dunroving

I'm trying to use my USAir frequent flier miles to visit my brother in Cairo. As USAir are possibly going up in smoke in the not too distant future, I want to cash them in before it's too late (hoping to get tickets on one of their Star Alliance airlines, so the tickets are still valid if USAir do go belly up).

Anyway, long story short: they have plenty of FF seats on every portion of the trip except Europe to US. I'm pretty flexible (can travel almost any time in May - or June, for that matter), and there are alternative airlines and European destinations that work (Austrian/Lufthansa/Frankfurt/Prague).

Does anyone know whether FF seats might become available at a later date? I think I read once that people book FF seats just like other types of tickets, i.e., then cancel or change their schedule. Also, wonder whether they open up more FF seats closer to the date if they have unsold seats (talking early summer here, though, so guessing not likely).

I've been on the phone for quite a long time on a couple of occasions (can't book FF seats online unless the whole trip is serviced by USAir) and starting to give up hope.

cindyabs

Probably a good idea to see who else you could use the miles on. USAir has a breathing space til June-after that? The UA/LH connection seems good idea.
I've only used Delta FF miles on overseas trips and had to be creative sometime on the routing and an affiliated carrier.
Of course people would use them the same way-I've had to change my plans after I got the FF ticket, especially since you usually have to book seats so far in advance to get a semblance of what you want. Just like anything else-things happen, plans change. Will they open up more seats? Even speaking as a travel agent, it's hard to say. Doubtless they equate the FF seats the same as the cheapest seats in their inventory, once the cheap seats go, up goes the price. Early summer is a prime time to fly so availability can be a real problem. Also blackout dates? Are those an issue? They can be.

Englishmum

A really good website for all queries about FF miles is:

http://www.flyertalk.com

You may need to register to read or post on the forums. Most people on the boards are FFs or work in the airline industry. If no-one there has any suggestions I doubt that anyone else can help!

dunroving

Thanks for the feedback, you two.

I have one other question (I've tried to get this information from the Web site, but it's like a labyrinth - and I really don't feel like sitting on hold for another 60 minutes).

So, when you purchase a ticket with FF miles, and decide to switch schedules, (a) presumably you would still be eleigible only for FF seats (that's a question), and (b) are the fees for changing a FF seat the same as changing a regular ticket?

If I can't sort anything out for May (which from what I could tell on the Web site, isn't a blackout date, there just aren't any FF seats left from Europe to US), I may just try booking a ticket back to the UK for next Christmas - with United if I can - and change it closer to the date if I need to.

I've never used my FF miles (I have about 100,000), so I'm a complete neophyte to the system. And now I'm in a panic that I'll lose my USAir miles if I don't do something soon.

By the way, EM, I visited the Web site and it looks pretty helpful - thanks!

cindyabs

Yes, if you're using FF miles you can only go for an FF "seat." Yes, more than likely there is a penalty, just as in regular tickets to change ONCE the reservation is ticketed. 100,000 miles ought to be good for First Class or at least Biz class! Do they not have any seats for those? Delta at least will let you buy a ticket for Europe in a Y, B, or M class fare and then use miles to upgrade. So, if they don't have any "free" seats, you could spend some dinero thereby having a definite flight and be comfy at the same time. If you're thinking of Christmas Dun, now is the time to book it. I booked tickets for Europe with my miles for Labor Day 6 months out and I still had to twiddle my schedule around.

Dan725

Absolutely true, book those flights as much in advance as is possible!

dunroving

OK, now I'm getting creative ... thanks for your patience with my questions. Before I get on for another 60 minute wait, could you tell me whether you think this will work:

I pay for my return ticket to Frankfurt ($700 seats available for several dates - just checked online), and use FF miles to buy a roundtrip ticket Frankfurt to Cairo (Lufthansa). I know the latter are available, because when I was on the phone for ages the other day, she told me that there were FF seats for the whole trip except the Frankfurt back to US portion. This way I'd get a $1400 trip (US to Cairo) for $700, which I can live with.

I guess what I'm asking is can you typically use FF miles for a trip that doesn't originate and end in the US? It looks like it from the USAir award chart (http://usairways.com/dividendmiles/r...ward_chart.pdf - but again, I just need a second opinion before I get back on the phone - if I'm on hold again for an hour and they tell me this can't be done I'll be miffed.