Miami to Zurich
What is the best non-stop mileage program available for this route in First Class?
Jay Dharmasuriya, Los Angeles, CA
SWISS is the only carrier that flies this route non-stop. It charges 170,000 miles for a First Class ticket. I think you would be better off booking a seat on SWISS via its Star Alliance partner, US Airways (Dividend Miles). It only charges 125,000 miles for a First Class redemption to Europe. If you need miles, transfer them from Starwood or purchase them directly from US Airways.
Frustrated by United
For the past two years I have tried in vain to use my miles on United flights to Europe and Hawaii, even three to six months out. I’m so frustrated that I am canceling my Visa United card, even though I have more than 90,000 unused miles—or I should say unusable miles—as well as my Amex Starwood card, on which I have 98,000 unusable miles. Any suggestions before I pull the trigger?
Marjorie Karowe, Schenectady, NY
Here are two suggestions from the Feb. issue:
- Page 7 (“Where the Mileage Seats Are”), is a table that highlights routes where there is a good chance of obtaining an award seat. For United, we singled out San Francisco toMaui, with the best odds being March, May, and November departures and May and November return.
- For travel to Europe on United, your odds are best with a First Class award from the East Coast (buy miles as needed directly from UA after award reservation is confirmed).
Try Washington to Brussels in March, April, October, and November, and Washington to Frankfurt in February, August, and November. Once the international portion is confirmed, work on connecting flights from your departure city.
As always when using miles, be flexible with departure cities, dates, and routes. About your Visa card, it might be number three on my list, at best. –MB
Success Story
Thank you for providing First Class Flyer. I think I was the only one actually paying full Business Class fares until I subscribed to your newsletter. Using your tips, such as buying US Air miles with a 100% bonus, and joining the Alaska Air miles program and buying miles for tickets, I just bought a First Class ticket with Star Alliance ($19,000 value) and two Business Class tickets ($7,500 each) to Australia for 440,000 miles that I purchased from US Air for about $6,000. In addition, I purchased 320,000 miles through Alaska for $6,500 and secured two First Class tickets to Kenya ($28,000 value). Thank you, thank you.