Questions and Answers

Hello!

I am looking to book AirFrance business class to Europe. If I book via AirFrance it is 125,000 points and $500 in fuel surcharges. If I book via Korean Air the same flight is 80,000, but what I can’t find information on is will I still need to pay the $500. I understand it’s a lot of additional legwork for the Korean said booking, but the saving is worth it.

Thanks in advance

Brian

I am looking to transfer Chase UR points to Korean Air and book a business class ticket through AirFrance. If I book through AF the award ticket is 125,000 points and $500. If I book through Korean Air it’s 80,000 to Europe. My question is will I still have to pay the fuel surcharges that I would pay if I booked directly through AirFrance.

Hi [USER=2572]@Brian Urmanski[/USER], and welcome! Korean Air does pass on fuel surcharges, and may not have the exact same availability as Air France shows on their site. Make sure to place the itinerary on hold before transferring any points 🙂

[URL]http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/02/14/how-to-redeem-korean-air-skypass-miles/[/URL]

[QUOTE=”Tiffany, post: 23788, member: 7″]Hi [USER=2572]@Brian Urmanski[/USER], and welcome! Korean Air does pass on fuel surcharges, and may not have the exact same availability as Air France shows on their site. Make sure to place the itinerary on hold before transferring any points 🙂

[URL]http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2014/02/14/how-to-redeem-korean-air-skypass-miles/[/URL][/QUOTE]
I called Korean Air and they told me they cannot see the KLM awards for April. Is this typical?

It’s typical for KLM to not have availability, but Korean should have access to the same space as Alaska and Delta do. What flights were you looking at?

Hi Tiffany,

I live in Las Vegas so I am open to leaving pretty much anywhere on the west coast. I was looking at SLC because it was a short first flight from LAS and it was on KLM’s 787. I was looking to leave the 4-2-17 and returning on 4-30-17. I don’t have to leave and return on those exact dates, but I have to leave on the 1st or later.

Destination is Budapest.

[USER=2572]@Brian Urmanski[/USER], what [USER=7]@Tiffany[/USER] is suggesting is to use the AS or DL website to search for the space and then call KE to book. Good luck!

[USER=2572]@Brian Urmanski[/USER] — Ah, yes, so it looks like KLM hasn’t released partner space on those dates. From Expert Flyer:

[ATTACH=full]194[/ATTACH]

When I am reviewing Delta.com for flights, should I be looking for flights under a certain amount of points to be eligible for Korean Air booking?

It might be easier to look at the Alaska or Flying Blue site. They would have partner award space.

[QUOTE=”MidSouth Skier, post: 23927, member: 184″]It might be easier to look at the Alaska or Flying Blue site. They would have partner award space.[/QUOTE]

Flying Blue is where I started and they have not released availability to Korean Air yet for April. I checked Alaska, and the only availability for April is via Bristish Airways. So fuel surcharges are outrageous.

Ah, my mistake, I didn’t re-read from the top and thought you were using Delta miles.

You’re not missing anything. Delta’s not showing award space on the SLC-AMS flight on KLM, though they do show availability on their own plane. As you periodically search Delta’s site looking for space on the SLC-AMS leg, make sure you sort it by total travel time as that will make the non-stops float to the top.

[QUOTE=”MidSouth Skier, post: 23930, member: 184″]Ah, my mistake, I didn’t re-read from the top and thought you were using Delta miles.

You’re not missing anything. Delta’s not showing award space on the SLC-AMS flight on KLM, though they do show availability on their own plane. As you periodically search Delta’s site looking for space on the SLC-AMS leg, make sure you sort it by total travel time as that will make the non-stops float to the top.[/QUOTE]
I can leave from anywhere on the west coast. I live in Vegas and can fly to a hub to depart.

Then I think the best option is to look at the AMS and CDG airport pages in Wikipedia and note what routes KLM & AF have non-stop to the west coast or mid-continent (DEN, DFW, IAH, ORD, DTW, etc.). Then use Delta.com to see if you can see award space on those routes. Find availability for the trans-Atlantic legs first and then you can tack on intra-Europe flights as needed.

As with SLC you may find that FB has not released space to partners yet.

Good luck!

[QUOTE=”Brian Urmanski, post: 23931, member: 2572″]I can leave from anywhere on the west coast. I live in Vegas and can fly to a hub to depart.[/QUOTE]

I don’t know that it’s realistic to get award space on either Air France or KLM from the West Coast to Europe unless you’re booking 10+ months in advance, or within a week of departure, sadly. You could look at Houston or Chicago as possibilities, but I think space is going to be really limited.

So I found Delta award availability on Air France / KLM website. I just got off the phone with Korean Air and they are unable to see that flight schedule. Any other suggestions, or am I just going to have to book through the AirFrance website?

According to Korean Air he said he could not see any business class award fares in 2017 for AF/KLM/Delta only economy.