Award Booling: Worse than I could possibly imagine!
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Amsterdam
Programs: MileagePlus GS
Posts: 361
Award Booling: Worse than I could possibly imagine!
I just spent the last two hours hopelessly plugging away a myriad of combinations to obtain an award booking from AMS to IAH. To my surprise, not ONE was offered without OPTION miles. I must have tried 50 different date combinations, weekends, during the week, and everything in between.
I have been a loyal Gold for more than 8 years and have never once had any difficulty obtaining a award booking, and now THIS???
Worse off, most of the options were not non stop but through Paris...As if I would ever turn in 100000 miles to fly economy AND transfer planes in CDG.
Is this a mistake, or just them being Generous?
Does anyone know if Continental's One Pass a better FFP is?
I have been a loyal Gold for more than 8 years and have never once had any difficulty obtaining a award booking, and now THIS???
Worse off, most of the options were not non stop but through Paris...As if I would ever turn in 100000 miles to fly economy AND transfer planes in CDG.
Is this a mistake, or just them being Generous?
Does anyone know if Continental's One Pass a better FFP is?
#2
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Cleveland
Programs: AF/KLM Plat For Life/UA Million Miler-PremEx For Life/SPG Gold
Posts: 5,054
Success on The PHONE, not Computer!
I had the same frustration with the booking engine, things looked VERY bleak.
Then, I called FB HelpDesk. Amazing chap- SEBASTIAN was incredibly helpful and informative.
We checked a JFK-DKR in J in late July. No space on booking engine. No space when Sebastian checked JFK-DKR.
Sure enough, when he checked JFK-CDG and CDG-DKR SEPARATELY, he found space and could manually 'marry' the two segments for just one regular (not Open Miles) award.
I applaud Sebastian's effort, but am disappointed that the new booking engine does not seem to (at least in its early stages) an improvement over the old clunky FD booking engine!!
Then, I called FB HelpDesk. Amazing chap- SEBASTIAN was incredibly helpful and informative.
We checked a JFK-DKR in J in late July. No space on booking engine. No space when Sebastian checked JFK-DKR.
Sure enough, when he checked JFK-CDG and CDG-DKR SEPARATELY, he found space and could manually 'marry' the two segments for just one regular (not Open Miles) award.
I applaud Sebastian's effort, but am disappointed that the new booking engine does not seem to (at least in its early stages) an improvement over the old clunky FD booking engine!!
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Programs: BA Silver, EY Gold, HH Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 12,210
Just spent 20 mins on the phone with an agent. Now can someone please tell me why/how it is that I can not get a Biz award flight from UK to Vancouver anytime in August.
Skyteam must have tons of flights flying there everyday and I wasn't at all fussy about routings/dates/times. They can even send me on a 5 leg journey if they wish.
But NOTHING available with normal miles.
If i could meet the person who set up this new program I wouldn't talk with him, just SMACK him one on his face.
KLM/AF YOU WILL NOT GET A SINGLE PENNY FROM ME IN THE FUTURE.
Skyteam must have tons of flights flying there everyday and I wasn't at all fussy about routings/dates/times. They can even send me on a 5 leg journey if they wish.
But NOTHING available with normal miles.
If i could meet the person who set up this new program I wouldn't talk with him, just SMACK him one on his face.
KLM/AF YOU WILL NOT GET A SINGLE PENNY FROM ME IN THE FUTURE.
#4
Suspended
Join Date: May 2001
Location: DUS
Posts: 4,004
To be honest, one can complain that it seems that award availability is down from what is used to be , but to complain not to get a seat in C to YVR or IAH is really not worth it.IAH has always the prime northatlantic flight for KLM and not surprisingly they launch an all C class flight in autumn.
YVR in August is peak cruise season and peak holiday season in Europe and in addition to that not really served well by SKY at all...
It makes sense to complain about several new FB enhancements, but not about some destinations not available during super high season...
YVR in August is peak cruise season and peak holiday season in Europe and in addition to that not really served well by SKY at all...
It makes sense to complain about several new FB enhancements, but not about some destinations not available during super high season...
#5
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: SXB
Programs: FB Silver, BA Silver, BD Gold rememberer, IHG Diamond Royal Ambassador, Hilton and Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,581
OK, so what should we test for availabitly? I checked CDG-JFK, CDG-LAX and CDG-NRT in April 2006, everyday till 16th (the further we can book in advance...) and found:
Either they pulled out a lot of seats, or the online booking engine is broken.
- no availability in F on CDG-JFK
- no availability in C on CDG-JFK expect ONE day (Apr 4th)
- availability in Y everyday on CDG-JFK, except on Apr 15
- no availability at all on CDG-LAx, except a single seat in C on Apr 12
- no availability in F on CDG-NRT
- availability for 3 days in C for CDG-NRT
- availability everyday in Y
Either they pulled out a lot of seats, or the online booking engine is broken.
#6
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: 🇸🇬 🇭🇰 🇫🇷
Programs: Many
Posts: 4,749
Originally Posted by Richelieu
OK, so what should we test for availabitly? I checked CDG-JFK, CDG-LAX and CDG-NRT in April 2006, everyday till 16th (the further we can book in advance...) and found:
Either they pulled out a lot of seats, or the online booking engine is broken.
- no availability in F on CDG-JFK
- no availability in C on CDG-JFK expect ONE day (Apr 4th)
- availability in Y everyday on CDG-JFK, except on Apr 15
- no availability at all on CDG-LAx, except a single seat in C on Apr 12
- no availability in F on CDG-NRT
- availability for 3 days in C for CDG-NRT
- availability everyday in Y
Either they pulled out a lot of seats, or the online booking engine is broken.
#7
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: SXB
Programs: FB Silver, BA Silver, BD Gold rememberer, IHG Diamond Royal Ambassador, Hilton and Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,581
Originally Posted by bodory
Did you try with the "open miles" option or with the normal level of miles?
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Programs: BA Silver, EY Gold, HH Diamond, IHG Plat
Posts: 12,210
Originally Posted by Threy
To be honest, one can complain that it seems that award availability is down from what is used to be , but to complain not to get a seat in C to YVR or IAH is really not worth it.IAH has always the prime northatlantic flight for KLM and not surprisingly they launch an all C class flight in autumn.
YVR in August is peak cruise season and peak holiday season in Europe and in addition to that not really served well by SKY at all...
It makes sense to complain about several new FB enhancements, but not about some destinations not available during super high season...
YVR in August is peak cruise season and peak holiday season in Europe and in addition to that not really served well by SKY at all...
It makes sense to complain about several new FB enhancements, but not about some destinations not available during super high season...
How many flights must Skyteam have across the pond daily? They can't put me on any one of them and then a connection from whichever hub i land in (even in Y for the North American) section was fine with me.
I think its just AF/KLM trying to clear out our points by giving us no option but to book Open fare awards. And that really gets me angry.
#9
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: back to my roots in Scotland!
Programs: Tamsin - what else is there to say?
Posts: 47,843
Threy, but it isn't just these two destinations.. there are getting to be post after post after post detailing the problems many people have in booking award flights to many destinations over many time frames. While I could accept the mile burn-off/upgrade flurry to avoid the now hideous restrictions on upgrades from Y, there is a point where one has to realise that the award flights are just not there anymore...
Just another thing brought to us by our new "generous" program :rolleye:
Just another thing brought to us by our new "generous" program :rolleye:
#11
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Near an airport
Programs: FB, EB, Delta, AC, PC, HH.
Posts: 1,991
I tried, just looking really, for a flight BRS - Milwaukee (can't remember the code), 'round the end of june and got routed with CO and asked for 75k of my points for it.
My business partner is currently in YYZ. He tried getting a flight on points to go there. Impossible. He flew a rather expensive coach ticket with CO, yesterday, to get there. And he booked well in advance.
Emma
My business partner is currently in YYZ. He tried getting a flight on points to go there. Impossible. He flew a rather expensive coach ticket with CO, yesterday, to get there. And he booked well in advance.
Emma
#12
Suspended
Join Date: May 2001
Location: DUS
Posts: 4,004
Originally Posted by Jenbel
Threy, but it isn't just these two destinations.. there are getting to be post after post after post detailing the problems many people have in booking award flights to many destinations over many time frames. While I could accept the mile burn-off/upgrade flurry to avoid the now hideous restrictions on upgrades from Y, there is a point where one has to realise that the award flights are just not there anymore...
Just another thing brought to us by our new "generous" program :rolleye:
Just another thing brought to us by our new "generous" program :rolleye:
Comparing the late FD with LH for example was still in favour of KLM, when it came to award availability, but I fear with those bigger airlines and schemes, supply and demand simply do not work out that good anymore.
Comparing KLM`s 2 million members and seat miles available on longhaul flights with the capacity relations of AF, now FB or LH shows us that AF and LH are certainly bigger , but have 3 or 4 as many as members and alliance partners, so I fear we were members of a very good FFP with FD...