I have been saving up miles, plus using my credit card more than I probably should, but I have around 130,000 Delta miles.

Does anyone know how many (an estimate) frequent flyer miles it takes to get a free ticket to fly from Atlanta to Joberg?

Any idea how many it takes for business or first class?

Thanks

I got a coach seat earlier this year for either 75,000 to 80,000 miles.

A couple of years ago I used 80,000 to get from Anchorage to Windhoek on Delta/SAA.

Just checked Delta.com. 160,000 miles to travel on June 1 and June 15, 2009, coach class. This may inflated b/c of the World Cup.

I would have expeted more like 100,000 for ATL to JNB.

Upgrade from select coach fares to first class is usually 25,000 per leg. The 777 from ATL to JNB only has two classes. Coach or first (they call is premium business or some such). Personally, I'd buy a ticket and upgrade with the miles.

From June til August coach is 160k. and Biz class is 230k. it will quote you less, but when you try to book, you can't get it for published miles. I just spent over 3 weeks working on this- it's a mess...Basically in peak season, you have to pay the HIGH MILE RATE. At sometimes, you can go biz class for 120k. TH

Too bad you don't have American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Last May, I flew my entire family of four on FF miles. It took us 300,000 miles to get 4 round trip tickets from San Francisco to Jo'burg. 75,000 each.

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Too bad you don't have American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Last May, I flew my entire family of four on FF miles. It took us 300,000 miles to get 4 round trip tickets from San Francisco to Jo'burg. 75,000 each.

Have you checked to see how many miles it will require next year during the dates mentioned above? If you can still get tickets for 75,000 miles that is a hell of a deal. Outside the World Cup dates that is about the same as Delta.

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Too bad you don't have American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Last May, I flew my entire family of four on FF miles. It took us 300,000 miles to get 4 round trip tickets from San Francisco to Jo'burg. 75,000 each.

Via London?

Just used 320,000 Alaska Air miles for two roundtrip First Class seats on Alaska and British Air from Anchorage to Windhoek. For kicks and giggles I went online with British Air and faked a reservation First Class from Seattle to Windhoek to see what it would cost round trip and it was $49,000 for two tickets.

Yes, via London. Took American from SFO to London, then British to JoBurg. Took British all the way home, again via london.

It was 400,000 for the two of us on American Airlines / British Airways to fly Dallas - London, London - JoBurg and back first class in 2008 and the same in 2010.

First class on BA is the way to fly!

flew first class on BA from LA to London to Joburg last month. the only airline i have found that was comparable was Air France. like jetdrvr said- THE way to fly. and the best thing on both trips was that they were on freq flyer miles. one ticket retailed for $11,500, the other for $10,300.

Being as how I'm normally flying "at the back of the bus" I thought I was in hog heaven flying American from Dallas to London. That is until I got a taste of BA's first class. On the return trip American had lost it's shine.

My wife is the one that accumulates the air miles and donated them to the cause. I think I will keep her. Beside the newer models are just too high of maintenance.

How in world do you collect 400,000 miles?

A lot of hard work. Business expenses on the business card with miles and dang near every personal expense including utilities on a personal card with miles. Just be sure to not spend more than you can pay in full each month or else the interest will cost more than the miles are worth.

quote:

Originally posted by bluefin:
How in world do you collect 400,000 miles?

you would be amazed how many different ways you can accumulate miles. i re-financed my mortgage 6 months and got 75,000 miles, plus a much lower interest rate than my then current lender( who also gave me over 100,000 miles when i got the loan 4 years ago). the original loan was @5 1/4% and the re-fi was @4 1/4%, so it's not like i got scalped either time. wife and i charge EVERYTHING and pay it off at the end of the month.

quote:

Originally posted by bluefin:
How in world do you collect 400,000 miles?

Once you reach "silver" status, you get a 25% "bonus" mileage award when you travel. When you reach gold, you get a 100% match - in other words, 2 miles for every one you fly. When you hit platinum, you get a 125% match. If you fly to Africa on a paid ticket and you are platinum, you get 50K miles right there. Ms AZwriter was in Paris this week on business, will go to Italy next month and Vienna in Dec. That is about 90K miles right there.

We both fly a lot so we don't accumulate air miles on a credit card. Instead, we both have Cabelas Black (Signature) cards. We get 5% credit on Cabelas stuff and 1% on all purchases, including plane tickets. I put as many of my business expenses on mine as I can; she puts her work expenses on hers. We recently had a balance of almost $4,000 in free Cabelas merchandise. Since they have a travel group, you can use your points to buy tickets or even hunts if you book through Cabelas Outdoor Adventures. Now that that jerk Russell Seele no longer works there, maybe I will book there again some day.

bluefin,

Mileage tickets are easy for most anybody.. You just dump all your other major credit cards and store cards. Use your mileage card in place of checks whenever possible and don't pay cash unless it is the last resort. If your whole family gets on board with this and if you have business expenses you can put on the card the mileage will accumulate at an amazing rate.

Mark

I have my accountant in the office pay any and all expenses possible with our corporate card (BofA Alaska Airlines)and simply write one check to them each month and pay off the card. I also use my persoanl Alaska Airlines card that generates miles to the same account. I have been able to fly first and business a few times to africa using these miles.

I do what Mark Young does. Credit is a good thing if you use it properly. I fly 10 to 15 times per year for no more than a redemption fee.

Keys -
1. Stick with one airline.

2. Ignore all hotel cards or benefits, have the points earned at hotels moved to your airline.

3. Learn the details of the various programs. For instance, Southwest is great for the US but useless elsewhere. American links with most of the airlines you will need to fly. Delta changes its program regularly - stay up to date.

4. Develope a relationship with a specific person at the airline. Hard to do but worth it.

5. Most important - use your airmiles asap. They have a shelf life and decrease in value over time due to increased requirements for awards.

6. Realize that airmiles are "worth" about 1.5 cents per mile. Value your ticket purchases on this ratio before you use the miles.

8. Most of all, realize that when you use airmiles and have a problem on a flight or connection - you are the lowest priority for the airlines. You will be the last one "served" or re-routed because you are a "non revenue" customer. You are like standby but lower.

Good luck.

quote:

Originally posted by DLS:
Too bad you don't have American Airlines AAdvantage miles. Last May, I flew my entire family of four on FF miles. It took us 300,000 miles to get 4 round trip tickets from San Francisco to Jo'burg. 75,000 each.

After a couple of VERY BAD experiences with American Airlines, I will never fly with them again unless it's a destination I really need to go to and they're the only way to get there.

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
8. Most of all, realize that when you use airmiles and have a problem on a flight or connection - you are the lowest priority for the airlines. You will be the last one "served" or re-routed because you are a "non revenue" customer. You are like standby but lower.

Good luck.

Dogcat:

This is not true; on many airlines your elite status determines where you go on the standby list. Believe me, a Delta Platinum flyer on a free ticket is going to get top priority behind paying Platinum customers. On Continental it goes by who gets on the list first; your status or ticket doesn't matter (at least that is what I have been told). But I know for a fact on NWA your status determines where you go on the list.

AZwriter,
You are correct, I did not take my explaination far enough. However, if you are "non-rev" you go below a paying customer even if you are Platinum or Gold (on most airlines).

quote:

Originally posted by dogcat:
6. Realize that airmiles are "worth" about 1.5 cents per mile. Value your ticket purchases on this ratio before you use the miles.

My British Air 1st class tickets using my Alaska Air miles equaled 6.5 cents a mile.

Dogcat:

Just to be clear: on Delta, all elites, even on free tickets, will take priority on a rebooking even over paying customers. Obviously, if you are in B class as a paying customer, you generally don't have to worry about getting a seat on the next flight.

I flew Dulles to Jo-burg using 80,000 United miles on SAA this year. I set up my own travel to avoid paying $300+ for a travel agent to book for me, but then booked the next leg to Windhoek with Shawn at Gracy, which menat I got taken care of on arrival. It worked pretty well, although when SAA started reducing flights over the summer I worried about getting bumped. Didn't happen, all went well.