[travelworld2]

It does look slick and professional, not that necessarily means very much. If you do want to try it and have a UK issued credit card, make sure that you use that to ensure that you get the Consumer Credit Act protection (i.e. your money back from the card company if the supplier fails to get you the flights you have bought). Don’t send cash or use a debit card.

[SergeantMajor]

A lot of the reason people struggle to find availability on reward seats is because of businesses like this which seek to monetise reward currencies.

While it may make you a saving in the short term, it makes the value of your chosen reward currency reduce.

In some cases, this mileage bartering violates the T&Cs of the programme and could mean your reservation is cancelled by the airline if this is discovered.

This is not a practice I would support, and I’d recommend others think very carefully about using SkyLux and other similar services.

[peter19]

@SergeantMajor +1 on that. Supporting companies that take awards away from loyal customers just emphasizes the threads we see often on the availability of reward bookings.

[canucklad]

However it wouldn’t surprise me if AVios also sells points wholesale !

[rferguson]

Avios do….to companies like Amex and Tesco Clubcard.

[Gold-2K]

DoorsToManual – what class of ticket do you have? Would be interesting to see if its a redemption class ticket?

[Bath_VIP]

Could these be the kinds of people responsible for the poor availability on BA redemptions at the moment? I suggested a couple of weeks ago that due to the ease of which you can cancel avios bookings for a modest fee, some people might be making bookings that they intend to cancel later. As anyone can verify, availability in J is almost non-existent to USA in the summer and yet BA claim there are no blackout dates. The only way you can reconcile these two points is if people are making bookings they don’t intend to use.

[malbarda]

I live in the US and tried their website for a NY – AMS Thu 4/10 – 4/17 flight in business. I was offered Icelandair for $2,367, Air Europa $2,661. Then I checked Kayak with the same data, and saw the same segments for at least $1,000 more (the cheapest was LOT). So the pricing seems to be good. However, stop-overs are not a great idea as they add considerable travel time, and Air Europa’s business class reviews aren’t exactly glowing… You pay for what you get… I googled the SanFran business address and it appears indeed that there are many, many companies located there. Must be one hell of a an office tower. But checking it on Google Street View shows you a UPS store, meaning it is an empty post address.

My grandmother taught me that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is…

[Gin&Tonic]

All, many thanks for the feedback and research excellent stuff.
DoorsToManual would be good to hear how your trip was and if you received what you expected and paid for.
Martyn hi, have never seen another Gin&Tonic handle in this or the other forums. Hopefully I am the original and I am not a travel agent, like you guys just someone who needs to spend a lot of time in the air.
Thanks again all its stuff like this that keeps us coming back to this forum.

[DoorsToManual]

Gold-2K: Trip is booked in First but not for a while yet. All seems legit, ticket number has been issued and seats allocated. It does appear to be a redemption booking.

[FirstClassWannabe]

This sounds similar to other companies that have been around a while such as L4L, I have asked about them before on here but received no comments. There are not many reviews on any website but the ones I have read appear positive. SkyLux give guide prices which other companies do not. The main drawback is you do not receive any miles/points which would deter many. However, in view of limited availability with some FF programmes that may not be an issue for many. Another drawback is the risk that the airline may turn you away at check in! I Would be interested to hear how the trip works out.

[travelworld2]

I may be being dense here, but I thought frequently flyer miles generally weren’t transferrable (save in limited circumstances to “household” accounts). Do these people acquire miles from individuals and then redeem them- and if so how- or do they acquire them in bulk from the airline themselves and then seek to redeem them en masse as people book flights with them?

[MartynSinclair]

SimonS1, I had presumed that with a UK call centre there would be a UK office address. It does seem US centric, trying to get in on the UK market.

Apologies to Gin&Tonic – I must have confused you with some else.

I sadly have experience with a so called agent selling airmiles – cutting a long story short – rogues springs to mind..

[FirstClassWannabe]

travelworld2 – There are companies in the US who buy miles from people, and others selling them on ebay etc. It is not legal as per airlines terms and conditions but it does happen. I imagine these companies buy in bulk from people and certainly not from the airlines themselves. This is where the risk comes in at check in. If the airline suspect anything underhand they can refuse you carriage. Many people have travelled this way with no problem and I must admit, it does sound tempting.

[SimonS1]

Martyn – is it a UK call centre?

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