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 1839399 times)

Offline meshugener

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Re: Advice is needed on Reward Ticket
« Reply #1520 on: January 08, 2013, 12:25:41 PM »
Love me or hate me. I still love you.

Offline karen

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Re: Advice is needed on Reward Ticket
« Reply #1521 on: January 08, 2013, 12:29:40 PM »
You would love to post here http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=7986.0
Thanks! I can not say that I like that thread, I posted there several times, never get any help.  :(

Offline sky121

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Re: Re: Advice is needed on Reward Ticket
« Reply #1522 on: January 08, 2013, 12:39:02 PM »
I am thinking to book a reward ticket to visit the following three cities in China, PEK->CGQ (stop over)->WUH->PEK.
Could anyone tell me what airline and mileage I can use and is this stop over legal?

Thanks very much in advance!

What miles do you have?

"Not all who wander are lost"

Offline WhyAich

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Re: Advice is needed on Reward Ticket
« Reply #1523 on: January 08, 2013, 12:45:19 PM »
Thanks! I can not say that I like that thread, I posted there several times, never get any help.  :(

opening a new thread will not get any answers, it just clogs up the forums, please post in the correct place
What miles do you have?



if you'd like to help great, just this should be moved
For great Airfare deals - PLEASE contact me via PM or email: whyaich@gmail.com

Offline sruly101

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1524 on: January 08, 2013, 02:50:21 PM »
Is that the best usage of miles? I booked the way TO Israel on July 3rd with AA on BA.com, using your shtick, and it costed me only $99 in fees and only 22,500 miles! Any way to use that same game for the way back?
Wow which shtick?

Offline Dan

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1525 on: January 08, 2013, 02:52:06 PM »
Wow which shtick?
Assuming an MR transfer bonus to BA and flying on Air Berlin.
Search AA and BA for Air Berlin availability.
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 sruly101

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1526 on: January 08, 2013, 02:54:03 PM »
Assuming an MR transfer bonus to BA and flying on Air Berlin.
Search AA and BA for Air Berlin availability.
Will try it!!
Does it only work NYC-TLV or TLV-NYC too?

Offline Dan

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1527 on: January 08, 2013, 02:57:47 PM »
Works both ways.
Search AA.com for nonstop award flights for between JFK or TLV and TXL or DUS to find Air Berlin availability.
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 bmedetsky

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1528 on: January 08, 2013, 02:59:06 PM »
Assuming an MR transfer bonus to BA and flying on Air Berlin.
Search AA and BA for Air Berlin availability.
Correct! I think it only works one way, no?
How can i use that to get back to NYC?
How do you search davka for Air Berlin on AA and BA? Doesnt show any availibility...

Offline sruly101

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1529 on: January 08, 2013, 02:59:57 PM »
Works both ways.
Search AA.com for nonstop award flights for between JFK or TLV and TXL or DUS to find Air Berlin availability.
Do i make a multi city search? :-[

Offline Dan

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1530 on: January 08, 2013, 03:07:02 PM »
Do i make a multi city search? :-[
No, you do more than one search.

Correct! I think it only works one way, no?
How can i use that to get back to NYC?
How do you search davka for Air Berlin on AA and BA? Doesnt show any availibility...
Works both ways.
Search AA.com for nonstop award flights for between JFK or TLV and TXL or DUS to find Air Berlin availability.
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 sruly101

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1531 on: January 08, 2013, 03:10:44 PM »
No, you do more than one search.
sorry but what i am asking is, How do i search TLV-NYC with DUS? do i make a multi-city or round trip or oneway?

Offline bmedetsky

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1532 on: January 08, 2013, 03:11:49 PM »
sorry but what i am asking is, How do i search TLV-NYC with DUS? do i make a multi-city or round trip or oneway?
My question too! Also, if you do it in two parts (TLV-DUS and then DUS-JFK), arent we then paying double the miles???

Offline Dan

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1533 on: January 08, 2013, 03:13:21 PM »
Also, if you do it in two parts (TLV-DUS and then DUS-JFK), arent we then paying double the miles???
No. BA charges the same miles by the leg in one itin or as 2 itins.
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 alpicone

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1534 on: January 08, 2013, 07:16:58 PM »
I am trying to find an AA award ticket from NYC to any warm destination for President's day weekend.

Is there an easy way to search multiple destination at one time for award tickets or do I need to search for each destination separately? I have been searching many destinations without any luck so far...

TIA

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1535 on: January 08, 2013, 07:18:23 PM »
Must search separately, unfortunately.
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Looking for Tickets to China
« Reply #1536 on: January 09, 2013, 09:46:11 PM »
Hi, I'm new to the concept of award flights.  If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it.  I need two adult tickets to Beijing, China approximately July 5 to August 5.  I'm assuming children under two are free?  I don't have points at the time, but I guess I can open some cards or buy points off of someone.  Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!  (if anyone happens to have any insight into cheap tickets I might also consider buying with cash)

Nosson

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Re: Re: Looking for Tickets to China
« Reply #1537 on: January 09, 2013, 09:50:11 PM »
Hi, I'm new to the concept of award flights.  If anyone could help me, I would really appreciate it.  I need two adult tickets to Beijing, China approximately July 5 to August 5.  I'm assuming children under two are free?  I don't have points at the time, but I guess I can open some cards or buy points off of someone.  Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!  (if anyone happens to have any insight into cheap tickets I might also consider buying with cash)

Nosson
Welcome to the forums!
Kids aren't free though they won't cost you a whole ticket. Are you planning on flying Business?
And if your credit permits it you'd be best off starting to open some CC's so you can book your tickets with points.  Where are you flying from?
"Not all who wander are lost"

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1538 on: January 10, 2013, 12:35:29 AM »
Hi, Im looking to fly to miami today (Thursday late afternoon or at night) There is no availability on ba.com is there any other way to find availability on ba.com or on different airline? Thanks for you help!

One way/Round trip:Round trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any:Non stop
From: NYC
To: MIA, FLL
Departure dates: 01/10/2013
Return dates:01/13/2013 Or 01/14/2013
Class: First/Business/Coach/Any: Economy
Seats:1
Alliance/Airline I have spg points

Offline Yaalili

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Re: Need help finding a ticket? Post here! Award ticket edition (Master thread)
« Reply #1539 on: January 10, 2013, 12:41:28 AM »
Hi, Im looking to fly to miami today (Thursday late afternoon or at night) There is no availability on ba.com is there any other way to find availability on ba.com or on different airline? Thanks for you help!

One way/Round trip:Round trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any:Non stop
From: NYC
To: MIA, FLL
Departure dates: 01/10/2013
Return dates:01/13/2013 Or 01/14/2013
Class: First/Business/Coach/Any: Economy
Seats:1
Alliance/Airline I have spg points

I see a 5:20pm flight from ewr available, that's the latest u could get for tomorrow.