Questions and Answers

Hi Lucky,
I am based in Vienna and so I can’t get any AA miles as a sign-up bonus etc. Still I would like to take my girlfriend to Japan. You always say I shouldn’t purchase miles speculatively, but in this case I probably need to do it. Since we need 280k AA miles (for first class round trip) even with all bonuses I need to purchase miles this and next year and hope to get enough bonus miles.
1. question: Do you expect a huge devaluation within the next year or so? Do you see any other possibility for me?

Additionally: You had a lot of posts the last weeks about the best value for flights, flight time etc. I want to fly from Europe to Osaka (Kansai) one way with Cathay and one way with JAL. With which routing will I get the best value regarding ground experience (lounge), hard product and flight time?

Lastly: Is there an easy way to find out all the direct flights of JAL between Japan and Europe? When I search I find so many codeshare flights but rarely any flight on JAL metal.

Thanks a lot and enjoy your trip.
Best,
Chris

@Kurisu — Welcome!

In general, yes — we are expecting a devaluation of the AA award chart to be announced in probably the next six months, and would wager they’ll give at least six months notice before the new rates go into effect. You can book travel 11 months out, so if your trip is going to be in the next 18 months you’re probably safe.

That being said, I might look at purchasing Alaska miles as well. Between Hong Kong and Europe is one of the sweeter spots in their award chart, so that could be a good option for Cathay Pacific if you wanted to spend time in Hong Kong as well.