
JL751 (NRT-HAN) in J, departing at 6pm on March 10

For the return:

JL752 (HAN-NRT) in J, departing at 11:55pm on March 23
AA176 (NRT-DFW) in F, departing at 11:30am on March 24
US565 (DFW-PHL) in F, departing at 11:10am on March 24
US4466 (PHL-CLE) in F, departing at 6:10pm on March 24

I think it should be 135k AA for the roundtrip.