If an ANA segment of your itinerary is canceled, the upgrade request for that segment will also be automatically canceled. For example, since Air Canada and United are both in the Star Alliance, United members can earn and redeem miles on Air Canada and vice versa. . Put simply, ExpertFlyer is a website thats accessible via a paid membership. As soon as you select American Airlines, the following list of fare classes will pop up for you to search. Authenticate using your booking code or ticket number (E.g. I highly recommend keeping the Flexible travel dates box checked this will let you view a week's worth of award space at once. You can view more details of the available flights by clicking the Details button located to the right of the flight's total duration. We take your comments very seriously as they really help us to improve the site. Next, you need to identify your airlines fare bucket for upgrade inventory in order to see if you'll be able to clear in advance. This presents a problem if you're transferring miles to Singapore Airlines from a credit card. I use this feature when my travel plans are flexible, so I can compare and contrast all available airlines and routes. Please note that the waitlist functionality is controlled by the operating airline and may not be available if the operating airline chooses not to offer it for a particular flight. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners. You'll be immediately greeted with search fields. I have had it happen to me. Thanks very much for the detailed response. If a Copa Airlines segment of your itinerary is canceled, the upgrade request for that segment will also be automatically canceled. I've found that ExpertFlyer is the most accurate way to search for award space, making it well worth the monthly subscription. Even though American Airlines has 26 different fare classes, one for each letter of the alphabet, there are only two you need to pay attention to for upgrades: ExpertFlyer is a great tool to help in your quest for these upgrades. Upgrade to Premium Economy Class On long-haul flights Type the month youre looking for travel if using the calendar shop function. Flights with Lufthansa must be booked into one of the following fare classes to qualify for a PlusPoints upgrade: B, C, D, E, G, H, J, M, Q, U, or Y. Copa Airlines You can fly to South America comfortably on Copa Airlines by using your PlusPoints. If upgrade space is available at the time of the request and you choose to confirm the upgrade, United will automatically deduct PlusPoints from your MileagePlus account. If you log in to your MileagePlus account and turn on "United Expert Mode," you'll be able to see a breakdown of available fare classes when searching for revenue flights, not award flights. Sorry I didn't put question markes in the subject field. You'll also notice that there's an option to search for an open-jaw booking. Our points-obsessed staff uses a plethora of credit cards on a daily basis. As mentioned earlier, you don't need to be signed in to search United.com for Star Alliance award space. Type in your departure and return airports, Choose the number of passengers and class of service, If youve got a specific airline in mind for your route, you can choose from the drop-down box that says. PlusPoints upgrades are not available through general selling agents. Before we get started, heres a list of tips you should absolutely keep in mind regarding Star Alliance awards: We did all the legwork, and were pleased to present the best ways to search for Star Alliance award availability. This happens because the award isn't actually available; instead, the booking engine is simply out of date. If you receive an upgrade to Business Class, you can enjoy the following benefits on this flight: Access to Lufthansa lounges; Check-in or baggage drop-off at the Business Class priority check-in counter; Two items of carry-on baggage free of charge; Use of priority lanes at security, if available at the respective airport Plus, earn an additional Free Night Award after you spend $60K in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. To check availability online, simply log into your account and select the 'Book a Flight' option. One of these benefits is the ability to earn and redeem airline miles across all alliance member airlines. If a waitlisted traveler is confirmed in the higher cabin, the ANA or Lufthansa reservation will reflect the upgraded class and United will send a notification to the email address provided at the time of the request. Finally, leverage the above tools and strategies to maximize your chances at riding up front. Make sure that the flight youre looking at isnt a waitlisted flight. Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. On the other hand, Advantage awards are generally easier to find and have increased flexibility but are considerably more expensive. You can transfer American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy points to KrisFlyer miles. You can reach them by phone at 1-800-645-3880, or by email at lufthansa.com/contact. you on a EDI-FRA-HKG you have to upgrade each flight separately). Since ANA doesn't allow its members to book one-way award tickets, you can't use the tool to search for them without adding a return leg. So if you want to be sure of an award search before you transfer your miles without calling an airline, ANA is your best bet. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Disclaimer:Upgraded Points, LLC and its website, UpgradedPoints.com, provides information on credit cards, reward programs, travel information and ancillary information concerning travel and credit cards. Unlike holding already available award space, you must have the miles in your account before you waitlist. Hot Tip: Check out our guide on the best ways to redeem Avianca LifeMiles for maximum value. Not the most user-friendly in the beginning, Technically, you can search one-way flights, though youll have to enter a round-trip routing that. Avianca LifeMiles availability isnt the same as other partners. Book with award miles At some of our airports, you can even secure your upgrade, subject to availability, at the last minute at a fixed price or by redeeming miles at the check-in/bag drop-off counter, ticket counter or at the gate. If you transfer the miles in and don't clear the waitlist, you cannot transfer your miles back to your credit card. This is marked above the award ticket price across all classes of service, and you can see an example in the screenshot above. When you're ready to book, click the red Next button and follow the on-screen prompts to process your booking. Check out our in-depth guide on how to use Expertflyer to automatically search for award space and upgrades. Then, well present the pros and cons of using each search engine. Although you cant search for months at a time via a calendar view, you can be fairly certain that your award search will be smooth using Aeroplan. This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). I was able to get the FRA-STL leg upgraded no problem, but got the same message you got on STL-FRA. In this guide, well be showing you how to use various Star Alliance airlines award search engines to pinpoint the exact flight to take. Enter the requested information, then click Verify and Create and you'll be all set. Upgraded Points, LLC uses reasonable efforts to maintain accurate information on the site and p. rior to applying for any credit card offers found on UpgradedPoints.com, all visitors should review other features of such credit cards including but not limited to interest rates, annual fees and transaction fees, and should determine the suitability of such credit cards considering their own individual financial position. In addition to nonstop flights from San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and Newark (EWR) to Singapore (SIN), it also operates a handful of fifth-freedom flights from the U.S. like New York-JFK to Frankfurt, Houston (IAH) to Manchester (MAN) and others. For more information on our advertisers, see here. Many of the credit card offers that appear on this site are from credit card companies from which we receive financial compensation. Youve got a lot of options when searching for Star Alliance award availability, and weve now shown you the best ways to leverage search engine capabilities to plan your next Star Alliance trip! On the other hand, if you have transferable points from a travel rewards credit card, you may be able to leverage one Star Alliance transfer partner to book tickets on another carrier. Some Star Alliance partners do not permit lap infants to travel in a premium cabin and if the infant is permitted, special ticketing may be required. The Star Alliance consists of these airlines: Its a lot to handle, but the main thing youll want to take away is that there are a ton of different ways to search for award availability. Once he gets word of enough available seats, he should call to make sure he and his family can ride up front. Well begin with our first choices for airline search engines, and then well break down what the costs and benefits are for the airline. The following ANA fare classes are eligible for PlusPoints upgrades: B, C, D, E, G, J, M, U and Y. PlusPoints cant be used to upgrade from Economy to Premium Economy on ANA-operated flights. Image Credit: Copa Airlines Called customer service. Additionally, Avianca LifeMiles also has some of the best first class award costs. I highly recommend checking the "Compare seat availability +/- 3 days" button in the center of the search page too. Click on, On the left side, there is an area titled. Amex, Chase and Citi transfer to KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio while Capital One and Marriott transfer at a 2:1 and 3:1 ratio, respectively. It certainly wouldnt hurt! All available flights will appear at the center of the screen alongside their available award tiers and pricing. Enjoy a generous feeling of space and our excellent in-flight service. Lufthansa first class is one of the best first-class products on the planet, with top-notch service, an excellent hard product and complimentary access to the first-class terminal at Frankfurt (FRA). From there, you will be able to enter your travel dates and view available flights. They were offering a $550 upgrade for STL-FRA and a $340 upgrade for FRA-STL. Related: How to search award availability for the major airlines. Upgrade at the price you want: make us an offer and, with a bit of luck, youll get your upgrade. An upgrade may be confirmed within eight weeks of departure, if a seat is available. Some of its largest members are United Airlines, Air Canada, ANA, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Swiss and Brussels Airlines. Most long-haul premium cabin award tickets on Singapore Airlines are only bookable through Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer loyalty program. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. To get started with searching award availability with LifeMiles, follow these simple steps: Besides the fact that Avianca LifeMiles recently overhauled their IT system, there are several reasons why youd want to use Avianca LifeMiles to search for Star Alliance awards: Here are some things to watch out for when using LifeMiles for award searches: Bottom Line: Avianca LifeMiles is a generally reliable way to search for award availability. Finally, United and Air Canada's Aeroplan loyalty program both have a history of showing phantom award space. For those who like to see all the options, this is a comprehensive method to search for award flights. In addition, you can enter passport and visa information, and enter details for the Secure Flight program. Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels, LOT and Other Partners | Miles & More, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -. Related: Ultimate guide to the new Singapore Suites. Now though, I am wondering how I get the site to show me other Star Alliance carrier flights, as all the flights I am shown are Air Canada and the fees are very similar to the actual flight price Air Canada charges for that route. For every 3,000 Premier qualifying points (PQP) you get beyond 18,000, you'll earn 20 more PlusPoints.*. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. You can filter out connecting flights by checking the "Show only nonstop flight availability" option underneath the calendar. Because that will probably require making a new login with United to see the available award spaces. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. If you're trying to upgrade to United Polaris or domestic first class, you'll need to find space in one of the following two fare classes: Meanwhile if you're looking to upgrade to United's recently launched Premium Plus cabin, you'll need space in the RN fare class, regardless of your elite status. If upgrade space on ANA or Lufthansa is not available at the time of the request, travelers may have the option to be placed on the ANA or Lufthansa upgrade waitlist. Single interface for searching all Star Alliance flights, Can see seat maps and set up flight alerts, so you can automatically be notified of award space opening, Lots of results. Heres how to use the ExpertFlyer website: Your results will either have the number of award seats available or a Yes/No message on the right-side. It includes some of the most well-known airlines in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and beyond. Skip to content Simply click on Awards & Upgrades at the top left, enter your search criteria, select Lufthansa from the drop-down, and check the box for O first-class awards. Related: How to redeem miles with United MileagePlus. Start your exclusive journey in our First Class Terminal and enjoy precious privacy as well as culinary highlights on your flight. Receive 1 Free Night Award every year after your Card renewal month. Then, click the Award Booking button on the homepage to be redirected to the ANA Mileage Club search tool. Awards can be used for one night (redemption level at or under 35,000 Marriott Bonvoy points) at hotels participating in Marriott Bonvoy. In addition, as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. A device that can't check in can't receive your policies from Intune. After logging in to your account, look for the "Awards & Upgrades" tool by clicking its label on the left-hand sidebar. Requests for upgrades can be made after you have purchased your ticket. Enjoy Complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status with your Card. The layout is a bit odd, but everything you need to search is right at the center of the screen. Requests for upgrades can be made after youve purchased your ticket. An open jaw is when you arrive in one city and return from another. How Can I Tell When Airlines Have Available Upgrade Space? Benefits such as room upgrades, free breakfasts, offers, deals, discounts and credit to spend in the bar or spa are available at Grand Hyatt hotels & resorts if you book with specialist agents. Here are the instructions youll want to follow to search for award flights on ANA: ANA has a powerful search engine, and heres what we love about it: Here are the drawbacks of using ANA for your award searches: Bottom Line: Overall, if you want the most accurate search capabilities, look no further than ANA. Upgrades are subject to availability and valid for paid, published fares only. Receive a 7% discount off standard rates for reservations of standard guest rooms at hotels that participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program when you book directly. This isn't the worst thing, though. The information provided is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial, tax or legal advice. Getting the myOffer Lufthansa Upgrade. 1. "C" inventory is for a one-cabin upgrade to business class (or two-cabin domestic first class), "A" inventory is for an upgrade to first class on three-cabin aircraft, which only applies to American's Boeing 777-300ERs and specially configured Airbus A321Ts (for, PZ Platinum and Premier 1K certificates and all mileage upgrade awards, 6 points per dollar on eligible purchases at hotels participating in the Marriott Bonvoy program, 4 points per dollar at restaurants worldwide, U.S. gas stations, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. shipping, 2 points per dollar on all other eligible purchases, Earn a free-night award each card renewal month (up to 35,000 points), Receive 15 elite night credits to jump-start status, Must spend $60,000 in a year for second free-night award. Clearing an upgrade to first or business class especially before a long-haul, international flight requires the perfect combination of luck and skill. The homepage will have a form that you can fill out to conduct your award search. Remember, these flights cannot be booked with partners, so skip over them if you're planning to book your Star Alliance ticket with a partner loyalty program. : ABCD10 or 132-312334) and your name. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. If you select the "compare seat availability" button, you'll see a calendar view that shows a week's worth of flight availability at once for both the outbound and inbound legs. If youre looking for tips covering SkyTeam and Oneworld, be sure to check out the other two guides in this series: Despite being one of the easiest alliances to find award space with, Star Alliance is the quirkiest airline alliance when it comes to redeeming your airline miles. Make sure to check out our full guide to using ExpertFlyer for more info and a complete explainer on using the tool. Best card for premium perks while traveling, Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, The Business Platinum Card from American Express, Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card, Book by Saturday: United flights to Australia and Tahiti starting at 42,000 miles round-trip, 27 of the best free things to do in London, Monthly checklist: Credit card perks and benefits you should be using in May, 1st look: Starlux Airlines' stylish premium economy, economy cabins on the new Airbus A350. reservation as a status customer and benefit from automated check-in. Thus, you need to find availability on LifeMiles if you intend on using LifeMiles to book your flight. Additionally, the airline has an intuitive calendar search option that you can use to view a month's worth of award space at once. One of the biggest benefits is being able to set up flight alerts to notify you when award space has opened up. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. You can use the search tool to search for award space on several different airlines, including Star Alliance partners like United and Lufthansa. You can also use the calendar to view availability on a monthly basis. You can also book a hotel or a rental car directly, or even take out travel insurance. Unfortunately, just because there are open seats in business or first class doesn't mean you'll be allowed to upgrade. Upgrades can be requested until 24 hours prior to departure. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. When you click on this, you can view additional information like flight numbers and operating aircraft. "Reader Questions" are answered twice a week by TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Ethan Steinberg. Heres how to use United to search for award space: Here are the main pros of using United for award searches: Here are the main cons of using United for award searches: Bottom Line: If your dates are extremely flexible, wed recommend using Uniteds search engine to start your award search. There are 28 airlines in the Star Alliance, and while its possible to book award flights with all their airlines, its not as straightforward to search for award space. Compare the cost in points or miles to cash, and see which option is best. 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At this time, the airline doesn't offer saver space for premium economy awards, though, so these can only be booked with Mileage Plus miles for the time being. Phantom award space exists, especially on multi-segment flights. Outside of the travel world, Andrew is a cyclist, craft coffee aficionado and despite now living in NYC a Chicagoan at heart. You can make upgrade requests for Lufthansa-operated flights beginning 331 days before departure until 10 hours before departure. Toggle between one-way, round-trip, and multi-city. Star Alliance award space is easier to search than with other airline alliances; most of the major Star Alliance airlines have good search tools that show most Star Alliance availability. Once your ticket has been issued, requests to upgrade with PlusPoints can be made through our online request form. Select the dates you'd like to book and click the red Next button to view the available flights. Once youve confirmed award availability with ExpertFlyer, you can use your preferred points system to book your flight. With nearly 30 carriers worldwide, Star Alliance provides numerous options for redeeming your miles, and the above websites are your best bet for finding award options. As our flight from Vancouver to . If no award space is available in the award level you'd like to book, you may see an option to waitlist for a flight. See our Advertiser Disclosurefor more details. Right off the bat, you'll see that the ANA search tool isn't quite as refined as United's. Searching for Singapore Airlines award tickets is pretty simple. If you're booking on another airline, write down the dates of travel and flight numbers and call the loyalty program you're booking with. In the case of United miles, you can redeem miles on partners that offer a better inflight experience or fly to a destination that United doesn't serve. When you contact them, be sure to have your reservation number and flight details handy so that they can assist you further. PlusPoints can be used on flights operated by All Nippon Airways (ANA) for one-segment, one-cabin upgrades on any multi-cabin international flight operated by ANA and marketed by ANA or United. Aeroplan is Air Canada's loyalty program. Offer ends 5/3/23. Tell her that you are on standby for an upgrade. Those wishing to book further in advance must use Lufthansa Miles & More miles to book.