Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Strange Experience Today With the Partner Desk's Inability to See Award Inventory

Looking for a Delta business class transatlantic flight today, I rang up the partner desk.

(Yes, Delta awards can be booked online, I'll get to that oddity in a minute.)

There was availability, which I confirmed on the Delta site (and yes AS inventory generally matches DL's 'low level' offerings).

The partner desk told me there was nothing available on Delta that day. Helpful as they are they offered a connection though Chicago on American.

I hung up and called the partner desk back. They told me that the Delta flight I wanted wasn’t available for a business award, but the other Delta flight that day was.

Hmm. Weird (both flights were actually available).

I pushed on the time of the flight, and they checked again. Nope, they said it wasn't available.

I went through the booking process online and the flight I wanted came right up.

Although on the confirmation page all of a sudden the flights appeared as 90k miles but said they were in coach (though the business class seat map was displayed).

I went ahead and completed the booking and the confirmation said business again. And Delta confirms they see it as business.

So very weird experience today, it worked out but somehow the partner desk didn't see the inventory that I could find and could book online, and the web had a very strange glitch displaying the award as coach for a brief while even while ticketing at business class mileage.

Looking for a Delta business class transatlantic flight today, I rang up the partner desk.

(Yes, Delta awards can be booked online, I'll get to that oddity in a minute.)

There was availability, which I confirmed on the Delta site (and yes AS inventory generally matches DL's 'low level' offerings).

The partner desk told me there was nothing available on Delta that day. Helpful as they are they offered a connection though Chicago on American.

I hung up and called the partner desk back. They told me that the Delta flight I wanted wasn’t available for a business award, but the other Delta flight that day was.

Hmm. Weird (both flights were actually available).

I pushed on the time of the flight, and they checked again. Nope, they said it wasn't available.

I went through the booking process online and the flight I wanted came right up.

Although on the confirmation page all of a sudden the flights appeared as 90k miles but said they were in coach (though the business class seat map was displayed).

I went ahead and completed the booking and the confirmation said business again. And Delta confirms they see it as business.

So very weird experience today, it worked out but somehow the partner desk didn't see the inventory that I could find and could book online, and the web had a very strange glitch displaying the award as coach for a brief while even while ticketing at business class mileage.

...strange things happen when missy's at BOO DOO :p
[That does sound really odd though]

I recall an earlier discussion that said there were some problems with showing of Delta/Northwest availablility due to merger/integration related issues (especially on flights operated by one and marketed by the other). Not sure if this is related to what you experienced or not.

Well, these were pure DL flights and they appeared fine on the AS site (except for the weird coach thing on the confirmation page) but the partner desk couldn't see them at all :confused:

DL's site kinda lies about saver availability, I've found- suddenly a flight that says 25K on the calendar turns into 32.5K during booking. The DL forum is FULL of this sort of griping and moaning.

My conclusion is DL's site just has some issues. Wouldn't be surprised if some of them carry over to AS.

And yeah, the AS partner desk reps mentioned to me during a phone call that DL/NW flights have come up screwy for them lately.

Ok, but that wasn't the case here. The availability existed and I booked it using the AS website. (And I was searching using the NW Japan site anyway.)

Ok, but that wasn't the case here. The availability existed and I booked it using the AS website. (And I was searching using the NW Japan site anyway.)
Missy's out for the next week or so, but email your issue (and screenshots, if you can get them) to flyertalk (at) alaskaair (dot) com and she'll look into it and make sure everything's right when she gets back and/or follow up with the Partner Desk peeps to make sure there aren't any glitches in their systems.

I have had the same issues trying to book a C class award SEA - FRA. Shows online at AS available, you can select C class seats but shows coach on final confirmation as coach. When I called the partner desk they could not see availablity. You have more guts than I do, I did not book.

I have had the same issues trying to book a C class award SEA - FRA. Shows online at AS available, you can select C class seats but shows coach on final confirmation as coach. When I called the partner desk they could not see availablity. You have more guts than I do, I did not book.

Well, as an MVPG we can always redeposit later... plus one has 3 days to change/cancel their itin... (may not get back $25 partner fee though... only part unclear on) so if you are prudent there is an insurance policy...

Ok, but that wasn't the case here. The availability existed and I booked it using the AS website. (And I was searching using the NW Japan site anyway.)

...for however longer that is left...

(forgot about that workaround)

-shrug-

All I can say is I ended up having to use the partner desk to cash in awards recently that should have been easy as pie to do online, and they told me DL availability was kind of wacky- and the DL board is replete with moans of anguish and rending of garments about problems they are having redeeming for awards.

I have had the same issues trying to book a C class award SEA - FRA. Shows online at AS available, you can select C class seats but shows coach on final confirmation as coach. When I called the partner desk they could not see availablity. You have more guts than I do, I did not book.

Well I KNEW the award was available. It let me select seats in the proper cabin and was pricing with the proper # of miles. I figured I could always undo if it turned out to ticket in coach...