East Coast Airfare $685 RT - should I cancel my award tixs

[Jwerking]

I used 40K AA miles to book our tickets from the east coast to LIH and returning from KOA for our upcoming trip. The RT airfare would be $685 - which seems pretty reasonable and I can get my miles back to use for a return award tix from Cairo this fall.

When I searched yesterday, 70K AA miles was required to get a business seat on Qatar Airline one way from Cairo back to the East Coast - 40K for main cabin. The price of the one way Business tix is over $5K. I have never splurged on business tixs ever, but sure would be nice on a 13 hr flight where the seat becomes a flat bed.

What do you think - should I just pay for the HI tix and use those miles for a luxury return from Cairo?

 

[csodjd]

I used 40K AA miles to book our tickets from the east coast to LIH and returning from KOA for our upcoming trip. The RT airfare would be $685 - which seems pretty reasonable and I can get my miles back to use for a return award tix from Cairo this fall.

When I searched yesterday, 70K AA miles was required to get a business seat on Qatar Airline one way from Cairo back to the East Coast - 40K for main cabin. The price of the one way Business tix is over $5K. I have never splurged on business tixs ever, but sure would be nice on a 13 hr flight where the seat becomes a flat bed.

What do you think - should I just pay for the HI tix and use those miles for a luxury return from Cairo?

I’d say yes. And keep checking that RT fare. You may be able to find less. I always check AA, Alaska, and Hawaiian. I’m flying over on Friday… $99 fare LAX-HNL, and I’ve already been upgraded to first. (The fare for first is $1400+, which is crazy when economy is $100.)

I try and do my best to save and use miles for business class to/from Europe or Australia. Best value by a mile. I just recently booked business class on British, London - LAX, for two of us using miles. Fare shows right now as $12k per seat (one way). I booked using Avios through Iberian (transferred to Iberia from my American Express) and it was 60,000 miles and about $600 per person.

 

[slip]

I agree, I think I would save the miles too.

 

[Ken555]

I just recently booked business class on British, London - LAX, for two of us using miles. Fare shows right now as $12k per seat (one way). I booked using Avios through Iberian (transferred to Iberia from my American Express) and it was 60,000 miles and about $600 per person.

In all fairness, it’s relatively easy to get business nonstop flights from LA to London for ~$1500-2000 one way on the open market. If you’re going to use miles, at least value them based on market rates…


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[csodjd]

In all fairness, it’s relatively easy to get business nonstop flights from LA to London for ~$1500-2000 one way on the open market. If you’re going to use miles, at least value them based on market rates…


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I lacked much ability to shop. I had to leave London in the morning on a specific Saturday in July with 3 people. No flexibility at all. One golf tournament ends on Friday in Scotland and the next starts Monday morning in Southern California. When you have a window of about 3-4 hours on a Saturday morning, it is no longer "relatively easy." Made it a no-brainer when I found 2 business and 1 premium economy (sorry 20 year old daughter) I could use miles and reduce total cost for all three to about $2100.

 

[buzglyd]

The Points guy has a calculator that I find useful sometimes.

The Points Guy - Maximize your travel.

Maximize your travel.

thepointsguy.com

Input points and cost and it spits out an answer.

 

[csodjd]

The Points guy has a calculator that I find useful sometimes.

The Points Guy - Maximize your travel.

Maximize your travel.

thepointsguy.com

Input points and cost and it spits out an answer.

I have found The Points Guy to be very helpful. I've learned a lot from them.

 

[buzglyd]

I have found The Points Guy to be very helpful. I've learned a lot from them.

My only issue is everything is a sales pitch for a credit card.

 

[csodjd]

My only issue is everything is a sales pitch for a credit card.

Very true. They have to make money some how. Just have to look past that. The information is still helpful. In particular, I've learned how to find ways to use miles using different airline programs. This was one example. I would have never thought to go to Iberia to find lower cost flights on British Air. Their points and dollars was lower than from British Air direct, and American didn't even show any flights available where I could use points. I recently used United miles to schedule an Aer Lingus flight through the United website.

There is a whole world out there, a science, in finding the most cost-effective way to use miles/points and that's largely what the Points Guy is all about.

 

[Jwerking]

I’d say yes. And keep checking that RT fare. You may be able to find less. I always check AA, Alaska, and Hawaiian. I’m flying over on Friday… $99 fare LAX-HNL, and I’ve already been upgraded to first. (The fare for first is $1400+, which is crazy when economy is $100.)

I try and do my best to save and use miles for business class to/from Europe or Australia. Best value by a mile. I just recently booked business class on British, London - LAX, for two of us using miles. Fare shows right now as $12k per seat (one way). I booked using Avios through Iberian (transferred to Iberia from my American Express) and it was 60,000 miles and about $600 per person.

Wow, $99 to HI - that is truly amazing and a great bargain for West Coasters on Hawaiian Air. And an upgrade to First - double wow! I just found out there are nonstop flights from BOS and JFK to HNL on Hawaiian Air - so should check those out in the future during sales. May be worth it depending on how much cash airfare would be to get BOS or JFK.

Based on another recommendation, I checked the one way business fare on the Qatar website from Cairo to ORF (Norfolk, Va) and it was about $1900 and $470 for economy - both reasonable prices - so once again, may not be worth it to use 70K or 40K AA miles, respectively for those tickets - esp the economy ticket. I will have to check if my Platinum AA Elite benefits are honored on Qatar as part of the One World Alliance.

I have our first trip planned to Crete for the month of Sept 2023 and am considering adding Turkey and then a guided trip to Egypt. May as well given they are closeby - LOL! Making up for missed visits to Europe in 2020 and 2021. We had consistently visited Europe each fall from Sept to Nov from 2016- 2019 because my daughter was working as a US Gov't civilian employee in Germany. As parents, we were even allowed to use military airfares if we flew into and out of Germany - which we did and then just connected from there. RT fares were about $600 - what a bargain! But she came back to the States this July.

Great opportunity to tour Europe and we did visit most of the countries. Even did a self tour to Moscow and St Petersburg - which was the most challenging, but everything went smoothly and we had a great time.

 

[csodjd]

Wow, $99 to HI - that is truly amazing and a great bargain for West Coasters on Hawaiian Air. And an upgrade to First - double wow! I just found out there are nonstop flights from BOS and JFK to HNL on Hawaiian Air - so should check those out in the future during sales. May be worth it depending on how much cash airfare would be to get BOS or JFK.

Based on another recommendation, I checked the one way business fare on the Qatar website from Cairo to ORF (Norfolk, Va) and it was about $1900 and $470 for economy - both reasonable prices - so once again, may not be worth it to use 70K or 40K AA miles, respectively for those tickets - esp the economy ticket. I will have to check if my Platinum AA Elite benefits are honored on Qatar as part of the One World Alliance.

I have our first trip planned to Crete for the month of Sept 2023 and am considering adding Turkey and then a guided trip to Egypt. May as well given they are closeby - LOL! Making up for missed visits to Europe in 2020 and 2021. We had consistently visited Europe each fall from Sept to Nov from 2016- 2019 because my daughter was working as a US Gov't civilian employee in Germany. As parents, we were even allowed to use military airfares if we flew into and out of Germany - which we did and then just connected from there. RT fares were about $600 - what a bargain! But she came back to the States this July.

Great opportunity to tour Europe and we did visit most of the countries. Even did a self tour to Moscow and St Petersburg - which was the most challenging, but everything went smoothly and we had a great time.

Actually American, not Hawaiian, on the $99 (it's $100 today). Hawaiian always costs me more because I always pay the extra ~$100 for Extra Comfort. For the five-hour LAX-Hawaii trip that's almost as nice as first class. And for the record, the Hawaiian Air lie-flat first class is WAAAAYYYY better than the ordinary American Airlines first class. AA has the worst first class food ever!

 

[Ken555]

I’d say yes. And keep checking that RT fare. You may be able to find less. I always check AA, Alaska, and Hawaiian. I’m flying over on Friday… $99 fare LAX-HNL, and I’ve already been upgraded to first. (The fare for first is $1400+, which is crazy when economy is $100.)

Where are you buying tickets? It’s typically no more than $750 one way first class from LA to Hawaii.

Is every flight you take limited to a few hours on one particular day, and are those flights always more than the others? You’re giving the wrong impression on the value of points based on these inflated prices.


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[Ken555]

Actually American, not Hawaiian, on the $99 (it's $100 today). Hawaiian always costs me more because I always pay the extra ~$100 for Extra Comfort. For the five-hour LAX-Hawaii trip that's almost as nice as first class. And for the record, the Hawaiian Air lie-flat first class is WAAAAYYYY better than the ordinary American Airlines first class. AA has the worst first class food ever!

At $100 I buy an extra seat. I did that not long ago when flying back from the east coast (extra seat was just $82).


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[csodjd]

Where are you buying tickets? It’s typically no more than $750 one way first class from LA to Hawaii.

Is every flight you take limited to a few hours on one particular day, and are those flights always more than the others? You’re giving the wrong impression on the value of points based on these inflated prices.


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I'm not giving any impression. Just data. Obviously one has to look at THEIR flight options and costs and decide based on that. I'm certainly not suggesting that based on my one flight on one day in July anyone should decide if they should use points or dollars. But MY data was what it was. My point was/is simply that at times it can be enormously beneficial to use miles/points over dollars. That was a case in point. That doesn't mean every time in every situation that's true. I have paid with $ on many occasions because it was a better deal than what I could do with miles.

Here are Saturday's three AA nonstop flights LAX to HNL. Why that price, which is about $1000 more than other airlines, I have no idea. And that $130 keeps changing between $100 and $160.

 

[csodjd]

At $100 I buy an extra seat. I did that not long ago when flying back from the east coast (extra seat was just $82).


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Do you use your name for both seats? And then what, just don't check in or don't show up for one of them?

 

[Ken555]

I'm not giving any impression. Just data. Obviously one has to look at THEIR flight options and costs and decide based on that. I'm certainly not suggesting that based on my one flight on one day in July anyone should decide if they should use points or dollars. But MY data was what it was. My point was/is simply that at times it can be enormously beneficial to use miles/points over dollars. That was a case in point. That doesn't mean every time in every situation that's true. I have paid with $ on many occasions because it was a better deal than what I could do with miles.

Here are Saturday's three AA nonstop flights LAX to HNL. Why that price, which is about $1000 more than other airlines, I have no idea. And that $130 keeps changing between $100 and $160.

View attachment 44857

Here’s another Saturday, first class just $489. IMO, it’s too early to buy for July.

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[Ken555]

Do you use your name for both seats? And then what, just don't check in or don't show up for one of them?

You need to call to book the second seat, and they put it in your name as an extra seat. You check in for both.


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[csodjd]

Here’s another Saturday, first class just $489. IMO, it’s too early to buy for July.

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That's why the AA prices baffle me. I got a free upgrade (Platinum pro.) I used $15k miles and $175 to upgrade my wife and same for my daughter. So we bought 3 $99 seats, then spent another $350 and 30k miles, and got 3 first class seats. Total $650 + 30k miles for 3. I consider that winning.

 

[Ken555]

That's why the AA prices baffle me. I got a free upgrade (Platinum pro.) I used $15k miles and $175 to upgrade my wife and same for my daughter. So we bought 3 $99 seats, then spent another $350 and 30k miles, and got 3 first class seats. Total $650 + 30k miles for 3. I consider that winning.

It all depends on how much you value your points. I’m not loyal to any airline… and I also have too many AA miles to spend, but I won’t spend them without good value.


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[csodjd]

It all depends on how much you value your points. I’m not loyal to any airline… and I also have too many AA miles to spend, but I won’t spend them without good value.


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I find my best value with AA miles being business class to/from Europe. But I'm also trying to accumulate miles so that when I retire I can use miles as much as possible to pay my air costs (typically upgrading).

Right now I'm well into working on the new AA "Loyalty Points" by using the heck out of my AA credit cards. When I travel alone that Platinum Pro almost always gets me an upgrade to first.

 

[mjm1]

IMO, it’s too early to buy for July.

We are flying to Oahu in mid-June. I’m curious, when do think is a good time to buy airfare? Not sure if inflation of fuel prices will drive prices up from the current levels, notwithstanding these $100 fares currently being offered for near term flights.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[Ken555]

We are flying to Oahu in mid-June. I’m curious, when do think is a good time to buy airfare? Not sure if inflation of fuel prices will drive prices up from the current levels, notwithstanding these $100 fares currently being offered for near term flights.

Best regards.

Mike

Best fares typically are 1-3 months in advance, in my experience. Hawaii prices, like popular summer destinations, can be higher in July. I don’t travel there in July so am less familiar with the prices at that time, but I would expect sales to occur…especially if Covid is still a travel concern at that time.


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