What are my chances of being able to redeem United FF miles to MCO for next Dec.?

[lkohawaii]

I've been saving my United FF miles to use next Dec. to MCO. I'll be ready to book the award travel 330 days ahead of time. One of the posters on Flyer Talk said I may have difficulty getting seats in Dec. Anyone have any experiences with this? Does it make a difference that I'm flying Hawaii to MCO? I need 6 tickets...but 4 on one flight and 2 on another could work too. I'm just trying to figure out how many other alternate plans I may have to make to go on this vacation. How many seats per flight to these designate for FF award travel anyway?

 

[safetymom]

The folks on Flyer Talk know the ins and outs of the frequent flyer programs. I think they would be able to tell you much better what the odds are for tickets next Christmas. That is quite a few ff tickets to be buying. Even if you try 330 days out figure that lots of other people are doing that too.

 

[CarolA]

Yes, it does make a difference that you are in Hawaii. You are in the WORST market to use FF miles. (Everyone wants to go there and of course go home) Orlando is another popular destination.

I would prepare to be VERY flexible. (Assume you will be splitting into two groups) Book both flights at 330 days. I know on Delta you can put your departure on hold for up to two weeks while you wait for you return date.

How many seats per plane is a closely guarded secret but the short response is not many.

 

[lkohawaii]

Thanks everybody....you're right the people on Flyer Talk are awesome...only problem they're too knowledgable. Now when I come to these boards I understand why they mention that because I'm in Hawaii I won't get it. I guess when you don't know too much and they're the experts it can be confusing. Thanks for clearing up the location part...now it all makes sense.

 

[Threehearts]

I guess the bad news is that it will be difficult to use your FF miles.

ON THE OTHER HAND- I'm sure I'm not the only one who is insanely jealous that you call Hawaii your home!! Wish I was there. Have a good weekend. Threehearts

 

[lkohawaii]

I guess not being able to use FF miles is just a price we pay for living in "paradise". Our island home is a very special place that I would never willingly leave. All of us here know that the higher cost of living is what we sacrafice to live in such a special place. We love visitors. Hope you'll come visit us one day. Funny, all of us here want to go to Orlando sooooo badly to see the "World" I bet those of you in Orlando want to come here to see our palm trees?

 

[mudnuri]

Why cant you fly into say- LAX with $$, then use FFmiles from LAX to MCO? Or do you fly directly from Hawaii to MCO?

Just a thought...

Brandy

 

[lkohawaii]

mudnuri-That's exactly what someone from Hawaii did to get to the east coast. She got to the West Coast on FF miles, then picked up something like Southwest to get to MCO. I guess I was just being "tight" and thinking if it costs me 35,00 miles to go to LAX or MCO why not use it for MCO. I'm sure that a lot of us Hawaii people are thinking that also. Someone though brought it to my attention that from Hawaii it's not that much more just to go to the Orient. So, maybe I'll look into that...although I won't be flying to the Orient for a loooong time.

Thanks

 

[prncess674]

It never hurts to ask and call. December is a popular time to visit Hawaii and Orlando so that being said getting FF Tickets may be difficult. When calling UAL see if you can't atleast get tickets to any UAL Hub (SFO, ORD, DEN) and then hopefully you could pick up paid tickets on a low cost carrier from there. Getting 4 to 6 tickets on one plane will be near impossible. You may be able to get one or two all the way to Orlando but don't be too disappointed if it doesn't happen because you are trying to combine two difficult destinations.

Just to let you know that it isn't impossible my friend just booked to First Class saver award tickets on UAL between Christmas and New Year's of this year from LAX-HNL. He booked them a week ago.

 

[Chicago526]

Here's a thought. Since you may wind up paying for the seats anyway, why not try using the miles to upgrade to 1st class? It's a looooooooooong flight, and 1st class would be mighty nice! Upgrades can be easier to get than free seats, sometimes.

All you do is book and pay for the seats like normal, then call UA reservations and ask if there is space to upgrade using miles. If so, they'll upgrade you and deduct the miles. You can also call and find out if space is available BEFORE you buy, this gives you a chance to play around with dates/times to find one that is open for upgrades before you commit to non-refundable tickets.