On another forum, I've outlined the outcome, but I wanted to go into more detail here.
My wife and I got some juicy SFO-NRT-SFO tix in ANA F (220k VS miles and £350, all-in), which I put on hold for 48 hours.
Then the fun and games began: how to tag on our 18-month old as an infant-in-arms. Basically everything I've read online says it's not possible on a VS miles redemption. But I like a challenge!
1) The first VS agent tried to add our son to our PNR. Nope, it wasn't possible, as it just threw out the entire booking. The advice was to call ANA and add it on as a cash booking.
2) I called ANA, and sure enough the agent was happy to add on our son for a mere 10% of the adult cash basis fare. My mind had already started whirring when the agent said: "one thousand and four hundred... pounds." I thought a cash fare in ANA F return might be expensive, but not £14k expensive!
4) Right, I thought, in that case I'll give the little blighter his own seat in F! We've got the miles to burn, and it'll be way, way cheaper. Wrong! ANA has a blanket ban on under-twos having their own seat in all F cabins across the entire fleet. I don't blame them, to be honest! Imagine an all-infant F cabin!
5) So, back to VS I go, and to a new agent. It should be possible, the agent said, if we create an entirely separate booking with its own PNR. I didn't think an under-two could have their own 'floating' booking without an adult ticket. Again, I was wrong!
6) The agent confirms and holds the infant's booking under a separate PNR. Bingo! Instead of £1,400, it was £43 and 14k VS miles.
8) Now for the magic. When I as ready to pay the taxes/fees and deduct the miles for all three of us, the infant's PNR was merged into ours.
9) Result: one PNR, two adults, one infant-in-arms, all in ANA F, SFO-NRT-SFO; and 234k VS miles, and £393 poorer.
10) And one bonus point. Assuming you can find the availability, VS uses the same redemption policy for partner airlines as it does for itself. So if you're VS Gold, for example, you can change for free (plus any tax difference).
My wife and I got some juicy SFO-NRT-SFO tix in ANA F (220k VS miles and £350, all-in), which I put on hold for 48 hours.
Then the fun and games began: how to tag on our 18-month old as an infant-in-arms. Basically everything I've read online says it's not possible on a VS miles redemption. But I like a challenge!
1) The first VS agent tried to add our son to our PNR. Nope, it wasn't possible, as it just threw out the entire booking. The advice was to call ANA and add it on as a cash booking.
2) I called ANA, and sure enough the agent was happy to add on our son for a mere 10% of the adult cash basis fare. My mind had already started whirring when the agent said: "one thousand and four hundred... pounds." I thought a cash fare in ANA F return might be expensive, but not £14k expensive!
4) Right, I thought, in that case I'll give the little blighter his own seat in F! We've got the miles to burn, and it'll be way, way cheaper. Wrong! ANA has a blanket ban on under-twos having their own seat in all F cabins across the entire fleet. I don't blame them, to be honest! Imagine an all-infant F cabin!
5) So, back to VS I go, and to a new agent. It should be possible, the agent said, if we create an entirely separate booking with its own PNR. I didn't think an under-two could have their own 'floating' booking without an adult ticket. Again, I was wrong!
6) The agent confirms and holds the infant's booking under a separate PNR. Bingo! Instead of £1,400, it was £43 and 14k VS miles.
8) Now for the magic. When I as ready to pay the taxes/fees and deduct the miles for all three of us, the infant's PNR was merged into ours.
9) Result: one PNR, two adults, one infant-in-arms, all in ANA F, SFO-NRT-SFO; and 234k VS miles, and £393 poorer.
10) And one bonus point. Assuming you can find the availability, VS uses the same redemption policy for partner airlines as it does for itself. So if you're VS Gold, for example, you can change for free (plus any tax difference).
