Airlines

[Jaimito Cartero]

Sounds like someone is rather bitter about all those pay cuts.

I'd say they're more pissed about getting their pension plan turned over to the Fed's this month. What's a little pay cut? From 120k a year to 39k or so for some pilots.

One thing that is very important to do is to know when they release the free tickets. Many carriers are at 330 days, some at 350. I always try and book at the first available day, especially for business class fares.

I'm familiar with CO and NW for most of my tickets, but the system is similar for most of them.

Make sure you check out partner flights. The option I used last year was to fly on Copa to EZE. Not the greatest of option, you fly on a 737, but it is first class and the service is pretty good. It was only 70k miles at the time, so I wasn't too disappointed.

If I recall correctly, AA, DL and UA are the American flagged carriers going to EZE right now. CO to come down in November. I know that you can fly Varig, TAM, Lan and a few others as well. (You could also get a reward trip to Montevideo, and just deplane in EZE. This would *probably* work going there, but you'd probably have to go to Montevideo on the return. They will often have a reward ticket going past your destination, but not to it. Weird yield management stuff. )

I noticed when I left a week and a half ago that Gol is now flying from Brazil to EZE. You could get a reward ticket to Sao Paolo or Rio, and then take a cheap flight on Gol for the rest of the trip.

[Dickhead]

Sounds like someone is rather bitter about all those pay cuts.

[Daddy Rulz]

First Hunt couldn't be more correct, on a United 767 the only difference between first and business is the seats are electric with a little more pitch and the footrest comes up a little higher, they also have a personal video player. Stick to business first just isn't worth it. Oh yes you get TWO pillows compared to the ONE pillow you get in business.

Sportsman in answer to your question: Who the fuck knows why yield managment does any of the fucking things they do. Those levels are set by fucks that only look at computers and probably don't even know they are talking about an airplane. They are the same idiots that publish round trip fares for $199.00 for a Y seat round trip from Dallas to San Diego leaving the day before Christmas coming back the day after New Years when the trips couldn't be more fucking oversold and we are giving people more money than that to get off of planes.

My guess would be a combination of factors though. To save room for people using upgrades they paid for (more revenue) also a lot of those seats have been sold in advance to priceline et al so they have actually made money on them. They also throw around this idea of not diluting the value of the product alot. The thinking being that if people don't pay cash for C and F then in their mind the Value of that product goes down.

Could also be that a bunch of those number crunching geeks are planning a trip to BsAs to fuck Rosa Maria.

Daddy's advice would be this, buy a domestic ticket to Miami then fly on Aerolinas Argentina or Southern Winds. They both still hire F/A's by the time honored hotness tests and the cabins aren't full of fat assed ugly old cows and sassy queens but rather a preview of what you will be finding when you get to BsAs. Also if you speak Spanish you could probably get some phone numbers. I know the hotel where they Southern Winds crews stay and all the young F/A's are very friendly and I have gone out with a few of them. It may cost you more but then there will be a seat for me on the Fat Cow airline and at least one of us will be happy, perhaps both if you get one of those numbers I mentioned.

[Hunt99]

Above quote is a partial posting from Tbird in the cell phone rental thread.


Most of my airline miles are with US Airways. Last week I tried to book a reward business or first class ticket to EZE for a long weekend (leaving WED or THU and returning on MON or TUE) on United, being it is part of the Star Alliance network. I searched for availability on United website and does not appear to have a single busniess nor first class ticket available for the next 11 months (the furthest ahead you can book a ticket) unless using double miles. I found only 3 dates available in coach between January and March of next year.

I thought US Airways are bad with reward ticket, but at least with them chances are good in the off season and given plenty of lead time. UNITED REALLY SUCKS WITH THEIR REWARD TICKETS!!!

Looks like the only realistic way to get reward ticket to EZE on United is paying double the mileage (80K for coach, 150K for business, and 200K for first).

Sportsman

Instead of looking online, call the airline award phone line directly, and you'll stand a 400% better chance of getting what you want than the way you're doing now. Though on a few occasions I have come up empty, when trying to use my miles on a business or first class ticket, I have had much more success than just plain economy.

And if you're wanting to fly United, stick to paying miles for business class unless only first is available. They fly 767s down to Argentina, and first on those planes isn't much better than business. Unlike their 777s and 747s, which have flat beds in First, which are light-years ahead of the traditional business class seat.

[Sportsman]

But for us non rev travelers it's good news.

DR,
Can you explain why airlines prefer to leave their seats empty rather than allowing their frequent flyers to cash in their miles as stand-by during off season? I have heard flights to EZE are half empty this time of the year.

[Daddy Rulz]

But for us non rev travelers it's good news.

[Tbird]

Continental has applied to begin non-stop service between Houston and Buenos Aires starting November 1.

This is great...except my CO miles are spoken for. I need regular doses of Colombia.

[Tbird]

Looks like the only realistic way to get reward ticket to EZE on United is paying double the mileage (80K for coach, 150K for business, and 200K for first).

Sportsman

Not quite double for coach, 50,000 miles as opposed to 80,000, but still... In fact, I looked at their site a week ago, and the original dates (1/24 to 1/31) were available on the saver level. Three days later NOTHING was available on saver except the dates I found in March. NOTHING. I just did not want to zero out my account completely, I only had 81,500....

[Sportsman]

Well, after a lot of clicking and cursing and refreshing and clicking again, I have been able to redeem my frequent flyer miles, and will be arriving in Buenos Aires on the wings of desire (er..make that United Airlines!) in the morning of March 25th. I know it is a long way off, but I am a nerd, and like to do things well in advance.

Above quote is a partial posting from Tbird in the cell phone rental thread.


Most of my airline miles are with US Airways. Last week I tried to book a reward business or first class ticket to EZE for a long weekend (leaving WED or THU and returning on MON or TUE) on United, being it is part of the Star Alliance network. I searched for availability on United website and does not appear to have a single busniess nor first class ticket available for the next 11 months (the furthest ahead you can book a ticket) unless using double miles. I found only 3 dates available in coach between January and March of next year.

I thought US Airways are bad with reward ticket, but at least with them chances are good in the off season and given plenty of lead time. UNITED REALLY SUCKS WITH THEIR REWARD TICKETS!!!

Looks like the only realistic way to get reward ticket to EZE on United is paying double the mileage (80K for coach, 150K for business, and 200K for first).

Sportsman

[Jaimito Cartero]

I get most of my upgrades previous to flight check-in. I will try and fly on routes that have free international upgrades. There aren't too many out there anymore.

Most require certain high fares for a coach ticket, and then a bunch of miles in each direction.

If you fly Continental or Copa and are a Continental elite (Silver/Gold/Plat), you will get free upgrades if there are available seats, for eligible routes. So my trip last week, LAX-EWR-LIM (Los Angeles to Newark to Lima, Peru) were all on elibile aircraft. Generally, as long as it's not a widebody (767, 777) you're fine.

If you're at the highest level of elite membership, if the plane is full, or overbooked (as intimated by El Aleman), they will generally upgrade those members first.

The last method works sometimes as well, and that's trying to sweet talk the agent. This works best at a airline's club, or at the gate. It hardly ever works at check in.

[El Aleman]

At my experience, free upgrades depend mainly on 2 things: seat availability and how much the check in girl likes you. I have seen it all, from getting it offered without even asking to no way, even for cash.

A good, however a bit risky, strategy seems to be not to get a seat assignment when buying your ticket, and checking in not too early at the business class counter, waving your frequent flyer card. The risk is, if business is full, or the chica does not like you, you end up on the shittiest coach seat that's left over...

El Alemán

[Sportsman]

I think free upgrades are more so based on the routes rather than the type of planes they fly. I know United, US Airways, and NW have unlimited free upgrades on the domestic routes for their frequent flyers regardless what type of planes. On the other hand, the international free upgrades are very limited.

[Codeman]

Ahh, thanks for the correction, Jaimito. I wasn't aware of that! Continental will use their 767's, so no luck on that end.

[Jaimito Cartero]

767's: The same type Continental uses on their Brazil flights. You probably meant that as the 767 is bigger than the 757.

No, I mean the somewhat smaller 757's that allow free upgrades. I'd even take a 737-800 or 900. The 767's and other widebodies do NOT allow free upgrades.

[Codeman]

767's: The same type Continental uses on their Brazil flights. You probably meant that as the 767 is bigger than the 757.