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 1838726 times)

Offline Cbs

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the flight outbound is booooked solid!!! sorry :(
well someone checked for me from their CC account and showed me the itinerary available thru doing a multi city

Offline WhyAich

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well someone checked for me from their CC account and showed me the itinerary available thru doing a multi city

what routing?
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what routing?

United Airlines:
5/7 - CLE 8:44am-ORD 10:29am -PVG

5/13 - PVG 10:15am - NRT 5:20pm - YYZ 6:15 pm - CLE
i said i couldnt find it with a RT check or OW, OW so he checked with multi city (the route above) and he found it

Offline WhyAich

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i said i couldnt find it with a RT check or OW, OW so he checked with multi city (the route above) and he found it

by me it says nothing avail... sorry

anyone else?
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Offline Daniel

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I hate these new businesses that are cashing in on the cheap Avios routes and selling them via Mishpacha Magazine. AA reward availability is now horrible out of CLE. Every Sunday afternoon is N/A for the month of June and July.
« Last Edit: May 02, 2012, 02:28:21 PM by Daniel »

Offline Daniel

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I hate these new businesses that are cashing in on the cheap Avios routes and selling them via Mishpacha Magazine. AA reward availability is now horrible out of CLV. Every Sunday afternoon is N/A for the month of June and July.

The person behind this is for sure on the forums... :)

Offline Dan

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Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Yitz

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Round trip:
Maximum stops/Any:
From:Detroit
To: TLV
Departure dates: May 6.
Return airports: same
Return dates: May 13
Class: First/Business/Coach/Any
Seats: 2 Adults
Alliance/Airline: Avios

Offline PlatinumGuy

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@yitz you know using BA will cost u ~$700 surcharge per person?

״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline zek

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Ok will give this a shot - have about 80 UsAirways Div Miles need to get to TLV Aug 6,7,8ish return the 30th. Any way to do this UA has no availability in their system for months?

Offline Dan

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Ok will give this a shot - have about 80 UsAirways Div Miles need to get to TLV Aug 6,7,8ish return the 30th. Any way to do this UA has no availability in their system for months?
You can also search on ANA and Aeroplan and try to piece together trips via using stopovers in Europe.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline PlatinumGuy

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Just sell the miles and buy a tkt. You'll get better flights for less miles.
״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline zek

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You can also search on ANA and Aeroplan and try to piece together trips via using stopovers in Europe.
I thought ANA only flies to and from Japan. Will have try to decipher this strategy. 
Selling sounds tempting but I doubt you can sell 80k points for $1500

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Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

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by me it says nothing avail... sorry

anyone else?
i found the ticket from a CC account and i reserved it!

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Offline aussiebochur

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i found the ticket from a CC account and i reserved it!
Nice!

Interesting that last seat availability even gives you a seat when flight is sold out.

Offline Dan

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Nice!

Interesting that last seat availability even gives you a seat when flight is sold out.
It was Y1 when I checked.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline aussiebochur

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It was Y1 when I checked.
Now seems to be Y2.

Was just going by what Whyaich said.

Offline WhyAich

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Now seems to be Y2.

Was just going by what Whyaich said.

it WAS now it's Y3
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