Non-Existent LAN award availability - Is it true or a Sabre problem?
Jul 20, 2006, 10:42 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Pampanga, Philippines
Programs: TK Elite Plus, FB Platinum, Emirates
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Non-Existent LAN award availability - Is it true or a Sabre problem?
I finally tried to rebook my Easter Island trip that got axed due to TN completely changing its schedules.
There is not a single U or X seat on PPT-IPC-PPT May 1 2007 - June 30 2007. LAN.com shows U available on every flight more or less.
I suggested the agent to try other LAN routes, and sure enough, no seats on SYD-SCL, AKL-SCL or SCL-IPC on a wide range of dates.
When she tried to get the advanced availability for LA, instead of award codes popping up like BA, the screen showed something like "NO AVAILABILITY FOR THIS REQUEST". Manually requesting U class resulted in UC1 status within seconds (Unable to confirm).
I have a very hard time believing she was getting the actual LAN availability for AAdvantage members. I'm speechless if LAN has taken the CX approach to basically eliminate all premium class availability...
Any ideas how to resolve this?
Off topic - I can't believe what BA had on SYD-BKK... Z7 U6 X7. ^
There is not a single U or X seat on PPT-IPC-PPT May 1 2007 - June 30 2007. LAN.com shows U available on every flight more or less.
I suggested the agent to try other LAN routes, and sure enough, no seats on SYD-SCL, AKL-SCL or SCL-IPC on a wide range of dates.
When she tried to get the advanced availability for LA, instead of award codes popping up like BA, the screen showed something like "NO AVAILABILITY FOR THIS REQUEST". Manually requesting U class resulted in UC1 status within seconds (Unable to confirm).
I have a very hard time believing she was getting the actual LAN availability for AAdvantage members. I'm speechless if LAN has taken the CX approach to basically eliminate all premium class availability...
Any ideas how to resolve this? Off topic - I can't believe what BA had on SYD-BKK... Z7 U6 X7. ^
Jul 21, 2006, 1:19 am
#2
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Join Date: Mar 1999
Posts: 12,097
Originally Posted by LH747FTL
Any ideas how to resolve this?
Let us know what you find out.
Jul 21, 2006, 5:44 am
#3
Original Poster
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Location: Pampanga, Philippines
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I'll give the Platinum line a call later.
Yes, there was LANPASS availability for pretty much each and every flight, but the AAgent wasn't able to find any in Sabre. I realize LANPASS members may have additional availability, but find it rather hard to believe there would be none at all for AA whereas months ago the problem never was the PPT-IPC-PPT part.
Yes, there was LANPASS availability for pretty much each and every flight, but the AAgent wasn't able to find any in Sabre. I realize LANPASS members may have additional availability, but find it rather hard to believe there would be none at all for AA whereas months ago the problem never was the PPT-IPC-PPT part.
Jul 21, 2006, 6:10 am
#4
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: New York City
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I had the exact same problem with LAN when I was also booking PPT-IPC using AAdvantage miles.... According to AA, the link (for award seats) appeared to be down to LAN for several days. Then, once it was back up, I had no problem... Not exactly what you wanted to hear, but there is hope!
On Easter, check out the Explora Lodge.... GREAT place to stay, amazing food and wine and excellent people. Great adventures all around the island... expensive, but worth every penny and more.
http://www.explora.com/easter/easter_island.htm
Have fun...it is a wonderful place!
On Easter, check out the Explora Lodge.... GREAT place to stay, amazing food and wine and excellent people. Great adventures all around the island... expensive, but worth every penny and more.
http://www.explora.com/easter/easter_island.htm
Have fun...it is a wonderful place!
Jul 21, 2006, 6:41 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Pampanga, Philippines
Programs: TK Elite Plus, FB Platinum, Emirates
Posts: 1,619
Originally Posted by mizzou miles
I had the exact same problem with LAN when I was also booking PPT-IPC using AAdvantage miles.... According to AA, the link (for award seats) appeared to be down to LAN for several days. Then, once it was back up, I had no problem... Not exactly what you wanted to hear, but there is hope!
On Easter, check out the Explora Lodge.... GREAT place to stay, amazing food and wine and excellent people. Great adventures all around the island... expensive, but worth every penny and more.
http://www.explora.com/easter/easter_island.htm
Have fun...it is a wonderful place!
On Easter, check out the Explora Lodge.... GREAT place to stay, amazing food and wine and excellent people. Great adventures all around the island... expensive, but worth every penny and more.
http://www.explora.com/easter/easter_island.htm
Have fun...it is a wonderful place!
I'll give it a few days then, have BKK-SYD-PPT-SYD-BKK on hold on BA/TN F.
I'll check out the link, thanks.
Jul 28, 2006, 7:14 am
#6
Join Date: May 1998
Location: australia
Posts: 5,762
It doesn't seem to be as simple as just a link being down. Availability on lan.com for Lan Pass doesn't seem to mean availability for other Oneworld FF programs.
I have booked a Oneworld award using AAdvantage miles SYD-SCL on August 22nd. Lan.com has shown Business class availability on the direct flight for the last few weeks even stating that it is U class when you get to the confirmation page. AAdvantage has had no availability showing on that flight on the 4 occasions I have rung and have booked me SYD-LAX-SCL with the LAX-SCL booked on Lan. So some Lan availability AAdvantage have access to but on other flights they appear not to.
I have booked a Oneworld award using AAdvantage miles SYD-SCL on August 22nd. Lan.com has shown Business class availability on the direct flight for the last few weeks even stating that it is U class when you get to the confirmation page. AAdvantage has had no availability showing on that flight on the 4 occasions I have rung and have booked me SYD-LAX-SCL with the LAX-SCL booked on Lan. So some Lan availability AAdvantage have access to but on other flights they appear not to.
Jul 28, 2006, 8:04 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,903
Originally Posted by 3544quebec
Availability on lan.com for Lan Pass doesn't seem to mean availability for other Oneworld FF programs.
I have booked a Oneworld award using AAdvantage miles SYD-SCL on August 22nd. Lan.com has shown Business class availability on the direct flight for the last few weeks even stating that it is U class when you get to the confirmation page. AAdvantage has had no availability showing on that flight on the 4 occasions I have rung and have booked me SYD-LAX-SCL with the LAX-SCL booked on Lan. So some Lan availability AAdvantage have access to but on other flights they appear not to.
I have booked a Oneworld award using AAdvantage miles SYD-SCL on August 22nd. Lan.com has shown Business class availability on the direct flight for the last few weeks even stating that it is U class when you get to the confirmation page. AAdvantage has had no availability showing on that flight on the 4 occasions I have rung and have booked me SYD-LAX-SCL with the LAX-SCL booked on Lan. So some Lan availability AAdvantage have access to but on other flights they appear not to.
Jul 28, 2006, 8:11 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Madrid, Spain & Santiago, Chile
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Originally Posted by rrgg
...The airline holding your miles will offer additional award seats on their flights, on top of what oneworld partners are given.
Jul 28, 2006, 8:16 am
#9
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,903
Originally Posted by Viajero
The current problem goes well beyond that. For some reason AA cannot see *any* LAN award availability on certain routes.
Jul 28, 2006, 9:09 am
#10
Join Date: May 1998
Location: australia
Posts: 5,762
And I understand too 
It begs the question though - when is U class not U class?
I can understand that BA might have a seperate booking class for Executive Club members or that elite members might have extra availability but surely that is indicated in their reservation systems as something other than the global Oneworld redemption classes.
If lan.com tells me it can book me into U class why doesn't AA have access to that seat when that is the fare bucket into which AAdvantage needs to book me. Does Lan keep "cloaked" U class seats that can only be "uncloaked" by some process activated by lan.com?
Or does Lan somehow block award redemption via foreign FF programs on certain routes -and the one's we are talking about here all seem to be monopoly routes where there is no Oneworld and perhaps not any alternative.
Enquiring minds would like to know.
It begs the question though - when is U class not U class?
I can understand that BA might have a seperate booking class for Executive Club members or that elite members might have extra availability but surely that is indicated in their reservation systems as something other than the global Oneworld redemption classes.
If lan.com tells me it can book me into U class why doesn't AA have access to that seat when that is the fare bucket into which AAdvantage needs to book me. Does Lan keep "cloaked" U class seats that can only be "uncloaked" by some process activated by lan.com?
Or does Lan somehow block award redemption via foreign FF programs on certain routes -and the one's we are talking about here all seem to be monopoly routes where there is no Oneworld and perhaps not any alternative.
Enquiring minds would like to know.
Last edited by 3544quebec; Jul 28, 2006 at 9:20 am
Jul 28, 2006, 9:22 am
#11
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Originally Posted by 3544quebec
If lan.com tells me it can book me into U class why doesn't AA have access to that seat when that is the fare bucket into which AAdvantage needs to book me. Does Lan keep "cloaked" U class seats that can only be "uncloaked" by some process activated by lan.com?
Or does Lan somehow block award redemption on certain routes -and the one's we are talking about here all seem to be monopoly routes (AR I don't think is really a serious competitor on the South Pacific route, not being in a global alliance)
Or does Lan somehow block award redemption on certain routes -and the one's we are talking about here all seem to be monopoly routes (AR I don't think is really a serious competitor on the South Pacific route, not being in a global alliance)
Each airline owns their own inventory.
They choose what to publish to the GDS (Sabre).
They also choose what to expose from the GDS - to their own people, to friends (ie oneWorld) and to outsiders (TAs).
And airlines also choose what to show to their own people based.
It's all based on user roles. So you could be talking to an AA agent who isn't in the right user role to handle onePass queries (and might not know this). Or LAN could be choosing not to show it to him/her. Or LAN might not even put that fare class into the GDS.
Either way, you often have to go to the horse's mouth to get the real answer - that means having the AA agent actually CALL his/her counterpart to get the seat released to you...
-----Burton
Jul 28, 2006, 9:29 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,903
Side note-- IB does the same thing. They have additional award seats for their members which are not available to oneworld. Whether certain routes are blocked is sort of a separate issue.
Last edited by rrgg; Jul 28, 2006 at 9:40 am
Jul 28, 2006, 9:39 am
#13
Join Date: May 1998
Location: australia
Posts: 5,762
Thanks Burton
I'm sure you are right that I am not thinking about it in the right way but can you explain to me how AA can book me U class LAX-SCL but in the same session not see U class availability that shows up on lan.com for SYD-SCL? What is the mechanism by which Lan differentially shows U class availability to AA - showing it on one flight but not on another? Hence my questions about cloaking and blocking.
And how do I go about suggesting to the AAdvantage desk that they should go and ring Lan to get a seat released? Surely they will say to me "If there is an available U class seat it will show up on our system just like the LAX-SCL sector we have just booked for you" They would spend all their time ringing up other airlines if that is what they needed to do.
My mind is still enquiring
I'm sure you are right that I am not thinking about it in the right way but can you explain to me how AA can book me U class LAX-SCL but in the same session not see U class availability that shows up on lan.com for SYD-SCL? What is the mechanism by which Lan differentially shows U class availability to AA - showing it on one flight but not on another? Hence my questions about cloaking and blocking.
And how do I go about suggesting to the AAdvantage desk that they should go and ring Lan to get a seat released? Surely they will say to me "If there is an available U class seat it will show up on our system just like the LAX-SCL sector we have just booked for you" They would spend all their time ringing up other airlines if that is what they needed to do.
My mind is still enquiring
Last edited by 3544quebec; Jul 28, 2006 at 9:46 am
Jul 28, 2006, 9:44 am
#14
Join Date: May 1998
Location: australia
Posts: 5,762
Originally Posted by rrgg
Side note-- IB does the same thing. They have additional award seats for their members which are not available to oneworld. Whether certain routes are blocked is sort of a separate issue.
Non-Existent LAN award availability - Is it true or a Sabre problem?
Last edited by 3544quebec; Jul 28, 2006 at 9:54 am
Jul 28, 2006, 1:26 pm
#15
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: CA, AA EXP, MR Gold, SPG PLT
Posts: 1,850
Originally Posted by LH747FTL
I'm speechless if LAN has taken the CX approach to basically eliminate all premium class availability...