Ok, is it just me, or is it surreal to see Anderson Cooper on CNN in Larnaca, discussing how the evacuees from Lebanon are upset because they can't find hotel rooms there? Who'da thunk our mistake fare destination would turn out to become a waystation....For you folks going in the next week, be sure to check your reservations.. somehow I get the feeling rooms will soon be at a premium in the immediate area.

Haven't booked yet (bad), but noticed room avail has improved massively since yesterday.

Haven't booked yet (bad), but noticed room avail has improved massively since yesterday.

improved? :confused:

stuck in lebanon...? Uncle Sam may send you a bill. From cnn.com

Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Who should pay for evacuations from Lebanon?
A fascinating argument is ramping up fast here in Washington about the thousands of Americans still in Lebanon, but trying to escape the fighting. Simply put: Should they pay for their own evacuation by the U.S. government or should all of us pay for it through our tax dollars?

Air or boatlifts of Americans from wartorn nations are not new. Heck, many Americans have been helped out of all sorts of tricky foreign situations by the military or the State Department. But those who want these particular Americans in Lebanon to help foot the bill for their rescue make the following points.

1) They knew they were living in a dicey area to begin with. Yes, Lebanon has shown significant progress toward being a more peaceful, stable country in recent years, but the southern end of the nation is and has been essentially in the control of an internationally recognized terrorist group, Hezbollah. When you move to or visit such a place, these critics say, you are willingly putting yourself at some degree of risk and that's your burden ... no one else's.

2) This conflict, while fast-moving, has been intensifying for days. These "stranded" Americans should have got out while the getting was good.

On the other side, there are those who make their own strong points.

1) This conflict hasn't just been fast moving; it has developed at a lightning pace, going from a dispute over a pair of kidnappings into what resembles all out war in less than a week. It is unfair, they argue, for American civilians to be expected to foresee how bad it would get so quickly.

2) We encourage Americans to invest in foreign nations, to help spread the ideals of democracy, freedom and respect for human rights all over the globe. We can't then turn around and say, "Now, you're on your own," when times get tough. In addition, if people start fearing a big bill is going to land in their mailbox after an evacuation, might that not encourage other Americans in future disputes to wait even later before seeking help?

This issue of having people pay for their own rescues has come up in many different ways with all kinds of rescues: Hikers plucked from mountainsides where they've become rimrocked, motorists rescued from blizzard-swept roads, boaters pulled from stormy seas.

So who should pay for pulling Americans out of Lebanon: Those Americans? Or you?
Posted By Tom Foreman, CNN Correspondent: 1:42 PM ET

What gets me is that total evacuation costs probably wouldn't buy 1/2 hrs' worth of running the U.S. military campaign in Iraq.

The U.S. also has a significant ability to mitigate the seriousness of the situation but appears to have given the green light to worsen it.

We leave this Friday landing in Cyprus Saturday around 6:00pm. We have a hotel reserved in Paphos for 7 days and a car. Does anyone know how we could help any of the people in transition? We have limited resources but would gladly share anything we have to help ease others life. If a Flyertaker knows someone in need while in Cyprus please feel free to PM.

We will go to the port in LCA to see if we can do someone some good. May everyone find safe passage to Cyprus.

improved? :confused: Looking at the websites instead of CNN, I see lots more rooms and lower prices than I saw yesterday, at least on my dates. Don't understand why (cancellations?) but just booked one.

YMMV.

I didn't see this tip mentioned anywhere, hopefully you can take advantage of it before your trips!

If you e-mail the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and request trip planning materials, they'll send you all kinds of brochures, booklets, event guides, and best of all, detailed maps of Cyprus. Specifically, I got the following maps:
* Limassol,
* Paralimni-Protaras area,
* Troodos area,
* Nicosia city center (Greek half only, of course),
* Larnaka,
* Pafos,
* General map of Cyprus.

Here is their contact info (including e-mail address, which is how I contacted them):

Cyprus Tourism Organisation
13 East, 40th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (00 1212) 683 5280
Fax: (00 1212) 683 5282
e-mail: gocyprus@aol.com

Can you tell us how it compares to this site (http://www.kypros-cyprus.com/Maps.html) after you receive your information? Thanks

I didn't see this tip mentioned anywhere, hopefully you can take advantage of it before your trips!

If you e-mail the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and request trip planning materials, they'll send you all kinds of brochures, booklets, event guides, and best of all, detailed maps of Cyprus. Specifically, I got the following maps:
* Limassol,
* Paralimni-Protaras area,
* Troodos area,
* Nicosia city center (Greek half only, of course),
* Larnaka,
* Pafos,
* General map of Cyprus.

Here is their contact info (including e-mail address, which is how I contacted them):

Cyprus Tourism Organisation
13 East, 40th Street
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (00 1212) 683 5280
Fax: (00 1212) 683 5282
e-mail: gocyprus@aol.com

Looking at the websites instead of CNN, I see lots more rooms and lower prices than I saw yesterday, at least on my dates. Don't understand why (cancellations?) but just booked one.

YMMV.


Interesting;good for you and for all those poor people who might be in LCA due to the war.Maybe hotels are getting EU funding! :D

Anyone can explain how this thread started as a AZ Fare discussion, and has now become something else entirely?
I don't get it, and not ready to read all 502 pages right now. Maybe during my next transoc. :)

I don't get it, and not ready to read all 502 pages right now.

377 and counting. Even less if you change your FlyerTalk settings to show more posts per page. :p

Anyone can explain how this thread started as a AZ Fare discussion, and has now become something else entirely?
This thread started as a mileage run alert and morphed into a hybrid thread with members sharing their experiences and giving each other advice. There is a lot of neat info in here and a great example of what a great service FT can be for its members.

377 and counting. Even less if you change your FlyerTalk settings to show more posts per page. :p
189 pages for me ;) and the most viewed thread in FT history ^ although this title will be deservedly be taken over by BEYFlier and Dovster (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=563147&page=1&pp=40).

Thanks again to rosj for finding the fare and launching your great service www.farecompare.com (http://www.farecompare.com)

hey, any seat suggestions...im on that same flight this wknd...
thnx
r

We were in 2AC. I donòt beleive there would be a bad seat. The center seat in row 1 night get cross through traffic on a crowded flight. I Dont imagine the back rows are as quiet as the front, but this type of seat would certainly recline all the way even in the last row. It looked like row 1 had more leg room, especially side to side since the rest are a bit restricted under the seat in front if you are tall.

stick to the right side, or the single middle - all meal services start
at the rear right side, if you are in 2-3-4 A/B, some meal choices run out.

Could be so, but it was hard to tell with only 7 pax up front. Don't get struck with that salmon!

We just returned back home after leaving Cyprus ~30 hrs ago. Flew LCA-YYZ (320 econ), YYZ-EWR (772 biz). We left the Limassol Holiday Inn at 7 am and by 8:15 we were already through security at the airport, so it wasn't too busy (July 18th). I noticed only one military cargo plane on the tarmac. According to the local news, an Italian ship docked in Larnaca last night with Lebanon evacuees, but not sure if any of them were on our flight. Both the LCA-MXP and MXP-EWR flights departed and arrived on time. Service/food was better on MXP-EWR than our outbound YYZ-MXP, but still sub-par compared to most airlines. They had a 'new' ice cream service on the MXP-EWR flight, which was almost inedible.

Can you tell us how it compares to this site (http://www.kypros-cyprus.com/Maps.html) after you receive your information? Thanks

These are the same maps that we were able to pick up in the hotels.

Nicosia/Lefkosia has a good walking tour marked throughout the city; on the Greek side there are clear trail markers (and at night, cool glowing blue lights) to follow. On the Turkish side this is a painted blue line (which tends to disappear in spots). The crossing at the Ledra Palace Hotel couldn't have been easier; we walked across, got a slip of paper, which the guard then stamped on our way back to the Greek side (we got to keep the paper). One odd thing we noticed in Nicosia was a large population of Sri Lankans/Fililpinos, and not many locals.

We ended up spending 4 days/5 nts in Cyprus, 2 nts in Larnaca (unintentional, our MXP-LCA flight was delayed 3 hrs causing us to miss our flight to Athens), then when we returned from Greece we spent 1 nt in Nicosia and 2 nts in Limassol. We visited Agia Napa, South+North Nicosia, and the Troodos area+Kykkos monastery. The Troodos churches were incredible, but we wasted a lot of time trying to find the keys for them, and one of them was closed on Monday (contrary to our guidebook). We also visited the World Heritage sites of Choirokhoitia (8000 year old ruins) and Paleopaphos (unfortunately just missed the last one, we arrived just as they were closing), and the ruins at Kourion and Amathous.

I didn't see this tip mentioned anywhere, hopefully you can take advantage of it before your trips!

If you e-mail the Cyprus Tourism Organisation and request trip planning materials, they'll send you all kinds of brochures, booklets, event guides, and best of all, detailed maps of Cyprus. Specifically, I got the following maps:
* Limassol,
* Paralimni-Protaras area,
* Troodos area,
* Nicosia city center (Greek half only, of course),
* Larnaka,
* Pafos,
* General map of Cyprus.



All of these, and more, available free at their kiosk at LCA airport.
I found the maps very useful. They also have very extensive guidebooks
for free.

Can you tell us how it compares to this site (http://www.kypros-cyprus.com/Maps.html) after you receive your information? Thanks

Great site! Looks like many of the maps I have were scanned in and are featured on that site as well. The ones I got, naturally, are bigger than the print-out you'll get from that site (unless you have a massive printing machine...)

I was wondering if anybody knew if I can claim taxes back on all but the first leg of our journey. We will be cancelling them as soon as we arrive in MXP.

We'll arrive at MXP, but have a stopover scheduled immediately and won't be using our tickets for further travel.

Thanks!

I was wondering if anybody knew if I can claim taxes back on all but the first leg of our journey. We will be cancelling them as soon as we arrive in MXP.

Disclosing a premeditated intent not to fly the itinerary fully as ticketed could provide a ground for AZ to send you a bill after the fact. And a rather substantial one at that, I'd reckon, given the difference between the prevailing one-way business class fare from YYZ-MXP and the fare you actually paid.

Improbable? Perhaps.

But not impossible.

I wouldn't risk telling AZ. Using your ticket to maximize its value to you by skipping some inconvenient or unncessary flight(s)? Fine idea. There are some, I'm sure, who might have missed a connection or two on the back end of their journey for one reason or another. ;)

I was wondering if anybody knew if I can claim taxes back on all but the first leg of our journey. We will be cancelling them as soon as we arrive in MXP.

We'll arrive at MXP, but have a stopover scheduled immediately and won't be using our tickets for further travel.

Thanks!

I know for my reroutes that got rid of segments (and should have resulted in lower taxes/fees) that AZ has not been providing the difference between what would be due for such (i.e., taxes/fees) under a new routing. Nor has it been charging for rerouting that would result in higher amounts too. Getting such back is a truly uphill battle with most all carriers, with AZ no exception.

Without knowing the details of how things work internally, I hoped that cancelling the unused portions would potentially save AZ some money. They can cancel the business flights with Cyprus Air and sell the flight from MXP to YYZ to someone else should they need to.

Wishful thinking perhaps...

For anyone who'd planned a side trip to BEY in the coming weeks, Middle East Airlines just informed me they are currently operating some flights out of Damascus and intend to offer either Damascus or Amman as alternatives to Beirut, for the same price. When asked about a refund, they indicated that would definitely be available if the BEY airport is still unusable when one is scheduled to fly.

The above might seem obvious, but I thought I'd save someone the footwork if you wonder what your options are.

If the situation doesn't clear up soon (God/Allah help us!) of course, other options might become available, but that's where things stand now.

I believe technically AZ can do all of the following: (a) re-fare your tix to a one-way YYZ-MXP full business fare, (b) not pay Cyprus Air for the MXP-LCA-MXP portions as CY did not lift these flight coupons and thus won't be paid, and at the same time (c) re-sell the MXP-YYZ portion when you "no show" on the MXP-LCA portion as all subsequent booking under the same itinerary will be canceled.

I doubt that (a) will happen, but I think (b) and (c) are a given if you don't show up (whether you cancel or not is irrelevant).

Without knowing the details of how things work internally, I hoped that cancelling the unused portions would potentially save AZ some money. They can cancel the business flights with Cyprus Air and sell the flight from MXP to YYZ to someone else should they need to.

Wishful thinking perhaps...

any suggestions about where to fly for cheap from cyp thats not in the ME?

Just returned from LCA (on the other (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=482056) deal, though), and I would recommend checking out the deals offered by German charter carrier Condor (www.condor.de). We paid EUR 29.00 all in for LCA-MUC, and the same fare would have been available for FCO-MUC. They have special 48-hr sales once a month (the next one is due to start in about 20 hours). You could then either stay in Germany/Austria/Northern Italy/etc., or book another Condor deal to various European/International destinations for EUR 9.00/29.00/99.00 all in each way.

Just as a quick FYI - this morning the state of the airport at LCA was really pretty normal. Any news media that you see to the contrary is just showing you some tiny portion of things. From 7AM till 9:15AM, it was pretty much biz as usual. There were a few TV cameras around clearly trying to find someone in distress, but it wasn't looking that easy to do. On the tarmac there were two prop military aircraft and a Canadian transport aircraft - other than that, nutting different.

Don't let the news reports fool you into thinking that LCA has somehow changed dramatically...

My first message on FT asking for advice.
We were planning to leave on Saturday July 29, decided to postpone due to health reasons. Nicolo is gone. No body taking his calls. We called Pepe, he said Alitalia is not authorizing any changes. We called Alitalia main reservation desk, we were told to call Orbitz. Orbitz said thay will change the tickets but asked us to return the paper tickets we hold. We are afraid to do so and cannot wait for Nicolo who returns after our scheduled departure.
Any idea. Please Help ThanksIts important to understand that Nicolo is executing AZ policy. He is empowered to make one change on any given ticket. Beyond that one change, AZ has not given him the authority to make additional changes for any reason, at least up to this point. So, don't be sore at Nicolo if no further changes can be made.

Once he returns in early August, if the situation in the Mideast is such that it materially affects LCA, then I'm sure he'll let us know if there will be exceptions beyond one change allowed. But as most posters have been reporting LCA is not and has not ever been to any Mideast military actions, so don't be surprised if AZ does not grant additional changes.

As far as I can remember you can just cancel your flights first and re-book after Nicolo comes back ...
My first message on FT asking for advice.
We were planning to leave on Saturday July 29, decided to postpone due to health reasons. Nicolo is gone. No body taking his calls. We called Pepe, he said Alitalia is not authorizing any changes. We called Alitalia main reservation desk, we were told to call Orbitz. Orbitz said thay will change the tickets but asked us to return the paper tickets we hold. We are afraid to do so and cannot wait for Nicolo who returns after our scheduled departure.
Any idea. Please Help Thanks

Has anybody heard that Alitalia is going out of business. This is a rumor Orbitz is spreadingAs far as I can remember you can just cancel your flights first and re-book after Nicolo comes back ...

Has anybody heard that Alitalia is going out of business. This is a rumor Orbitz is spreading

No, and Orbitz is still selling Alitalia tickets.

My first message on FT asking for advice.
We were planning to leave on Saturday July 29, decided to postpone due to health reasons. Nicolo is gone. No body taking his calls. We called Pepe, he said Alitalia is not authorizing any changes. We called Alitalia main reservation desk, we were told to call Orbitz. Orbitz said thay will change the tickets but asked us to return the paper tickets we hold. We are afraid to do so and cannot wait for Nicolo who returns after our scheduled departure.
Any idea. Please Help Thanks

UPDATED INFO FROM NICOLO FRIDAY, JULY 10--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 10, 2006

Dear Flyer Talk members,

I would like to inform everyone that I will out of the office starting Friday, July 14th, 2006 and will return on Monday, July 31st, 2006. For any date changes contact me at 212-903-3571 before Friday, otherwise please wait upon my return date. Kindly do not send tickets to be reissued while I am absent. During my vacation period no office will be authorized to process date changes (AZ call center and/or Toronto Airport).

In case you need to postpone your travel date. Contact Internet Company you made reservation and cancel booking. Once canceled, you can send me an e-mail notifying me cancellation. Include in your e-mail:

Last / first name

Date of travel

Flight numbers

Please no record locators as many of you have an internet record locator not an AZ. No ticket numbers either. The above information is substantial. Please, DO NOT send e-mails requesting booking changes. All date changes must be done over the phone with me.

PS: For those of you who are in Italy now, it is a great time to celebrate the “World Cup” victory. Buon Divertimento! (Have Fun!)

Cordially,

Nicolo` <last name removed>

Tariffs Analyst

350 Fifth Avenue

Suite 3700

New York, NY 10118

Tel: 212-903-3571

Has anybody heard that Alitalia is going out of business. This is a rumor Orbitz is spreading

Could you tell us what techniques Orbitz are using to spread this rumour?

Or are you just spreading a rumour that Orbitz are spreading rumours about AZ?

Nothing about this here: http://www.orbitz.com/flight-info/AZ/AZ-flights-1.html

I just noticed that my Orbitz itinerary has changed and now it matches the actual itinerary, the strange thing is this only happened now, a few months after my reservation was changed by Nicolo. Is it possible that Orbitz will do anything to my reservation? Do I have to call Orbitz to tell them not to do anything?

I called this evening to change my trip dates since Nicolo was on vacation. The agent at Orbitz said the change can be made only by the airline. When I said Alitalia agent suggest I check with Orbitz since I purchased the ticket from them, he said Alitalia is referring calls all the time to them, is cancelling flights right and left and is failing and going out of business soon. I have no reason to spread false rumor, I am just repeating what I heard and certainly concerned since I am holding two tickets to fly from Toronto hopefully in October if I can get the dates changedCould you tell us what techniques Orbitz are using to spread this rumour?

Or are you just spreading a rumour that Orbitz are spreading rumours about AZ?

Nothing about this here: http://www.orbitz.com/flight-info/AZ/AZ-flights-1.html

I called this evening to change my trip dates since Nicolo was on vacation. The agent at Orbitz said the change can be made only by the airline. When I said Alitalia agent suggest I check with Orbitz since I purchased the ticket from them, he said Alitalia is referring calls all the time to them, is cancelling flights right and left and is failing and going out of business soon. I have no reason to spread false rumor, I am just repeating what I heard and certainly concerned since I am holding two tickets to fly from Toronto hopefully in October if I can get the dates changed

To me, sounds like an Orbitz agent who didn't want to do any work...

Yesterday, there was availability in D from LCA to FCO on March 19.

Today, I cannot find any AZ flight at all between LCA and FCO/MXP around March 19, 2007.

Can please someone double-check?

For those that have actually traveled how have miles posted?

What frequent flier plan is best without having elite status?

What frequent flier plan is best without having elite status?

That depends on your travel pattern.AZ millemiglia is particularly generous and you'll get miles for all segments(double in this case as you are flying in C/J), including the CY codeshare,while on US carriers you will get only credit for the AZ operated flights(TATL segments and intra italy segments if you are flying between MIL(MXP/LIN)and FCO), albeit with the COS bonus.YMMV

Just as a quick FYI - this morning the state of the airport at LCA was really pretty normal. Any news media that you see to the contrary is just showing you some tiny portion of things. From 7AM till 9:15AM, it was pretty much biz as usual. There were a few TV cameras around clearly trying to find someone in distress, but it wasn't looking that easy to do. On the tarmac there were two prop military aircraft and a Canadian transport aircraft - other than that, nutting different.

Don't let the news reports fool you into thinking that LCA has somehow changed dramatically...

Things are starting to look less normal at the airport. Today the floor area in front of the checkin counters was filled with people who had spent the night sleeping there.

No delays to checkin, go through security...just a whole bunch of people on the floor making it look like they're in line. The big line is at the ticketing/reservation counter...

All of these, and more, available free at their kiosk at LCA airport.
I found the maps very useful. They also have very extensive guidebooks
for free.

Thanks for posting this. I saw it just before I left for LCA, and sure enough, they have more maps and information than you can believe, all for free, with explanations of what's inside, and provided with a smile. The kiosk is directly across from baggage claim.

The airport was busy yesterday. We had to wait for a parking spot for a few minutes. The crew announced that it was because of all the extra flights and military transports and made it sound like it would be a longer wait.

I overheard a staff member here at the Hilton Park saying they were overbooked and had been very budy for breakfast.

We were given an upgrade to a deluxe room, more like a minisuite, and free breakfast for being Gold. Very friendly staff, although they forgot my wake up call this morning. Also, don;t rely on the Hilton.com directions to get here, they are completely wrong/worthless. Gotta go exploring the island now ...

For those that have actually traveled how have miles posted?

My ElAl LCA-TLV flight posted to my Cyprus Airways account within a week, but my Cyprus Airways FCO-LCA, TLV-LCA, and LCA-MXP flights have not posted yet.

MXP-LCA posted without Class of Service Bonus to my NWA account 2 weeks after I returned. I called in and NWA fixed that problem within 24 hours. I am still missing the Alitalia YYZ-MXP & MXP-FCO flights.

I faxed copies of my boarding passes to Cyprus Airways and Northwest Airlines respectively yesterday. Hopefully the miles post soon.


What frequent flier plan is best without having elite status?
You will probably get a better answer to this question in the MilesBuzz Forum (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=370) as this topic is frequently discussed over there.

MXP-LCA posted without Class of Service Bonus to my NWA account 2 weeks after I returned. I called in and NWA fixed that problem within 24 hours. I am still missing the Alitalia YYZ-MXP & MXP-FCO flights.


Is this correct? You managed to get the MXP-LCA segment credited to NW WP? I know some has reported success in crediting MXP/FCO-LCA (but not LCA-MXP/FCO) to DL SM but this is the first I've heard abouy success in crediting to NW WP

Is this correct? You managed to get the MXP-LCA segment credited to NW WP? I know some has reported success in crediting MXP/FCO-LCA (but not LCA-MXP/FCO) to DL SM but this is the first I've heard abouy success in crediting to NW WPThis would be very, very good news. Let's see, 1500 miles each way MXP-LCA, 50% COS... 4500 miles total! Mrp Alert -- pls confirm. Thanks.
--
13F

This would be very, very good news. Let's see, 1500 miles each way MXP-LCA, 50% COS... 4500 miles total! Mrp Alert -- pls confirm. Thanks.
--
13F

It will not be both ways. Those who confirmed DL credit have so far reported that it only works on flights to LCA (check-in with and BP from AZ), not on flights from LCA (check-in with and BP from CY).

It will not be both ways. Those who confirmed DL credit have so far reported that it only works on flights to LCA (check-in with and BP from AZ), not on flights from LCA (check-in with and BP from CY).

It doesn't work automatically, but you can send in your BP and ticket receipt, and you will receive credit for LCA-MXP.

Random observation...

Cyprus Airways business class seats and food might be lousy, but at least they're ponying up decent champagne: Tattinger, on the house. I've personally polished off a few of those bottles on these runs.

Better than what a lot of transatlantic business class flights will serve (actually, a lot better than the champagne AZ was serving).

For those without business class reservations on your LCA-XXX portions, just go to the Louis travel office at LCA airport and ask for the lady who is the Alitalia rep when you get there from your inbound. If there's Alitalia inventory, she'll book you in business. If not, find her day-of, as she walks behind the checkin counter, and can authorize an upgrade if there is any space.

Don't know if this trick will work in the coming days, as anyone capable of ticketing is tied up by the masses of people from Lebanon trying to get to Europe or the U.S. My flight actually waited for about a dozen of them to come on and fill up empty seats.

I think a record, both our Alitalia flights were on time. :)
It was Cyprus Airways that was 3+ hrs late, and losing our luggage to boot.

Hi,

I have ticket for travel on August 3th. I would like to change it for departure on July 26th. What I should do?

I would like to inform everyone that I will out of the office starting Friday, July 14th, 2006 and will return on Monday, July 31st, 2006. For any date changes contact me at 212-903-3571 before Friday, otherwise please wait upon my return date. Kindly do not send tickets to be reissued while I am absent. During my vacation period no office will be authorized to process date changes (AZ call center and/or Toronto Airport).

Thank,

aad665

It doesn't work automatically, but you can send in your BP and ticket receipt, and you will receive credit for LCA-MXP. On NW? Have you actually managed to do this?

CY-op (psy-ops?) are clearly not eligible for WP, so I'd be impressed.

On NW? Have you actually managed to do this?

DL. I have no idea about NW.

It will not be both ways. Those who confirmed DL credit have so far reported that it only works on flights to LCA (check-in with and BP from AZ), not on flights from LCA (check-in with and BP from CY).

Yep, this is my experience as well.

But a nice surprise 'cuz I didn't expect the MXP-LCA credit.

You're probably SOL ... have you even confirmed if there is business class availability?

Hi,

I have ticket for travel on August 3th. I would like to change it for departure on July 26th. What I should do?

Has anyone tried posting the flights yet to CO OP? If so, how did it turn out?

I'm flying on my first LCA trip next week. I've signed up for the Alitalia plan, to credit the FCO-LCA segments. However, if anyone has had the FCO-LCA segment credited to NW, I'd like to hear about it. So far I only see DL people mentioning success.

If no credit for the FCO-LCA segments, are people just changing the number to the AZ plan, or leaving all numbers off tickets and sending them in later?

I'm flying on my first LCA trip next week. I've signed up for the Alitalia plan, to credit the FCO-LCA segments. However, if anyone has had the FCO-LCA segment credited to NW, I'd like to hear about it. So far I only see DL people mentioning success.

If no credit for the FCO-LCA segments, are people just changing the number to the AZ plan, or leaving all numbers off tickets and sending them in later?

Definitely no credit for CY flights to NW. Left my girlfriend's NW # on all her segments just for hell of it, seeing as those segments on their own wouldn't amount to anything if I shifted to AZ anyhow.

The CY segments did show up against her NW statement - as ineligible.

I leave for Toronto in the AM, I think I am going to apply miles to NW.

Definitely no credit for CY flights to NW. Left my girlfriend's NW # on all her segments just for hell of it, seeing as those segments on their own wouldn't amount to anything if I shifted to AZ anyhow.

The CY segments did show up against her NW statement - as ineligible.

Same experience for me.

Definitely no credit for CY flights to NW. Left my girlfriend's NW # on all her segments just for hell of it, seeing as those segments on their own wouldn't amount to anything if I shifted to AZ anyhow.

The CY segments did show up against her NW statement - as ineligible.

So would you change the CY segments over the AZ program once you got to Italy? And then change the number back to NW on the long flight? Or just leave the number out and send the stubs in?

So would you change the CY segments over the AZ program once you got to Italy? And then change the number back to NW on the long flight? Or just leave the number out and send the stubs in?

Considering that:

(a) unless you are doing a lot of these LCA trips, the 2400 miles at best you will get for a business class one way from MXP to LCA isn't worth the hassle of trying to get the pitiful AZ ground staff in Italy to swap out the number;

and

(b) none of the CY segments I have flown ex-LCA have posted to my AZ account yet, weeks after I flew them;

I would recommend you retain your sanity and just let everything ride on your SkyTeam account of choice. The AZ longhauls should post fine and should the CY flights post too, gravy. I'm all for not leaving any miles on the table, but once you deal with AZ's ground people in Italy a few times, you will seize any opportunity to avoid them.

I sense my ex-LCA CY segments will never post to my AZ account, but I'm holding off sending in my boarding passes because I can't imagine how inefficient AZ's FF customer sevice must be.

Considering that:

(a) unless you are doing a lot of these LCA trips, the 2400 miles at best you will get for a business class one way from MXP to LCA isn't worth the hassle of trying to get the pitiful AZ ground staff in Italy to swap out the number;

and

(b) none of the CY segments I have flown ex-LCA have posted to my AZ account yet, weeks after I flew them;

I would recommend you retain your sanity and just let everything ride on your SkyTeam account of choice. The AZ longhauls should post fine and should the CY flights post too, gravy. I'm all for not leaving any miles on the table, but once you deal with AZ's ground people in Italy a few times, you will seize any opportunity to avoid them.

I sense my ex-LCA CY segments will never post to my AZ account, but I'm holding off sending in my boarding passes because I can't imagine how inefficient AZ's FF customer sevice must be.

Well, I'll be going twice, and what with the 1000 miles bonus, and D and Y class bonuses, I thought it might add up, and *someday* I might be able to use them.

Well, I'll be going twice, and what with the 1000 miles bonus, and D and Y class bonuses, I thought it might add up, and *someday* I might be able to use them.

There is no Y class bonus for the CY codeshares. Actually, I believe the Y bonus only applies to domestic AZ flights. Elsewhere, you have to fly J/C/D to get the bonus under AZ's rules.

I don't have the figures in front of me but MXP-LCA is a little under 1500 miles and LCA-FCO is about 1200.

The AZ program is pretty spartan on the awards side - I'm doing three trips, pumping a few extra miles in there from some NW flying, cashing in a business class award to Asia and then throwing away my card.

Wait, by the time I'm through, the card will be a top tier one, so I'll use it for lounge access until early 2008, then dump it.

I was hoping there might be some interesting AZ awards out there, but outside of SkyTeam, they had/have only two award partners. One is QANTAS (at insane redemption levels), the other was Varig, until they were pulled off the site a few weeks ago.

You're probably SOL ... have you even confirmed if there is business class availability?

Hi,

SOL = ?

No...I didn't check. How can check it? I don't have KVS available.

Thanks for your help,

aad665

Hi,

SOL = ?

No...I didn't check. How can check it? I don't have KVS available.

Thanks for your help,

aad665

http://flyaow.com/classcwtmulti.htm

I used to use this...but itdoesn't seem to be working now.

try www.tandt.com

Mrs. Seattle Flyer and I traveled through Ireland, England, France, Spain, Morocco, Italy, and Cyprus. (Canada really doesn't count!)

If getting stickered in YYZ the ticket counter opens sometime between 1:00pm and 1:30pm or when ever they feel like showing up!

Seats for YYZ-MXP and FCO-YYZ were in row 1
The audio and electronics were the same quality in row 1 for both the left and right side of the aircraft. I would recommend row 1, the extra leg room, nobody leaning back into your space, first meal service, and the small flat panel screen on the bulkhead make row 1 preferable to me.

As noted earlier the MXP-FCO flight is full of dead-headers and F class receives no more service then couch.

The lounges from best to worst were YYZ, FCO, MXP.
YYZ has free internet access with computers and copiers
MXP's entrance door looks like a freight elevator
FCO was nice and clean but nothing to eat

We were in LCA from 7/16-7/20 and other then the airport being a little crowded the only signs of the Israel / Lebanon conflict was 3 or 4 battle ships just outside the Larnaca port. Otherwise Cyprus was a lot like Florida with a UK flare (UK power outlets). The biggest concern you should have in Cyprus is how even you sun tan/burn is and your biggest decision should be what you're going to eat (everything's good)!

If you dive don't miss the Zenobia I used Alpha-divers www.alpha-divers.com
Each dive was 24 CYP and full equipment for the day was 14 CYP. This outfit is ran by Bart and Chris and is an excellent choice if you like smaller dive groups.

Viking is another dive operator that is cheaper 2 dives with full equipment was 46 CYP but when I saw their boat go out it had 20-30 divers. I like to save money but dive trips like that are like standing room only on a CRJ-xxx, no thanks!

Agia Napa is "the beach" in Cyprus and is Northeast of Larnaca 30~45min drive.

We stayed at the Kition hotel apartments www.kitionhotel.com.cy a studio with kitchen and bathroom was 25 CYP. Right next to a Chinese food restaurant with take-out and a short walk to the beach where there are lots of restaurants and fast food (KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonalds - the Greek Mac is really good).

MILES

I credited my miles to DL and have received credit for:

YYZ-MXP (D) posted 6/19
MXP-FCO (D) posted 7/16
FCO-LCA (Y) posted 7/16 (with 150% bonus)
LCA-FCO (Y) not yet posted 7/20
FCO-YYZ (D) posted 7/21

Maybe not so short but I hope this helps someone! :p

Seats for YYZ-MXP and FCO-YYZ were in row 1
The audio and electronics were the same quality in row 1 for both the left and right side of the aircraft. I would recommend row 1, the extra leg room, nobody leaning back into your space, first meal service, and the small flat panel screen on the bulkhead make row 1 preferable to me.

So you recommend Row 1 for both the old and new Magnifica cabins?

I just wanted to know how other people dressed for the flights from YYZ-FCO and if jeans are ok to wear.

I just wanted to know how other people dressed for the flights from YYZ-FCO and if jeans are ok to wear.


Jeans are perfect...maybe you are expecting a bit too much from AZ business class! :D

I just wanted to know how other people dressed for the flights from YYZ-FCO and if jeans are ok to wear.

I wore jeans and a sport jacket.

So you recommend Row 1 for both the old and new Magnifica cabins?


Both flights YYZ-MXP and FCO-YYZ were in the same cabins, the old cabins I believe.

I just wanted to know how other people dressed for the flights from YYZ-FCO and if jeans are ok to wear.

Per AZ's recently updated website, Business Class attire has been officially declared- 'clothing optional'. Anyone flying YYZ-MXP on Oct 4 will be in for a real treat!!!

www.alitalia.com/justkidding

I just wanted to know how other people dressed for the flights from YYZ-FCO and if jeans are ok to wear.


There were no suits on either of my transatlantic flights. It is around an 8 to 9 hour flight, dress comfortable and you'll fit right in with everyone else. ;)

I just wanted to know how other people dressed for the flights from YYZ-FCO and if jeans are ok to wear.

i plan on going in shorts and flip flops. so, yes, jeans are okay.

I just wanted to know how other people dressed for the flights from YYZ-FCO and if jeans are ok to wear.


Jeans is ok. I hardly ever saw some leisure travelers in the front of the planes with non-casual clothes. @:-) Enjoy your flight :cool:

We stayed at the Kition hotel apartments www.kitionhotel@cytanet.com.cy a studio with kitchen and bathroom was 25 CYP. Right next to a Chinese food restaurant with take-out and a short walk to the beach where there are lots of restaurants and fast food (KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonalds - the Greek Mac is really good).


Thanks for your report; i tried to access the kitionhotels link but wasnt working for me, anyone else have this problem..?

Try this:
http://www.kitionhotel.com.cy/indexx.htm

FCO-LCA (Y) posted 7/16 (with 150% bonus)


150% for y? :D

Both flights YYZ-MXP and FCO-YYZ were in the same cabins, the old cabins I believe.

Really? This is news to me. I thought that FCO-YYZ was served by a 764, with the upgraded Magnifica class (newer seats, DigiPlayers, etc). Is it possible that they used old equipment the day you were traveling?

and i heard that yyz-mxp would be upgraded to the new magnifica this winter *fingers-crossed*

Really? This is news to me. I thought that FCO-YYZ was served by a 764, with the upgraded Magnifica class (newer seats, DigiPlayers, etc). Is it possible that they used old equipment the day you were traveling?

and i heard that yyz-mxp would be upgraded to the new magnifica this winter *fingers-crossed*

I think I read somewhere else that further new Magnifica upgrades to 767s had been out on hold.

Even though my trip ended 2 weeks ago, the saga is not over and some of my luggage is still on travel... (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=582269)
:(

Thanks for your report; i tried to access the kitionhotels link but wasnt working for me, anyone else have this problem..?

Sorry I was a little tired, I transposed the web address with the e-mail address. Try www.kitionhotel.com.cy

Really? This is news to me. I thought that FCO-YYZ was served by a 764, with the upgraded Magnifica class (newer seats, DigiPlayers, etc). Is it possible that they used old equipment the day you were traveling?


I agree, they must have used the 762 for my FCO-YYZ even though it was schedueled for the 764. Unfortunatly there is nothing on my boarding pass stub to confirm that and I didn't pay attention while I was on the plane . Either way I found the seating to be just fine. :eek:

Even though my trip ended 2 weeks ago, the saga is not over and some of my luggage is still on travel... (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=582269)
:(

The luggage with the beer is still missing, right? Might I suggest that it was contributed to the World Cup victory celebration? :)

I don't know if any of the refugees from Lebanon will cause any overbooking in Cyprus. As a Hilton Diamond, I'm pretty certain of those bookings, but not so sure about the Hertz operator in Cyprus. I have a confirmed res, but as it's not a corporate location, you know how that can go some days.

Sorry I was a little tired, I transposed the web address with the e-mail address. Try www.kitionhotel.com.cy

a thousand thanks mate..!!

Hi,

I am looking for my first trip to Cyprus...and I have to change date on my ticket. I would like to fly this week....but Nicolo is in vacation.

who I should contact to make the change this week?

Thanks for your help,

aad665

Hi,

SOL = ?

No...I didn't check. How can check it? I don't have KVS available.

Thanks for your help,

aad665

Hi,

I am looking for my first trip to Cyprus...and I have to change date on my ticket. I would like to fly this week....but Nicolo is in vacation.

who I should contact to make the change this week?

Thanks for your help,

aad665

UPDATED INFO FROM NICOLO FRIDAY, JULY 10--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

July 10, 2006

Dear Flyer Talk members,

I would like to inform everyone that I will out of the office starting Friday, July 14th, 2006 and will return on Monday, July 31st, 2006. For any date changes contact me at 212-903-3571 before Friday, otherwise please wait upon my return date. Kindly do not send tickets to be reissued while I am absent. During my vacation period no office will be authorized to process date changes (AZ call center and/or Toronto Airport).

In case you need to postpone your travel date. Contact Internet Company you made reservation and cancel booking. Once canceled, you can send me an e-mail notifying me cancellation. Include in your e-mail:

Last / first name

Date of travel

Flight numbers

Please no record locators as many of you have an internet record locator not an AZ. No ticket numbers either. The above information is substantial. Please, DO NOT send e-mails requesting booking changes. All date changes must be done over the phone with me.

PS: For those of you who are in Italy now, it is a great time to celebrate the “World Cup” victory. Buon Divertimento! (Have Fun!)

Cordially,

Nicolo` Cimilluca

Tariffs Analyst

350 Fifth Avenue

Suite 3700

New York, NY 10118

Tel: 212-903-3571

Sorry, it looks like that is not possible.

I am currently in the Air Canada Lounge awaiting departure. No problems with anything so far. At check-in there was a friendly lady who did not even mention the fare and gave us directions to the lounge without us even having to ask. The lounge was almost empty until just a few minutes ago. Free WiFi or computers with internet access available. Salad, soup, cookies, general munchies available along with usual wine, alcohol and other beverages. Overall very pleasant place to await a flight.

Hi,

I am looking for my first trip to Cyprus...and I have to change date on my ticket. I would like to fly this week....but Nicolo is in vacation.

who I should contact to make the change this week?

Thanks for your help,

aad665

You might get Mr. Pepe in Canada to do something for you, but don't you think cutting it this close is a bit foolhardy?

Hello
Has anyone been successful in (a) dropping Cyprus out of itinerary due to their position as loading port for war... and or (b) having a second change of date due to the above.
Mr Pepe was extremely unhelpful and said there was "nothing out of the ordinary" going on in Cyprus right now!!!! Having thousands of war refugees on the island seems to be slightly out of the ordinary to me!
I may just use the ticket one way into Italy and get a cheap fare back to US.
Thoughts on changes???

You might get Mr. Pepe in Canada to do something for you, but don't you think cutting it this close is a bit foolhardy?

Hi,

hum..not really.

One of my best friend in Europe in now deeply ill and I have to go by Friday by anymean.

2 choices: change AZ ticket or buy a 1900$ ticket with AC/LH.

What you will do? easy saving with AZ.

aad665

Hello
Has anyone been successful in (a) dropping Cyprus out of itinerary due to their position as loading port for war... and or (b) having a second change of date due to the above.
Mr Pepe was extremely unhelpful and said there was "nothing out of the ordinary" going on in Cyprus right now!!!! Having thousands of war refugees on the island seems to be slightly out of the ordinary to me!
I may just use the ticket one way into Italy and get a cheap fare back to US.
Thoughts on changes???

Pepe is right. Situation is calm and nothing as usual in Cyprus. For you information, Canada has the largest expat in Lebanon (around 50,000) and evacuation is going via Turkey, same as other country.

But due to my situation, I would like to drop Cyprus for the moment and stop to Milan or Rome.

aad665

aad665

Mr Pepe was extremely unhelpful and said there was "nothing out of the ordinary" going on in Cyprus right now!!!! Having thousands of war refugees on the island seems to be slightly out of the ordinary to me!

I doubt that you'll be allowed to make additional changes. And in fact, I don't see why you should. Having been to Cyprus just a few days ago, let me assure you that there is, in fact, nothing out of the ordinary going on for the average tourist. Certainly no force majeure, or other reason to cancel/change tickets. There's a terrible human tragedy going on, and I understand why you wouldn't want to vacation there, but there's no danger whatsoever.

I doubt that you'll be allowed to make additional changes. And in fact, I don't see why you should. Having been to Cyprus just a few days ago, let me assure you that there is, in fact, nothing out of the ordinary going on for the average tourist. Certainly no force majeure, or other reason to cancel/change tickets. There's a terrible human tragedy going on, and I understand why you wouldn't want to vacation there, but there's no danger whatsoever.

We just spent Thursday through Sunday in Cyprus and had a wonderful time. There were a few warships visible from the plane as we were landing and there was a small delay finding a park spot to deplane. And the airport was very crowded yesterday morning but extra staff seemed to be on hand and they were handling everything just fine. The biz class check in did help, of course. ;) Also, our hotel had evacuees checked into every spare room, but again, the necessary staff was on hand to handle it. Other than that, you'd never know anything abnormal was going on. There is absolutely no reason not to want to vacation there. Great roads. great beaches, great tourist sites, great fare -- what's not to like?

However, Alitalia is another story entirely and if you are not willing to risk being stranded at the airport and left in the hands of an incompetent bureaucracy, you shouldn't go. We were bumped involuntarily from our FCO-BOS flight yesterday. 20 hours of hell followed, but we are finally home now. I'll post all the gory details when I have more energy.

We just spent Thursday through Sunday in Cyprus and had a wonderful time. There were a few warships visible from the plane as we were landing and there was a small delay finding a park spot to deplane. And the airport was very crowded yesterday morning but extra staff seemed to be on hand and they were handling everything just fine. The biz class check in did help, of course. ;) Also, our hotel had evacuees checked into every spare room, but again, the necessary staff was on hand to handle it. Other than that, you'd never know anything abnormal was going on. There is absolutely no reason not to want to vacation there. Great roads. great beaches, great tourist sites, great fare -- what's not to like?

However, Alitalia is another story entirely and if you are not willing to risk being stranded at the airport and left in the hands of an incompetent bureaucracy, you shouldn't go. We were bumped involuntarily from our FCO-BOS flight yesterday. 20 hours of hell followed, but we are finally home now. I'll post all the gory details when I have more energy.

Nice...I'm pumped for Cyprus and just bracing myself for the AZ experience. I'd definitely be interested in hearing about your drama on the return. There was also this report earlier (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5979705&postcount=7118) from someone who was IDB'd on their return.

Hello
Has anyone been successful in (a) dropping Cyprus out of itinerary due to their position as loading port for war... and or (b) having a second change of date due to the above.
Mr Pepe was extremely unhelpful and said there was "nothing out of the ordinary" going on in Cyprus right now!!!! Having thousands of war refugees on the island seems to be slightly out of the ordinary to me!
I may just use the ticket one way into Italy and get a cheap fare back to US.
Thoughts on changes???

If you're scared of going to Cyprus, cancel your ticket. How you can call Mr. Pepe "extremely unhelpful" is beyond me. There's no war going on in Cyprus.

I agree, they must have used the 762 for my FCO-YYZ even though it was schedueled for the 764. Unfortunatly there is nothing on my boarding pass stub to confirm that and I didn't pay attention while I was on the plane . Either way I found the seating to be just fine. :eek:

On Friday it was a 762 for FCO-YYZ. :(

It wasn't that bad though, the service however...now that was a different story.

We just spent Thursday through Sunday in Cyprus and had a wonderful time. There were a few warships visible from the plane as we were landing and there was a small delay finding a park spot to deplane. And the airport was very crowded yesterday morning but extra staff seemed to be on hand and they were handling everything just fine. The biz class check in did help, of course. ;) Also, our hotel had evacuees checked into every spare room, but again, the necessary staff was on hand to handle it. Other than that, you'd never know anything abnormal was going on. There is absolutely no reason not to want to vacation there. Great roads. great beaches, great tourist sites, great fare -- what's not to like?


Just returned from all last week in Cyprus and agree with Dan. We stayed at the Le Meredian, and didn't notice any swamping of folks - although the Le Meredian is about 40 mins from the LCA airport. There really isn't any reason to cancel, none. Zip, zero, zilch. Of course - if you waited until now to book your hotel room and are finding them rather expensive - that's your fault, not anyone else's.

We had a great time, great beaches and good food.

Nice...I'm pumped for Cyprus and just bracing myself for the AZ experience. I'd definitely be interested in hearing about your drama on the return. There was also this report earlier (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5979705&postcount=7118) from someone who was IDB'd on their return.

Like I said previously, you can bet your bottom dollar that AZ has essentially removed the LCA tickets from its booking authorization calculations. If there are 10 LCA ticketholders on a flight, the airline would gladly overbook Magnifica by 10 and have the LCA folks eat sh*t rather than miss out on the revenue.

I'll be there this coming weekend and most of next week. Anyone else going to be around?

Also, I couldn't find anything about this in a thread search -- what are AZ's amenity kits like? Or do they exist?

Like I said previously, you can bet your bottom dollar that AZ has essentially removed the LCA tickets from its booking authorization calculations. If there are 10 LCA ticketholders on a flight, the airline would gladly overbook Magnifica by 10 and have the LCA folks eat sh*t rather than miss out on the revenue.

If they do something like that though...it's an IDB, correct? and EU rules apply? both ways? or just ex-Europe? What if it is an :eek: involuntary downgrade :eek: ?

Nice...I'm pumped for Cyprus and just bracing myself for the AZ experience. I'd definitely be interested in hearing about your drama on the return. There was also this report earlier (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5979705&postcount=7118) from someone who was IDB'd on their return.

Here's the stream-of consciousness version that is all I can manage right now. We were booked LCA-FCO-BOS yesterday 7/23 with 2 hours and 5 minutes to make the connection. At LCA, we could not be checked in for the AZ flight to BOS, but did check the bags through. The CY flight arrived at FCO from LCA on time and we started looking for a transfer desk to check-in as we proceeded towards the tram. The first transfer desk was unmanned. The next one,after the tram and in the right terminal for departure was mobbed with stand-bys so we proceeded to the AZ lounge. We arrived there at 12:10, the flight was scheduled for 1:35. The agent there said she would try to check us in, but looked unsure of herself. After about ten minutes, she declared she could not get us checked in, but that we should go to the gate at 12:35 and would have no problem. So we went to the gate immediately and found a long line and no one working it yet. So we went back to the transfer desk and tried waiting on the line. We eventually gave up and went back to the gate with still about 45 minutes to go. They were boarding the flight and we waited some more in the line and were eventually told that the flight was overbooked and that our seats had been given to someone else. I suspect they were long gone before we even landed. About the same moment, a family of four had their valid-looking boarding passes rejected as they tried to board and all hell broke loose. They had been denied boarding the previous day, rebooked then were rejected again. Their two young children totally lost it and broke down crying and screaming since they had already spent 24 hours in the hell me and my 12 year old son were just entering. The parents were pleading with the various AZ staff as I tried to get our situation dealt with. It went on and on with rotating teams of staff taking turns on the phone and the computer accomplishing a nothing except to pull our luggage from the BOS flight and to keep insisting that all flights that day through any airport in Europe to BOS or WAS (our ultimate destination on a separate FL BOS-BWI ticket) on any carrier were completely booked in coach for the family and in biz and even first for us. They eventually summoned the agent from the lounge who was unable to check us in -- both to verify that we were there trying to check in on time and to give her the mission of getting us rebooked. She took us back to the lounge where they continued to insist there was no way to get to BOS or WAS that day. I seriously doubted that, told them of the late flights to IAD and BOS that I think I remember BA flies out of LHR, but to no avail. There are no computers provided for internet access in the AZ lounge, so I was unable to explore options on my own. We were totally and completely dependant on the very person who couldn't figure out how to check us in in the first place. We spent the next two hours (drinking a few sodas out of the tiny glasses they provide) until about 3:30 before they found us options for the next day (today 7/24). We could fly FCO-JFK on DL the connect to BWI or IAD and arrive at 5:30 pm or we could fly AZ FCO-MXP at 8pm that night, and fly AZ MXP-IAD at 10:30 the next day (today) and arrive at 2 pm. My son had a team banquet at 6 pm so we took the second option. The only information I got along the way was when I asked, and it was always dubious, at best. We were not allowed to deal with the person or people she was on phone with and none of them actually had any authority to issue vouchers to travel on the any rebooked itinerary. We had left our hotel in Nicosia before breakfast. I ate on the CY flight at about 9 am Rome time, but my son didn't like the food and had only had some bread on that flight and a piece of pastry at the AZ lounge which was all they had. Then the lounge agent tells us that she would take us to ticketing and get us our vouchers (is the right term FIMs?) and such. But, like everything that involves AZ, she spent another 30 minutes or so on the phone dealing with our reservations before she finally got her purse and departed the lounge. She took us up the steps to the concourse then down steps, then back up the same set of steps because she was unsure where to go. Then she went down another set of steps on her own to see if that was the right way, before coming back up, asking directions and taking us back down the steps we went down in the first place. Seems she usually works in the domestic terminal lounge. We then boarded the tram (from the wrong, exit side, since she didn't seem to be able to find a way to the normal entry side) and went back to the other terminal were we had originally arrived by bus from the CY flight. Then she tried to take us through the staff entrance past security, but the gaud insisted we through the regular way and meet her on the other side. So we were rescreened before proceeding to baggage claim where we thankfully did find the bags we had checked in LCA. Then we went back up to street level with our luggage, out the door and over to the next terminal to the ticketing desk. There was a long line, which she asked us to get in while she tried to see if they would deal with her without waiting. She disappeared somewhere for a while, then reappeared, flagged down a supervisor behind the ticket desk, talked to him awhile, then had us follow her to what looked like some sort of small domestic lounge. She worked with a second agent there until they finally had the flight vouchers prepared. Then she had to take those over to ticketing to get them signed or stamped by the supervisor, I presume. She explains that I have to go to the ticketing office when we get to MXP and that she has telexed them to give us a hotel voucher. I say we haven't eaten anything all day and that AZ should pay for dinner while we wait for the flight. I also mention that I think am entitled to compensation for the IDB. More time goes by (and constant checking of a little handwritten notebook of codes all the AZ agents seem to have). They print meal vouchers and the original agent leaves to get them validated by the supervisor. While she's gone, I tell the second agent that I still need the IDB comp. She says she needs to ask the first agent what happened so she knows when we tried to check in. The first returns, tells the story, in Italian, of course, just like everything else all day so I only get the sanitized version in English afterwards. They say they can't deal with the IDB anyway. I insist they put a comment in the record and print it out for me. They do, but won't use the words involuntary denied boarding in. They did say the I was "repro" due to overbooking, so I accepted that so we could eat before check-in. It is now about 5:30, we can't really locate the right cafeteria, and don't want to spend time finding one. We go to Terminal A to check in. Understand we were dead tired and totally brain dead by this point. Then we go to check in. After 15 minutes of typing and checking with his co-workers and his little code book, the agent finally figures out that we are trying to check in for MXP but have walked up too the station for Milan's other airport. So off we go to the MXP station. There, the agent has big problems checking us in because we want to claim our luggage in MXP and recheck it to WAS the next day because we don't trust AZ with it overnight and we don't really trust they won't screw us again the next day in MXP like they did to that family I mentioned earlier. He consults others, checks code book, has trouble entering our passport details as required by US authorities since this is the first leg of a trip to US, more consultations, more codes, finally done. Now it's 6:15 so we head through security in Terminal A and head for the B gate that is accessible from there, stopping for ice cream since that's what my son wants (and we cant really figure out how the pre-pay then go with the receipt to the counter for the food protocol works anyway). Long walk and finally we are at the gate. I go get drinks and snacks. Flight to MXP boards on time and we are lucky that our row five seats are biz seats even though the flight is sold as all Y. After rolling a couple of hundred yards, the plane pulls to side, the pilot comes on and says there is a mechanical problem. Lots of trucks arrive, others come, some go, they keep shutting down and restarting systems for an hour before giving up. Several conflicting announcements and rumors some in Italian and English, others in Italian, then we board busses, are taken back to the terminal at the regular bus access point, have to go through security again, and back to the original gate and wait. Eventually they announce, in Italian only, that people can go get a drink or snack because it will take awhile to get another plane. I go to the front and ask for the info in English. While I'm being told I can go get a snack, they make another announcement that we are boarding, by bus rather than the jetway this time, in five minutes. We board the first bus and find that its an MD-80 identical to the last one so we get our biz seat back. I thought if it was different it would just be open seating. A second bus arrives with the rest of the passengers that they have somehow rounded up about ten minutes later. It's now about 10 pm but it looks like we will finally be on our way. NOT! I turns out the luggage is still on the original plane and it is in repairs and the baggage handling folks aren't allowed there. After an hour or so they decide they will depart without the luggage. They say it will be sent on another plane. Me and several others with morning flights ask how and where we can get it in time to check in the next day. We are told it should be there on the first flight, in MXP by 8 AM. It may be a good time to say that this was about the 20th time that someone at AZ had given us answers about our situation that were pulled out of thin air. They seem to think this is better than saying they don't know. Anyway, five minutes later, AZ seems to have changed their mind, because we aren't rolling. 45 minutes later, the luggage magically appears, gets loaded, and we are on our way. We arrive at MXP at 12:30 am this morning, 7/24, 13 hours after we arrived at FCO for what should have been a quick connection. We get our luggage, find the ticketing counter closed, of course, but see three AZ agents at closed positions. Ask for and receive voucher in record time and are told it covers the "taxi" and the hotel and free phone calls from the hotel. We are told to go to Airport 2000 downstairs across from Arrivals B. It is a five minute walk. They take the voucher, tell us to sit down and they will call our name shortly when the BUS (no taxi) arrives. A few others are already there. More arrive. 30 minutes later I ask how much longer, She says ten minutes. 20 go by. I ask again. I'm told five minutes. Ten go by. I demand my voucher, figuring I'll take a taxi since my son had been asking for that and we were totally spent. Only then do I find out that the bus has been there all along but that AZ had told them one more passenger was on the way. They had been lying and seemed prepared to wait all night for this person. I give them the voucher back and say I'll wait a couple more minutes. I was not pleasant about it. I asked them why should they tell the truth when I lie will do. The other people waiting, many with kids, included many with similar stories of IDBs. They were right there with me in demanding we be taken to the hotel without delay, after I had elicited the truth. The guy doesn't show up. Everyone is demanding/begging them to take us. I was convinced no one was coming, when finally he comes walking up. Since there was NOTHING else open at that time, I can only guess he had gone to see a man about a horse. We board the bus at 2 AM. get to the hotel at 2:15 and into the room at 2:30. We are told (not asked) that we will get a wake up call at 6AM and must be back on the bus at 7 AM. My son was asleep in an instant, but I needed to call my wife with the new details so she could pick us up and I HAD to have a shower. I got to sleep at about 3 :30. Oh, and they didn't allow ANY calls from the room, even with a phone card. I had to go down to the front desk where I was granted ONE call for a maximum of TWO MINUTES. Luckily I had left a message of trouble on my wife's cell phone earlier so she was waiting for the call and I got her on the first try. Next morning everything went OK (except some very annoying static the bus driver insisted on blasting us with on the way back). The AZ lounge at MXP was the worst yet, so we waited by the gate, boarded late, sat in the last, noisy row of a 767 with the old seats, but arrived on time at IAD to end then agony. We did see that family again in MXP. They had been flown up on the first morning flight from FCO after a second night in an AZ hotel there.

Well I'm SURE you should look into the EU laws about IDB and compensation. Even for a mechanical delay, pax are often due cash or voucher payments. I would imagine that in IDB situations, it could even be better.

Egads dhacker, how dreadful. I'll be braced for the worst and hope for the best when I fly later this week.

I hope you get some much needed rest.

Thanks for the warning.

Also, I couldn't find anything about this in a thread search -- what are AZ's amenity kits like? Or do they exist?

Very good.

Even better on the return, with Bvgalri products.

Although I've never understood the hoopla myself over Ameniti kits; I'll bring my own eye shade, ear plugs, and toiletries, thank you very much, although the socks are always welcome.

We get our luggage, find the ticketing counter closed, of course, but see three AZ agents at closed positions. Ask for and receive voucher in record time . . .

Which for AZ was, what, about six and a half hours?

The AZ lounge at MXP was the worst yet . . .

About the only thing that might make the Soviet gulags look a little bit more attractive in comparison.

. . . sat in the last, noisy row of a 767 with the old seats, but arrived on time at IAD to end then agony.

Last row of coach? Or business class?

I would have taken the DL option personally, figuring that my chances of coming out ahead in the event that the next day's itinerary was headed for disaster would have been much, much better than with AZ.

Incredible story, although a few paragraphs wouldn't have hurt one bit. ;)

Nice...I'm pumped for Cyprus and just bracing myself for the AZ experience. I'd definitely be interested in hearing about your drama on the return. There was also this report earlier (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5979705&postcount=7118) from someone who was IDB'd on their return.


Uuups... Already two guys bumped? Did you get at least a nice hotel and the 250 EUR compensation?

Here's the stream-of consciousness version that is all I can manage right now. We were booked LCA-FCO-BOS yesterday 7/23 with 2 hours and 5 minutes to make the connection. At LCA, we could not be ...

I am sorry to hear about your bad experience with AZ. What I still don't understand is why people have to hang around the airport etc.

Do denied passengers not get:
a) Money for food
b) A nice hotel for the night
c) A compensation of at least 250 EUR?

If not, why do you folks not have such expenses (a and b) covered by your credit card? I have denied boarding covered when I pay with my Diners card. I think... Am I wrong?

Is there a simple listing anyone has for European IDB/delays? I know it must be here on FT, but I'm leaving for Canada tomorrow night, and want to make sure I have everything I need before I leave.

Here is the memo from the EU (http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/181&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en) .

And here is another, more "readable" summary (http://www.europa-web.de/europa/03euinf/07eukomm/airpasse.htm) . @:-)

The big question is only: HOW CAN YOU ENFORCE YOUR RIGHTS and HOW CAN YOU PROOFE A DENIED BOARDING/DELAY???

dhacker I'm not sure if your son will ever realise what you saved him from!

Fantastic report on a grim situation, but I believe you reduced the ordeal to its absolute minimum. Anyone else without your experience and savoir faire could well still be in LCY.

Congratulations! You were a brilliant Dad!!! ^ ^ ^

(and note for next time, I'd certainly want to encourage you to write more streams of conciousness - but please do remember to hit 'carriage return' occasionally, as SAT LAwyer remarked, a few paragraphs would make all the difference!)

Sorry about the paragraph thingy, but I was too tired. I actually hate posts that aren't broken up logically into paragraphs, but that's all I could manage last night. I'm still very tired, but I can clarify a few points that have been made.

We were in the last row of biz class and it wasn't really that noisey and the old seats are not that bad. I actually think I preferred them in some ways since the new ones are a bit confining.

The reason we couldn't leave or eat or anything was that we needed to be there to nurse our case along early on or I'm certain there would have been zero progress. Later on after the itin was reserved, we had to be there at each point along the way to get the appropriate documents and make sure they documented it was IDB and not somehow our fault. Also, things that should take 5 minutes or less always somehow were dragged out endlessly for reasons I would only have a chance of knowing if I spoke the language. Then even later, the flight delays involved the usual type of lies airlines use to string you along and keep you hoping the situation is about to resolve. And we were trapped in the aircraft much of the time anyway. Only AZ makes it worse because no one seems to actually have any authority to make and act on decisions. They also seem to change their minds every five minutes and never know the code or procedure without consulting everyone present and their trusty code notebooks.

Believe it or not, it only took 3 minutes, if that, to get the hotel voucher printed by the graveyard shift at AZ. It was in the system and approved already so they could just spit it out printed on boarding pass stock.

I would have taken the DL flight in a heart beat, but my son really wanted to try to make it to his team banquet -- which he ultimately did -- it just cost us some more hours of starved torture and a lot less sleep!

Thanks for the EU rule links, I'll need them. We did not receive any compensation yet beyond the hotel, but I plan to pursue it. And if I'm successful, my son is getting his entire share because he earned it every bit as much as I did!

The hotel, the Domina?, was quite nice for the few hours we were there except for the way they cut off the room phones from outside access. I had a Europa phone card, but they forced me to use the 2 minute lobby phone access. I tried the phone card form there but it didn't work.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/world/middleeast/25cnd-cyprus.html?_r=1&oref=login

Cyprus Copes With Flood of Evacuees

By RENWICK McLEAN International Herald Tribune
Published: July 25, 2006
LARNACA, Cyprus, July 25 — More than 30,000 people have already found their way out of Lebanon through Cyprus, stretching this island nation to the limit.

“I don’t think the ship was ready to make the trip,” said Nadine Saikal, 17, a student from Los Angeles who had been visiting Sidon in southern Lebanon. “The bathrooms were disgusting. The support crew was very small. The food was burned.”

Oh boo hoo hoo. They rescue you and you didn't like the food. <sorry, off topic>.

We're offering to sublet the floor space in our hotel room for outrageous amounts...

“I don’t think the ship was ready to make the trip,” said Nadine Saikal, 17, a student from Los Angeles who had been visiting Sidon in southern Lebanon. “The bathrooms were disgusting. The support crew was very small. The food was burned.”

Oh boo hoo hoo. They rescue you and you didn't like the food. <sorry, off topic>.

We're offering to sublet the floor space in our hotel room for outrageous amounts...

You get fabulously lucky with this fare and get a great holiday out of it.

Others get fabulously UNLUCKY with theirs and you poke fun at them :(

There's enough people griping in this thread about the AZ meal not being nice enough, the seats not being comfy enough, and how dreadful the AZ lounge in MXP is - when the flight only cost a few pennies.

How do you know the food wasn't uneatable? Some of these refugees might not have had a decent meal for a long time, only to have their first square meal presented to them as organic mush caked onto carbonised cardboard.

I'm sorry, but your comment about subletting the floor space seems in extremely poor taste to me. :td: :td: :td:

Much as it galls me to, I pray that you never find yourself in the same situation that these people have so you never fully realise what an *hole you've been for saying these things.

dhacker I'm not sure if your son will ever realise what you saved him from!

Fantastic report on a grim situation, but I believe you reduced the ordeal to its absolute minimum. Anyone else without your experience and savoir faire could well still be in LCY.



I didn't know we could go to london on this fare! :D

I didn't know we could go to london on this fare! :D

Oh good! Some light relief! :)

^ ^ ^

Uuups... Already two guys bumped? Did you get at least a nice hotel and the 250 EUR compensation?

Yes, we were the first (I believe) to be bumped. We had pre-assigned seats and were at the ticket counter 2 hours in advance in MXP, but were simply told that the seats "were not there." When I inquired how this could be, they said it was because there were so many connecting pax. who had grabbed the seats hours in advance, but I find this hard to believe. Perhaps they know the fare, because their first thought was to downgrade us to economy and refund the difference...yeah right!

Anyway, our experience certainly wasn't as bad as dhacker b/c we just went through BOS instead and made it to YYZ only a few hours late (the AZ plane was still on the ground in YYZ when we arrived, actually). I almost liked it because we got to experience business on the AC CRJ from BOS-YYZ, which was interesting. Still, I have been pursuing the claim with AZ Customer Service in NY since early June, and it has yet to be assigned a claim number (every time I call, they suggest trying back in a week!). Needless to say, Nicolo is not handling it so it's not going anywhere, but I'm still chasing after those 600 Euro vouchers (each!) that we were promised, although my wife says no way she's flying anywhere on AZ economy, so it would have to be a DL codeshare I guess.

Is something going on with AZ's timetables? I just tried checking the loads on my December (YYZ-MXP) and January (MXP-IAD) flights and both ITA and Expedia said there are no nonstop flights.

Given the bump experiences thus far, I'd STRONGLY recommend that ALL future LCA travelers do the following:

1. Print out and carry with you the English and Italian versions of the EU Air Passenger Rights poster:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/rules/rights/doc/2005_01_19_apr_poster_en.pdf (English)

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/rules/rights/doc/2005_01_19_apr_poster_it.pdf
(Italian)

2. To the maximum extent possible, always deal with any problems that arise *at the point of discovery*. If an agent or supervisor is allowed to pass the buck by saying that an issue should be handled downline, tomorrow, etc., it's simply too easy to get screwed over. The best way to break through the inevitable Alitalia ....show is to remain polite but persistent - you'll know your basic rights if you follow step #1, and any AZ agent can contact someone with the relevant authority (in another city/country, if need be) to get something done (just like any other airline).

I'm going to fly again in early September. I've made a schedule change with Niccolo and was wondering if I could wait until I get to YYZ to have the ticket reissued or is it best to get it done ahead of time and send it to Leonardo in Toronto (since I'm in Canada).

I'm going to fly again in early September. I've made a schedule change with Niccolo and was wondering if I could wait until I get to YYZ to have the ticket reissued or is it best to get it done ahead of time and send it to Leonardo in Toronto (since I'm in Canada).

If you are firm on your dates, then IMHO, it's always best to take care of reissue before departure in order to avoid the possibility of last-minute complications.

You get fabulously lucky with this fare and get a great holiday out of it.

Others get fabulously UNLUCKY with theirs and you poke fun at them :(

What? :confused:

Alpha Golf's point is spot on.

While we should be grateful for getting a $33 trip to Cyprus (except when things go horribly awry as in dhacker's case), so too should the evacuees from Lebanon be grateful for getting a trip out of harm's way.

If they are dissatisfied with their transportation accommodations, they are welcome to either: (a) stay; or (b) charter their own boat. Or at least express a modicum of gratitude for their rescue if they choose to open their mouths in front of a microphone and tape recorder.

But enough of the OMNI stuff.

Given the bump experiences thus far, I'd STRONGLY recommend that ALL future LCA travelers do the following:

1. Print out and carry with you the English and Italian versions of the EU Air Passenger Rights poster:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/rules/rights/doc/2005_01_19_apr_poster_en.pdf (English)

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/rules/rights/doc/2005_01_19_apr_poster_it.pdf
(Italian)

2. To the maximum extent possible, always deal with any problems that arise *at the point of discovery*. If an agent or supervisor is allowed to pass the buck by saying that an issue should be handled downline, tomorrow, etc., it's simply too easy to get screwed over. The best way to break through the inevitable Alitalia ....show is to remain polite but persistent - you'll know your basic rights if you follow step #1, and any AZ agent can contact someone with the relevant authority (in another city/country, if need be) to get something done (just like any other airline).

^

This is probably the best advice on the entire thread.

I'm bookmarking the English link above and printing out for use on future European trips, AZ or not.

... but I'm still chasing after those 600 Euro vouchers (each!) that we were promised, although my wife says no way she's flying anywhere on AZ economy, so it would have to be a DL codeshare I guess.

... 600 EUR must be in CASH. They can only give you vouchers if you agree on that. When giving vouchers, the value is typically higher than the minimum amount!

Hope this link works. A short report about Cyprus and its past and current role as a haven for refugees.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060721.WBwitness20060721081731/WBStory/WBwitness/

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/rules/rights/doc/2005_01_19_apr_poster_en.pdf[/url] (English)

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/rules/rights/doc/2005_01_19_apr_poster_it.pdf
(Italian)
.

thanks again...!!

What? :confused:

Alpha Golf's point is spot on.

Ugh, what's the use?

Anyway, it's the last comment that actually made me upset.

Ugly, ugly, ugly... :(

Given the bump experiences thus far, I'd STRONGLY recommend that ALL future LCA travelers do the following:

1. Print out and carry with you the English and Italian versions of the EU Air Passenger Rights poster:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/rules/rights/doc/2005_01_19_apr_poster_en.pdf (English)

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air/rules/rights/doc/2005_01_19_apr_poster_it.pdf
(Italian)

2. To the maximum extent possible, always deal with any problems that arise *at the point of discovery*. If an agent or supervisor is allowed to pass the buck by saying that an issue should be handled downline, tomorrow, etc., it's simply too easy to get screwed over. The best way to break through the inevitable Alitalia ....show is to remain polite but persistent - you'll know your basic rights if you follow step #1, and any AZ agent can contact someone with the relevant authority (in another city/country, if need be) to get something done (just like any other airline).


Good advice in general, but it wouldn't have helped in our case. There was no time to remain any more persistant than I was already being. Had I pressed the matter any further, we'd probably still be stuck at FCO. Even though I did not have the rules printed, they never disagreed with my assertion that we were entitled to 600 euros. They just weren't authorized to deal with it.

“I don’t think the ship was ready to make the trip,” said Nadine Saikal, 17, a student from Los Angeles who had been visiting Sidon in southern Lebanon. “The bathrooms were disgusting. The support crew was very small. The food was burned.”... Nadine is a teenager! From LA! Of course a kid would say something like that! :rolleyes:

Buon viaggi to my two FTer friends leaving this week. :)

they never seem to be authorized to give out vouchers :rolleyes:

Even though I did not have the rules printed, they never disagreed with my assertion that we were entitled to 600 euros. They just weren't authorized to deal with it.

they never seem to be authorized to give out vouchers :rolleyes:

Hardly anyone at AZ is authorized to do anything, as far as I could tell.

Hello
We are supposed to spend a week in Limassol at Holiday Inn...But, I was wondering if those of you who have returned from Cyprus have better locations for a week's break.
I hear Ayia Napa is cool...but my friends want to go to Limassol.
Thoughts?
tks

Hello
We are supposed to spend a week in Limassol at Holiday Inn...But, I was wondering if those of you who have returned from Cyprus have better locations for a week's break.
I hear Ayia Napa is cool...but my friends want to go to Limassol.
Thoughts?
tks

We went to the beach, Nissi? I think, in Ayia Napa for the day and had a great time. A crowded topless beach with hotels, restaurants, watersports, and bungee jumping! More restaurants, bars and gift shops were along the main strip across the road from beach. I thought we wouldn't like the party town atmosphere so we didn't book our stay there (and the Hilton Park Nicosia was free on points :p ), but would strongly consider it if I ever find myself in Cyprus again. We visited Limassol briefly, went to the castle/museum then left. Just a big, congested port city, as far as we could tell, but we never did get as far as the beach.

We went to the beach, Nissi? I think, in Ayia Napa for the day and had a great time. A crowded topless beach with hotels, restaurants, watersports, and bungee jumping! More restaurants, bars and gift shops were along the main strip across the road from beach. I thought we wouldn't like the party town atmosphere so we didn't book our stay there (and the Hilton Park Nicosia was free on points :p ), but would strongly consider it if I ever find myself in Cyprus again. We visited Limassol briefly, went to the castle/museum then left. Just a big, congested port city, as far as we could tell, but we never did get as far as the beach.
thanks.

Our YYZ-FCO and FCO-LCA have credited to DL already. I have to fax Skymiles to get credit for FCO-MXP and MXP-WAS since they created a new record after the IDB that apparently didn't include our FF #'s.

I want to include the boarding passes for LCA-FCO, since these don't post automatically, but wonder if they might notice the credit for FCO-LCA and decide to take those miles away since it is not a Skyteam operated flight. Is this a valid concern? Has anyone successfully had DL post their ex-LCA segments?

Good advice in general, but it wouldn't have helped in our case. There was no time to remain any more persistant than I was already being. Had I pressed the matter any further, we'd probably still be stuck at FCO. Even though I did not have the rules printed, they never disagreed with my assertion that we were entitled to 600 euros. They just weren't authorized to deal with it.

Sorry to hear about your adventures in travel. Looks like we will all be watching this thread to see if Alitalia handles it well and is a class act. Do keep us posted on any developments as I have some trips coming up soon. Wonder also if any EU laws will apply if grounded in Cyprus as well flying into Italy or vice versa. Airline might get out of it with some undefined war conflict clause or something and abscind their responsibility.

Despite the low fare, this will be a first travel for many of us on AZ and first impressions play a huge role in deciding future travel later on.

I want to include the boarding passes for LCA-FCO, since these don't post automatically, but wonder if they might notice the credit for FCO-LCA and decide to take those miles away since it is not a Skyteam operated flight. Is this a valid concern? Has anyone successfully had DL post their ex-LCA segments?

These flights will be credited without any problem. Make sure to include a copy of the ticket stub, especially when the BP only lists the CY flight numbers.

These flights will be credited without any problem. Make sure to include a copy of the ticket stub, especially when the BP only lists the CY flight numbers.

That would be great. Does this information come from personal experience or some other source? This is posted on delta.com:

Alitalia:
Mileage may be earned on Alitalia-coded flights operated by Alitalia or any SkyTeam partner. Mileage credit is not applicable for fares booked in E, F, G, P, R, S, U, or Z class.

I was under the impression that CY, not AZ, operated the flights and that they are not a part of SkyTeam.

I was under the impression that CY, not AZ, operated the flights and that they are not a part of SkyTeam.

I've done this multiple times, on a variety of partner airlines (NW, AM, KL), and it always worked. Granted, the language on the DL website has changed recently, but I was able to get credit for last Wednesday's KL 3398 LCA-AMS (operated by CY).

I've done this multiple times, on a variety of partner airlines (NW, AM, KL), and it always worked. Granted, the language on the DL website has changed recently, but I was able to get credit for last Wednesday's KL 3398 LCA-AMS (operated by CY).

Couldn't ask for more a recent example. Thanks.

Cyprus is part of the EU so yes, EU laws will apply.

Wonder also if any EU laws will apply if grounded in Cyprus as well flying into Italy or vice versa.

Our outbound flights posted from 21 June, but the return flights on 29 June didn't. What is the proper fax number for DL mileage requests and do I need to include a copy of the ticket receipt too? I have always mailed my boarding passes to United, but some got lost once and I'd rather fax them this time.

Thanks!

I've done this multiple times, on a variety of partner airlines (NW, AM, KL), and it always worked. Granted, the language on the DL website has changed recently, but I was able to get credit for last Wednesday's KL 3398 LCA-AMS (operated by CY).

Faxed late yesterday and posted overnight. They even coded the Y segment on AZ FCO-MXP as D for 150% mileage credit. Total of 17432 EQM for the trip:

23 Jul 2006 Alitalia Flight 662 from Milan (Malpensa), Italy to Washington-Dulles, DC (D) 4223 2111 6334 6335
23 Jul 2006 Alitalia Flight 1050 from Rome-Leonardo, Italy to Milan (Malpensa), Italy (D) 500 250 750 750
23 Jul 2006 Alitalia Flight 7701 from LCA to Rome-Leonardo, Italy (D) 1242 621 1863 1863
20 Jul 2006 Alitalia Flight 7700 from Rome-Leonardo, Italy to LCA (I) 1242 621 1863 1863
16 Jul 2006 Alitalia Flight 651 from Toronto, OT Canada to Rome-Leonardo, Italy (D) 4414 2207 6621 6621

I hope your friend doesn't experience the disaster (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=387439&highlight=smartwings) I did with SmartWings.

Friends don't let friends book with SmartWings. @:-)

:td: SMARTWINGS are cancelling their flights when they have trouble to sell them. Moreover i managed to get some flying with smartwings but they draged their passengers from paris via brussels. i was travelling with them from brussels and joined paris passengers on the way to prague. Very cheeky of them. They are famous for changing times at the last minute in order to avoid compensations according to european legislation. The customer service is non existing - you do not find on their web site any place you can complain and if you phone them, they charge their waiting music by minute.

Our outbound flights posted from 21 June, but the return flights on 29 June didn't. What is the proper fax number for DL mileage requests and do I need to include a copy of the ticket receipt too? I have always mailed my boarding passes to United, but some got lost once and I'd rather fax them this time.

Thanks!

I included the ticket receipt and faxed everything to 404-773-1945.

Good advice in general, but it wouldn't have helped in our case. There was no time to remain any more persistant than I was already being. Had I pressed the matter any further, we'd probably still be stuck at FCO. Even though I did not have the rules printed, they never disagreed with my assertion that we were entitled to 600 euros. They just weren't authorized to deal with it.

I agree. In our case, our option was to take a BOS flight in business in 30 minutes, or take the flight to YYZ in coach. Obviously, if we had taken the YYZ flight, they were only willing to refund the fare difference, and there was no time to get the vouchers in MXP when we chose the BOS flight.

Perhaps having a copy of the EU regulations will help, but I would be amazed if anyone got AZ to give them cash for an IDB situation. I did run by the AZ ticket office in MXP before boarding the BOS flight and requested the 600 Euros per ticket compensation to be IN CASH, but the lady just laughed and said that the compensation could be in EITHER vouchers or cash (even though we know this isn't true). In any event, she said she didn't have time to issue the vouchers before our flight departed, and that it would have to be handled in the USA.

I also think that even if you get AZ to put you in business on a later flight (assuming you're willing to hang out at the airport all day to get this handled in MXP/FCO), you need to wait until AFTER the YYZ flight departs before heading over to the ticket office to ask for compensation. This is because when they see your fare, see that you're re-booked in business on another carrier AND see that you're demanding compensation, they are likely to simply take away all your options, downgrade you to economy on the YYZ flight, and only offer to refund your fare difference. In any event, I really don't think any AZ agents will be accompanying you to the ATM to get your Euros in cash for you ;-).

Still, I will update as to my eventual outcome with AZ in NY, but I think the botto