KQ321
Mar 27, 12, 12:17 pm
I recently booked an upgrade to Prestige Class on KE using Flying Blue miles, and as it was a rather complicated process (even one FB staff member I spoke to admitted “we don’t often do upgrades on Korean”) I thought it might be useful to post an overview here of how the process worked (as I didn't want to bump an old thread (http://http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/skyteam/892072-skyteam-mileage-upgrade-program.html)).
The flight was originally booked in Y-class (YRTKE fare basis); once upgraded, it was re-booked as Z-class (I think this is the ‘new’ upgrade class for KE, following the change to their fare-classes on 1st March (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/korean-air-skypass/1303551-fare-class-z-changed-i.html)). The fare basis was then shown as "YRTKE/FBUPG" (FBUPG = “Flying Blue Upgrade”, presumably).
I initially booked the ticket in economy class on www.koreanair.com, using the “normal fare” option (rather than “lowest fare”) in order to get a Y-class fare*. The itinerary was solely on KE, and the ticket was of course initially issued with a KE ticket number (180). I then called Flying Blue, who checked my upgrade request was basically possible, and then passed me on to the Flying Blue “Ticket Plus” department. I think all my subsequent contact was with FB Ticket Plus, but unfortunately they don’t have (or don’t make available) a direct phone number, so I always had to call the normal FB helpline, and ask to be transferred.
FB Ticket Plus double-checked my request was possible, and said they would then contact Korean Air to confirm availability and actually process it. I then eventually received an email from KLM, with the upgraded reservation, issued with a KL ticket number (074). (Then, when I later made changes to the non-upgraded part of the itinerary, the ticket was re-issued with a KE number again...)
Or at least, the outline above is how I think it is supposed to work. In reality, there were several days of phone-calls back and forth between myself, FB Ticket Plus, and KE, in order to get the upgrade processed...
In particular, KE seem to have a unique PNR system (using a 7-digit number, rather than a 6-character alphanumeric reference, which most other airlines seem to use). Unfortunately, this means that KE staff can’t easily look up an AF/KL/Amadeus PNR, and FB can’t easily look up a KE PNR. It also appears that when a KE reservation is first created, an Amadeus PNR is also created for it. However, after that it seems that the 2 PNRs develop independent lives, and an update to one does not automatically update the other (see discussion here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/korean-air-skypass/1313491-seat-assignments.html)). (So, for example, my Amadeus PNR still shows the original dates for the non-upgraded part of my itinerary – even those dates have definitely been changed in the KE PNR – and indeed, I’m on one of the revised flights as I write this!)** Even on KE’s systems, there seemed to be difference between the “reservation” which showed one thing, and the “e-ticket” which showed another.
At one point, an FB agent was able to look up the KE PNR, and from that extract the Amadeus PNR reference. Fortunately, I thought to ask for this Amadeus reference, and after that I always had to give the Amadeus reference to FB staff, as they couldn’t find the reservation from the KE reference alone. Similarly, KE staff could only work from the KE reference, not the Amadeus one.
I was then told that the upgrade couldn’t be processed until the Amadeus PNR had been updated to match the KE PNR. This did not seem unreasonable (as otherwise FB would be updating an incorrect reservation). However, I think in the end the upgrade went through even though the KE and Amadeus PNRs were inconsistent (as they still don’t match up!)
All-in-all it was a fairly confusing process, but in short, I think the lessons are:
If you want to upgrade a KE ticket with FB miles, do so as soon as you’ve booked the ticket, and before any other changes are made to the reservation;
Try to find out the Amadeus reference for the reservation, as well as the KE reference, and be ready to give out both as necessary;
If the Amadeus and KE references end up being inconsistent, work out which one is correct for which bit (in my case, the KE was generally correct, as it seemed the Amadeus one wasn’t always updated properly) and try not to lose sleep over the one which is incorrect.
To be fair, all the FB and KE staff I spoke to were professional and helpful, and generally called me back promptly when needed.
* For my routing and dates, a Y-class fare was significantly cheaper than the lowest promotional fare in Prestige class, hence it was ‘worth’ using FB miles for an upgrade. YMMV.
** Interestingly, the Amadeus PNR shows up in “Manage My Booking” on www.klm.com (even though there’s no AF/KL/KQ/DL metal involved in the itinerary) – although with the incorrect dates for the non-upgraded part of the itinerary, of course.
The flight was originally booked in Y-class (YRTKE fare basis); once upgraded, it was re-booked as Z-class (I think this is the ‘new’ upgrade class for KE, following the change to their fare-classes on 1st March (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/korean-air-skypass/1303551-fare-class-z-changed-i.html)). The fare basis was then shown as "YRTKE/FBUPG" (FBUPG = “Flying Blue Upgrade”, presumably).
I initially booked the ticket in economy class on www.koreanair.com, using the “normal fare” option (rather than “lowest fare”) in order to get a Y-class fare*. The itinerary was solely on KE, and the ticket was of course initially issued with a KE ticket number (180). I then called Flying Blue, who checked my upgrade request was basically possible, and then passed me on to the Flying Blue “Ticket Plus” department. I think all my subsequent contact was with FB Ticket Plus, but unfortunately they don’t have (or don’t make available) a direct phone number, so I always had to call the normal FB helpline, and ask to be transferred.
FB Ticket Plus double-checked my request was possible, and said they would then contact Korean Air to confirm availability and actually process it. I then eventually received an email from KLM, with the upgraded reservation, issued with a KL ticket number (074). (Then, when I later made changes to the non-upgraded part of the itinerary, the ticket was re-issued with a KE number again...)
Or at least, the outline above is how I think it is supposed to work. In reality, there were several days of phone-calls back and forth between myself, FB Ticket Plus, and KE, in order to get the upgrade processed...
In particular, KE seem to have a unique PNR system (using a 7-digit number, rather than a 6-character alphanumeric reference, which most other airlines seem to use). Unfortunately, this means that KE staff can’t easily look up an AF/KL/Amadeus PNR, and FB can’t easily look up a KE PNR. It also appears that when a KE reservation is first created, an Amadeus PNR is also created for it. However, after that it seems that the 2 PNRs develop independent lives, and an update to one does not automatically update the other (see discussion here (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/korean-air-skypass/1313491-seat-assignments.html)). (So, for example, my Amadeus PNR still shows the original dates for the non-upgraded part of my itinerary – even those dates have definitely been changed in the KE PNR – and indeed, I’m on one of the revised flights as I write this!)** Even on KE’s systems, there seemed to be difference between the “reservation” which showed one thing, and the “e-ticket” which showed another.
At one point, an FB agent was able to look up the KE PNR, and from that extract the Amadeus PNR reference. Fortunately, I thought to ask for this Amadeus reference, and after that I always had to give the Amadeus reference to FB staff, as they couldn’t find the reservation from the KE reference alone. Similarly, KE staff could only work from the KE reference, not the Amadeus one.
I was then told that the upgrade couldn’t be processed until the Amadeus PNR had been updated to match the KE PNR. This did not seem unreasonable (as otherwise FB would be updating an incorrect reservation). However, I think in the end the upgrade went through even though the KE and Amadeus PNRs were inconsistent (as they still don’t match up!)
All-in-all it was a fairly confusing process, but in short, I think the lessons are:
If you want to upgrade a KE ticket with FB miles, do so as soon as you’ve booked the ticket, and before any other changes are made to the reservation;
Try to find out the Amadeus reference for the reservation, as well as the KE reference, and be ready to give out both as necessary;
If the Amadeus and KE references end up being inconsistent, work out which one is correct for which bit (in my case, the KE was generally correct, as it seemed the Amadeus one wasn’t always updated properly) and try not to lose sleep over the one which is incorrect.
To be fair, all the FB and KE staff I spoke to were professional and helpful, and generally called me back promptly when needed.
* For my routing and dates, a Y-class fare was significantly cheaper than the lowest promotional fare in Prestige class, hence it was ‘worth’ using FB miles for an upgrade. YMMV.
** Interestingly, the Amadeus PNR shows up in “Manage My Booking” on www.klm.com (even though there’s no AF/KL/KQ/DL metal involved in the itinerary) – although with the incorrect dates for the non-upgraded part of the itinerary, of course.