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 1839042 times)

Online mochjas

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ONE WAY
Thanks a lot for the help. Trying to book a flight for FIL and MIL.
FTFY

Offline keemster26

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Offline Pesach

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To israel for shavous  shavous leaving on Monday shavous is Tuesday night and coming back right after on fri 12 am or 1am. From NYC to Tel Aviv  have a gutted mode and thank you very much for takinggnbthe time to read this post

Offline Pesach

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 I have chase and delta points also if possible to tell best business rate as well both best business and coach

Offline gevaldig

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  • Location: flo
One way/Round trip: Round Trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Max 1
From: JFK/EWR/LGA
To: BUD
Departure dates:  April 26th ,
Return dates: late at night April 27th
Class: Biz
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: Any

Have UR  Amex SPG

Offline hvaces42

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One way/Round trip: Round Trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Max 1
From: JFK/EWR/LGA
To: BUD
Departure dates:  April 26th ,
Return dates: late at night April 27th
Class: Biz
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: Any

Have UR  Amex SPG
Most flights from Europe to US leave earlier in the day. No such thing as late night.
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Offline gevaldig

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One way/Round trip: Round Trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Max 1
From: JFK/EWR/LGA
To: BUD
Departure dates:  April 26th ,
Return dates: Early morning  April 28th
Class: Biz
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: Any

Have UR  Amex SPG

Offline gevaldig

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Most flights from Europe to US leave earlier in the day. No such thing as late night.

Thanks, I changed it to Friday Morning.

Offline gevaldig

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  • Location: flo
One way/Round trip: Round Trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: Max 1
From: JFK/EWR/LGA
To: BUD
Departure dates:  Sunday April 30th,
Return dates:       Tuesday May 2nd     
Class: Biz
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: Any

Have SPG, UR, MR

Offline Love 2 Travel

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Which airlines/points are the best way to get to South Africa?
I have SPG, Amex, United, Chase, Delta.

Offline chamushk

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One way/Round trip: ONE WAY
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: NON-STOP
From: any NYC, pref not EWR but it's an option
To: LON, prefer LHR
Departure dates: August 21/22
Class: Any (cheapest
Seats: 4 seats (plus we're taking 2 kids under 2)
Alliance/Airline: American (have 65K AA points + 26K SPG points)

Have a Citi AAdvantage CC but don't know if that makes a difference for availability.

Offline mikaelrap

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What is the best way to book a One Way TLV to NYC on Delta (Direct).
The Delta awards are too expensive and I do not see them available on AF FB.
Any other idea?

Online mochjas

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What is the best way to book a One Way TLV to NYC on Delta (Direct).
The Delta awards are too expensive and I do not see them available on AF FB.
Any other idea?
it is very rare to get nonstop saver seats on delta to Tlv. Your best bet is to wait close in but I wouldn't count on it.

Offline 12HRS

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What is the best way to book a One Way TLV to NYC on Delta (Direct).
The Delta awards are too expensive and I do not see them available on AF FB.
Any other idea?

If there is no saver on Delta it will not show up on FB

Offline mikaelrap

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I read that another way to do it is to book a ticket with multi stops and hope for the airline to modify the itinerary (apparently it happens very often on Aeroflot etc). If that happens, then apparently Delta will offer to change tix to direct flight at no additional cost if I call them.
Do you have any experience w/ doing that?


Offline zagguru

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One way/Round trip: ONE WAY
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: NON-STOP
From: PHX
To: JFK
Departure dates: 6/4/17
Class: Any (cheapest
Seats: 2
Alliance/Airline: American / Delta / Jetblue
Time: Red-eye flight

Thanks!! any help would be great!

Offline ber

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  • Location: Shlichus
Multi city
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any:MAX 1 STOP
From:lax
To: TLV
To: NYC
Departure dates:  anytime between June 6-7
Return airports: NYC
Return dates: June 19
Class: Business
Seats:2
Alliance/Airline: ANY can get miles with any......
Thank you!

Offline Deals Fan

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One way/Round trip: ONE WAY
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: 1
From: VNO, KUN
To: NYC
Departure dates: AUGUST 10
Class: First/Business
Seats: 1
Alliance/Airline: ANY

Offline natekhon

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  • Location: ny
One way/Round trip: round trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: 1
From: NYC ALL
To:TLV
Departure dates:OCT 2 OR 3
Return airports:NYC ALL
Return dates:OCT 15 OR 16
Class:Coach
Seats: 6
Alliance/Airline:
HAVE 300,000 CHASE SAPPHIRE AND 200,000 AMEX
THANX

Offline hvaces42

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One way/Round trip: round trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: 1
From: NYC ALL
To:TLV
Departure dates:OCT 2 OR 3
Return airports:NYC ALL
Return dates:OCT 15 OR 16
Class:Coach
Seats: 6
Alliance/Airline:
HAVE 300,000 CHASE SAPPHIRE AND 200,000 AMEX
THANX
Outbound is available with OS or LO using UA for 42.5k plus ~$35(OS) or ~$21(LO) each - 255k total UA/UR

Return is available too but you dont have enough UA and transferring MR to  AC will cost you YQ of approx $2k

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