Online Check in Problem with Delta ticket
Aug 7, 2009, 9:08 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: Hilton Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 2,363
Online Check in Problem with Delta ticket
I used my Delta miles to book an award on Alaska that I am flying on tomorrow. In doing online check in I get a message that says to Call Alaska Customer Service.
I call Alaska and they tell me to call Delta. I call Delta and they tell me to call Alaska.
I know that there have been some flight time changes. I know that. I can see my reservations via both airlines websites. They are the same flights and times.
Has anyone else experienced this? The thing that gets me is that the page say to call Alaska and when I do Alaska has no idea why I am calling them. This is just silly. Each points at each other. Hopefully tomorrow at the counter this will all be figured out.
I call Alaska and they tell me to call Delta. I call Delta and they tell me to call Alaska.
I know that there have been some flight time changes. I know that. I can see my reservations via both airlines websites. They are the same flights and times.
Has anyone else experienced this? The thing that gets me is that the page say to call Alaska and when I do Alaska has no idea why I am calling them. This is just silly. Each points at each other. Hopefully tomorrow at the counter this will all be figured out.
Aug 7, 2009, 9:41 pm
#2
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: CO OnePass Platinum AS MVP HHonors Diamond SPG Gold
Posts: 2,417
I used my Delta miles to book an award on Alaska that I am flying on tomorrow. In doing online check in I get a message that says to Call Alaska Customer Service.
I call Alaska and they tell me to call Delta. I call Delta and they tell me to call Alaska.
I know that there have been some flight time changes. I know that. I can see my reservations via both airlines websites. They are the same flights and times.
Has anyone else experienced this? The thing that gets me is that the page say to call Alaska and when I do Alaska has no idea why I am calling them. This is just silly. Each points at each other. Hopefully tomorrow at the counter this will all be figured out.
I call Alaska and they tell me to call Delta. I call Delta and they tell me to call Alaska.
I know that there have been some flight time changes. I know that. I can see my reservations via both airlines websites. They are the same flights and times.
Has anyone else experienced this? The thing that gets me is that the page say to call Alaska and when I do Alaska has no idea why I am calling them. This is just silly. Each points at each other. Hopefully tomorrow at the counter this will all be figured out.
Partner Award Reservations: 1-800-307-6912
5:00 a.m. - Midnight (PT), Daily
Aug 7, 2009, 9:56 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: Hilton Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 2,363
I will just do it at the airport, but the point is that it doesn't have to be this hard. I had some orphan miles at Delta and found this way to unload them.
Aug 7, 2009, 10:17 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: SGF
Programs: AS, AA, UA, AGR S (former 75K, GLD, 1K, and S+, now an elite peon)
Posts: 23,194
Whenever I've redeemed AS miles on other partners, I've always had to call AS to confirm any schedule changes or whatever.
So I'd pinpoint the blame squarely at DL on this issue.
Can you get a supervisor on the line and then perhaps have that supervisor do a three-way call with the other airline to discuss what needs to be done?
So I'd pinpoint the blame squarely at DL on this issue.
Can you get a supervisor on the line and then perhaps have that supervisor do a three-way call with the other airline to discuss what needs to be done?
Aug 7, 2009, 11:04 pm
#5
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: CO OnePass Platinum AS MVP HHonors Diamond SPG Gold
Posts: 2,417
This is not a mileage plan award. It is a skymiles award on Alaska. I called the 1-800-AlaskaAir. This is the number that came up on the online check screen.
I will just do it at the airport, but the point is that it doesn't have to be this hard. I had some orphan miles at Delta and found this way to unload them.
I will just do it at the airport, but the point is that it doesn't have to be this hard. I had some orphan miles at Delta and found this way to unload them.
Honestly I don't know why I even bothered to try to be helpful given another post you made about me. Doing some research on your post history that's not a new thing for you is it?
Last edited by COpltASgldPHX; Aug 7, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Aug 7, 2009, 11:56 pm
#6
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 2,206
Are your flights all AS flights? I've had some issues checking in online when it was an AS flight followed by an NW flight. No one was ever able to tell me what happened, but I'm pretty sure that it was caused by a schedule change which somehow messed up my reservation. It looked fine online, but I was booked multiple times on the same flight, some how. I had an Alaska agent (over the phone) "clear up" my reservation, but I was still unable to check in online. Checked in with an agent at the airport just fine though.
Aug 8, 2009, 7:50 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: Hilton Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 2,363
Why do you have such an ugly outlook on life? You just love to shove in an attack in each post you ever write. I never said you were an idiot. That is your word.
Most of us do not have the time to go back and research 10 years or so of old posts where some of these wierd questions may have been asked and answered before.....but you also have to remember, airlines change policies every day. Get a freaking life and stop slamming people.
While sometimes you may have something to say, your messages get drowned out in your nasty outlook on life.
Most of us do not have the time to go back and research 10 years or so of old posts where some of these wierd questions may have been asked and answered before.....but you also have to remember, airlines change policies every day. Get a freaking life and stop slamming people.
While sometimes you may have something to say, your messages get drowned out in your nasty outlook on life.
Um, yeah. I'm not an idiot and I dd read your OP thoroughly. I realize it's not an AS MP award. My suggestion was made because you posted you had no luck calling AS's general reservations number. Although AS didn't issue the award the agents at the partner desk are very knowledgeable about all things partner related. If anyone at AS can get it sorted out they can even if it means a 3-way call with DL. If you don't want suggestions on how to get your issue resolved why did you bother posting?
Honestly I don't know why I even bothered to try to be helpful given another post you made about me. Doing some research on your post history that's not a new thing for you is it?
Honestly I don't know why I even bothered to try to be helpful given another post you made about me. Doing some research on your post history that's not a new thing for you is it?
Last edited by WebTraveler; Aug 8, 2009 at 7:56 am
Aug 8, 2009, 7:53 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: Hilton Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 2,363
Are your flights all AS flights? I've had some issues checking in online when it was an AS flight followed by an NW flight. No one was ever able to tell me what happened, but I'm pretty sure that it was caused by a schedule change which somehow messed up my reservation. It looked fine online, but I was booked multiple times on the same flight, some how. I had an Alaska agent (over the phone) "clear up" my reservation, but I was still unable to check in online. Checked in with an agent at the airport just fine though.
It is an AS round trip. All I did was book it using some expired Delta miles. A few months back; Alaska has had some schedule changes since then and that caused a bit of confusion, but I had that worked out quite some time ago....I do online check in and get a message to call 1-800-Alaska Air. I do and they say they don't know why I am calling. I can see my reservation on both airlines systems.
Aug 8, 2009, 6:38 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: SkyMiles
Posts: 49
Not to get too technical, but it sounds like the VCR needs a revalidation. If there was a schedule change the VCR needs to be revalidated to match the PNR. Another possibility is that, as often happens with code share tickets, Delta sold the reservation using DL coded flight numbers and the PNR in Alaska's system shows the AS flights while the VCR shows the DL numbers.
In either case, any airport agent can fix it without problem. If they are lazy they will just print your ticket to paper or if they would rather save some paper will take a few moments to revalidate the VCR to the PNR.
In either case, any airport agent can fix it without problem. If they are lazy they will just print your ticket to paper or if they would rather save some paper will take a few moments to revalidate the VCR to the PNR.
Aug 8, 2009, 8:58 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: HH Gold, AA Gold
Posts: 10,458
Not to get too technical, but it sounds like the VCR needs a revalidation. If there was a schedule change the VCR needs to be revalidated to match the PNR. Another possibility is that, as often happens with code share tickets, Delta sold the reservation using DL coded flight numbers and the PNR in Alaska's system shows the AS flights while the VCR shows the DL numbers.
In either case, any airport agent can fix it without problem. If they are lazy they will just print your ticket to paper or if they would rather save some paper will take a few moments to revalidate the VCR to the PNR.
In either case, any airport agent can fix it without problem. If they are lazy they will just print your ticket to paper or if they would rather save some paper will take a few moments to revalidate the VCR to the PNR.
Thanks for answering the question! But one additional question remains. I believe that the OP is also wondering why the PHONE agent have no idea what's going on. Or is it something so technical that only the airport agents are well-versed in it and authorized to fix it? After all, the OLCI system instructed the OP to call in. Thanks, in advance, for any additional light you can shed on this issue!^
Aug 8, 2009, 11:05 pm
#11
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: SEA
Programs: No status anywhere :(
Posts: 867
I believe that the OP is also wondering why the PHONE agent have no idea what's going on. Or is it something so technical that only the airport agents are well-versed in it and authorized to fix it? After all, the OLCI system instructed the OP to call in. Thanks, in advance, for any additional light you can shed on this issue!^
One other thought, is there anything unusual like international travel involved?
Aug 8, 2009, 11:15 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,633
IF sparky81 is correct, the OP might trying calling Alaska Airlines Reservations and choose the option to change a reservation. Those agents probably end up revalidating a lot more than an agent who primarily handles new reservations.
One other thought, is there anything unusual like international travel involved?
One other thought, is there anything unusual like international travel involved?
Aug 9, 2009, 6:19 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Portland, Oregon
Programs: Hilton Platinum, Alaska MVP Gold
Posts: 2,363
IF sparky81 is correct, the OP might trying calling Alaska Airlines Reservations and choose the option to change a reservation. Those agents probably end up revalidating a lot more than an agent who primarily handles new reservations.
One other thought, is there anything unusual like international travel involved?
One other thought, is there anything unusual like international travel involved?
Ironically when I did call in I did select the "change reservation" option because I thought the same thing. But in the end it didn't help....
It's not worth it. I can say that the curbside guys lost a tip. Since I had to stand in line no need to use the curbside guy - and pay him.
Aug 18, 2009, 7:47 pm
#14
Join Date: Aug 2004
Programs: AA (EP), Hilton (Diamond), Marriott Bonvoy (Titanium)
Posts: 8,937
Not to get too technical, but it sounds like the VCR needs a revalidation. If there was a schedule change the VCR needs to be revalidated to match the PNR. Another possibility is that, as often happens with code share tickets, Delta sold the reservation using DL coded flight numbers and the PNR in Alaska's system shows the AS flights while the VCR shows the DL numbers.
In either case, any airport agent can fix it without problem. If they are lazy they will just print your ticket to paper or if they would rather save some paper will take a few moments to revalidate the VCR to the PNR.
In either case, any airport agent can fix it without problem. If they are lazy they will just print your ticket to paper or if they would rather save some paper will take a few moments to revalidate the VCR to the PNR.
Aug 18, 2009, 10:53 pm
#15
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Programs: SkyMiles
Posts: 49
I will try not to get too technical, but there's two main parts to whether a reservation will recognize a ticket.
When you book travel, Sabre creates a PNR. This contains all of your info, the flights you are booked on, seat assignments, etc. Once you actually pay for the ticket, and it's issued electronically, a VCR (Virtual Coupon Record) is created. The ticket number is then associated to the PNR and as long as the itinerary data matches (date, class of service, flight number, city pair) the VCR is also validated. In order for a check-in to process and issue an electronic ticket boarding pass, these two items, the PNR and VCR, must match. If they don't, a boarding pass will be generated, but it will state "Flight Coupon Required" and check-in will be inhibited from the web and kiosk.
Now, there's a glitch that often happens, especially with tickets issued by other airlines and tickets issued using code share flight numbers, where even if the PNR and VCR match, the validation doesn't always stay intact. The most common reason for this is the class of service not matching. In Irrregular Operations this happens a lot when passengers are rebooked into Y in the PNR while the VCR retains the original booking class. There's a known glitch of tickets not revalidating for MVP and MVP Gold's who were upgraded and are not able to check-in on a kiosk or the web.
I've not worked in the RES verson of Image/Sabre, but the only way I know to tell if a ticket is validated properly or not is to do a check-in entry and generate a boarding pass. It's possible to know rather easily if a ticket is not associated to a PNR, but I can't remember if there is a way to check the validation status.
Now, as to the difference between a reissue and a revalidation, doing a revalidation matches the PNR and VCR and reissuing creates a new ticket number.
When doing a revalidation certain conditions must be met. Off of the top of my head I know there needs to be identical city pairing, class of service and dated within I think 48 hours of each other (although I think I have been able to do longer date gaps). Revalidating is mostly done when a passenger changes flights same day and the flight number does not match between the PNR and VCR.
When doing a reissue, nothing between the old and new needs to match. All that is needed is unused portions of a ticket, since a new ticket number is created when the unused coupons are exchanged.
When you book travel, Sabre creates a PNR. This contains all of your info, the flights you are booked on, seat assignments, etc. Once you actually pay for the ticket, and it's issued electronically, a VCR (Virtual Coupon Record) is created. The ticket number is then associated to the PNR and as long as the itinerary data matches (date, class of service, flight number, city pair) the VCR is also validated. In order for a check-in to process and issue an electronic ticket boarding pass, these two items, the PNR and VCR, must match. If they don't, a boarding pass will be generated, but it will state "Flight Coupon Required" and check-in will be inhibited from the web and kiosk.
Now, there's a glitch that often happens, especially with tickets issued by other airlines and tickets issued using code share flight numbers, where even if the PNR and VCR match, the validation doesn't always stay intact. The most common reason for this is the class of service not matching. In Irrregular Operations this happens a lot when passengers are rebooked into Y in the PNR while the VCR retains the original booking class. There's a known glitch of tickets not revalidating for MVP and MVP Gold's who were upgraded and are not able to check-in on a kiosk or the web.
I've not worked in the RES verson of Image/Sabre, but the only way I know to tell if a ticket is validated properly or not is to do a check-in entry and generate a boarding pass. It's possible to know rather easily if a ticket is not associated to a PNR, but I can't remember if there is a way to check the validation status.
Now, as to the difference between a reissue and a revalidation, doing a revalidation matches the PNR and VCR and reissuing creates a new ticket number.
When doing a revalidation certain conditions must be met. Off of the top of my head I know there needs to be identical city pairing, class of service and dated within I think 48 hours of each other (although I think I have been able to do longer date gaps). Revalidating is mostly done when a passenger changes flights same day and the flight number does not match between the PNR and VCR.
When doing a reissue, nothing between the old and new needs to match. All that is needed is unused portions of a ticket, since a new ticket number is created when the unused coupons are exchanged.