United Airlines Frequent Flyer Miles (useless)

[jimmym40]

Wow, what a shocker. A little info: 2 yrs ago I used my miles for a round trip from CM to BKK, cost was 25,000 miles round trip (no additional fees/cost). Good Deal for sure.

Today, I checked on using the miles for same trip. Cost = 17,500 miles PLUS $78.10 for ONE-WAY.

Anyone else with tons of miles with United? Better to spend them on their store.

FYI...

[AngelsLariat]

I think that you'll find that you get more value out of United FF points on long haul flights. For instance, a round trip from BKK-NYC-BKK requires 80,000 FF miles.

[khwaibah]

Hurry up and use what you have because UA is cancelling service to Thailand.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/683046-united-airlines-cancelling-tokyo-bkk-flights-next-year/

[AngelsLariat]

Hurry up and use what you have because UA is cancelling service to Thailand.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/683046-united-airlines-cancelling-tokyo-bkk-flights-next-year/

But TG, NH, and possibly others flying BKK-USA will still be a Star Alliance partners.

[mesquite]

Star Alliance appears to be going downhill. I could not use my Thai miles for a Thai upgrade BKK-LAX. They check every flight in 2014 and nothing available. Yes, every flight.

Use those miles ASAP for anything of value. A stuffed animal through the store for your wife/gf/child is better than nothing.

Edited March 14, 2014 by mesquite

[habfan]

I think these FF air miles plans are pretty much all the same now. A " free" roundtrip long haul flight ends up costing you $300.00 to $500.00 for taxes and fuel surcharges, which is still a OK good deal IMHO if you got the miles and you're flying from North America to Thailand for a vacation.

Anyone know of a FF air miles plan that is actually 100% free?

[northernjohn]

I think these FF air miles plans are pretty much all the same now. A " free" roundtrip long haul flight ends up costing you $300.00 to $500.00 for taxes and fuel surcharges, which is still a OK good deal IMHO if you got the miles and you're flying from North America to Thailand for a vacation.

Anyone know of a FF air miles plan that is actually 100% free?

The only experience I ever had with them was with EVA I flew deluxe economy and upgraded to business one way.

No money needed.

[neilrob]

My experience has long been that the best value use for UA (and other airlines) FF miles is to get upgrades to business class. There normally is no copay and the cost difference between economy and business, if you were to actually pay for a business class ticket, is large.

[Thighlander]

I think these FF air miles plans are pretty much all the same now. A " free" roundtrip long haul flight ends up costing you $300.00 to $500.00 for taxes and fuel surcharges, which is still a OK good deal IMHO if you got the miles and you're flying from North America to Thailand for a vacation.

Anyone know of a FF air miles plan that is actually 100% free?

I came in February using 32,500 miles, and 40 USD, from IAD to CNX. They did just raise the amount to 40,000. A saver award had been 65,000 for years. Had I flown through Dubai, the taxes would have only been 5 usd. London was 52+/-.. Going back in September looks like 40K in miles, 56 usd through Tokyo, 74 through Germany or 96 through London or 60 through Zurich.

Starting in 2015, Delta will also do the one way tickets, but you can't book them before Jan 1, apparently. I was given 50,000 miles for getting an American Express Card. I had also gotten a 40K bonus for getting a Continental Visa card, and then was able to add them to my UAL account after the merger at no cost.

[growe237]

I think these FF air miles plans are pretty much all the same now. A " free" roundtrip long haul flight ends up costing you $300.00 to $500.00 for taxes and fuel surcharges, which is still a OK good deal IMHO if you got the miles and you're flying from North America to Thailand for a vacation.

Anyone know of a FF air miles plan that is actually 100% free?

My husband and I flew RT from BOS to CNX for 65,000 miles each with UA, Nov-Feb. Fees and surcharges were only $65 each.

I'd say that's a pretty good deal.

[MMan]

I recently booked RT BKK - LAX on EVA with UA miles. If you book far enough in advance some good Saver miles options.

Sent from my GT-I9190 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[IMA_FARANG]

Hurry up and use what you have because UA is cancelling service to Thailand.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/683046-united-airlines-cancelling-tokyo-bkk-flights-next-year/

----------------------

That's actually not true.

United will still be flying in and out of Thailand but sometime soon they will be doing a codeshare with ANA (All Nippon .Airways) their Japanese codeshare partner.

Many of the United flights into Bangkok are still bookable from United but the aircraft being used will probably be ANA operated.

I talked to the United Airlines booking staff in their then Bangkok office in February, and they said they had not yet been told if the staff there would be from ANA or United staff.

The United Airlines office in Bangkok, as far as they knew then, would still remain open .... but it may be become an AMA office staffed by ANA people. On 5 February the United staff there were not sure if they would still be working there or not.

United will still book BKK to the U.S. flights through Narita to SFO. but it is possible they will be using all ANA aircraft for the BKK to Narita leg..

That will mean a aircraft change to a United Airlines aircraft in Narita for many United Airlines to U.S. bound flights.

[lomatopo]

UA/MP announced significant changes to the MP program on Nov. 1, 2013, which became effective on Feb. 1, 2014, resulting in significant increases in redemption rates for many/most awards.

https://www.united.com/web/en-US/content/news/United-Award-Chart-02-01-14.pdf

http://boardingarea.com/onemileatatime/2013/11/01/united-mileageplus-award-chart-devaluation/

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/united-airlines-mileageplus/1517647-changes-mileageplus-award-upgrade-policies-eff-3-feb-2014-a.html

Savvy fliers locked in award travel before the increases took effect. I booked three (3) USA-BKK-USA trips in first or business.

The taxes and fees the OP quotes seem high. I think they include the $50 telephone booking fee, which one may be able to avoid by booking on-line or by having a higher level of status. As a 1K I do not pay any fees to book on the phone, or to redeposit.

UA/MP is one of the few programs which still does not charge YQ (fuel surcharges) on any award ticket. Most other programs charge YQ which can amount to hundreds of dollars. For upgrades, UA does offer same-day Buy-ups, or miles + co-pay, (detailed on the linked charts)

There is some speculation that UA/MP will change the way miles are accrued in the future, tying mileage accrual to fare paid. YMWV.

UA stops flying their own metal to BKK on 29/30 March 2014, so this makes it a bit harder to redeem award travel to/from Thailand, at the Saver level. This decision was part of their attempt to shed some $ 2 B in expenses.

UA has a joint venture (JV) with ANA (NH), which received immunity waivers from the DoJ and the Japanese equivalent. This allows them to fix prices, control inventory and share revenue on trans-Pac flights. This JV has been extended to Thailand even though it may not be legal. Hence NH will operate NRT-BKK-NRT to feed traffic from/to UA. NH upgauged from a 767 to a 777, and adjusted the early AM/late PM times to align with UA flights at NRT. UA/Pan Am operated one or two dailies to BKK for 28 years.

The UA CTO was, as far as I know, a contract office with a few UA management.

All airport employees will be let go.

Flight crew are based in NRT, HNL or the U.S.

You can still book award travel to BKK on *A partners but understand that Saver inventory is very, very tightly controlled, unless you want to fly on ET via ADB with a 22 hour layover.

Edited March 18, 2014 by lomatopo

[lomatopo]

FYI, I checked an award for BKK-CNX, and yes, it is 17,500 miles one-way in Economy and 25,000 miles one-way in Business, but the total taxes and fees are $3.10 (believe this is the 100 baht PSC).

Not sure how the OP ended up with $78.10, but it would appear to me to be a $75 surcharge, perhaps this is the "late booking fee" (AKA: close in booking fee for rez within 21 days, again as a 1K I do not have to pay this fee.)