This 10k MQM bonus will push you to 77k MQM and Platinum status, which offers so much more than Gold — like free award changes and redeposits — a huge benefit give how hard it can be to get
low level awards on Delta.
When you find
the lowest level award on Delta, search for the flight on Korean Air.
Not exact matches
When asked to grade the nation's schools
on the same A to F scale traditionally used to evaluate students, only 18 percent of survey respondents give them an «A» or a «B.» This equals the percentage that
awarded one of the top two grades in 2009, which had been the
lowest level observed across the three years of our survey.
The schools I'm drawing
on here all won the Education Trust's Dispelling the Myth
award for educating
low - income and minority students to high academic
levels.
Over the past couple of years,
low -
level award seats
on American Airlines flights have become rarer.
And oddly enough, the needlessly complicated 5 - tier Delta
award chart (which of course doesn't actually exist, wink, wink) means that when
lowest -
level redemptions aren't available
on any airline and you're considering a more expensive
award, Delta may actually be cheaper than the others thanks to all their intermediate
award tiers.
For
award tickets, you can book
award seats
on alliance members at the
low level with other alliance member's miles.
The reason it can be difficult to redeem miles is because airlines limit the number of seats available at the
lowest award levels, and they make those determinations based
on supply and demand.
For EQM - Zero flyers like ourselves Alliances and partners are important because
award seats at the
low level on any one partner airline are usually able to be booked by any other partner's program.
Then it became clear that
low -
level awards were being restricted to flights more than 21 days out
on most routes.
Remember back to our post
on searching for
Low Level Awards?
On August 14th, Delta announced they were increasing the cost of low - level BusinessElite awards from the United States to Europe, Australia, Asia, South Africa and South America for awards beginning on or after June 1, 201
On August 14th, Delta announced they were increasing the cost of
low -
level BusinessElite
awards from the United States to Europe, Australia, Asia, South Africa and South America for
awards beginning
on or after June 1, 201
on or after June 1, 2014.
This part was easy, since there was
low -
level award availability
on American Airlines through Chicago, so I booked 2 tickets for 12,000 British Airways Avios and $ 5 each.
My partner and I were able to book two
low -
level award tickets leaving Thursday evening
on a non-stop and returning Sunday morning with a connection in Detroit.
But I think you'll see
low level awards going up from 25,000
on those who still have them there.
I think that trend will continue, with tight
award space
on low levels.
Under the double vaulted ceiling
on the
lower level, near the building's original 1722 granite foundation, rests one of the most extensive and
award - winning wine collections in the country.
The reason for that discrepancy is likely that there are no
low -
level awards on the dates he is looking at.
Over the past couple of years,
low -
level award seats
on American Airlines flights have become rarer.
12/21/2017 BW Makes Debut in Central Delhi by Opening Two Properties Best Western Plus Central and Best Western Pearl 12/18/2017 BW Named «Best Debut Hotel Chain» at 2017 India Hospitality
Awards 12/11/2017 BW Outlines Vision For The Future At 11th Asian Members» Meeting 12/07/2017 BW Announces Jim Cosgrove as New Board Chairman 12/05/2017 BW Offers Holiday Bonus To Rewards Members 12/01/2017 BW Receives Gold Recommend Readers» Choice
Award For Best Value 11/30/2017 BW's Ron Pohl Wins Silver In Best In Biz
Awards 2017 11/28 / 2017 BW's Expansion Accelerates All Across Asia 11/09/2017 BW
Lowers Free Nights To Only 10,000 Points This Fall And Winter 11/09/2017 BW Cites Increased Guest Satisfaction Scores From Mobile Guest Engagement Tool Pilot; Launches Across Full System 11/09/2017 BW Unveils Experiences By Best Western Rewards 11/09/2017 BW Introduces New Lines of Exclusive Bath Amenities 11/02/2017 BW Named AAA ® / CAA ® Lodging Partner For Ninth Consecutive Year 10/31/2017 BW SureStay Hotel Group ® Eclipses 33 Properties Worldwide One Year After Launch 10/30/2017 BW Launches third soft brand, BW signature collectionSM by Best Western 10/26/2017 BW Breaks Ground
on Dual - Branded Property in Austin, Texas 10/25/2017 BW Named Asia's Best Mid-Range Hotel Chain Three Years in a Row 10/24/2017 BW Announces Arrival of BW Premier Collection ® in Mississippi 10/19/2017 BW Scores Top Ranked Breakfast by J.D. Power 10/09/2017 BW Issues Loyalty Program «Throwdown» To Competing Hotel Brands 09/29/2017 BW Named Asia's Best Mid-Range Hotel Brand For Eleventh Time 09/18/2017 BW Invites Travelers To Fall Into Double Rewards Points 09/15/2017 BW Introduces Three New Hotels In Georgia 09/05/2017 BW Ranked Number One In Business Travel News» 2017 Hotel Brand Survey 08/24/2017 BW Signs Stunning Seafront Resort On Phu Quoc Island 08/21/2017 BW Announces New BW Premier Hotel In Heart Of The Southwest 08/10/2017 BW Adds Best Western Premier Detroit Southfield Hotel To Growing Portfolio 08/08/2017 BW Loyalty Program Receives Top Ranking From U.S. News & World Report ® 07/27/2017 BW Celebrates Groundbreaking of First GLō Property in Texas 07/17/2017 BW is Bringing BW Baggage Bucks Back 06/29/2017 Stratosphere and Aquarius Hotels Join BW 06/21/2017 BW Achieves Record - Breaking Level of Guest Satisfaction 06/15/2017 BW Hotels & Resorts Debuts in Bali's Cultural Heart 06/14/2017 Illinois Beach Resort Joins BW Soft Brand 06/01/2017 Best Western Premier Brand Continues Growth in North America 05/25/2017 Litchfield Inn Joins BW Premier Collection 05/22/2017 2017 Best Western Rewards ® Summer Promotion 05/18/2017 Co-Branded Loyalty Program Study — Best Western 05/15/2017 BW Opens Upscale Hotel in Malaysia 05/04/2017 Dorothy Dowling 2017 Silver Stevie ® Award Winner 04/26/2017 BW Introduces BW Baggage Bucks 04/24/2017 BW Debuts First New - Construction Dual - Branded Property 04/24/2017 BW Unveils Cutting - Edge Upscale Hotel in Batam 04/05/2017 BW Unveils New Upscale Collection in Japan 04/03/2017 BW Partners with HotelPlanner to Launch BWGroups ℠ RFP Tool 03/28/2017 Best Western Premier NYC Gateway Opens in North Bergen, New Jersey 03/15/2017 BW Premier Collection Arrives in Asia 03/06/2017 BW Targets Quality Growth Across Asia 03/06/2017 BW Premier Collection Eclipses 75 Hotels Worldwide 03/06/2017 BW Touts Substantial International Growth 02/21/2017 BW Adds Blake Hotel New Orleans to the BW Premier Collection 02/13/2017 BW Springs into the Season with New Rewards 02/01/2017 BW Makes Waves with First Hotel at Inle Lake 01/23/2017 BW Further Enhances Award Winning Loyalty Program 01/23/2017 BW's «White Label» Franchise to Surge in 2017 01/19 / 2017 BW Announces First Vīb Hotel to Open in Turkey 01/16/2017 BW Ranked # 2 in 2016 Best Hotel Rewards Stu
on Dual - Branded Property in Austin, Texas 10/25/2017 BW Named Asia's Best Mid-Range Hotel Chain Three Years in a Row 10/24/2017 BW Announces Arrival of BW Premier Collection ® in Mississippi 10/19/2017 BW Scores Top Ranked Breakfast by J.D. Power 10/09/2017 BW Issues Loyalty Program «Throwdown» To Competing Hotel Brands 09/29/2017 BW Named Asia's Best Mid-Range Hotel Brand For Eleventh Time 09/18/2017 BW Invites Travelers To Fall Into Double Rewards Points 09/15/2017 BW Introduces Three New Hotels In Georgia 09/05/2017 BW Ranked Number One In Business Travel News» 2017 Hotel Brand Survey 08/24/2017 BW Signs Stunning Seafront Resort
On Phu Quoc Island 08/21/2017 BW Announces New BW Premier Hotel In Heart Of The Southwest 08/10/2017 BW Adds Best Western Premier Detroit Southfield Hotel To Growing Portfolio 08/08/2017 BW Loyalty Program Receives Top Ranking From U.S. News & World Report ® 07/27/2017 BW Celebrates Groundbreaking of First GLō Property in Texas 07/17/2017 BW is Bringing BW Baggage Bucks Back 06/29/2017 Stratosphere and Aquarius Hotels Join BW 06/21/2017 BW Achieves Record - Breaking Level of Guest Satisfaction 06/15/2017 BW Hotels & Resorts Debuts in Bali's Cultural Heart 06/14/2017 Illinois Beach Resort Joins BW Soft Brand 06/01/2017 Best Western Premier Brand Continues Growth in North America 05/25/2017 Litchfield Inn Joins BW Premier Collection 05/22/2017 2017 Best Western Rewards ® Summer Promotion 05/18/2017 Co-Branded Loyalty Program Study — Best Western 05/15/2017 BW Opens Upscale Hotel in Malaysia 05/04/2017 Dorothy Dowling 2017 Silver Stevie ® Award Winner 04/26/2017 BW Introduces BW Baggage Bucks 04/24/2017 BW Debuts First New - Construction Dual - Branded Property 04/24/2017 BW Unveils Cutting - Edge Upscale Hotel in Batam 04/05/2017 BW Unveils New Upscale Collection in Japan 04/03/2017 BW Partners with HotelPlanner to Launch BWGroups ℠ RFP Tool 03/28/2017 Best Western Premier NYC Gateway Opens in North Bergen, New Jersey 03/15/2017 BW Premier Collection Arrives in Asia 03/06/2017 BW Targets Quality Growth Across Asia 03/06/2017 BW Premier Collection Eclipses 75 Hotels Worldwide 03/06/2017 BW Touts Substantial International Growth 02/21/2017 BW Adds Blake Hotel New Orleans to the BW Premier Collection 02/13/2017 BW Springs into the Season with New Rewards 02/01/2017 BW Makes Waves with First Hotel at Inle Lake 01/23/2017 BW Further Enhances Award Winning Loyalty Program 01/23/2017 BW's «White Label» Franchise to Surge in 2017 01/19 / 2017 BW Announces First Vīb Hotel to Open in Turkey 01/16/2017 BW Ranked # 2 in 2016 Best Hotel Rewards Stu
On Phu Quoc Island 08/21/2017 BW Announces New BW Premier Hotel In Heart Of The Southwest 08/10/2017 BW Adds Best Western Premier Detroit Southfield Hotel To Growing Portfolio 08/08/2017 BW Loyalty Program Receives Top Ranking From U.S. News & World Report ® 07/27/2017 BW Celebrates Groundbreaking of First GLō Property in Texas 07/17/2017 BW is Bringing BW Baggage Bucks Back 06/29/2017 Stratosphere and Aquarius Hotels Join BW 06/21/2017 BW Achieves Record - Breaking
Level of Guest Satisfaction 06/15/2017 BW Hotels & Resorts Debuts in Bali's Cultural Heart 06/14/2017 Illinois Beach Resort Joins BW Soft Brand 06/01/2017 Best Western Premier Brand Continues Growth in North America 05/25/2017 Litchfield Inn Joins BW Premier Collection 05/22/2017 2017 Best Western Rewards ® Summer Promotion 05/18/2017 Co-Branded Loyalty Program Study — Best Western 05/15/2017 BW Opens Upscale Hotel in Malaysia 05/04/2017 Dorothy Dowling 2017 Silver Stevie ®
Award Winner 04/26/2017 BW Introduces BW Baggage Bucks 04/24/2017 BW Debuts First New - Construction Dual - Branded Property 04/24/2017 BW Unveils Cutting - Edge Upscale Hotel in Batam 04/05/2017 BW Unveils New Upscale Collection in Japan 04/03/2017 BW Partners with HotelPlanner to Launch BWGroups ℠ RFP Tool 03/28/2017 Best Western Premier NYC Gateway Opens in North Bergen, New Jersey 03/15/2017 BW Premier Collection Arrives in Asia 03/06/2017 BW Targets Quality Growth Across Asia 03/06/2017 BW Premier Collection Eclipses 75 Hotels Worldwide 03/06/2017 BW Touts Substantial International Growth 02/21/2017 BW Adds Blake Hotel New Orleans to the BW Premier Collection 02/13/2017 BW Springs into the Season with New Rewards 02/01/2017 BW Makes Waves with First Hotel at Inle Lake 01/23/2017 BW Further Enhances
Award Winning Loyalty Program 01/23/2017 BW's «White Label» Franchise to Surge in 2017 01/19 / 2017 BW Announces First Vīb Hotel to Open in Turkey 01/16/2017 BW Ranked # 2 in 2016 Best Hotel Rewards Study
A 2014 study ranked US Airways 24th out of 25 airlines worldwide for
lowest -
level award availability, and found that
award flights
on US Airways required more miles
on average than any other major U.S. or Canadian airline.
It is true you may have to spend more miles to fly
on a peak date than an off - peak date, but it can be done, and if you use some strategy you can sometimes fly home for the holidays at the
lower, saver
award level.
So the results of a recent study by consulting firm IdeaWorks, which ranks airlines by
award availability should come as no surprise — it shows that Delta ranked last (23rd out of 23) with the fewest
low -
level award seats available based
on the nearly 7,000 queries it conducted.
The
award - winning vintage cocktail bar (which was named the World's Best by Forbes in 2016)
on Water Street comprised a taproom
on the
lower level and an intimate parlor upstairs.
Assignment of Complimentary Premier Upgrades
on award tickets within each Premier
level will be prioritized after the
lowest paid fare class.
Only round - trip SkyTeam
awards can be booked, and
low -
level awards have to be available
on Delta.com.
You can find
low -
level economy
award tickets
on Delta Air Lines for as little as 12,500 miles each way but the cost can surge to 45,000 miles for a peak one - way
award ticket.
After locating non-stops
award flights at the
lowest point
level that met our schedule, I went to koreanair.com to confirm the availability I found
on delta.com.
There's also a special
award chart for
award flights
on Delta, as long as there's
low -
level availability.
We recommend you do your research, but if you see a
low -
level award on a short - haul that works for you, snag it.
For months I've been planning
on this being a year of mileage redemptions: this will be my last year as a Platinum Medallion, enjoying free
award redeposit and reissue, allowing me to maximize the value I get from my Skymiles by locking in «
low» -
level award space as it becomes available.
If I'm thinking about using Avios, I will search first
on American's site to see if there is
award availability at the
lowest level, called «MileSAAver.»
While they're much - maligned by those who will pay any price to avoid using their miles
on anything but
low -
level awards, this is in fact precisely the supposed benefit of booking with cash: access to any flight
on any day!
While there's no hard data
on award availability, the general consensus is that
low -
level Delta
awards are more plentiful than they used to be.
Note that with regards to Delta, only the
lowest -
level awards will show as available
on Korean Air.
It does» t even guarantee that
low -
level awards (those that are available to other SkyTeam partners as well) will always be priced at that
level, since the mileage cost of a ticket might also vary depending
on the season.
That said, those of us in the hobby do know that a «
low level»
award to Europe in Delta One is currently supposed to be 70,000 miles each way or 140,000 miles return (and only
on Delta metal as Virgin Atlantic is now surcharged to 85,000 miles or even more if booked last minute).
But here's the very important thing to know: Not all partners will show up
on an airline's online
award booking — and the Big Three have some of the worst availability of Saver (
low)
level awards of any airlines.
For years, fliers have complained about stingy
award availability
on Delta flights at the
lowest redemption
levels.
With first class partner redemptions
on United now pricing at 110,000 miles each way from the U.S. to Europe, the elimination of the
low 4,500 Avios
level award band for domestic short - hops via British Airways, and Southwest points worth less than ever before, it's hard to suggest that Ultimate Rewards still has the strongest stable of transfer partners.
For AAnytime
awards, prices for AAnytime 1
awards are currently
lower than current AAnytime
awards, but
level 2 AAnytime
awards will cost 5,000 additional miles or more depending
on the region.
For more great Hilton HHonors
award ideas, check out Nick Ewen's recent post
on 8
Low -
Level Hilton Properties that Make for Awesome
Awards.
The new calendar returns significantly better results, as the mileage required is now
lower on most days, and there are many days when
awards are truly available at the
lowest mileage
level of 32,500 one - way.
Since American Airlines has clamped down
on low -
level award availability during the holidays (I was very fortunate to score a Christmas - New Year's sAAver - ish fare last time around), our next trip to Nicaragua will be well after the holidays.
Overall, this partnership is good news because Virgin Atlantic is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest, so there are now more options to book Delta flights without having SkyMiles (though partners like Virgin Atlantic only get access to
low -
level awards, meaning availability can be slim
on certain routes).
Award availability
on Alaska matches what you'll see
on Alaska's own website (for redemptions at the
low / saver
level).
To move to Alaska after AA devalues: Can you get a free stopover
on one - way 12.5 K
award anywhere except SEA since I'm only seeing AK flights available to where I travel at the
lowest level.
These negative changes include: Complete removal of
award charts from Delta.com No
low Level 1
awards on Delta flights less than 21 -LSB-...]
And finding flights
on Delta at the «
low» or saver
level can be the toughest part of constructing the
award.
While the roundtrip ticket is $ 100 cheaper than two paid tickets, if
low -
level award space is available
on one segment, but not the other, you can buy one $ 350 paid ticket and redeem 12,500 miles, getting 2 cents per redeemed mile.