Boasting a portfolio of over 20 cards, Jarrod has been an expert in the points and miles space for over 6 years. He earns and redeems over 1 million points per year and his work has been featured in o...
Edited by: Kellie Jez
Kellie’s professional experience has led her to a deep passion for compliance, data reporting, and process improvement. Kellie’s learned the ins and outs of the points and miles world and leads UP’s c...
58 comments
Grant
January 17, 2018
Sounds great but I can’t find award availability on these.
Alex Miller
January 17, 2018
Hey Grant, when you say “these”…which redemptions were you looking at? Thanks
DaninMCI
January 20, 2018
This is a very good post. I have to laugh at the opening though. Plan ahead and be flexible, duh. But I understand it’s a wide audience.
Alex Miller
January 20, 2018
@DaninMCI – you’d be amazed at how many excited travelers want to book an awards flight for a trip within 20-30 days of their departure date 🙂
Keith Moberly
January 28, 2018
@Alex Miller – There never appears to be any low mileage fare 1st available anymore. Is this just the case across the board for HI? This is our travel destination every other year. We have been using Ultimate Rewards the last couple of trips, though think we got luck on UAL in 2015 when there was some 1st Saver Award availability. Just wanting to know if it is even worth continuing to search for 1st Saver or equivalent on any carrier. Thanks
Alex Miller
February 02, 2018
@Keith – great question. It’s still definitely possible, but due to those routes being so popular it’s tough for sure. As always, try and book as far in advance as you possibly can and avoid super busy times such as major holidays, and of course Valentines day etc. But, they do exist!
Cy
April 11, 2018
When I called to Air France to ask about a Flying Blue mile redemption on its partner Delta (between Hawaii and Las Vegas), the person who answered seem to immediately think this wouldn’t be available. I was asking for flight over 5 months in advance too (in September-not around holidays). I got the impression that they might not like booking partner tickets and that there is very low availability. The agent basically just said, “No, no flights available.” Do you think it just depends on who you speak with? About 1.5 years ago I was successfully able to use Flying Blue miles on the same Delta route…Thanks!
Cy
April 11, 2018
I just called back and spoke with a different agent who was a lot more helpful. She actually took the time to look up dates and give me other options. It does sound like availability on these types of flights is very low. She explained that especially for domestic flights, Delta only gives them a few seats that sell out quickly. Hmmm…
Joe
May 11, 2018
Thanks for the awesome writeup. I am looking to maximize my points (180k on Chase UR). I am planning a trip july 27 to august 1. Cheapest non stop flight (arriving before 2pm) is around $650.
As I follow this guide, I’m either not seeing availability or the points are 30k one way which is roughly $300 if I’m transferring from chase UR?
Or am I doing something wrong? Thanks in advance!
Joe
May 11, 2018
sorry it is from LAX to OGG
Michael McHugh
May 15, 2018
Hi Joe
Here are the economy options I’d consider:
– 24k round-trip using Singapore miles on Alaska flying LAX-PDX/SEA-OGG
– 25k round-trip using British Airways miles on American flying LAX-OGG
– 25k round-trip using Korean Air miles on Delta flying LAX-oGG
Joe
June 09, 2018
So when I check Delta’s site, I only see 55000 miles.
How do I get it for the 25,000 round trip? Is there another step? Or does that mean there is no availability for that price?
Alex Miller
June 09, 2018
Yes, that would mean that the “saver” level isn’t available right now for the dates that you’re looking at. These cheaper award prices are limited, try to book as far in advance as you can to maximize your chances of snagging the cheaper rates.
Jack Fear
May 15, 2018
You mention that the only lie flat route currently on AA is PHX-HNL. Then state that your best bet would actually be out of DFW. Not sure I follow? Are there in fact lie-flat options from DFW and can you provide further detail? Is that direct? To HNL?
Thanks!
Michael McHugh
May 16, 2018
Hi Jack!
Apologies for the confusion. You will have lie flat seats on the AA routes that are flown by the A330 or the B777. Routes flown by the B757 are recliner seats. The A330 and B757 are flown on the PHX-HNL route. The B777 is flown on the DFW-HNL route.
Julie Weinberger
May 25, 2018
Hi,
I am looking to book a reward ticket from Atlanta to Honolulu around October 15-23. I’ve looked on Korean SkyPass, delta, and air FRANCE, and have not found any award ticket availability. I even plugged in different dates (random in December, January, and April), to see if maybe my dates were full, and still nothing. I am searching one way tickets to check each way for a round trip. What am I doing wrong? Help!!
Michael McHugh
May 29, 2018
Hi Julie
I’d recommend searching Delta’s website on the following routes: LAX to HNL, MSP to HNL, SLC to HNL, SEA to HNL. When you find the lowest level availability, call Korean Air to confirm the award space you found. Korean is able to 1) book the direct segment from those airpots to HNL and 2) book the connecting segment from ATL to your gateway city (i.e. ATL to LAX).
I recently did this for my Delta flights from JFK to VCE and FCO to DTW. I simply called Korean and asked them to add connecting flights from DCA to JFK and DTW to DCA. No additional charge to add a connecting flight using Korean.
Eric
February 17, 2019
In your post regarding flying blue miles to Hawaii what do you mean when you say “It’s easy to search for award space on Delta by using Air France’s online search. Once you find space, you can quickly complete the booking process online.” I am searching for a flight from Chicago to Maui or any of the Hawaiian islands and do not see any availability. What is the best airline search engine to use for using my Flying blue miles? Is there something I am missing? Can you give an example?
Michael McHugh
February 18, 2019
Hi Eric
If you only have Flying Blue miles, use both Delta and Flying Blue (the Air France or KLM website) to search for Delta availability.
Here’s an example of a flight I recently booked. I have Chase points and Korean Air was previously a Korean Air airline transfer partner. I searched the Delta and Flying Blue websites for Delta availability. I then confirmed that same Delta availability on the Korean Air website. From there, I transferred my points from Chase to Korean Air to book the flight.
In your case, if you already have Flying Blue miles, use both the Delta (look for saver level or “orange” colored flight pricing) and the Flying Blue websites. Search segment by segment (i.e. Washington DC to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Kauai), and then piece it all together with dates that have saver level pricing. When you find those award flights, book the ticket directly on the Air France or KLM website (Flying Blue).
Eric
February 18, 2019
This is good information! Much appreciated. Regarding your example of booking Hawaii with Korean Air miles, I get you can use Delta and Flying Blue websites to search for Delta availability however when I try to confirm Delta availability on Korean Air’s web site I have difficulties. Is there something I am missing? Is there a trick to this too?
I also have a lot of Singapore Air miles and want to book from Chicago to Maui. I have heard the best way to search for awards is using United Air search website and look for Saver awards only. Is this the best way. Finding award availability seems to be a challenge sometimes.
Stephen Au
February 21, 2019
Eric,
Delta Airlines can be very clunky for domestic flights when using Korean Air. If I were you, I would call either Air France/KLM Flying Blue or Korean Air.
As far as using Singapore Airlines miles to book to Hawaii, the best method is to use Aeroplan’s website, and then call Singapore Air to book. The reason for this is because Aeroplan has the same award inventory as Singapore Airlines does on United flights. Using United to search award availability might give you a false positive because United members have better access to United award flights.
phuong nguyen
May 28, 2019
I am on Singapore Airlines web site and want to book a fly from Houston to Maui. Each segment does show 17.5K so the total miles for the roundtrip is indeed 35k.
However, if I click continue, it stated i need 60k miles to complete the booking online.
Does anybody see the same thing? Do I have to call SIA to book it with an agent?
Thanks
Phuong
Stephen Au
June 07, 2019
Hi Phuong,
A good option to try is calling Singapore Airlines. We recommend calling them for any travel NOT on Singapore Airlines.
RAJESH BHANDARI
March 01, 2019
From your article
“For those with Chase Ultimate Rewards points, the Korean Air SkyPass program just might be the most popular way to book award flights to Hawaii on Delta”
I don’t have delta points so if I book delta thru Korean air skypass, how do I get ultimate points transferred to Korean skypass
Thanks
Katie Seemann
March 08, 2019
Hi Rajesh,
Unfortunately, Chase Ultimate Rewards don’t transfer to Korean Air SkyPass anymore.If you have Chase points you can transfer those into Marriott points and then transfer the Marriott points to Korean at a rate of 3:1. For every 60,000 Marriott points that you transfer, you’ll receive an extra 5,000 Korean miles bonus. Hope this helps!
Jen hoang
March 25, 2019
We currently have 90,000 chase rewards. If we want to fly business class to Hawaii, then we need to transfer the points to to Korean Air Skypass, then use the points to book business class Delta tickets to Hawaii?
Stephen Au
March 25, 2019
Hey Jen,
Unfortunately, Korean Air SKYPASS is no longer a Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner. As a result, you won’t be able to utilize this specific redemption.
David
April 03, 2019
Hi – If I accumulated enough Alaska Airline points. Is it a good deal If Alaska Airlines have flights from New York to Honolulu round-trip for 30K or 35K points? I could also have stopovers in SEA, PDX, SFO or SAN if I wish to. Thanks.
Stephen Au
April 04, 2019
Hey David,
It all depends on how much you think your miles are worth. It depends too on the cash prices of the tickets you’re looking at. That’s sort of a personal question that you have to ask yourself. Thanks for reading.
Vickie
April 07, 2019
It looks like I can get from DC to Maui on American for 1st class at end of June for 55,000 which doesn’t seem all that bad, am I missing something? Regular economy seats seem to be for 50,000, no brainer unless I’m missing something.
Katie Seemann
April 11, 2019
Hi Vickie,
Yes, if that is the case then it’s definitely a no brainer! Have a great trip.
Tammy Lee
May 15, 2019
What’s the best way to book flights from DFW to HNL? Appreciate any advice you can give me.
Stephen Au
May 16, 2019
For nonstop flights, American Airlines is pretty much your only option.
You can investigate using British Airways Avios, which is transfer partners with Chase Ultimate Rewards. On the other hand, you can use American Airlines miles to book, too.
The last option could be to use Chase Ultimate Rewards points directly on the travel portal for 1.5 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Reserve or 1.25 cents per point with the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
Dan
August 01, 2019
I just spent three hours trying the first three options you suggested including calling agents to ask them to double-check availability. No business class availability via KoreanAir, SingaporeAir, or AirFrance for the next three months!!!! Very frustrating!!!
Jarrod West
August 01, 2019
Hi Dan,
Finding business class award space can be difficult at times, even more so if you’re only looking three months out. Nevertheless, keep checking periodically for the dates you need as additional seats can be released as you get close to your desired departure date.
Thanks for reading!
Jenn Slaughter
September 08, 2022
So I am confused, help please! I am trying to book Kansas to Hawaii. I looking at the “Book Awards Tickets on Alaska Airlines With Singapore KrisFlyer” section of your article. And I believe I understand how the process mostly… I would be booking zone 3, from kansas w/ a layover fro 25,000 miles round trip per person – if I am understand correctly? Here is where I don’t understand, you say…
“Here are the steps you’ll want to take to book your ticket:
1. Search for availability on the Alaska website.”
…. what exactly am I searching for on the Alaska Airlines website? Am I looking for a certain class of flight? Does it need to be a certain number of miles on the Alaska website, for it to translate over into being able to book the 25,000 miles flight through Singapore Air? Can I fly into any airport in HI? I am needing to fly into HNL. Please help!
CericRushmore
August 10, 2019
I thought that United IAD-HNL is lie flat in business?
Andrew Kunesh
August 13, 2019
Good catch! The nonstop IAD-HNL route does indeed have lie-flat seating in business class. We’ve updated the article to reflect this. Thanks!
Sam
November 11, 2019
I tried booking US domestic flight though Korean website, and it said origin/destination cannot be in the same region. So is this no longer an option now?
Stephen Au
November 12, 2019
Hi Sam,
You can call Korean Air SKYPASS to book awards of this nature. Thanks for reading!
James
December 19, 2019
I don’t see any result from NY to OGG(or HNL) with Air france / KLM
Is it still available?
Thanks.
Jarrod West
December 23, 2019
Hi James,
Are you looking at a specific range of dates? Or do you mean you couldn’t find any results for the year?
FrustratedTryingtoGohawaiFirstTime
January 03, 2020
Using the AirFrance website to find Delta flight is not easy at all. I have been trying to for a week.
Frustrated
January 03, 2020
“Well, now you have a much better option as Singapore Airlines allows you to search for and book award flights with Star Alliance partners online.”
This also does not work, at least not for Midwest. Already spent 1+ hour with Singapore representative and no one seems to have a clue as to how to book with Alaska Airlines for a flight I found on AA SAaver miles.
Jarrod West
January 04, 2020
Hi!
Just to clarify, the part of the post you’re referencing is using Singapore miles. But you seem to be trying to book your flight using Alaska miles or AA miles? Is that correct?
Adam Owens
January 16, 2020
Alex or anyone that can help!
I’m trying to get our family of 4 from Seattle to either Kauai or Maui later this year. Travel dates are flexible but somewhere around the holidays is ideal. I have 200k+ Chase Ultimate Rewards and 330k + (and growing) miles with Alaska and also MVP 75k with Alaska. Alaska is obviously preferred, but how can I utilize my Alaska miles to get the most bang for the buck(non stop preferred)?
Of course I’ll need to book our hotels (I have timeshare time, best option is Kauai for this) but have 1 million Hilton points and can do the 4 plus 1 night free.
Appreciate the help!
Jarrod West
January 21, 2020
Hi Adam,
Are you planning to fly in economy or first? If you prefer to use your Alaska miles then economy tickets should cost 40k round-trip per person, and first would cost 80k round-trip per person (availability for 4 first class tickets on the same flight may be tough to find), to fly non-stop from Seattle to Hawaii.
In terms of searching for award space, Alaska’s own website is a good place to start. The American Airlines and British Airways websites can be helpful too, but make sure you’re looking for flights operated by Alaska and not any of their other partners.
Thanks for reading!
Joe Widjaja
February 12, 2020
Hi,
Great posting btw, thank you for sharing. I have a question: My wife and I have been traveling with Delta and we’ve been collecting ample miles from our trip.
I have Delta Skymiles instead of Korean Miles. Would I still be getting the same miles redemption (i.e. 25,000) to fly from NYC to Hawaii as you mentioned in your first option by booking delta using Korean Miles?
Stephen Au
February 18, 2020
Joe,
If you have Delta SkyMiles, you’ll have to pay the price in Delta SkyMiles. You can’t apply the Korean Air pricing to Delta SkyMiles. Korean Air miles are generally harder to get, which is why the price is lower than Delta SkyMiles for the most part.
thomas marsden
March 04, 2020
I am retired and have spent a lot of time been checking flights from ORD, JFK, and ATL to OGG or HNL for first or business class saver flights. I have about 900,000 miles, but I am still looking for a business or first saver fare. Any suggestions?
Stephen Au
March 10, 2020
Hi Thomas, the best way to book flights with points will vary depending on which airline you’re flying and when you book.
If you feel like you’d get value from a service that will optimize your award travel and offer ultra-personalized points wealth management, please feel free to contact me directly at stephen@upgradedpoints.com to inquire about a monthly subscription service.
TB
June 21, 2021
Trying to look for award space on singapore for united flights not finding any when I search with the singapore website is there a better way to search for this?
Jarrod West
June 22, 2021
Hi TB,
The best way to search for Star Alliance space is on the United website. Check out our full guide here: /travel/airlines/searching-star-alliance-award-availability/
Cherie Hogan
January 26, 2022
Does Turkish airlines no longer have the email option? The link only goes to a phone number to call. And when I call I get hung up because a message says the call volume is too high
Stephen Au
January 30, 2022
Hi Cherie,
Here is the contact page for Turkish Airlines.
https://www.turkishairlines.com/en-int/any-questions/get-in-touch/
Jay
July 17, 2023
Hello,
What do you think is currently the best redemption one-way from OGG-LAX for 15 or 16 AUG 2023? I checked MILES&SMILES, AVIOS, Aeroplan, Lifemiles – no availability on any of them! I may just need to book straight up with a carrier soon.
Jarrod West
July 18, 2023
Hi Jay,
That highly depends on what flights are available. I recommend double-check for award space with free tools like seats.aero and pointsyeah.com.
Jay
July 18, 2023
Hi Jarrod,
Thanks for the links – really like seats.aero. Godspeed!
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