Booking Multi-City Trips to Asia with Airline Miles

To get the best value, use airline alliances to book 'stopover' tickets rather than separate one-way flights. Focus on programs like Alaska Mileage Plan or ANA Mileage Club, which allow you to add a free or low-cost stopover in a hub city like Tokyo or Seoul on your way to a final destination.

1. Identify your alliance. Check which major airline alliance your miles belong to (Star Alliance, Oneworld, or SkyTeam). You can only book partners within that same alliance.
2. Use the 'Multi-City' search tool. Never search for separate one-way tickets initially. Use the airline's 'Multi-City' or 'Advanced Search' tool to search for your entire route (e.g., LAX to NRT, NRT to BKK, BKK to LAX).
3. Test the 'Stopover' rule. If you are using a program like ANA, look for the 'multi-city' option to manually input a 3-5 day stop in their home hub. This often costs the same amount of miles as a direct flight to the final destination.
4. Check for 'married segments'. If a search shows no availability, try searching for the segments individually to see if they exist. If they do, call the airline's customer service desk to manually piece the itinerary together.

Why can't I find my flight online?

Some partner airlines do not share their 'award inventory' with all booking portals. If you know a seat is available on a partner site, call the airline to book over the phone.

Is it better to use miles for Business Class?

Yes. The 'cents-per-mile' value is significantly higher for long-haul Business Class. You will typically get 3-5 cents per mile in value compared to 1-1.5 cents in economy.