Ticket Details

  • Ticket 1: Oklahoma City (OKC) - Chicago (ORD) - Beijing (PEK) - Changsha (CSX), one adult award ticket
  • Ticket 2: Oklahoma City (OKC) - Chicago (ORD) - Beijing (PEK), one adult award ticket + one infant ticket
  • Ticket 3: Beijing (PEK) - Changsha (CSX), one adult paid ticket + one infant ticket
  • Cabins: OKC-ORD all in economy, ORD-PEK all in first class, PEK-CSX one first class + one economy + one infant ticket
  • Redemption: 90,000 UA miles (OKC-CSX award ticket) + 105,000 Aeroplan miles (OKC-PEK award ticket) + $125 infant ticket taxes and fees (OKC-PEK award ticket) + close booking and a small amount of taxes and fees + $120 airfare (Beijing to Changsha adult ticket + infant ticket)

The ticketing may look complicated, but the goal was to minimize infant ticket costs and baggage costs as much as possible, while also maintaining a reasonable level of comfort and convenience for a family trip. The total flight time plus airport time came to 24 hours, which was on the shorter side among all the options. I basically considered every possible ticketing combination, and below I’ll walk through my thought process for reference.

If you’re not familiar with infant ticket rules, I’d recommend quickly skimming the following infant ticket guide first. That will make this post much easier to follow.

How I Approached the Booking

This trip included an 18-month-old infant, so my first priority was the overall convenience of the itinerary. On top of that, the ideal outcome was to keep both cash costs and miles costs as low as possible. Here’s the detailed thinking:

  • As few connections as possible: This trip was from a small U.S. city to a second-tier city in China, so at least two connections were unavoidable. In other words, Oklahoma City to a major U.S. gateway, then that U.S. gateway to a major city in China, and finally a connection onward to Changsha. Another possibility would have been flying from a major U.S. city to Korea, Japan, or Hong Kong, then taking a nonstop flight to Changsha.
  • Reasonable connection times: Since we were traveling with an infant and a lot of baby-related gear, I targeted connection times of around 2-3 hours each. That would leave enough buffer for unexpected issues. If everything went smoothly, we’d even have time to sit down and have a proper meal in an airport lounge.
  • Suitable departure and arrival times: Babies tend to have fairly regular sleep schedules, so I tried to avoid flights that were too early. Ideally, sleep time would line up with flight time so both the adults and the child could rest.
  • The right cabin: Since we were traveling with an infant and also had a decent stash of miles and points, I focused on business class and first class. Ideally, both the adults and the child would be able to lie down and sleep.
  • Checked baggage: We were bringing a lot of checked luggage, plus a stroller and infant bassinet/carrycot, so more checked bag allowance was better, and higher weight limits were better too.
  • Airline selection: I prioritized Asian airlines, since they generally offer more reliable service and better food quality.
  • Booking speed: Since we were planning to leave within 1-2 weeks, I needed to be able to book immediately once I found award space. So I only considered airlines where I already had miles, or programs where point transfers could be completed within a day.
  • Cash and miles outlay: I wanted to minimize cash spending, and when the value was similar, I preferred using miles first.

These considerations won’t apply equally to everyone, and you should pick the factors that matter most to you and do your own analysis. If you have time to research, compare, and think things through, I’d suggest listing out most of your options and then comparing them point by point using criteria like these. That should help you find the best fit.

Comparing the Options

Since I had a large balance of miles and points, I could potentially cover award bookings with most airlines, which meant there were a lot of possible combinations. Because of that, I basically listed out every realistic option. If you only have a few mileage balances to work with, you can just focus on those specific programs. One thing to keep in mind: choosing to redeem one airline’s miles does not necessarily mean you’ll be flying that airline’s own aircraft. On international itineraries like this, it’s very common to mix flights operated by alliance partners or other partners.

Option 1: AA American Airlines (oneworld)

  • Pros: Since I was booking at the end of 2017, I could take advantage of the annual 10% mileage rebate. That meant 110,000 miles for first class was effectively only 100,000, and 70,000 miles for business class was effectively just 63,000, which was a pretty good deal. AA also did not have high surcharges, and among its oneworld partners, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines are both high-quality carriers.
  • Cons: The infant ticket policy is terrible, requiring 10% of the adult paid fare. If you’re not careful, the infant ticket can easily cost $1,000+. If I wanted to book all the way to Changsha, the only option was connecting in Hong Kong (since there were no other usable oneworld flights within mainland China), so I had to find a flight from a major U.S. city to Hong Kong that would also connect to the next segment from Hong Kong to Changsha.

Although I had a large stash of AA miles, I found that all the flights from the U.S. to Hong Kong either arrived too close to the departure time of the Hong Kong-to-Changsha Dragonair flight, or simply could not connect the same day. Other non-oneworld flights from Hong Kong to Changsha were also very expensive. More importantly, adding an infant to an AA award requires paying 10% of the revenue fare, which was basically the cost of an economy-class ticket. So I ruled out using AA miles right away.

Option 2: BA British Airways (oneworld)

  • Pros: I had a large balance of BA miles, and BA’s household account feature meant I could use the miles sitting in family members’ BA accounts. BA’s infant ticket policy is very good: it only requires 10% of the miles plus 10% of the taxes and fees, so overall the cost would be quite reasonable if I could make the itinerary work. Similar to AA, BA’s oneworld partners include high-quality airlines like Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.
  • Cons: As with AA, if I wanted to book all the way to Changsha, the only option was connecting in Hong Kong (since there were no other usable oneworld flights within mainland China), so I had to find a flight from a major U.S. city to Hong Kong that could also connect to the Hong Kong-to-Changsha segment. Also, BA award pricing is distance-based and charges each segment separately, so the total miles required can be very high. BA business class costs twice the economy mileage price, and first class costs three times the economy price, so premium-cabin redemptions require a huge number of miles.

Just like in Option 1, the biggest issue was that I could not make a same-day connection in Hong Kong. So for now I had to keep holding onto that pile of BA miles. Hopefully I’ll use them next time for a trip to Japan or Hong Kong.

Option 3: Delta (SkyTeam)

  • Pros: I had a decent number of Delta miles, and Delta miles can be transferred instantly from Membership Rewards, which makes booking very fast. SkyTeam also has partner airlines in China, so I didn’t need to worry about the domestic connection. Delta’s fuel surcharges on award tickets were still within a reasonable range.
  • Cons: Delta uses its infamous dynamic chart to price awards, so business class can easily jump to 175,000 miles. Delta’s infant ticket policy is also poor, charging 10% of the adult fare.

When I searched Delta award space around my travel dates, business-class awards were basically all pricing at 150,000+ miles. The nickname “SkyPesos” really wasn’t earned for nothing.

Option 4: AS Alaska Airlines (no alliance, many partners)

  • Pros: I had a decent number of AS miles, and AS miles could also be obtained by transferring SPG points (usually posting within three days). Although AS doesn’t belong to any alliance, it partners with Hainan Airlines in China, and there is a nonstop LAX-CSX flight. AS business-class awards cost only 50,000 miles, and you can even add a free stopover.
  • Cons: For infant tickets departing the U.S., AS charges 10% of the adult fare. When booking with AS, you can only book all-partner itineraries, all-AS itineraries, or a mix of AS-operated and partner flights; you cannot book an itinerary that mixes only partner airlines. That makes tickets like this very hard to find anyway, especially since OKC only has a nonstop AS flight to Seattle.

I looked into the options, and if I used AA to fly to Hong Kong, I couldn’t connect onward from Hong Kong to Changsha, because that would involve mixing two partner airlines. Hainan Airlines also had no award space to Changsha. More importantly, because the itinerary could only be mixed with AS flights, I couldn’t use the AA flight on the OKC-LAX segment. The only option would have been OKC to Seattle, then Seattle to LAX. For Hainan’s other Los Angeles flights to Chongqing or Chengdu, I also couldn’t find suitable connection times or award seats in business class or above. On top of that, the 10% infant ticket cost would have basically wiped out the mileage savings. So I ruled out this option.

That said, after all this searching, AS miles still look very attractive for other routes, and I should make better use of them in the future. One free stopover is a fantastic travel tool, business class is only 50,000 miles, and one-way awards are allowed. It really feels like a breath of fresh air among U.S. airlines.

Option 5: KE Korean Air (SkyTeam)

  • Pros: Infant tickets only cost 10% of the miles. Business class between the U.S. and China costs 65,000 miles, so an infant award would be just 6,500 miles, which is amazing. KE is a 1:1 transfer partner of Ultimate Rewards, with near-instant transfers, so booking is convenient. Korean Air releases first class only to its own program, so availability can be relatively good. Korean Air also has a nonstop ICN-CSX route, which helps keep the total number of connections to the minimum three. Korean Air’s service and food are generally better than those of U.S. airlines.
  • Cons: Korean Air miles can only be used for Korean Air-operated flights, so I would have needed to buy a separate ticket from OKC to an airport served by Korean Air, such as LAX/LAS/SFO. Korean Air’s taxes and fees are fairly high, around $200 per person. To book for family members, you need to add them to your account in advance, and verifying the family relationship takes about 3 days.

If you are even thinking about booking with Korean Air, I strongly recommend opening an account early and adding your family members ahead of time. One reason I gave up on this option was that I wasn’t sure how long the family-member verification would take. Another reason was that I would have needed to buy tickets for the whole family from OKC to LAX/LAS/SFO. Without AA or UA saver space, that would have required a lot of additional miles. The flight schedules also weren’t great. And in general, claiming bags and rechecking them within the U.S. is more of a hassle than doing so domestically within China.

It’s a shame I didn’t get the chance to try Korean Air first class this time. I’ll have to wait until next time for the airborne kimchi and spicy instant noodles.

Option 6: UA United Airlines (Star Alliance)

  • Pros: Taxes and fees are relatively low. Since Air China is in Star Alliance, it is easy to connect onto domestic flights within China. United domestic connections within the U.S. are also easy. Star Alliance also includes Asiana and Air China, whose service quality is generally better than that of U.S. airlines. UA miles can be transferred from Ultimate Rewards with near-instant posting, so booking is fast.
  • Cons: Infant tickets are charged at 10% of the adult fare. There is also a close-in booking fee.

In the end, I used UA miles for one of the adult tickets and booked United’s own first class for 90,000 miles. Most of that came from leftover miles in my UA account, and I transferred the missing amount from UR. While 90,000 miles for first class may look a bit wasteful—after all, ANA miles only require 95,000 for a round-trip U.S.-China business class ticket, and AS only charges 50,000 for a one-way U.S.-China business class ticket—I ultimately chose UA first class so that the whole family could be in the same cabin, the first class seat would be roomier for both adult and child to lie down, and first class also included three checked bags. Even though the soft product was very average, the hard product was still pretty good.

Option 7: AC Air Canada (Star Alliance)

  • Pros: Taxes and fees are low when booking UA flights. Since Air China is in Star Alliance, it is easy to connect onto domestic China flights. United domestic connections within the U.S. are also easy. Star Alliance includes Asiana and Air China, whose quality is generally better than that of U.S. airlines. AC miles can be transferred from Membership Rewards with near-instant posting, so booking is fast. AC’s infant ticket policy is excellent: just $50/$100/$125 or 5,000/10,000/12,500 miles. There is no close-in booking fee.
  • Cons: You can’t add an infant ticket when booking Air China! A U.S.-China business class award costs 70,000 miles, and first class costs 105,000, which is even more than UA.

I checked, and the infant ticket would have cost $1,200-$1,500 if booked through UA, so I chose AC to book the exact same flight instead. My original plan was OKC-IAH-PEK-CSX, with Air China operating all segments after IAH. That way, I wouldn’t have had to reclaim checked baggage in Beijing, and my family had flown Air China before and said the service was decent. But AC’s ridiculous infant ticket rule with Air China made that impossible to book. In the end, I had to book OKC-ORD-PEK entirely on UA, then buy the PEK-CSX segment separately through Qunar in China and add the infant ticket afterward. Fortunately, domestic flights in China are relatively cheap, and even with the infant ticket at 150RMB, the total was only around 800RMB.

As for baggage, because the other adult ticket was booked in UA first class, we could check three bags. The Beijing-to-Changsha flight happened to include one free checked bag, which also saved us from paying baggage fees on the separately purchased ticket. Since the other ticket also involved a UA-to-Air China connection in Beijing and required baggage reclaim anyway, this ticket only added one extra step of reclaiming and rechecking bags, which was still acceptable.

Unfortunately, I never found first class award space on OKC-ORD before departure, so that domestic segment had to be in economy.

Booking Steps

After deciding on Option 6 + Option 7, I started booking.

UA awards are very easy to book. Once you find the itinerary online, you can ticket it directly with miles. You just enter the origin and destination, and UA automatically finds the routing for you, so there is no need to piece it together manually. If you book by phone, you have to pay a booking fee, so I don’t recommend it. I transferred the miles I was short from UR, and they posted instantly.

When I called about the AC award, the agent told me I first needed to book the adult ticket and then add the infant ticket over the phone. Booking the adult ticket by phone would require a booking fee. So I asked the agent to put the itinerary on hold, immediately transferred 105,000 points from MR to my AC account, and the points posted instantly. Then I used AC miles to book the OKC-ORD-PEK ticket. After I gave the agent the confirmation number, the agent processed the infant ticket, charged me $125 for it, and issued it successfully. The infant ticket had its own ticket number, but no record locator.

For the final PEK-CSX segment, I bought the adult ticket plus infant ticket through Qunar. After purchasing the adult ticket online, I had to call Air China to issue the infant ticket. When I called Air China’s U.S. call center, I was told that if I wanted to pay for the infant ticket with a U.S. credit card, I would need to fill out and fax in an authorization form, which was pretty troublesome, so they suggested transferring me to the China service center. The China service center then told me that they could not accept a U.S. credit card and also could not take Alipay, so in the end I had to ask a relative in China to call and pay with her credit card.

In the end, I still managed to book the entire trip. All of the miles came from credit cards, and the cash portion was paid with the Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card and the US Bank Altitude Reserve credit card, and fully reimbursed. So effectively, I didn’t pay anything out of pocket for this U.S.-China first class trip.

Final Itinerary

OKC-ORD: Economy class, with nothing memorable at all. As long as nothing went wrong, that was good enough.

ORD Airport Lounge: The food wasn’t great, but I still ate my fill. By the time I got to the gate, I was surprisingly the last one to board. See details here: Chicago Airport Lounge Review

ORD-PEK: First class. The hard product was pretty good, but the food was truly bad—even worse than in the lounge. I slept reasonably well. See details here: Chicago to Beijing First Class Review

PEK layover: What a disaster. We spent forever in the immigration line. Then we took the wrong transfer corridor, ended up leaving the departures level, and had no choice but to drag 4 checked bags + two carry-ons + a stroller + a car seat over to check in again. Pushing two luggage carts by myself was still really hard. At airport security, they actually made us take every spoon out of our bags, which was impossible to understand. In the end, we used up the entire three-hour connection time at Beijing Airport and once again were the last to board.

PEK-CSX: I was in first class, and then switched with LD and the kid, who were in economy. There were actually quite a few empty seats in first class, but the flight attendant said they could not let me sit there as well. As a result, LD had a whole row of three seats to himself. Air China first class meal service looked pretty decent, but I was so exhausted that I had absolutely no appetite.

Summary

I believe the options covered in this article include a large share of the possible China-US award ticket + infant ticket combinations. If you have other possible approaches, feel free to leave a comment and discuss! My advice is that if you are still single or do not have kids yet, enjoy that freedom while you can—travel more and get out more. Once you have kids, you will not have nearly as many good opportunities.