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 1839985 times)

Offline chucksterace

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Last week I checked and found for the way back but not for the departure.

There was LOT availability to JFK for the way back.

Departure I had to search DEN-YYZ then YYZ-TLV.
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Offline ilherman

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Departure I had to search DEN-YYZ then YYZ-TLV.
Search ANA for LOT. Each leg separate.
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Offline chucksterace

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There was some LOT availability for your dates when I checked last week. Check OS as well.

UA makes problems showing OS lately..

ETA: seems to be gone.... J is still available.

Well actually I see LOT Y open. 6/30 LO152>LO026 . If you want business 6/30 LO152>LO006
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Offline ilherman

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Well actually I see LOT Y open. 6/30 LO152>LO026 . If you want business 6/30 LO152>LO006
He is looking for NYC-TLV, you're checking TLV-NYC..
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline chucksterace

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He is looking for NYC-TLV, you're checking TLV-NYC..

And that my friend is what I like to call a honest mistake
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Offline ilherman

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 :D
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Offline flyingBlue

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want to go NYC - TLV 6/8, return 6/16 having 50k amex points, 30k US airways miles, 30k delta, 30K chase points.
please help.

Offline chucksterace

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want to go NYC - TLV 6/8, return 6/16 having 50k amex points, 30k US airways miles, 30k delta, 30K chase points.
please help.

Just from your post, I have a feeling your best option might be to transfer your amex to flyingblue and book from there, 25k + yq each way. You don't have enough points in the other airways to use those. Are you willing to pay YQ fees?

ETA: For your dates - 6/8 NYC-TLV is 35,000 miles + 80 Euro :: 6/16 TLV-NYC is 25,000 miles + 113 Euro. You can do outbound 6/9 IAD-TLV for 25,000 miles and 80 Euro.

Thats just a quick search. Someone else maybe able to find something better.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2014, 03:43:07 PM by chucksterace »
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Offline tuvz

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Round trip
From: sydney AU
To: Toronto
Departure: June 10 at night/ June 11
return: June 17
Class: eco maybe Biz
Seats: 1
Alliance/Airline: open to any airline

thanks

Offline ilherman

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There is some availability with Qantas and AA.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline chucksterace

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There is some availability with Qantas and AA.

And with UA in F. Told him already. Working with him on it.
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Offline ilherman

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And with UA in F. Told him already. Working with him on it.
Via LAX? Saw it before but it's a vvvvery long ride. Well AA is not a short ride either..

And there is Y availability for the return direct to LAX.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline chucksterace

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Via LAX? Saw it before but it's a vvvvery long ride. Well AA is not a short ride either..

And there is Y availability for the return direct to LAX.

Nope, UA F SYD-SFO-LAX-YYZ
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Offline ilherman

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Nope, UA F SYD-SFO-LAX-YYZ
Yeah.. That's what I meant.
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Offline flyingBlue

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Just from your post, I have a feeling your best option might be to transfer your amex to flyingblue and book from there, 25k + yq each way. You don't have enough points in the other airways to use those. Are you willing to pay YQ fees?

ETA: For your dates - 6/8 NYC-TLV is 35,000 miles + 80 Euro :: 6/16 TLV-NYC is 25,000 miles + 113 Euro. You can do outbound 6/9 IAD-TLV for 25,000 miles and 80 Euro.

Thats just a quick search. Someone else maybe able to find something better.
i saw those, but the problem is they have very long stopovers :( :( :(

Offline ilherman

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Round trip
From: sydney AU
To: Toronto
Departure: June 10 at night/ June 11
return: June 17
Class: eco maybe Biz
Seats: 1
Alliance/Airline: open to any airline

thanks
Maybe look into CX via HKG.
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Offline drakitin

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  • Location: NYC
One way/Round trip: Round Trip
Non-stop/Maximum stops/Any: 1
From: TLV
To: NYC
Departure dates: Last week of June or first 2 weeks of July
Return dates: Last 2 weeks of August
Class: Coach/Economy
Total number of people traveling over the age of 2: 1
Alliance/Airline: No Preference.  Have 60k SPG and 150k UR points

New at this. Please help, and if you can, explain how you found it. 

TIA

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1 stop max
LAX
To: NYC
Departure dates: 6/29


Class: Coach/Any
Seats: 1
Alliance/Airline: I have UA, Avios some delta, southwest

thanks peeps

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I am looking to fly to Israel with my family from PHL on Usair using BA miles.
I found 5 tickets going there on Jul. 6th.
No availability the way back. Is it much harder to find TLV - PHL? Do you think it will open up soon?