Multi Airline Return Trip?

[browski]

Korean Airlines can open jaw into LAX, out of JFK - AU $2417.05
Melbourne to Seoul


Flight 1 Thursday, August 18, 2011 Departure: 07:45 Melbourne, Australia - Tullamarine, terminal 2 Arrival: 17:55 Seoul, Korea (Republic of) - Incheon International
Airline: Korean Air KE126 Aircraft: Airbus Industrie A330-200

Fare Type: Economy Restricted
Seoul to Los Angeles


Flight 1 Thursday, August 18, 2011 Departure: 20:00 Seoul, Korea (Republic of) - Incheon International Arrival: 15:30 Los Angeles, USA - Los Angeles International, terminal B
Airline: Korean Air KE011 Aircraft: Boeing 747-400

Fare Type: Economy Restricted
New York to Seoul


Flight 1 Wednesday, August 24, 2011 Departure: 14:00 New York, USA - John F Kennedy, terminal 1 Arrival: 17:20 +1 day(s) Seoul, Korea (Republic of) - Incheon International
Airline: Korean Air KE082 Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER

Fare Type: Economy Restricted
Seoul to Melbourne


Flight 1 Friday, August 26, 2011 Departure: 18:20 Seoul, Korea (Republic of) - Incheon International Arrival: 06:15 +1 day(s) Melbourne, Australia - Tullamarine, terminal 2
Airline: Korean Air KE125 Aircraft: Airbus Industrie A330-200

Fare Type: Economy Restricted

 

[justcallmeryan]

Thank you for the recommendation of Jet Blue; I wasnt so keen on sampling Delta JFK-LAX I looked at V America, but it comes up with no flights available for the date I want (16/9)? Otherwise Id love to give them a try.

I'm not sure if it's still the case but Virgin America used to only take bookings a certain number of months in advance, perhaps September is too far forward?

I think what someone else mentioned, a return on VAUS (who do fly MEL - LAX direct on some days) combined with a one way on V America or Jet Blue is your best bet. V Australia in Y class or Y+ are very good and you'll end up with almost enough points for domestic flight in OZ when you get back.

 

[blackcat20]

I'm not sure if it's still the case but Virgin America used to only take bookings a certain number of months in advance, perhaps September is too far forward?

I think what someone else mentioned, a return on VAUS (who do fly MEL - LAX direct on some days) combined with a one way on V America or Jet Blue is your best bet. V Australia in Y class or Y+ are very good and you'll end up with almost enough points for domestic flight in OZ when you get back.

That could be the case; I notice Jet Blue only takes bookings up to the start of September so far so very likely.

All this talk about PE has got me interested...might have to do a bit of rapid saving and treat myself

 

[justcallmeryan]

All this talk about PE has got me interested...might have to do a bit of rapid saving and treat myself

V Australia Y+ is very much worth it, especially if you can get a good price. I've done it a couple of times and have never been disappointed (for the price..) Plus you get a lot of Dj status credits and miles which always helps.

Have not flown QF Y+ but the price is usually out of my budget...

 

[blackcat20]

Have not flown QF Y+ but the price is usually out of my budget...

VA Y+ for the dates Im looking at is the same price as QF Y...I know which one I'd rather, even if I cant come home direct. Plus I always struggle for leg room (I'm 5"8 but have long legs), so it'd be worth it for the extra comfort alone.

 

[justcallmeryan]

VA Y+ for the dates Im looking at is the same price as QF Y...I know which one I'd rather, even if I cant come home direct. Plus I always struggle for leg room (I'm 5"8 but have long legs), so it'd be worth it for the extra comfort alone.

I'd do Va Y+ over QF Y any day, especially for the same price!! But I don't care about QF points as most of my travel is either DJ or Star Alliance.

 

[blackcat20]

I'd do Va Y+ over QF Y any day, especially for the same price!! But I don't care about QF points as most of my travel is either DJ or Star Alliance.

I agree. I flew QF Y on the A380 last time and it was the most miserable 13 hours of my life. I would have got off and swum if it were an option.

 

[Limewood]

I agree. I flew QF Y on the A380 last time and it was the most miserable 13 hours of my life. I would have got off and swum if it were an option.

Why was that?.

 

[blackcat20]

legs squashed from the front, tv screen in my face, kicking child behind and a not-so-soft seat... the up side was that there was plenty of food

 

[Cocitus23]

JohnK, you say:

I hardly ever fly overseas on direct flights preferring to connect. On my latest trip a few weeks ago I went SYD-MEL-SIN and returned SIN-PER-SYD on the red-eye from SIN.

That surprises me. Why do you do it? I try to do the exact opposite, ie fly direct. Am I missing something? Is there some advantage in leaving from or arriving back in Australia at a city other than your own?

Just curious.

Cocitus23.

 

[yeldarb8]

Must confess I am a bit puzzled about your "problem". It is dead easy to book multi-carrier fares on most of the major aggregator sites like Expedia, Orbitz, Wego, TripAdvisor, and so on... Heck you can even book directly on airline web sites like AA.com.

 

[JohnK]

I hardly ever fly overseas on direct flights preferring to connect. On my latest trip a few weeks ago I went SYD-MEL-SIN and returned SIN-PER-SYD on the red-eye from SIN.

That surprises me. Why do you do it? I try to do the exact opposite, ie fly direct. Am I missing something? Is there some advantage in leaving from or arriving back in Australia at a city other than your own?

Just curious.

Simple example is SYD-BKK return on QF is ~AUD1200-1500 return and earns 9,368 QFF points and 60 SCs. Not easy to book from QF overseas website.

So spend ~AUD600 and fly BKK-SIN in CX business class and earn 120 SCs and then spend ~AUD800-1000 to fly SIN-SYD return and earn 60 SCs direct or up to 90 SCs by flying via another port(s). So for a few hundred dollars extra I get more SCs.

Now about connecting via another Australian airport as opposed to flying direct.

- SYD-SIN direct as a Platinum earn 7,816 QFF points and 30 SCs
- SYD-MEL-SIN as a Platinum earn 8,498 QFF points and 40 SCs
- SYD-ADL-SIN as a Platinum earn 8,164 QFF points and 40 SCs
- SYD-BNE-SIN as a Platinum earn earn 8,628 QFF points and 40 SCs
- SYD-PER-SIN as a Platinum earn 8,940 QFF points and 45 SCs

- BKK-SIN flight in business class earn 1,122 QFF points and 60 SCs

Take note that each SC is worth 11.11 QFF points on a pro rata basis for the 5,000 QFF points bonus for every 450 SCs. So 30 SCs earns ~333 QFF points and then another 10 SCs earns ~111 extra QFF points, or another 15 SCs earns ~167 extra QFF points, or another 60 SCs earns ~667 extra QFF points.

So while I can fly SYD-BKK direct and earn 9,368 QFF points and 60 SCs I choose to connect via another Australia airport and SIN and earn more QFF points and ~200-210 SCs. On the way over I have a night in SIN while on the return it is just a same day transit. I have also connected via HKG and TPE which give much better earning for not much more.

May not be that important to a lot of people but I try to maximise SCs and QFF points on most journeys and to be extremely honest a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there are not really a burden and usually forgotten after a couple of days. That being said it is much easier to connect on the outbound legs than to connect on the inbound leg but for now I prefer to connect unless I need to be back at a specific time....

 

[blackcat20]

Must confess I am a bit puzzled about your "problem". It is dead easy to book multi-carrier fares on most of the major aggregator sites like Expedia, Orbitz, Wego, TripAdvisor, and so on... Heck you can even book directly on airline web sites like AA.com.

Not entirely true; once youve selected a particular outbound flight, it limits which inbound flight. Just looked on Expedia, and it didnt even offer a direct QF back to Melbourne. And it wasnt a problem, per se, I was just more curious about weather it could be done, given I'd done it previously but was told this time that I couldnt.

 

[Cocitus23]

Simple example is SYD-BKK return on QF is ~AUD1200-1500 return and earns 9,368 QFF points and 60 SCs. Not easy to book from QF overseas website.

So spend ~AUD600 and fly BKK-SIN in CX business class and earn 120 SCs and then spend ~AUD800-1000 to fly SIN-SYD return and earn 60 SCs direct or up to 90 SCs by flying via another port(s). So for a few hundred dollars extra I get more SCs.

Now about connecting via another Australian airport as opposed to flying direct.

- SYD-SIN direct as a Platinum earn 7,816 QFF points and 30 SCs
- SYD-MEL-MEL as a Platinum earn 8,498 QFF points and 40 SCs
- SYD-ADL-SIN as a Platinum earn 8,164 QFF points and 40 SCs
- SYD-BNE-SIN as a Platinum earn earn 8,628 QFF points and 40 SCs
- SYD-PER-SIN as a Platinum earn 8,940 QFF points and 45 SCs

- BKK-SIN flight in business class earn 1,122 QFF points and 60 SCs

Take note that each SC is worth 11.11 QFF points on a pro rata basis for the 5,000 QFF points bonus for every 450 SCs. So 30 SCs earns ~333 QFF points and then another 10 SCs earns ~111 extra QFF points, or another 15 SCs earns ~167 extra QFF points, or another 60 SCs earns ~667 extra QFF points.

So while I can fly SYD-BKK direct and earn 9,368 QFF points and 60 SCs I choose to connect via another Australia airport and SIN and earn more QFF points and ~200-210 SCs. On the way over I have a night in SIN while on the return it is just a same day transit. I have also connected via HKG and TPE which give much better earning for not much more.

May not be that important to a lot of people but I try to maximise SCs and QFF points on most journeys and to be extremely honest a couple of hours here and a couple of hours there are not really a burden and usually forgotten after a couple of days. That being said it is much easier to connect on the outbound legs than to connect on the inbound leg but for now I prefer to connect unless I need to be back at a specific time....

JohnK,

Thanks for taking the trouble to prepare such a comprehensive expose of your rationale. I had indeed been missing something. It never occurred to me that one could 'exploit' the system to deliver such significant increases in miles and credits. Having said that, I cannot imagine myself following your lead. In my mind I will always be wanting to get to where I am going as efficiently as possible, and I'll just let the rewards fall where they will. As you intimated, different people will see this differently, and I guess that you and I are two different people.
Tell me, do you get some strange looks from airline staff when they see some of your indirect itineraries? Do they realise what you are up to? Do they offer to 'help' you by amending your itineray to something more direct?
Again, many thanks for enlightening me.

Cocitus23.

 

[JohnK]

I had indeed been missing something. It never occurred to me that one could 'exploit' the system to deliver such significant increases in miles and credits.

For me it is also part of the game. I get bored quite easily so looking for 'creative' ways to maximise SCs and points/miles is a challenge that keeps me busy and interested in flying.

Having said that, I cannot imagine myself following your lead. In my mind I will always be wanting to get to where I am going as efficiently as possible, and I'll just let the rewards fall where they will.

Sometimes I think to myself 'Why are you doing this?' but when you see the rewards it makes it all worthwhile.

As mentioned I could fly SIN-SYD and arrive at ~6:00am or fly SIN-MEL-SIN and arrive at ~10:00am. Or I can fly SYD-SIN and depart ~5:00pm or fly SYD-MEL-SIN and depart ~1:00pm. The few hours are not a great loss.

Tell me, do you get some strange looks from airline staff when they see some of your indirect itineraries? Do they realise what you are up to? Do they offer to 'help' you by amending your itineray to something more direct?
Again, many thanks for enlightening me.

Yes I have had many strange looks and comments.

Sometimes they do offer to get me there with the most direct routing but I simply smile and refuse their kind offer.

The best one of the lot was the CNS-TSV-MKY-ROK-GLT-BNE milk run. I told the crew I wanted to get off at each airport and they obliged with my request.

Also fun when doing the same day turnarounds and the crew is the same as the previous flight. Happened quite a lot on AY flights BKK-SIN/HKG and now on CX flights HKG-MNL. The expression on the crew's face is priceless when they realise that you had just flown down with them and are returning back to the departure point.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Also fun when doing the same day turnarounds and the crew is the same as the previous flight.

John k

You could suggest you Fancied being a FA without doing the work

Cheers skip