kevinflyaway

I was playing around with the search engine for a trip next year with FB miles.

I looked for a flight from Tokyo to Amsterdam in May of 2018 (example date 10/05/18). It seemed that a direct KLM flight was only available for a Special Elite rate of 120.000 miles per person. If I did a search for Tokyo -> London, I got the lower standard rate of 100.000 miles per person. Thing is that this 'cheaper' option is actually on the same direct flight from TOK to AMS + a flight from AMS to LCY.

So:
NTR - AMS with KL = 120.000 special elite
NTR - AMS - LCY with KL = 100.000 standard price

Now I knew that direct flights for Dutch people were marketed for sometimes a little more money, but never saw this. I think it's bizar.

irishguy28

What "third party member"?

In all cases, the person travelling is a Flying Blue member. In all cases, the price is in Flying Blue miles. There is no membership of any "party" other than Flying Blue in question here.

And be glad that you have Elite status and so are only charged an extra 20k - as an Ivory, I am being charged an extra 200k (and €11 less!).

kevinflyaway

I find it weird that the same flight is less miles, if it is a continues journey. I knew this with paid tickets (a BRU-AMS-CUR is mostly cheaper then just AMS-CUR), but this is news to me that it also happens to miles tickets.

I removed the third party comment, meant something else. Always a charm

ranskis

It is called "married segments" availability it has not much to do with fare levels that are usually higher on direct flights, for a given booking class and similar fare restrictions.

Here the booking class is O. It is not available on the NRT AMS, but if you take the route NRT LON via AMS, it becomes available. It works the same with revenue booking class. Sometimes, Z is available on direct NRT AMS and also on AMS LCY, yet for NRT LCY via AMS on the exact same flight, it can happen than Z is not available. On CPH AMS you can have only expensive fares available like M class, but if you continue to Madrid, you could find space in cheap V class all the way.

AF, KL, LH, AY, SK use this a lot, not sure about other European airlines.

kevinflyaway

Yes, I know that this worked for paid tickets but hadn't seen it before with award tickets. But they way you describe it, I think you're right. Now it's ' only' 20.000 miles, but I still think its a big difference.

brunos

FB has a very flexible pricing/availability policy. And that is not recent.
As you mentioned, this is quite similar to paid ticket policy.

I remember looking at award flights to HKG. From CDG, I could only get the "cheap" option via AMS, but more expensive on the AF nonstop. From AMS, it was exactly the opposite (more expensive for KL nonstop than via AF CDG).

irishguy28

Ever since they moved away from fixed mileage amounts - all rates are now "starting from Xk miles" - this has been how they operate.

In many cases, for flights to/from AMS or CDG, indirect routings are the cheapest on many dates.