lessthanzero

I'm starting a bit (...) early to plan a trip with my family to Chile using points next year. Ideally I'd like ot go either over Christmas or Thanksgiving.

I have *wood points and can transfer to any airline (thank you SPG!), and was wondering what would be my best bet?

WeI'll be flying out of WAS.

I know the best value is often to buy and upgrade, but since I fly very little for work, I don't really have much need for upgrades, and would like to save the expense of plane tickets anyways. I am open to suggestions of bus class however if it makes sense pointwise.

Any help appreciated.

.

clacko

delta, lan, & aa plus others go there....there web sites will have info...

also, you can use a general site like aol travel to get started.....

as mentioned on ft many times, its good to check 330 days or so in advance....

good luck...

lessthanzero

Thnaks I figured as much. Anyone of these considered better than others on this particular stretch?

ac789

If using SPG points I'd recommend LAN; LAN is one of the only airlines that transfers SPG points on a 1:2 basis, and they give a 5k starpoint (10k miles) bonus for every 20k points transferred. This means that your 20k starpoints turns into 50k LANpass miles, redeemable on LAN or oneworld partners.

lessthanzero

True, and a good point. Dependnig on the season however, flights between the lower South America and the US are 70k or 95K, so you don't really make out double. In high season, and assuming you'd have to pay extra points on another airline, 95k is good. In truly low season I have got flights for 35K points with AA, however.

LAN doesn't seem to service WAS however. Anyone know what LAN would do if I tried to book WAS-SCL? (I'm already assuming I have to call in, so a phone number wouldn't hurt either. Their web site really isn't trying to make it easy.)

kahuna613

I think it will try to put you through New York maybe? I used NW miles for a ticket on Delta last summer through ATL from IAD. The ATL-SCL flight was cancelled because of mechanical issues, so I got a free night in the Red Roof Inn and some free meals while spending an extra TWENTY FOUR hours in Atlanta. The way they handled the rebooking was rather disastrous....there was a mob of angry Chilean people about to jump the counter in E terminal. We were originally told the flight would leave early in the morning, but they ended up just putting us all on the next days flight since the load was about 50%. Then, that flight was on some ratty old 767 they pulled out of who knows where. My reading light switch and my seat partners were switched somehow, and entire bank of lights wasn't working. There were also problems with the toilets, but they got it fixed before takeoff. After complaining before leaving in the CRC, they changed my fare class for the ATL-SCL flight to Y, and I later wrote a complaint letter, which yielded 2500 miles, giving me a total of 10k miles on an award ticket!

All I can say is Im glad I had purchased the 60 day Worldclubs membership for this summer, I spent the entire day in the CO and DL lounges in Atlanta...free booze and snacks. The CRC in Santiago is also pretty nice.

The return flight was on a much better 767, tho still no IFE at the seat. Regardless, the length of the flight+the fact that there is no time change makes it PERFECT for taking a sleeping pill and getting a good night's rest.

Flying into Santiago in the morning, I had a window seat on the left side, giving me a beautiful panorama of the Andes.

lessthanzero

Kahuna,

That is some story! I feel your pain. That just wouldn't cut it with the family, I'd be in the dog house for years...

What I wondered was whether LAN would actually connect me to WAS or whether I'd have to get to the neares hub (NYC) on my own dime?

clacko

less....aa has partner awards....info on aa.com

2 friends got c seats eze-jfk using lan ar and jal going & aa to a stopover in mia, then lan ar to eze [buenos aires]...90k mi iirc....a 1 world award might have been used since there were 3 carriers involved....

how many seats do you need?

lessthanzero

I need two seats. C class at 90,000 miles per or both? (Sorry, you lost me on miirc.)

SASfan

Yes, LAN is a oneworld partner, so you should be able to fly right out of DCA - MIA - SCL. If you want your award to be a bit more enjoyable, then fly DCA - DFW - SCL, I have heard it is much nicer flying out of DFW than MIA.

20k *pts does = 50k LAN Pass km, great transfer rate! ^^

lessthanzero

Thanks SAS, you may be right about DFW. Customs in Miami is a circus.

devriesryan04

I´m in Santiago de Chile right now, got here for 40,000 AA miles with 1.5 month´s notice! ;-) good luck.

Gotta love AA off peak awards!

lessthanzero

Too true. I did EZE and GIG earlier this year that way.

MarkXS

No - your 20K starpoints turn into 50K LANpass kilometers, not miles. LANPass is a kilometer-base program.

Still a good deal - but a LAN coach ticket USA-Chile is 70,000 KM, not the usual 50 or 60,000 Miles.

In general, convert the miles required by AA or other US-based airlines to KM, and that'll be close to what LAN requires. e.g. a US domestic award from LAN (usable on AA or AS) requires 40,000 kilometer.

1:2 SPG points to LAN kilometers is still a great deal compared to any other SPG transfer, because 2 kilometers is more than 1 mile.

lessthanzero

I think that sums it up. So in essence, instead of just getting a 25% bonus from SPG, you get another 25+ % from LAN. (Still wondering if anyone has their US phone number?)