Tier points/US Airways questions

Could I please have your guidance

Firstly if I booked a US Airways one way business class ticket from say Seattle to Las Vegas that flew via (and required a change of plane) in Phoenix, would it earn a tier point for each leg i.e. 2 tier points overall? I know at it would be more expensive than say Southwest but I do get the tier points in a convenient manner.

However, my next question is how solid is the VS/US partnership? From doing a dummy booking, VS did not appear in their frequent flyer drop down box; is this an indication of the partnership ending?

Thanks

[Scrooge]

The VS/US partnership has been around for a few years now, I would say it is pretty solid, though as has been said before, it is one that could do with a little work on both ends.

When you check in just show the person your FC card, it's 50/50 that they will say they don't partner with VS, take a rolled up newspaper and smack them on the nose and explain that yes they do.

US does have this nce habit of putting their partners logos on the wall behind the counter, so locate the VS one and point it out to them.

If it's booked as two separate tickets and you flew in first (domestic) then you would earn 1 TP's per leg for the dummy booking you made, if you booked it as one trip you would get 1 total.

You should also remember, the TP's apply only to a paid ticket, not an upgrade, though it has been known for upgrades to get credited as well, but I wouldn't count on it.

What scrooge says is correct however I fly to Sacramento a few times a year with CO, the total journey is over 2000 however because of the change at IAH I have never gotten tier points for the trip. I tried the first couple of times to argue my point but got nowhere. I would also just check your boarding pass before you walk away to make sure it's correct last time on US they forgot the first 2 zeros meaning no credit! So my guess would be if you flew in first you'd get at least 1 tier point and probably 2 (you could use the argument that they were 2 flights). economy probably none.

Another thing you might try is to book it through the virgin connections website or with a vs operator...

Thanks for your comments, you have confirmed my concerns.

The ticket appears very cheap but still a large margin from what Southwest appear to charge (Southwest is also direct).

My challenge is to re-qualify Gold as cost effective as possible. I had taken inspiration from Nicks model of 5x K class returns, but do not feel I have the annual leave to do this (only 4 trips planned). Other than gold runs, this has to be the cheapest method.

I will now look to add a couple of Z (Gs for my wife) into my planning.

[Scrooge]

Have you looked at taking a couple of BMI flights, say LHR-EDI ?

Dave - its a consideration but not being based in the UK, makes things difficult. When I do go back, by the time we have rushed about visiting etc - there is no time left.

I know that I could use Gulf Air in the Middle East, but their safety record is not that good. SQ also have mini hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi - but fligts are not cheap.

I think the answer is to try and make better use of the miles we have.

Thanks

The tier points with US carriers has for me been a thorny one for a while. I think your best bet is to go the business class route. You should then get your two tier points. The only suggestion I would have if it didn't drive the price through the roof or if you got a helpful agent would be to do two separate bookings thus assuring yourself of the 2 tier points. Good luck and let us know how you get on.