NWA frequent flyer miles

[ekeheley 0]

I have 105 thousand NWA miles and in ten months haven't been able to get a flight. Does anyone know how to use these miles on another airline. Sure would like to get rid of them and not have to fly Northwest, ever again. If there's a way, except giving them away, I'd like some advice.....Thanks, Ernie

[rb 20]

using the rule buster option opens up alot of flights, of course you need double miles, the other way is using them for cash and miles promotion, living in mn, i have no other option BUT "NoWay".com :crying

[kikc69 45]

They belong to an alliance with some other airlines. I am having trouble using them also. They want 50000 for a flight to LA when it should be 25000. rb is right, you should be able to get at least one way to BKK for 100000. Then pay the other half for return flight. Save a little.

[Zeus 56]

Trying to use miles on NW is a pain ........but not impossible.

 

Over the past couple of years I've used earned miles on NW to go to BKK business class for 90K miles (they recently raised it to 120K). But for 90K miles you got a seat that was worth $2500- $3500 USD. This is (was) a great deal.

 

Pointers:

 

- Book as early as possible. This is the #1 chance of getting what you want. NW allows you to book flights up to 352 days in advance. Unfortunately that includes your return flight, so on a RT ticket if you are staying for a long time - you would need to wait until 352 days prior to your return flight (and the departure might not be available).

 

- Be (very) flexible. Most often, to use miles you have to compromise to fit their schedule. The more you can adjust your dates, the better.

 

- If you are a member of the NW elite program, call their elite line. They seem to have availability when there is none on the internet listings. It also gives you a chance to talk to someone about your specific needs/trip.

 

- (I haven't tried this but have heard that others do it) Book whatever you can and get "waitlisted" for the flight that you want. It seems that changing an existing award flight is easier than the initial booking. Worst case, it would cost $50 to re-deposit your miles, or you could just go on the dates that you booked.

 

- When all else fails, there is the "Rulebuster" rates. Twice the mileage, but they remove the capacity constraints. Handy for the Christmas/New Years season. I've done it once for domestic flights.

 

All that said, because the Northwest NRT-BKK leg of the international flights went from a 747-400 to a A330-300, NW reduced the capacity by about 150 people per flight. This seems like a stupid move by NW because that flight is always near capacity, even when it was a 747. As a result BKK award trips are almost non existant. However, in 2004 I was able to reserve one in business class for Nov 2005 (at the old 90K rate!), and will be looking forward to the flight. I did make the reservation as soon as I could after the seats became available within the 352 day window.

 

Hope this helps.......

 

Zeus

[mastaloopz 0]

Yeah, they say round trip from US to Asia for 60,000 miles... but you'll never find anything without the "Rule Buster" thing. They're part of an alliance with Delta, Japan Air and some others... but I don't know how to free the miles up to use with those or anything. But I would say if this is possible, then its probably better to try to transfer your miles into the skymiles (or whatever its called) program or just try to use them for a one way and pay the rest, like someone else suggested.

 

~Loopz

[dbric36 0]

Last year I used my NW miles to go to BKK. I am gold elite and I called and no problem. Got lucky I guess. I think now that they went to the smaller plane from NRT to BKK it would be much harder to find a seat.

[Jimmybb 0]

The best way to use NWA miles is to either take an award to get you to the west coast for free and then book a cheaper flight on another carrier, or pay NWA for an economy ticket and use your miles to upgrade to business. I had about 250,000 miles at one time but have now used all but 15,000 and have pretty much moved on from this carrier with the nasty attitude. You will note that they are rarely competitive when you factor in the dates you have to fly. I hate tailoring my holiday dates to accomodate an air carrier. Rgds, Jimmy

[galt67 2]

Call NW and have them check flights with their code share partner, Malaysia Air.

 

I've seen reports of decent availability, especially in Bus. Class and First Class.