MilesBuzz! - [Suspended?] 20% Bonus on Purchasing/Gifting Icelandair Saga Club Points/Miles

Saw several mentions around the interweb today discussing buying Icelandair Saga Club (https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-flyer/) points, but unless I missed it didn't see it posted here. They are currently including a 20% bonus through September 28th. You can purchase 50k at a time (100k annually.) Apparently these points can be redeemed on Alaska Air where 30k Saga Club miles will earn you a first class RT ticket to any of their destinations in the US (Alaska and Hawaii included), Canada and Mexico. Coach is 20k. 30k Saga Club points costs ~ $329 (charged in Krona.)

Anyone ever redeem Saga Club points on Alaska Air before? I was thinking about purchasing 50k...but the flights on Alaska Air from NY are quite limited. Seems like the only non-stop service is to Seattle, although it's probably still worth it for connecting travel to Alaska or Hawaii.

no takers.. i would like to know how easy redeem these points on alaska...first class. thanks

Saw several mentions around the interweb today discussing buying Icelandair Saga Club (https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-flyer/) points, but unless I missed it didn't see it posted here. They are currently including a 20% bonus through September 28th. You can purchase 50k at a time (100k annually.) Apparently these points can be redeemed on Alaska Air where 30k Saga Club miles will earn you a first class RT ticket to any of their destinations in the US (Alaska and Hawaii included), Canada and Mexico. Coach is 20k. 30k Saga Club points costs ~ $329 (charged in Krona.)

Anyone ever redeem Saga Club points on Alaska Air before? I was thinking about purchasing 50k...but the flights on Alaska Air from NY are quite limited. Seems like the only non-stop service is to Seattle, although it's probably still worth it for connecting travel to Alaska or Hawaii.

I don't get it, where is the discussion on Icelandair on flyertalk? Blogger Jared trumped everyone? or is this discussion somewhere else?

I don't get it, where is the discussion on Icelandair on flyertalk?

Here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/other-european-frequent-flyer-programs-469/

Step by step how to posted on million mile secrets. What is left to discuss?

http://millionmilesecrets.com/2012/08/17/330-for-first-class-to-hawaii/




Saw several mentions around the interweb today discussing buying Icelandair Saga Club (https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-flyer/) points, but unless I missed it didn't see it posted here. They are currently including a 20% bonus through September 28th. You can purchase 50k at a time (100k annually.) Apparently these points can be redeemed on Alaska Air where 30k Saga Club miles will earn you a first class RT ticket to any of their destinations in the US (Alaska and Hawaii included), Canada and Mexico. Coach is 20k. 30k Saga Club points costs ~ $329 (charged in Krona.)

Anyone ever redeem Saga Club points on Alaska Air before? I was thinking about purchasing 50k...but the flights on Alaska Air from NY are quite limited. Seems like the only non-stop service is to Seattle, although it's probably still worth it for connecting travel to Alaska or Hawaii.

Step by step how to posted on million mile secrets. What is left to discuss?


Well for starters I didn't see it posted here so perhaps there were/are people who didn't know about this promotion, or the ability to convert to Alaska.

Step by step how to posted on million mile secrets. What is left to discuss?

http://millionmilesecrets.com/2012/08/17/330-for-first-class-to-hawaii/

Not everyone reads MMS

No idea what "everyone" is reading but if you're looking for explicit step by step discussion as requested in the original post in this thread, why would you not be stopping first at sites where step by step discussion is posted? I don't care about his life story or how to launder money orders at Walmart but if I want to know what deals are being described step by step it's cutting my nose off to spite my face not to read what he has to say. If I wanted to first class to Hawaii, I'd be on this deal the minute it was tweeted...he answers the questions the poster asked in painful detail. Why retype it all here?

I redeemed Saga points with iceland Air for a first class Alaska Airlines Ticket today. It was a little bit of a hassle on the phone as the flights I wanted did not have availability so I have to stay in Hawaii for two extra days, BUT ... it is Hawaii and the price is great for first class!!! It is a definite deal.

it seems that you can not book any connecting flight to HI.
I got 2 SAN-HNL booked but no cookie on anything else that connects regardless of the overnight.

Going to have to reposition a tad, but will still be a deal for my inlaws that never flew first class and def cheaper than shelling out 1300 each.

Is anyone else having problems actually getting a Saga account? I applied Saturday and still have yet to be approved/admitted.

I applied Sat too, and still no email. I tried again today, but it says user already exists, yet it won't let me log in.

I applied Sat too, and still no email. I tried again today, but it says user already exists, yet it won't let me log in.

As I reca from singing up a few years ago, it took forever to get a confirmation.

Is anyone else having problems actually getting a Saga account? I applied Saturday and still have yet to be approved/admitted.

Same here

As I reca from singing up a few years ago, it took forever to get a confirmation.

I did the email app on the 17th, confirmation of Saga membership was received on the 20th.

Is anyone else having problems actually getting a Saga account? I applied Saturday and still have yet to be approved/admitted.

I had trouble setting up an account online on Friday, sent an email to Icelandair and received an account number today via email.

I had trouble setting up an account online on Friday, sent an email to Icelandair and received an account number today via email.
Good to know. I just got off the phone with them and they told me all applications are manually accepted/entered/approved, and that they had such a large influx over the weekend they are just trying to wade through them.

I think I'll wait until tomorrow, and if I've yet to be approved do as you did and drop them an email.

I set up new accounts this morning for my husband and me. I had no tekky probs and no wait time for the confirmation emails. That process worked like a charm. However, even with diligently researching expertflyer & flightstats for AS A-class availability, and calling Icelandair to confirm itineraries to LIH, on every call I was advised no available inventory. I mentioned I could view the class of service as available on the AS website and on two others, but was advised by the agent while that may be the case, such seats were unavailable for her/his airline to book. I provided many combinations of dates of travel and none of them worked, even with my enormous flexibility since I'm retired. Tedious and frustrating. Next, I inquired about booking simple RT from JNU to SEA, and again, got the stock answer, "Nope. Nothing." I'm beginning to think one has to be a member of the Illuminati to make this stuff happen.

... large influx...

I'm beginning to think one has to be a member of the Illuminati to make this stuff happen.

Perhaps their allocation of AS seats has simply been depleted?

Perhaps their allocation of AS seats has simply been depleted?
Quite possibly, but I question how probable that might be given searches for next spring using various islands as destinations and a multitude of date combinations. The airline allows courtesy hold for 24 hours I was told, so I suspect seats are out of inventory while pax complete mileages purchases, etc. I will keep trying.

I just talked to a rep and she said Alaska isn't allowing them to do 24 hour holds anymore. You can still hold IcelandAir flights, but not AS flights.

Anyone else having issues with points posting? My first purchase got canceled because according to the points.com rep I chatted with, the account needed to be open for at least 10 days. I tried again and they didn't post immediately and then called IcelandAir (points.com was closed for the night) who said there was no 10 day hold. This is getting frustrating.

AS does not have widebody, no lieflat in 1st, not real 1st class if you ask me

AS does not have widebody, no lieflat in 1st, not real 1st class if you ask me

It's domestic first (other than transcons), which seems the prevailing setup West Coast to Hawaii with airlines based in the US. Find a competing domestic airline on which you can buy a first-class RT ticket to Hawaii from the West Coast for that price. And then find me a competing airline on which you can buy a Y ticket RT for $200 less.

Is first class worth that? Well, if you want to buy upgrades on AS, you can get one for $150 each way with the purchase of a Y ticket, but no more than 24 hours before the scheduled flight. For a whole lot of people, a guaranteed first-class seat is worth a lot more than that. For others, not so much.

These points won't expire anytime soon, so if availability is short now can't I just wait until late next summer for a trip?

These points won't expire anytime soon, so if availability is short now can't I just wait until late next summer for a trip?
Sure ... so long as the redemption rate does not change.

I have seem lots of posts/information about using Saga on Alaska, does anyone else have a good use for them perhaps on Iceland Air?

I have seem lots of posts/information about using Saga on Alaska, does anyone else have a good use for them perhaps on Iceland Air?

Have you spent some time to actually look at the program's award chart and the program rules? I am sure you can find answers there.

well, I got 2 RT in F booked from DFW -> HNL with an open jaw return from KOA
Did take a little bit of legwork and few calls to Saga Club. (and we will need a HNL-KOA) but for the price... this cant be beat. My in-laws have never flown in First and could definitely not afford 2x $1400 tickets. And it will be a nice treat for their 30years anniversary.

Due to connections time though, anything further than Texas is almost impossible.

So overall, can't complain.

well, I got 2 RT in F booked from DFW -> HNL with an open jaw return from KOA
Did take a little bit of legwork and few calls to Saga Club. (and we will need a HNL-KOA) but for the price... this cant be beat. My in-laws have never flown in First and could definitely not afford 2x $1400 tickets. And it will be a nice treat for their 30years anniversary.

Due to connections time though, anything further than Texas is almost impossible.

So overall, can't complain.

Do you mind posting you routing? Im also in DFW and was stuck with issues of overnight layovers.

Just confirmed with IcelandAir Saga Club rep that the 10 day hold for purchasing points (account must be older than 10 days) is back on after they lifted it for a few days. Both of my points purchases got turned down.

Has anyone (that signed up for Saga Club in the last week) been able to purchase points since yesterday?

This sucks, I had the redemption I wanted with seats available, and now the departure is sold out.

Is there foreign transaction fee charged for purchasing these miles when they are priced at ISK?

Just confirmed with IcelandAir Saga Club rep that the 10 day hold for purchasing points (account must be older than 10 days) is back on after they lifted it for a few days. Both of my points purchases got turned down.

Has anyone (that signed up for Saga Club in the last week) been able to purchase points since yesterday?

This sucks, I had the redemption I wanted with seats available, and now the departure is sold out.

When you say you were turned down, does this mean you never advanced to a confirmation page of the transaction? (I joined Saga yesterday and purchased miles this morning. I did get a confirm of the purchase, however the miles aren't in my account yet.)

Is there foreign transaction fee charged for purchasing these miles when they are priced at ISK?

The purchase comes from points.com, so I don't think there is a transaction fee (and others have said the same). For 42,000 points my total came out to $542.

When you say you were turned down, does this mean you never advanced to a confirmation page of the transaction? (I joined Saga yesterday and purchased miles this morning. I did get a confirm of the purchase, however the miles aren't in my account yet.)

I got a confirmation on both purchases. However, when I went to the chat function at points.com and spoke with a rep, she said both transactions were declined because of the 10 day hold.

The purchase comes from points.com, so I don't think there is a transaction fee (and others have said the same). For 42,000 points my total came out to $542.



I got a confirmation on both purchases. However, when I went to the chat function at points.com and spoke with a rep, she said both transactions were declined because of the 10 day hold.

I see. Given what happened to you, then, I'd predict I'll have the same outcome. Now I just have to decide if I should persevere given the time/legwork allotted to this deal already, or just pull the plug and forget the whole enterprise. One thing's for sure, at least when it comes to points/miles, the next good deal may not be on the next bus that comes around the corner, but eventually there'll be another one.:)

I see. Given what happened to you, then, I'd predict I'll have the same outcome. Now I just have to decide if I should persevere given the time/legwork allotted to this deal already, or just pull the plug and forget the whole enterprise. One thing's for sure, at least when it comes to points/miles, the next good deal may not be on the next bus that comes around the corner, but eventually there'll be another one.:)

I'm in the same boat. Can't decide if I want to keep at this. I found a great redemption in January, but then since last night when I wanted to book it, the departure is now gone. Not sure if I want to go in March.

Jared at Online Travel Review (who I think broke this deal), said in the comments of one of his posts that he reached out to IcelandAir and said this 10 day wait thing is a glitch in their system right now and we should be able to buy points. I guess it's going to get lifted in the near future so we should be able to buy points again.

I'm in the same boat. Can't decide if I want to keep at this. I found a great redemption in January, but then since last night when I wanted to book it, the departure is now gone. Not sure if I want to go in March.

Jared at Online Travel Review (who I think broke this deal), said in the comments of one of his posts that he reached out to IcelandAir and said this 10 day wait thing is a glitch in their system right now and we should be able to buy points. I guess it's going to get lifted in the near future so we should be able to buy points again.

I appreciate this headsup via OTR. I'm going to give this some concerted thought but in a lot of ways, at least for me, the bloom is off the rose with mileage purchase complications. The airline rolled out their purchase bonus offer and customers are attempting to do business w/them. I congratulate those who were able to jump on this early on and make it happen for themselves. In this instance, I fear I'm an "also ran." :rolleyes:

Hi - I'm Jared from OTR (perhaps I should change my FT handle).

In any case, to answer some concerns:

Their computers basically reinstated the 10 day hold without any warning. That was definitely not Icelandair's plan. They're trying to fix that problem - don't worry, it will be taken care of. They hope by tomorrow.

Tied in with this is an issue with points purchases/transfers that people have made in the past day or so -- some people have complained that their points have not posted. They know there is a problem, but it is not yet fixed.

They literally just told me that they're asking people not to purchase or transfer miles until they get this fixed (they hope tomorrow). I'll post again when it's working - no one will be charged for points they didn't receive.

On a positive note, the transfer and purchase bonus goes through September 28th. The folks over at Icelandair have been beyond overwhelmed, though I'm happy to say that most people have told me that the reps have been incredibly helpful.

........For 42,000 points my total came out to $542.

Do you mean $442?

Do you mean $442?

Nope. $542. Don't go off the Google calculation (which is messed up for some reason). I got thrown off by that at first too. When you do the conversion at one of the exchange websites it comes to about $528. Not sure where the extra $14 is coming from. Maybe they did charge a foreign exch fee. But my fee is only 1% on my VA Amex.

So I just joined Saga Club for wife and myself. Would like to go to Iceland sometime next year, from Sacramento, or actually nearest hub which I believe is Seattle. <Just got confirmation of joining> Are we going to be able to buy enough points at a discount in order to fly 1st class from the West Coast?

I tried to register for saga club, but got an error..i will try later

So I just joined Saga Club for wife and myself. Would like to go to Iceland sometime next year, from Sacramento, or actually nearest hub which I believe is Seattle. <Just got confirmation of joining> Are we going to be able to buy enough points at a discount in order to fly 1st class from the West Coast?

It's cheaper to use Alaska Air miles - 50K for Sacramento to Iceland. While with Iceland Air miles it is 70K for Seattle to Iceland (no Sacramento).

Would you be able to use these purchased miles to book an award through their subsidiary Air Iceland? I'm interested in traveling to Greenland.

Would you be able to use these purchased miles to book...

Begin reading here:

https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-flyer/earning-and-redeeming/redeem-points/


Flights
Icelandair
Upgrade for Saga Points
Air Iceland
Alaska Airlines
Finnair
Use your Saga Points onboard

If I want to use the miles on alaska, doe the flight have to be operated by Alaska or could it be a mix of Alaska and AA?

Is there foreign transaction fee charged for purchasing these miles when they are priced at ISK?

Greetings,

I also thought there would be no FTF, due to being charged through Points.com. Today I noticed, though, that I WAS charged a FTF.

My experience:

Bought 2 x 50K (=120K with bonus) points on 8/17
Had to call Citibank to get them to unblock the first transaction, as they had flagged it as possible fraud. Second went through fine.
Points posted immediately, showing "POINTS ICELANDAIR POINTS.COM
77,000.00 ICELAND KRONA = 645.49" for each transaction.
On 8/22 I noticed a $38.72 FTF on my Citi statement. This would be 3% of my total spent for 2 tickets.
Didn't really mind using my new Citi AA card for this and paying the FTF, since it helped me reach my spend for 50K AA miles.
Redeemed for 2 First Class tickets OAK to/from KOA on 8/21. Still have 60K left.


So, yes, I was charged a FTF - but I'm still pretty happy about 2 trips to Hawaii first class for less than $400 each and still having enough points to do it again.

If I want to use the miles on alaska, doe the flight have to be operated by Alaska or could it be a mix of Alaska and AA?

It depends on the rules of Saga Club redemptions. AA is not a partner and thus, the flights operated by AA are ineligible.

It depends on the rules of Saga Club redemptions. AA is not a partner and thus, the flights operated by AA are ineligible.

Yep, AA's partnership with AS does not carryover to any other partnerships that AS may maintain, such as this one with Icelandair.

Welcome to FT!
And thank you very much for sharing your experience. I guess I'll use my cards without FTF to make purchase.

Greetings,

I also thought there would be no FTF, due to being charged through Points.com. Today I noticed, though, that I WAS charged a FTF.

My experience:

Bought 2 x 50K (=120K with bonus) points on 8/17
Had to call Citibank to get them to unblock the first transaction, as they had flagged it as possible fraud. Second went through fine.
Points posted immediately, showing "POINTS ICELANDAIR POINTS.COM
77,000.00 ICELAND KRONA = 645.49" for each transaction.
On 8/22 I noticed a $38.72 FTF on my Citi statement. This would be 3% of my total spent for 2 tickets.
Didn't really mind using my new Citi AA card for this and paying the FTF, since it helped me reach my spend for 50K AA miles.
Redeemed for 2 First Class tickets OAK to/from KOA on 8/21. Still have 60K left.


So, yes, I was charged a FTF - but I'm still pretty happy about 2 trips to Hawaii first class for less than $400 each and still having enough points to do it again.

...showing "POINTS ICELANDAIR POINTS.COM
77,000.00 ICELAND KRONA = 645.49" for each transaction.

When you made the purchase was the price displayed in Krona or in Dollars? If it was displayed in Krona it is a foreign currency transaction. However, if the price was displayed only in US Dollars you should complain forcefully to the airline, to Points.com and to Citi.

77,000 IKR = $648.15 on my sapphire preferred. Google is WAY off. Let's see if I can actually cash these bad boys in....

My interaction w/FI today was smooth as silk. Early this morning I purchased miles and within two hours received an email confirming miles were deposited. Called FI RES and booked an itinerary I found on expertflyer.com. Less than an hour later I received an email with e-tkts attached, complete w/tkt numbers and all travel details. Later I'll call AS to verify we show confirmed in their system in the correct class of service. I'm very pleased FI seems to have worked out the impediments to servicing this mileage purchase bonus offer. We're off to OGG from OAK next spring and thx to Mr. Marriott we won't be sleeping under a tree. I hope so much that other FT'ers can find similar success now after these several days of roadblocks. Aloha. :)

My interaction w/FI today was smooth as silk. Early this morning I purchased miles and within two hours received an email confirming miles were deposited. Called FI RES and booked an itinerary I found on expertflyer.com. Less than an hour later I received an email with e-tkts attached, complete w/tkt numbers and all travel details. Later I'll call AS to verify we show confirmed in their system in the correct class of service. I'm very pleased FI seems to have worked out the impediments to servicing this mileage purchase bonus offer. We're off to OGG from OAK next spring and thx to Mr. Marriott we won't be sleeping under a tree. I hope so much that other FT'ers can find similar success now after these several days of roadblocks. Aloha. :)

I was also able to finally book tickets today after my 4th purchase of points (made yesterday, took almost 22 hours to show up).

Now the issue I'm running into is they charged me $251 for 2 award flights (SAN->HNL, OGG->SAN) in first. I was told twice that the charge would be about $30-50 per ticket, so this is well over twice what they said it would be. What did you get charged for your fees?

Also, still no confirmation email here, but it's only been about 2 hours.

I was also able to finally book tickets today after my 4th purchase of points (made yesterday, took almost 22 hours to show up).

Now the issue I'm running into is they charged me $251 for 2 award flights (SAN->HNL, OGG->SAN) in first. I was told twice that the charge would be about $30-50 per ticket, so this is well over twice what they said it would be. What did you get charged for your fees?

Also, still no confirmation email here, but it's only been about 2 hours.

Huge congrats on securing a booking, Majikow. I've wondered how it's been for you and if you continued to try. The figure from FI charged to my cc today is, $130.31. I asked the agent when she asked for my cc, "How much are the taxes and fees totalling?" She said, "Less than 100.00 per ticket." I started to ask her to use a currency converter and tell me exactly before preceding, but I caved and just went w/it. It's my hope the 130.31 only posts once to my cc. It's all I see currently. Thank you for the heads up as I clearly need to keep tracking this.

Huge congrats on securing a booking, Majikow. I've wondered how it's been for you and if you continued to try. The figure from FI charged to my cc today is, $130.31. I asked the agent when she asked for my cc, "How much are the taxes and fees totalling?" She said, "Less than 100.00 per ticket." I started to ask her to use a currency converter and tell me exactly before preceding, but I caved and just went w/it. It's my hope the 130.31 only posts once to my cc. It's all I see currently. Thank you for the heads up as I clearly need to keep tracking this.

Yeah, it's definitely been a week full of stress, but I'm guessing when I get to Hawaii it will all be worth it.

Was that $130.31 for one ticket or two, and coach or first class? I think something funky is going on here, cause it seems like these reports of huge taxes/fees are only starting to show up today. It's the same for a few of the people commenting over on the blog at Online Travel Review.

Ummmm....y'all jumping on this offer did know that Barclays offers an Iceland Air World MasterCard for $39 with a 20,000 miles sign on bonus?* For only $39 now you can afford to fly from Baltimore to get Mexican food at Pepe's North of the Border in Barrow, or pizza on the south side of town if you want to eat Italian.:D

*Not to worry - this is Barclays, you just have to balance transfer $10,000 as part of getting this bonus.

I was also able to finally book tickets today after my 4th purchase of points (made yesterday, took almost 22 hours to show up).

Now the issue I'm running into is they charged me $251 for 2 award flights (SAN->HNL, OGG->SAN) in first. I was told twice that the charge would be about $30-50 per ticket, so this is well over twice what they said it would be. What did you get charged for your fees?

Also, still no confirmation email here, but it's only been about 2 hours.

I'm running into a similar problem- I was charged $642.85 for my 60K points and then a day later an additional $649.64 from IcelandAir popped up on my credit card. I called, but they said I had to deal with this via email. Emailed yesterday and am waiting for a response.

As for confirmation emails- check your junk mail.

Ummmm....y'all jumping on this offer did know that Barclays offers an Iceland Air World MasterCard for $39 with a 20,000 miles sign on bonus?* For only $39 now you can afford to fly from Baltimore to get Mexican food at Pepe's North of the Border in Barrow, or pizza on the south side of town if you want to eat Italian.:D

*Not to worry - this is Barclays, you just have to balance transfer $10,000 as part of getting this bonus.

I just did a round of apps on 8/8 for 9 cards (incl one from Barclay's). I probably shouldn't push it lest I face denial which would shatter my feeble confidence. Although pulling an Iceland Air World Mastercard out of your wallet would be a great conversation piece.

I have an auth on my credit card from 8/20 but no completed transaction or points in my account. Do I need to just wait a couple more days?

I have an auth on my credit card from 8/20 but no completed transaction or points in my account. Do I need to just wait a couple more days?

I'd try chatting with the points.com people (I think 10A-4PM EST). Go to points.com, click on 'Contact Us', then on the right side you should see a "Chat" link. They confirmed for me twice that my transactions were denied or were processing.

My guess is that your purchase didn't go through. I tried to buy points twice on 8/22 and neither went through because IcelandAir had a glitch in their system and the hold for new accounts (needed to be older than 10 days to buy points) went back into effect. You might also want to call SagaClub (1-800-223-5500 prompt 3) and ask them to look at your account.

Yeah, it's definitely been a week full of stress, but I'm guessing when I get to Hawaii it will all be worth it.

Was that $130.31 for one ticket or two, and coach or first class? I think something funky is going on here, cause it seems like these reports of huge taxes/fees are only starting to show up today. It's the same for a few of the people commenting over on the blog at Online Travel Review.

It's for two pax, booked in one PNR, first class. It's been hours since I confirmed, and so far there's no additional entries from FI posted to my cc. Fingers crossed it's finalized.

Are there any updates to all this? In particular, I'm wondering:

Is the 10 day wait period still in effect or has it been waived?

What is the actual cost of 50,000 miles in USD?

And what sort of fees are people being assessed per ticket when redeeming to Hawaii?

Thanks.

Are there any updates to all this? In particular, I'm wondering:

Is the 10 day wait period still in effect or has it been waived?

What is the actual cost of 50,000 miles in USD?

And what sort of fees are people being assessed per ticket when redeeming to Hawaii?

Thanks.

I got conflicting messages last week when I called IcelandAir (first rep said 10 day hold was back on, second one said there was a glitch and it accidentally got put back on). Jared from Online Travel Review contacted them and they said it was indeed an error and that they were fixing it (I think it was solved Thurs/Fri). However, I think with the incredible popularity of this deal, there's probably a lot of stress on their IT system and their call center folks, so I wouldn't expect everything to go perfect. The people at the call center are extremely nice and helpful for the most part, so if you have questions I suggest giving them a call to get things straightened out.

The total for 50k miles (+10k bonus miles) is 75,000 ISK which according to todays rates comes out to $636.68. Also, if you are buying the ticket for someone else, you can buy 42k miles (+8400 bonus miles) for $554 and then transfer 50k (and they get an additional 10k bonus miles for 60k total) to them for $25. That would make your cost about $579.

I got hit with fees of $252 pending on my card for 2 first class tickets. I believe others who have recently booked have also got hit with fees over $200 and supposedly it is an error or some have said Alaska is forcing IcelandAir to collect 7.5% taxes on the point total/cost of what the ticket would have been (whatever that means). I haven't contacted them yet, but I plan to, because others have seen fees of like $30-50 per ticket, and two separate IcelandAir booking agents told me the fees would be less than $50 per ticket.

...some have said Alaska is forcing IcelandAir to collect 7.5% taxes on the point total/cost of what the ticket would have been

7.5% suggest this is US excise tax. Points.com does collect this when selling AS miles: Miles cost $27.50 per 1,000 miles, plus a 7.5% tax recovery fee,

https://buy.points.com/PointsPartnerFrames/partners/alaskaair/container.html?language=en&product=BUY&CAMPAIGNCODE=ASBGTLandingBuyBody&c=ASBGTLandingBuyBody

I called yesterday morning to make a reservation, and it still has not ticketed. I called back this morning, and they said that they're manually reviewing the taxes, and it would be ticketed sometime thereafter. The reservation on icelandair.us currently shows $136 in fees, which seems over double what it should be, even with a booking fee.

Anyone else running into this?

I called yesterday morning to make a reservation, and it still has not ticketed. I called back this morning, and they said that they're manually reviewing the taxes, and it would be ticketed sometime thereafter. The reservation on icelandair.us currently shows $136 in fees, which seems over double what it should be, even with a booking fee.

Anyone else running into this?



Same with me. I called yesterday morning and it still was not ticketed today yet so I called back to see why and they said they are waiting on alaska airlines to respond on what the taxes should really be. Mine was showing $134 in taxes + the $25 booking fee so $159 each ticket.

They said once they hear back from alaska airlines with the correct taxes they will ticket the reservation.

Same with me. I called yesterday morning and it still was not ticketed today yet so I called back to see why and they said they are waiting on alaska airlines to respond on what the taxes should really be. Mine was showing $134 in taxes + the $25 booking fee so $159 each ticket.

They said once they hear back from alaska airlines with the correct taxes they will ticket the reservation.

Glad to hear (well not glad, but at least it's not just me) that others are experiencing this also. Hopefully they'll get the taxes sorted out. I feel like it's still a decent deal even with the taxes, but I'd rather have my $150+ back.

Are there any updates to all this? In particular, I'm wondering:

Is the 10 day wait period still in effect or has it been waived?

What is the actual cost of 50,000 miles in USD?



I bought last Friday, the day my account was created and points posted immediately.

Our 50k miles cost ~$640. If you have access to two accounts, and play it smart, total cost should be about $415 for just over 60,000 miles.

booked this morning and the lady told me it would be ~78 in taxes/fees PER TICKET. +$25 for booking on the phone (for 2 tickets). I thought for two tickets ~$78 seemed pretty fair, but didn't get too excited paying that for each ticket. Nothing has hit my sapphire account yet...

Still haven't received any confirmation. I did notice the "inventory" on expert flyer decreased after my "purchase". Even on my obscure LAS-SEA/PDX legs. Not sure what that means...

Our 50k miles cost ~$640. If you have access to two accounts, and play it smart, total cost should be about $415 for just over 60,000 miles.

Sorry if I missed something, but how does having access to two (CC/FF?) accounts make it cheaper?

You can transfer the miles to another Iceland Air account to get an additional 20% bonus.


If my math is right, to get 60,000 miles, you should...
Buy 42,000 miles (50,400 miles with bonus) for 63,000 ISK + 2,000 ISK processing fee.
Transfer the 50,400 miles to another account to receive another 20% bonus (60,480 total). Service charge 3,000 ISK.

Total is 68,000 ISK, or about $564. So you'd save about $80 versus buying the miles in one account.

Sorry if I missed something, but how does having access to two (CC/FF?) accounts make it cheaper?

I had transferred points to my wife. She was busy today and couldn't make the booking. So, I decided instead of the headache of trying to book with her account, to just eat the $25 and transfer back to me today (since she has a gender neutral name, with a feminine twist most foreigners wouldn't pick up on, I probably could have gotten away with it). My result was a stranded 10k miles in each account. Others, could capitalize much better. Ideally, my parents would come in on the deal and I could play that game again and rescue those miles, if one can make bookings for another person/people.

You can transfer the miles to another Iceland Air account to get an additional 20% bonus.


If my math is right, to get 60,000 miles, you should...
Buy 42,000 miles (50,400 miles with bonus) for 63,000 ISK + 2,000 ISK processing fee.
Transfer the 50,400 miles to another account to receive another 20% bonus (60,480 total). Service charge 3,000 ISK.

Total is 68,000 ISK, or about $564. So you'd save about $80 versus buying the miles in one account.

why not buy 25k+5k bonus miles (37,500 ikr) and double up the leg work on the transfers (3000 ikr each x 4)?

why not buy 25k+5k bonus miles (37,500 ikr) and double up the leg work on the transfers (3000 ikr each x 4)?

I've thought about it, but if people start doing that en masse, this is sure to get shut down, and quickly.

Technically, you could get 60,000 miles by buying 11,000 and transferring the full amount 9 times. Total cost 45,500 ISK, or $377. Again, if my math is right, this is the absolute cheapest way, but extremely risky, for you and everyone else.

I've thought about it, but if people start doing that en masse, this is sure to get shut down, and quickly.

Technically, you could get 60,000 miles by buying 11,000 and transferring the full amount 9 times. Total cost 45,500 ISK, or $377. Again, if my math is right, this is the absolute cheapest way, but extremely risky, for you and everyone else.

Yeah, I get the feeling that they'll let one transfer slide, but if people start transferring repetitively, that's bound to attract a whole lot of attention. I was pretty have with paying $562 for two first class tickets.

people are only allowed 2 "gifts" per year.

My ship has sailed. and I only tested it out b/c I seemingly wanted to go to hawaii worse than my wife did, who was "too busy" to deal with an award booking this morning.

Glad to hear (well not glad, but at least it's not just me) that others are experiencing this also. Hopefully they'll get the taxes sorted out. I feel like it's still a decent deal even with the taxes, but I'd rather have my $150+ back.


Has your ticket been ticketed yet? mine has not.

Has your ticket been ticketed yet? mine has not.

Nope. Haven't seen anything yet. My guess (from seeing other people who have called in) is that they are waiting to figure out this tax issue before send out confirmations. It has been about 4 days though, so I'm probably going to call in by tomorrow if I don't hear something soon.

I know the availability for my flights disappeared while I was on the phone with the rep, so I'm pretty sure I'm in the clear, but I guess I shouldn't speak too soon.

Nope. Haven't seen anything yet. My guess (from seeing other people who have called in) is that they are waiting to figure out this tax issue before send out confirmations. It has been about 4 days though, so I'm probably going to call in by tomorrow if I don't hear something soon.

I know the availability for my flights disappeared while I was on the phone with the rep, so I'm pretty sure I'm in the clear, but I guess I shouldn't speak too soon.

Yeah the taxes are what they said about yesterday but when I called today she said the back office had the reservation and they where checking about the routing which did not make sense to me since I only have 1 stop over in san diego going out. I am going from MCO to SAN with a 3 day stop over before going to HNL. Then coming back from HNL to SAN to MCO with just a connection. So that has me worried but from what was said 1 stop over is ok.

I did not see anything else being posted anywhere about this deal anymore so I wonder if other people are waiting for the taxes issue.

I called AS to inquire about confirmed ticketing. The AS agent was able to quoteto me e-tkt numbers and I was assured everything is in place for my transaction. Really have to thank FT and some travel bloggers for informing readers about this deal.

Can anyone report recent experience on processing time for;
1. Opening new acct (indicates within 2 hours, if not e-mail CS)
2. Buying miles (indicated upto 24h on points-com)
3. Transferring miles

Thanks.

Can anyone report recent experiene on processing time for;
1. Opening new acct (indicates within 2 hours, if not e-mail CS)
2. Buying miles (indicated upto 24h on points-com)
3. Transferring miles

Thanks.

1. Email received with account number within 5 minutes
2. Immediate
3. Immediate

I called AS to inquire about confirmed ticketing. The AS agent was able to quoteto me e-tkt numbers and I was assured everything is in place for my transaction. Really have to thank FT and some travel bloggers for informing readers about this deal.

Congrats, don't forget a trip report :D

1. Email received with account number within 5 minutes
2. Immediate
3. Immediate

Nothing on 1.) and 2.) 5hours after when trying today.

ETA: and then after 45 min more purchased points posted, and e-mail conf received.

Nothing on 1.) and 2.) 5hours after when trying today.

ETA: and then after 45 min more purchased points posted, and e-mail conf received.


To get your account it could take a week or a little more. Some people where instant but for me it took some time to get the account.

I would be careful doing this. I called Icelandair this afternoon. The agent I spoke to said all flights to Hawaii are sold out for the rest of the calendar.

Nothing on 1.) and 2.) 5hours after when trying today.

ETA: and then after 45 min more purchased points posted, and e-mail conf received.

But then at least 3.) transfers were immediate.

I would be careful doing this. I called Icelandair this afternoon. The agent I spoke to said all flights to Hawaii are sold out for the rest of the calendar.

You can rent Hertz, book Radisson/Park Inn, Hilton, Hotels at Iceland, redeem on IS and AY etc. Getting IS cheap and making good value redemptions is key to great deals. YMMV.

You can rent Hertz, book Radisson/Park Inn, Hilton, Hotels at Iceland, redeem on IS and AY etc. Getting IS cheap and making good value redemptions is key to great deals. YMMV.

Yea....20,000 points for a 1 day rental is GREAT value [/sarcasm]

Yea....20,000 points for a 1 day rental is GREAT value [/sarcasm]

You obviously havent rented Hertz at Iceland. I have. And its only 10000 points for an expensive car. When you can get 10K for 25$, its probably a no-brainer to anyone but you:D

There are far more gems I have found, but I will refrain from sharing at this stage to avoid killing availability and/or loophole ala AS seats above.

I would be careful doing this. I called Icelandair this afternoon. The agent I spoke to said all flights to Hawaii are sold out for the rest of the calendar.

Interesting...i'm showing availability on AS' website and expert flyer. OTR has 2 "complaints about this as well..." I was about to book for my parents...

they finally charged my card and deducted points for a booking made monday morning. no tickets yet...

$207 for taxes + booking fee. I was told by rep doing booking that the booking fee should only hit once.

You obviously havent rented Hertz at Iceland. I have. And its only 10000 points for an expensive car. When you can get 10K for 25$, its probably a no-brainer to anyone but you:D

There are far more gems I have found, but I will refrain from sharing at this stage to avoid killing availability and/or loophole ala AS seats above.

Well, 10,000 if you are renting in Iceland (https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-flyer/earning-and-redeeming/redeem-points/detail/item200065/Hertz/) but its not applicable for most people. Rental cost is 20,000 in USA.

Well, 10,000 if you are renting in Iceland (https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-flyer/earning-and-redeeming/redeem-points/detail/item200065/Hertz/) but its not applicable for most people. Rental cost is 20,000 in USA.

Point being you can save your sarcasm when you havent done your homework:D Its not like AS flights are applicable for all or even most either.
Your reply is further US sentric, by which it states 20K for US, but there are also other EU options for that price. And rentals in some EU countries are very expensive. Its basic knowledge that most of the good redemptions are within the program itself or at least within the country/region where the program is located.

Well, 10,000 if you are renting in Iceland (https://www.icelandair.us/frequent-flyer/earning-and-redeeming/redeem-points/detail/item200065/Hertz/) but its not applicable for most people. Rental cost is 20,000 in USA.

Thats a great price, I just came back from Iceland and renting a car would have been in the $86 range for an automatic.

Also just an Iceland FYI - all of the excursions are fairly expenseive at over $80 per person for a day trip or $50 for a few hours on a boat. It makes the icelandair packages with drips much more attractive knowing the ground costs...

How do you get the 10k points for only $25?

Also -- is it true that everything a tourist might want to do in this country is expensive when converted to USD, despite the current exchange rates? Are they so dependent on imports that they just jacked up the pricing on everything as a result?

How do you get the 10k points for only $25?

Also -- is it true that everything a tourist might want to do in this country is expensive when converted to USD, despite the current exchange rates? Are they so dependent on imports that they just jacked up the pricing on everything as a result?

When you transfer 50k, fee is 25$ and bonus is 10K- for a limited time.

Iceland is very expensive yes. Check out Iceland on Europe forum. But really nice place to go.

How do you get the 10k points for only $25?

Also -- is it true that everything a tourist might want to do in this country is expensive when converted to USD, despite the current exchange rates? Are they so dependent on imports that they just jacked up the pricing on everything as a result?

Here's what Iceland's got: ice, beautiful scenery, volcanoes, boiling mud pools.

Here's what Iceland's not got: much agriculture or manufacturing.

Put those two together and then increase shipping costs because everything's got to get there by ships or planes, well, you can just imagine what that does to the cost of living--despite the softening exchange rate.

Some bad news just popped up for people who followed bloggers into this dead end...

Some bad news just popped up for people who followed bloggers into this dead end...

Pls enlighten us:confused:

Some bad news just popped up for people who followed bloggers into this dead end...

Good news popped up for me. 8 family members from around the west coast all got confirmed reservations as of today to come out here in the spring.

travelkid: The bad news referred to is this deal will be dead as of end of today.

travelkid: The bad news referred to is this deal will be dead as of end of today.

really? which blog is reporting this?

really? which blog is reporting this?

Online Travel Review (http://www.onlinetravelreview.com/2012/08/31/update-icelandairalaska-redemption-deal-ends-tonight-831-at-8pm-eastern/). The purchase promo continues but you won't be able to redeem on Alaska for the previous mileage amount.

Good news popped up for me. 8 family members from around the west coast all got confirmed reservations as of today to come out here in the spring.

travelkid: The bad news referred to is this deal will be dead as of end of today.

Online Travel Review (http://www.onlinetravelreview.com/2012/08/31/update-icelandairalaska-redemption-deal-ends-tonight-831-at-8pm-eastern/). The purchase promo continues but you won't be able to redeem on Alaska for the previous mileage amount.

Which is very good news for me^ Less pressure on IS so I can take all my goodies^

Terrible news, seems pretty underhanded, actually, to not even post a notice on their website, if this is true.

Don't suppose anyone knows anything about the ability to change a ticket? It's not really clear on their website.

Online Travel Review (http://www.onlinetravelreview.com/2012/08/31/update-icelandairalaska-redemption-deal-ends-tonight-831-at-8pm-eastern/). The purchase promo continues but you won't be able to redeem on Alaska for the previous mileage amount.

Ok, I was thinking about it for a while but I guess I don't have to any more. Now I need to find the way to spend $1400 in AA certificates by November.

So cold... lead everyone to this deal, kill the deal and then say this:

"- They are going to pull Alaska Airline redemptions tonight. They will come back at some point, but it will be at different redemption levels.

- If you are stuck with points that you purchased, you are basically stuck with points that you purchased. You can certainly wait until Alaska redemptions come back."


From:

http://www.onlinetravelreview.com/2012/08/31/update-icelandairalaska-redemption-deal-ends-tonight-831-at-8pm-eastern/

Sorry for those of you who purchased and couldn't redeem. Anyone get burned hard? CC Chargback maybe?

...Sorry for those of you who purchased and couldn't redeem. Anyone get burned hard? CC Chargback maybe?

Just saw these news (((. Can we chargeback?

So cold... lead everyone to this deal, kill the deal and then say this:

"- They are going to pull Alaska Airline redemptions tonight. They will come back at some point, but it will be at different redemption levels.

- If you are stuck with points that you purchased, you are basically stuck with points that you purchased. You can certainly wait until Alaska redemptions come back."


From:

http://www.onlinetravelreview.com/2012/08/31/update-icelandairalaska-redemption-deal-ends-tonight-831-at-8pm-eastern/

Sorry for those of you who purchased and couldn't redeem. Anyone get burned hard? CC Chargback maybe?

On what base? You received what you purchased - the merchant delivers the goods. Remember, you purchased the Iceland Air's miles, NOT an AS flight to Hawaii.

On what base? You received what you purchased - the merchant delivers the goods. Remember, you purchased the Iceland Air's miles, NOT an AS flight to Hawaii.

I agree with you, it would probably be hard/impossible to get any money back, as those stuck bought the miles, not a specific flight. I posed the chargeback as a hypothetical.

I didn't buy in... just want to start a discussion for those who might [as of this writing] find themselves out $500+, stuck with iceland air miles and without any way to get to Hawaii.

Ironic; some people trying to escape the cold for Hawaii might end up in Iceland...

I just received an email from Iceland Air FF today - they finally gave me an account and I had requested it 10 days ago.... with quality customer service like that I can only imagine what they will deliver.

So, I booked my tickets to alaska last monday, 8/27. still haven't received any email or tickets...are people who booked in the similar time frame getting confirmations?

So, I booked my tickets to alaska last monday, 8/27. still haven't received any email or tickets...are people who booked in the similar time frame getting confirmations?

Out of 4 itineraries booked, the longest I had to wait for e-tickets was 3 days and that was from a Friday to a Monday. I'd give them a call to check on your booking.

Out of 4 itineraries booked, the longest I had to wait for e-tickets was 3 days and that was from a Friday to a Monday. I'd give them a call to check on your booking.

no record at Icelandair that the lady could find. She suggested calling Alaska Airlines to see if it is in their system. If not, she said she could "dig deeper." She also mentioned it could take "A couple of weeks to get tickets issued."

I'm starting to get the feeling that I got screwed in this deal. My points history shows they deducted the points for "Free A SEA - MIA" even though I booked LAS to OGG and back. As far as I can tell AS doesn't fly to MIA.

I guess I'll try AS...

Wow - deal blogged and dead in 15 days - a new record?

Wow - deal blogged and dead in 15 days - a new record?

Maybe, but if I remember the chronology correctly, it hit the blogs first and then hit here. I have a hard time beating on the bloggers when they break the news because the only rational argument at that point is that the bloggers shouldn't have shared the information at all.

Of course, that means the thousands (in some cases, hundreds) of blog followers might have been shut out from that information in addition to the 424,082 FT members (as of the moment I write this post).

So, I booked my tickets to alaska last monday, 8/27. still haven't received any email or tickets...are people who booked in the similar time frame getting confirmations?

Did you get a confirmation # from IcelandAir when you booked? Use that to look up your info at checkmytrip.com. There you should be able to find your AS confirmation #. Use that to look up your info at the AS website. Then you can see your info, change seats, etc. I still haven't received any ticketing info from IcelandAir, but the fact that my info shows up on the AS website just as I booked it with IcelandAir alleviates my concerns.

Also, I sent them an email last Wednesday about being overcharged for taxes (they charged me $252 after the rep on the phone saying it would be like $50 per ticket). This is the response I got today:

Good afternoon,

Thank you for your email. Our legal department is now investigating which taxes are to be charged on Alaska Airlines award tickets issued Iceland for Saga Points. Once we have their result we will get back to you with appropriate response to your inquiry.

Kær kveðja/Best regards

The Alaska Airlines redemption offer for Icelandair Saga Points is now temporary unavailable.

Icelandair Saga Club offered a special redemption offer with Alaska Airlines for all our members, which was widely and greatly received. Hundreds of bookings were made and a lot of new members signed up for the Program.

The offer is now temporary unavailable and we thank all of you for your interest in our Program.

Please stay tuned for more great offers to come from our Saga Club Program,

Best Regards,
Icelandair Saga Club
icc@icelandair.is

That was fast... curve ball. I am glad that didn't buy any saga points instead bought US DM..I hope they will reinstate Alaska redemption. Its a good deal

;19252168]The Alaska Airlines redemption offer for Icelandair Saga Points is now temporary unavailable.

Icelandair Saga Club offered a special redemption offer with Alaska Airlines for all our members, which was widely and greatly received. Hundreds of bookings were made and a lot of new members signed up for the Program.

The offer is now temporary unavailable and we thank all of you for your interest in our Program.

Please stay tuned for more great offers to come from our Saga Club Program,

Best Regards,
Icelandair Saga Club
icc@icelandair.is[/QUOTE]

Not necessarily beating on the bloggers, but the thundering hooves of the herd are trampling deals pretty fast these days!:p

Maybe, but if I remember the chronology correctly, it hit the blogs first and then hit here. I have a hard time beating on the bloggers when they break the news because the only rational argument at that point is that the bloggers shouldn't have shared the information at all.

Of course, that means the thousands (in some cases, hundreds) of blog followers might have been shut out from that information in addition to the 424,082 FT members (as of the moment I write this post).

Not necessarily beating on the bloggers, but the thundering hooves of the herd are trampling deals pretty fast these days!:p

^

I called to book a flight from DEN to HNL for 2 people on Monday 8/27. Got the confirmation and e-ticket e-mail on Thursday 8/30. The miles were deducted from my account and I was charged for the taxes on 8/30.

Then on Thursday 8/30 I booked another DEN to HNL flight for 2 people. The miles were deducted from my account and I was charged the taxes on Sunday 9/2. I still have not received a confirmation e-mail or e-tickets for this flight. I'm starting to get worried because this flight leaves next week.

Also, as others have reported, under "Point Status" it shows they took out 30,000 miles for "Free A OGG-DFW" and 30,000 miles for "Free A DFW-OGG". Then 30,000 miles for "Free A OGG-SEA" and 30,000 miles for "Freem A SEA-OGG". Not sure what that's about as those aren't the flights I booked.

I got my AS confirmation code from checkmytrip.com and booked my seats and everything seems to be in order.

Do you think I even need the e-ticket or confirmation e-mail? Will I be able to check in for my flight next week?

I called to book a flight from DEN to HNL for 2 people on Monday 8/27. Got the confirmation and e-ticket e-mail on Thursday 8/30. The miles were deducted from my account and I was charged for the taxes on 8/30.

Then on Thursday 8/30 I booked another DEN to HNL flight for 2 people. The miles were deducted from my account and I was charged the taxes on Sunday 9/2. I still have not received a confirmation e-mail or e-tickets for this flight. I'm starting to get worried because this flight leaves next week.

Also, as others have reported, under "Point Status" it shows they took out 30,000 miles for "Free A OGG-DFW" and 30,000 miles for "Free A DFW-OGG". Then 30,000 miles for "Free A OGG-SEA" and 30,000 miles for "Freem A SEA-OGG". Not sure what that's about as those aren't the flights I booked.

I got my AS confirmation code from checkmytrip.com and booked my seats and everything seems to be in order.

Do you think I even need the e-ticket or confirmation e-mail? Will I be able to check in for my flight next week?

As long as you've been able to get the AS confirmation code and got seat assignments, you should be good to go. I'm not sure what the deal is with their airport references under Point Status, but they're wrong on all of my reservations as well.

I called to book a flight from DEN to HNL for 2 people on Monday 8/27. Got the confirmation and e-ticket e-mail on Thursday 8/30. The miles were deducted from my account and I was charged for the taxes on 8/30.

Then on Thursday 8/30 I booked another DEN to HNL flight for 2 people. The miles were deducted from my account and I was charged the taxes on Sunday 9/2. I still have not received a confirmation e-mail or e-tickets for this flight. I'm starting to get worried because this flight leaves next week.

Also, as others have reported, under "Point Status" it shows they took out 30,000 miles for "Free A OGG-DFW" and 30,000 miles for "Free A DFW-OGG". Then 30,000 miles for "Free A OGG-SEA" and 30,000 miles for "Freem A SEA-OGG". Not sure what that's about as those aren't the flights I booked.

I got my AS confirmation code from checkmytrip.com and booked my seats and everything seems to be in order.

Do you think I even need the e-ticket or confirmation e-mail? Will I be able to check in for my flight next week?

I called Alaska Air and got my confirmation number directly from them. They were very helpful. Icelandair, couldn't find it in their system....

Wirelessly posted (Ipod: Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

I called to book a flight from DEN to HNL for 2 people on Monday 8/27. Got the confirmation and e-ticket e-mail on Thursday 8/30. The miles were deducted from my account and I was charged for the taxes on 8/30.

Then on Thursday 8/30 I booked another DEN to HNL flight for 2 people. The miles were deducted from my account and I was charged the taxes on Sunday 9/2. I still have not received a confirmation e-mail or e-tickets for this flight. I'm starting to get worried because this flight leaves next week.

Also, as others have reported, under "Point Status" it shows they took out 30,000 miles for "Free A OGG-DFW" and 30,000 miles for "Free A DFW-OGG". Then 30,000 miles for "Free A OGG-SEA" and 30,000 miles for "Freem A SEA-OGG". Not sure what that's about as those aren't the flights I booked.

I got my AS confirmation code from checkmytrip.com and booked my seats and everything seems to be in order.

Do you think I even need the e-ticket or confirmation e-mail? Will I be able to check in for my flight next week?

I called Alaska Air and got my confirmation number directly from them. They were very helpful. Icelandair, couldn't find it in their system....

Same here

As long as you've been able to get the AS confirmation code and got seat assignments, you should be good to go. I'm not sure what the deal is with their airport references under Point Status, but they're wrong on all of my reservations as well.

I would not be so complacent.

Confirmation number means NOTHING. What you need is the E-Ticket number.

If anyone does not have E-Tickets of their AS redemption, Call AS to ask if AS has received a ticket issued by Icelandic. AS can see whether a ticket is issued. Get the e-Ticket number if you can.

There are TOO MANY SOB STORIES in various forums, AA, UA, DL, you name it - that people mistakenly think having a PNR is good to go. PNR (the confirmation number) only means you have a reservation, it does NOT mean you have a TICKET. You do NOT travel on reservation, you travel on a TICKET. which is how airline gets paid! In the award travel world, this is how the partner airline gets paid by the airline which program people use the miles to redeem the flight.

For those who dont have e-Tickets in their hands on this saga, follow up with Icelandic to get your e-Tickets and double-confirm with AS that everything is fine, ticketed, at their end. You dont want to stand at AS counter on the day of travel to Hawaii and be told you dont have a ticket to travel.

I would not be so complacent.

Confirmation number means NOTHING. What you need is the E-Ticket number.

If anyone does not have E-Tickets of their AS redemption, Call AS to ask if AS has received a ticket issued by Icelandic. AS can see whether a ticket is issued. Get the e-Ticket number if you can.

There are TOO MANY SOB STORIES in various forums, AA, UA, DL, you name it - that people mistakenly think having a PNR is good to go. PNR (the confirmation number) only means you have a reservation, it does NOT mean you have a TICKET. You do NOT travel on reservation, you travel on a TICKET. which is how airline gets paid! In the award travel world, this is how the partner airline gets paid by the airline which program people use the miles to redeem the flight.

For those who dont have e-Tickets in their hands on this saga, follow up with Icelandic to get your e-Tickets and double-confirm with AS that everything is fine, ticketed, at their end. You dont want to stand at AS counter on the day of travel to Hawaii and be told you dont have a ticket to travel.

Good point. I called up Alaska and they provided me with the e-ticket numbers and said everything looked fine. Do you think I should follow-up with Icelandair?

PNR (the confirmation number) only means you have a reservation, it does NOT mean you have a TICKET. You do NOT travel on reservation, you travel on a TICKET. Good advice. Ticket numbers are made up of the airline's 3-digit ticketing code, followed by a 4-digit form number, then a 6-digit serial number. They may be called either "ticket number" or "e-ticket number". PNR, standing for "passenger name record", includes a variety of information, such as the passenger's name and itinerary - and the ticket number (if one has already been issued).

I called up Alaska and they provided me with the e-ticket numbers and said everything looked fine.I would say just make sure you have a written copy of your itinerary which contains your ticket numbers.

I would say just make sure you have a written copy of your itinerary which contains your ticket numbers.

Good idea....will do.

On what base? You received what you purchased - the merchant delivers the goods. Remember, you purchased the Iceland Air's miles, NOT an AS flight to Hawaii.
Happy, I partially disagree with You. Miles were purchased to be used/exchanged for smth. In this case, I wanted Alaska flights but was prevented of getting tickets due to sudden changes.

I have to say IcelandAir Saga Club are truly amazing - I have written them a short note asking for refund/deduction of purchased miles. They replied next day agreeing to do so! Credit already posted! It is a bummer that I won't deal with them in the near future because I never received such prompt reply from any airline I dealt with before - AA, Delta, United, BA, Lufthansa.

Thank you, IcelandAir! maybe one day I will have a pleasure to fly with you.

I would not be so complacent.

Confirmation number means NOTHING. What you need is the E-Ticket number.

If anyone does not have E-Tickets of their AS redemption, Call AS to ask if AS has received a ticket issued by Icelandic. AS can see whether a ticket is issued. Get the e-Ticket number if you can.

There are TOO MANY SOB STORIES in various forums, AA, UA, DL, you name it - that people mistakenly think having a PNR is good to go. PNR (the confirmation number) only means you have a reservation, it does NOT mean you have a TICKET. You do NOT travel on reservation, you travel on a TICKET. which is how airline gets paid! In the award travel world, this is how the partner airline gets paid by the airline which program people use the miles to redeem the flight.

For those who dont have e-Tickets in their hands on this saga, follow up with Icelandic to get your e-Tickets and double-confirm with AS that everything is fine, ticketed, at their end. You dont want to stand at AS counter on the day of travel to Hawaii and be told you dont have a ticket to travel.

Perhaps I was mistaken in my advice. I agree, I have read about many cases where the passenger has received a confirmation code from the airline they were booking with, only to find out the award had not actually been ticketed. However, I was under the impression that when booking a partner award, receipt of the confirmation code from the partner indicates the itinerary had been ticketed. In this case, a confirmation code from FI is no guarantee but a confirmation code from AS would indicate the award had been ticketed.

I admit, I may be completely wrong but I have been unable to find a case detailed on FT where the passenger was not ticketed after receiving confirmation from the partner. Can someone direct me to such a case so I can stop searching.

I admit, I may be completely wrong but I have been unable to find a case detailed on FT where the passenger was not ticketed after receiving confirmation from the partner. Can someone direct me to such a case so I can stop searching.

I think it's pretty unusual that the partner would send an e-mail, so the answer may very well be yes. But I do think I remember at least one thread where someone booked through Airline A's mileage program an itinerary including segments on Airline B. Airline A gave a PNR for Airline B, and, using that PNR, the person was able to call up the itinerary on Airline B's web site, where he was also able to e-mail a confirmation to himself to print out. Yet, this was not sufficient without an actual e ticket.

Perhaps I was mistaken in my advice. I agree, I have read about many cases where the passenger has received a confirmation code from the airline they were booking with, only to find out the award had not actually been ticketed. However, I was under the impression that when booking a partner award, receipt of the confirmation code from the partner indicates the itinerary had been ticketed. In this case, a confirmation code from FI is no guarantee but a confirmation code from AS would indicate the award had been ticketed.

I admit, I may be completely wrong but I have been unable to find a case detailed on FT where the passenger was not ticketed after receiving confirmation from the partner. Can someone direct me to such a case so I can stop searching.

Do some search in both UA and AA forum.

One of the recent saga in AA's case was an AA SNAFU causing the guy being stranded in Tahiti. He had to purchase a very expensive ticket to fly home. He tried to dispute the ticket purchase charge with AMEX - and AMEX basically told him his dispute would be denied because Air Tahiti Nui did fly him home. His beef was with AA that his ticket was not properly issued. Long story short, eventually AA owned up the error MONTHS later. AA gave him 2 options of compensation: 1) reimbursed him the cost of the ticket he had to buy to fly home by a check. 2) reimbursed him the cost of the ticket by an AA voucher, and AA would throw in some good size miles. He chose 1) because the $ amount involved was large (one-way to fly from PPT to LAX), and he was already out of the money from the pocket. Plus given the large amount and he wasn't a regular AA flyer, he felt it would take a long time for him to use up the voucher.

EDIT:

Found it:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/american-aadvantage/1231625-aadvantage-reward-tn-disaster-advice-please-13.html

It is a long thread full of useless comments and "advices" from many posters but at the end, it is worth any newbie's time to read 1) what could happen if you dont have a valid ticket to travel on a partner airline's flight on your award. 2) Regardless whose fault it is, YOU are the person who suffer. And the final solution could take months to arrive. 3) What precaution a traveler should take to PREVENT such horror from happening. Do read Austinrunner's posts and pay attention to it. It is to all your newbies' benefits. Seriously.

UA recently has a similar Sob Story but I dont remember the details now. I remember the AA's well because I told the thread the poster had NO GROUND to dispute the charge because TN did fly hm home on the ticket he purchased. A few posters idiotically did not agree and argued with me. Later the poster finally revealed that AMEX basically told him did not even try to start a dispute because he would be denied summarily because the merchant, in this case, Air Tahiti Nui did fly him home. Then why leave a bad mark on his record if the dispute would be doomed from the start. (Yes, an unsuccessful dispute, does leave a mark on your account record.) Just like here, people who could not book their AS flights have NO GROUND to dispute the charge. They bought the miles and got the miles. There is NO guarantee anywhere they can use the miles for an award they want. There is no such guarantee in any program, not just Icelandic's. They can try, but they would not succeed. They can sue Icelandic claiming its award program is deceiving and hope to win some sympathy from a jury if that can even go to court... Though the program does not deceive anybody, and the program has the clause about rules can change without advance notice, just like any such program would. But as for buying miles? Good luck to get the bank sides with you.

Happy, I partially disagree with You. Miles were purchased to be used/exchanged for smth. In this case, I wanted Alaska flights but was prevented of getting tickets due to sudden changes.

I have to say IcelandAir Saga Club are truly amazing - I have written them a short note asking for refund/deduction of purchased miles. They replied next day agreeing to do so! Credit already posted! It is a bummer that I won't deal with them in the near future because I never received such prompt reply from any airline I dealt with before - AA, Delta, United, BA, Lufthansa.

Thank you, IcelandAir! maybe one day I will have a pleasure to fly with you.

This is not to You personally, but the You here is basically to all the newbies got into this and now having boatload of miles but cannot redeem AS flights for their "cheap" Hawaii trip.

This is your wishful thinking / reasoning.

Let's put the emotion aside but concentrate on the cold fact.

1) Miles have never had a "value" spelled out in any program's rules. The "value" is in the "frequent flyer's" mind, but is never a clearly defined matter in any program's rules.

2( In ANY program, there is NO GUARANTEE that you would be able to redeem an award to your choice. Yes, you have a plan but most everyone in every program also has a plan, yet program rules do change, and can change without notice as clearly stated in, again, ANY program.

DL just changed its award chart overnight in case you haven't paid any attention.

AA too, did not give any advance notice last year in an upcoming change.

Ditto BA, never any specific information on how the Avios change would affect flights originate outside UK. It DELIBERATELY kept the language vague and only use London as an example without revealing any non UK members, especially the US and Asia members would be totally screwed when the program changed to a 100% distance AND segment based program.

Icelandic is not the first one, nor the last one, and definitely not the only one, who suddenly changes its program rules / award charts.

You should get upset with the bloggers who broadcasted such and led you guys down the garden path without emphasized the sudden onslaught in taking such advantage on a tiny airline's program would mostly cause an abrupt change of program, and left those who do not act fast enough holding the bag.

Oh, almost forget to mention - Amtrak while not an airline but its frequent rider program used to be very versatile for the transferability to airlines / hotels... it abruptly changed its program rules not once, but several times, when it sensed people were abusing the program's transferability, using Amtrak a conduit to get what they eventually want... There were folks left holding Amtrak points that could worth 15 years of ridership... just sayin.

You should only go in with full realization of the potential peril - and common sense would tell you that, unless you can act really fast to snap up the very limited availability using this loophole, chances are, you would wound up facing some fairly unpleasant downfall.

May be you should post on the Bloggers' sites and ask what should they help you out of this jam.

If you decide to dispute with your CC, good luck.

Do some search in both UA and AA forum.

One of the recent saga in AA's case was an AA SNAFU causing the guy being stranded in Tahiti. He had...

Thanks for posting all that helpful info, Happy.

I have confirmed e-ticket numbers that I got from Alaska, so I think I will be fine. My flight leaves on Thursday at noon, so I'm going to check-in right at noon on Wednesday and hopefully there will be no issues. I'll report back on how it all turns out.

Do some search in both UA and AA forum.

I have been, and I still cannot find an instance where a passenger has:

1. Booked with miles from Airline A on partner Airline B
2. Received a confirmation code from Airline B

and then been told they were not ticketed/not allowed to fly.

In my experience and from all I can find on FT, you may receive a confirmation code from Airline A instantly but you don't receive a confirmation code from Airline B until you have actually been ticketed. For example, I have booked many AA or AS flights using BA miles. Immediately after booking I receive the confirmation codes from BA, but it is not until some time later that I receive the AA/AS confirmation. Only at that point do I feel confident in being ticketed. I am still looking for something to disprove that theory, but from this thread, blr122's experience shows that they were indeed ticketed at that point.

The case you mention is a great example of why you should always get verification in writing after changes have been made to a ticket to ensure you have been properly re-ticketed. I do appreciate the time spent digging through old threads and posting helpful information here. Thanks again.

re:ticketing. Its the norm that you can get conf codes from carrier A (your program) for the partners flights. Then you can log in or call partner, pick seats etc. BUT you are not necessarily ticketed unless any of them give you e-ticketnumbers- and its crucial that also the partner sees this number- else that segment may have dropped.

re: CC dispute. First try with IS then CC but its on an individual basis.
Noone disagree that FFPs do and can change. BUt when they advertise cheap miles and on same page list partners awards (based on availability of course), then its a good basis of dispute. Thats also I guess why IS will help people that flat out bought to redeem AS days later.

I have been, and I still cannot find an instance where a passenger has:

1. Booked with miles from Airline A on partner Airline B
2. Received a confirmation code from Airline B

and then been told they were not ticketed/not allowed to fly.

In my experience and from all I can find on FT, you may receive a confirmation code from Airline A instantly but you don't receive a confirmation code from Airline B until you have actually been ticketed. For example, I have booked many AA or AS flights using BA miles. Immediately after booking I receive the confirmation codes from BA, but it is not until some time later that I receive the AA/AS confirmation. Only at that point do I feel confident in being ticketed. I am still looking for something to disprove that theory, but from this thread, blr122's experience shows that they were indeed ticketed at that point.

The case you mention is a great example of why you should always get verification in writing after changes have been made to a ticket to ensure you have been properly re-ticketed. I do appreciate the time spent digging through old threads and posting helpful information here. Thanks again.

Read the bolded part below. travelkid knows how things work. and try to comprehend the Redcoloured portion. I redcoloured it because this is indeed CRUCIAL. Ignore it at your own peril.
You can either trust what me and travelkid posted or you can spend more of your time to search the "evidence" you want to find. Your call.

One more time, having confirmation code on partner's flights means NOTHING until you have the all important e-ticket (or at least the ticket number) in hand. In this case, the e-ticket should start with Icelandic's 3 digits code, NOT AS' as the ticket is issued by Icelandic and that is HOW AS gets paid.

You can google what the 3 digits for Icelandic ticket stock is. Not my job to do this for the thread.

re:ticketing. Its the norm that you can get conf codes from carrier A (your program) for the partners flights. Then you can log in or call partner, pick seats etc. BUT you are not necessarily ticketed unless any of themn give you e-ticketnumbers- and its crucial that also the partner sees this number- else that segment may have dropped.

re: CC dispute. First try with IS then CC but its on an individual basis.
Noone disagree that FFPs do and can change. BUt when they advertise cheap miles and on same page list partners awards (based on availability of course), then its a good basis of dispute. Thats also I guess why IS will help people that flat out bought to redeem AS days later.

[B]
One more time, having confirmation code on partner's flights means NOTHING until you have the all important e-ticket (or at least the ticket number) in hand. In this case, the e-ticket should start with Icelandic's 3 digits code, NOT AS' as the ticket is issued by Icelandic and that is HOW AS gets paid.

You can google what the 3 digits for Icelandic ticket stock is. Not my job to do this for the thread.


I have an Icelandair e-ticket number, not Alaska. I originally got the e-ticket number by calling AS, but I just realized the e-ticket number is also listed on checkmytrip.com under "Traveler Information". So if anyone else is having similar issues, you can see if your reservation has been ticketed on checkmytrip.com

e-ticket 3 digits starts with 108

try to comprehend

Touchy touchy. It's difficult to have a discussion when we're resorting to petty insults. Since no one seems to be interested in what I view as a subtle difference to conventional wisdom, I'll drop it.

The main thing is, I wanted to make sure I hadn't led blr1222 astray and it turns out I hadn't... they had indeed been ticketed.

Touchy touchy. It's difficult to have a discussion when we're resorting to petty insults. Since no one seems to be interested in what I view as a subtle difference to conventional wisdom, I'll drop it.

The main thing is, I wanted to make sure I hadn't led blr1222 astray and it turns out I hadn't... they had indeed been ticketed.

saacman -- I can't give a link, but I do remember at least one thread where obtaining a PNR from the partner was not enough. I just don't remember the details, but I thought it involved showing the airline a printed out page from their own web site with their PNR that showed the flights, but it hadn't actually been ticketed.

If I understand your question, at its most basic, it is whether a partner PNR can be generated even before ticketing. I think that answer is yes.

Touchy touchy. It's difficult to have a discussion when we're resorting to petty insults. Since no one seems to be interested in what I view as a subtle difference to conventional wisdom, I'll drop it.

The main thing is, I wanted to make sure I hadn't led blr1222 astray and it turns out I hadn't... they had indeed been ticketed.

I dont think any insults were intended and I didnt even read it as one. The point was probably underlined both because its crucial, seems to be common FT knowledge, and perhaps said even on this thread.

If I understand your question, at its most basic, it is whether a partner PNR can be generated even before ticketing. I think that answer is yes.

If theres any subtle differences here I would love to hear about them. To me its very black and white. Either you have a e-ticket number or not- which has to be linked to all your sectors/carriers. Feel free to PM for further discussion as your comment actually made me curious.

Touchy touchy. It's difficult to have a discussion when we're resorting to petty insults. Since no one seems to be interested in what I view as a subtle difference to conventional wisdom, I'll drop it.

The main thing is, I wanted to make sure I hadn't led blr1222 astray and it turns out I hadn't... they had indeed been ticketed.

The main thing is, having a PNR does NOT mean being ticketed. It is NOT a subtle difference as you like to think so. It is a CRUCIAL difference. I am trying to do the service to the newbies reading this thread. Even many seasoned flyers do NOT understand the crucial difference between a PNR and an e-Ticket number. The first only means you have a valid reservation. The second is the instrument / or proof, that you are ENTITLED to travel on that reservation. If you still insist this is a subtle difference, then I hope it is not because of you dont understand the issue, but simply you dont want to admit you have made a mistake. The former could lead to big mess, the latter would be just a "face" issue that does not harm much.

If you still cannot see the difference between a PNR and an e-ticket, then God helps you when and if by any bad luck you are caught in a SNAFU in ticketing and you do not even realize it because you have the "confirmation code" and be able to assign seats...

In blr 1222's case, it is not because he has the PNR so he is automatically ticketed. It is because his ticketing process has completed AND AS also is able to give it to him even though he does not receive this from Icelandic. This IS the piece of USEFUL information for those who have their AS reservation to make sure to get their e-ticket numbers, preferably to verify it using the method blr 1222 described. Until you got that verification, you should not assume you are OK if all you have just the PNR.

I recently have an experience with AA on our upcoming award flights on AB to DUS and eventually to VIE. AA said ticketed, I did not get any e-ticket email for longer than 24 hours - hardly happened in recent memory on a basic one-way award to Europe.

And yes, I have the AB's PNR. I can find my reservation on checkmytrip, but it does NOT have e-ticket number associated with it.

Meanwhile, I can pull up my itinerary on both Finnair and RJ website (they being OneWorld members and a better Manage My Booking type system, you can basically see all OneWorld airline bookings by using the Amedeus PNR, or if you wish, the Confirmation Code.)

I can even assign seats on RJ site but AB site wouldn't let me unless I pay for them....

I can do ALL the above as in your mind, would suggest that we are good to go, no need to worry....

BUT we still dont have e-tickets. Moreover, on AA website, even though it said "ticketed", the All Important Button of Print Receipt and Itinerary is MISSING.

Knowing better than relying on the "confirmation code", I called AA and the agent found out the reservation was NOT ticketed - the ticketing was KICKED BACK by AB because AA's system failed to transfer the Secured Traveler information to AB and the ticketing was rejected.

All the while, I can see our reservation on the following sites:
AB, the carrier. RJ and EY - the OneWorld partners whose manage booking engines are far more useful. Checkmytrip. They ALL show our reservation and I am able to pick seats thru RJ's site.

But we are NOT ticketed. AB kicked back the ticketing request to AA. We would not find out had I believed having a PNR and seat assignment are all we needed. Good thing I called and found out the ticketing process was not completed.

The AAgent said hopefully the failure of Secured Traveler Information was the only hold up and she could fix it herself instead of calling revenue desk which was 30 minute hold at that time... After the Secured Traveler Info was filled in and re-sent to AB for ticketing, in less than 3 hours, e-tickets landed in my inbox. On AA site, the reservation shows the All Important Button - Print Receipt and Itinerary. The Receipt shows the e-tickets - before a ticket is issue, there would be no receipt.

saacman -- I can't give a link, but I do remember at least one thread where obtaining a PNR from the partner was not enough. I just don't remember the details, but I thought it involved showing the airline a printed out page from their own web site with their PNR that showed the flights, but it hadn't actually been ticketed.

If I understand your question, at its most basic, it is whether a partner PNR can be generated even before ticketing. I think that answer is yes.

Of course a partner PNR can be generated when reservation is made. It is again, just a Passenger Name Record - you need that to put a reservation under your name. Ticketing is something either to follow or not follow - in the case if the reservation is canceled or let expired, there would not be any ticketing attempt to even follow.

I dont think any insults were intended and I didnt even read it as one. The point was probably underlined both because its crucial, seems to be common FT knowledge, and perhaps said even on this thread.

Thank you for pointing this out.

Exactly. Dont know where the "insult" comment coming from.

It is crucial because ignoring it could really lead to some very unpleasant and nasty outcome. Yes, we all think the airlines should not drop the ball and they should own up the mistakes when SNAFU happen. But let's face it, would you rather to do whatever you can, armed with the knowledge you have, to prevent such SNAFU from happening? So you would have a smoother trip?

Or would you rather stay uninformed, and think others pointing out the important gap of the knowledge base, as being "insult" to you?

There are many things out of our control during travel, but there are also a lot of things we CAN control by knowing how things work and act accordingly to take preventive measure so to eliminate as much chancy happening of bad things as possible.

Which path you choose to take, your call of course.


If there is any subtle differences here I would love to hear about them. To me its very black and white. Either you have a e-ticket number or not- which has to be linked to all your sectors/carriers. Feel free to PM for further discussion as your comment actually made me curious.

Same here. I dont think you would get more useful information on such "subtle" difference comment which to me is nothing other than a face-saving comment.

You may want to read Austinrunner's comments on the various award threads in AA forum on countless times he reminded folks that no matter what the initial agent promised / put an itinerary to send to ticketing desk - the itinerary is not final UNTIL it is ticketed and the poster has e-ticket in hand. Had it not for his continuous harping on the importance of ticketing, I myself would be complacent on that too. However as I started paying attention and reading Sob Stories in various airlines forums, it has become very clear to me there is a Crucial difference between a PNR and an e-Ticket.

End of my Public Service posts on this thread as I dont even have a dog in this flight. From the very outset I sense this deal would be on First Come First Served basis when Icelandic is such a small outfit and AS has limited award availability for partners which include some of the industry's biggies that have a much much larger FFPs and therefore many many more flyers would claim similar awards. It really is common sense but that does not prevent folks being led down the garden path by the bloggers that it is such a super deal (on paper with many omitted details, intentionally or unintentionally), and then later found themselves may be in a logjam.

Good luck to those who are still trying to redeem their purchased miles. Next time think a little bit further before jumping in with both feet. Lesson learned, just like so many in lives.

Sorry to keep the thread going, but here's the part I don't understand.

If I have an e-ticket issued by the ticketing carrier, what do I do to ensure, to use travelkid's words, that the particular partner flying a particular segment on the itinerary can "see" the ticket number to ensure it doesn't get dropped.

Often when I look at my segments on the segment carrier's web site, I can see the e-ticket number somewhere. For example, if I book a flight using UA miles and containing a US or AC segment, I can get the US or AC PNR from UA and go onto the US or AC web site, call up my reservation, and it will show me the same e-ticket number as United sent me when it sent my e-ticket. I assume this is good enough to conclude that US or AC can "see" my e-ticket.

But that's not always the case. For example, I have booked a trip using AA miles that contains a CX segment. AA.com shows a ticketed date, and the itinerary and receipt contains a ticket number. AA also has given me a CX PNR, which I can use on the CX web site to call up the reservation, choose seats, etc. But nothing on the CX web site shows me the e-ticket number. If one tries to search for a ticket number on the CX web site to search by ticket number, it will prefill in the CX three digit ticket number prefix and there is no way to enter my AA ticket number. Same with BA -- if I have an e-ticket on AA with a BA segment, I see no way to find the e-ticket number on BA. How do I know if they can "see" my e-ticket number?

Sorry to keep the thread going, but here's the part I don't understand.

If I have an e-ticket issued by the ticketing carrier, what do I do to ensure, to use travelkid's words, that the particular partner flying a particular segment on the itinerary can "see" the ticket number to ensure it doesn't get dropped.

Often when I look at my segments on the segment carrier's web site, I can see the e-ticket number somewhere. For example, if I book a flight using UA miles and containing a US or AC segment, I can get the US or AC PNR from UA and go onto the US or AC web site, call up my reservation, and it will show me the same e-ticket number as United sent me when it sent my e-ticket. I assume this is good enough to conclude that US or AC can "see" my e-ticket.

But that's not always the case. For example, I have booked a trip using AA miles that contains a CX segment. AA.com shows a ticketed date, and the itinerary and receipt contains a ticket number. AA also has given me a CX PNR, which I can use on the CX web site to call up the reservation, choose seats, etc. But nothing on the CX web site shows me the e-ticket number. If one tries to search for a ticket number on the CX web site to search by ticket number, it will prefill in the CX three digit ticket number prefix and there is no way to enter my AA ticket number. Same with BA -- if I have an e-ticket on AA with a BA segment, I see no way to find the e-ticket number on BA. How do I know if they can "see" my e-ticket number?

Different airlines operate differently, not all airlines would show partner's e-ticket number on their PNRs.

You would just need to learn each airline's peculiarity and call the one that does not show e-ticket number to ask if everything is good to go.

I had a UA award solely on LX flights. At first even with LX PNR I could not pull up the reservation on LX site. Finally called LX and was told if you have a middle initial, that needs to go append to the last name or something like that. I had the LX agent on the phone and did what she explained, the ressie showed up, but while it did not show e-ticket number, it gave message about ticket was issued with 016 and to call issuing airline for details. That is at least telling me LX sees the tickets. I asked the LX agent to verify if everything looks good on their end. The answer is positive. Everything is ticketed and confirmed.

So that basically is the process you have to go thru if you cannot see a e-ticket number. I think with CX, if your status changed the status "confirmed" would drop and show something else. You can ask the questions in CX forum and see if the CX flyers would give more insight.

Ok, thanks. Good stuff.

saacman -- I can't give a link, but I do remember at least one thread where obtaining a PNR from the partner was not enough. I just don't remember the details, but I thought it involved showing the airline a printed out page from their own web site with their PNR that showed the flights, but it hadn't actually been ticketed.

If I understand your question, at its most basic, it is whether a partner PNR can be generated even before ticketing. I think that answer is yes.

Yes, that was exactly my question and I appreciate the example shared. I had been looking for an example and it's a bit difficult to find this type of thing.

If you still insist this is a subtle difference, then I hope it is not because of you dont understand the issue, but simply you dont want to admit you have made a mistake.

I began this whole thing by saying I may have been completely wrong, I have just been seeking confirmation. I don't see any case for trying to save face nor any reason for not admitting I have made a mistake when I admitted it upfront.

I appreciate your personal example. I stand corrected in my previous assumption.

End of my Public Service posts on this thread as I dont even have a dog in this flight. From the very outset I sense this deal would be on First Come First Served basis when Icelandic is such a small outfit and AS has limited award availability for partners which include some of the industry's biggies that have a much much larger FFPs and therefore many many more flyers would claim similar awards. It really is common sense but that does not prevent folks being led down the garden path by the bloggers that it is such a super deal (on paper with many omitted details, intentionally or unintentionally), and then later found themselves may be in a logjam.

Good luck to those who are still trying to redeem their purchased miles. Next time think a little bit further before jumping in with both feet. Lesson learned, just like so many in lives.

Yeah, this deal went quickly as many guessed it would. Still, it looks like some of those who purchased miles without getting to book AS flights have the option to get their miles refunded by Iceland Air. Very generous on their part in my opinion.

If I have an e-ticket issued by the ticketing carrier, what do I do to ensure, to use travelkid's words, that the particular partner flying a particular segment on the itinerary can "see" the ticket number to ensure it doesn't get dropped.... How do I know if they can "see" my e-ticket number?

The only sure way is to get it confirmed by a phone rep. And dont just ask if all is ok and confirmed, because they will normally say yes and give you seats and even meal requests with a confirmation alone. Dont accept anything without them confirming e-ticket#. This is at times confusing for industry professionals, let alone for 99% of the travellers who would naturally think that a confirmed seat is good to go, especially after even calling carrier and confirming seats. But we know better.

You probably have seen this issue on the US board with the problems with OZ dropping segments, being unable to see their part linked with e-ticket#.

You could also have e-mails/printouts from each carrier by phone/web or physical office contact. Better be safe than sorry if its your honeymoon, or your elderly parents flying intnl from India the first time etc.



Yes, that was exactly my question and I appreciate the example shared. I had been looking for an example and it's a bit difficult to find this type of thing.

I began this whole thing by saying I may have been completely wrong, I have just been seeking confirmation. I don't see any case for trying to save face nor any reason for not admitting I have made a mistake when I admitted it upfront.

I appreciate your personal example. I stand corrected in my previous assumption.

Heres another link http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/19290078-post1577.html

I was able to check in for my flight tomorrow without any issues. It turns out the Icelandair rep had entered my e-mail address incorrectly. So that's why I never got a confirmation e-mail.

Looking forward to my trip. Stay tuned for the trip report.

From what I read on the blogs, IS had a block for 10 days before buying on new accts. I also read they lifted this general block later.

Whats peoples recent status, if any?

Has anyone heard anything back about refunds on taxes? It's been over two weeks since an IcelandAir rep told me their legal dept was looking into it.

Just saw on my credit card statement that $150 of the $250 I was charged for taxes was refunded, so it looks like it took a few weeks, but they are making the refunds on taxes.

Yeah, I just got $50 of $136 back for a LAX-ANC ticket. Even with the refund, though, the taxes seem excessive. Oh, well.

Headed out to Puerto Vallarta tomorrow morning on this steal of a deal! Got my wife, myself, and lap infant in first class, and no 10% fare for the lap infant to Mexico. It was definitely time consuming to keep calling to get, and I did have to follow up days later to get it ticketed.

But in the end it all confirmed through and I just checked in for the flight with no issue. Boarding passes printed, and also printed a receipt showing the Iceland Air transaction of miles and fees. So now the wife gets a surprise Valentines Day trip to Mexico (I held out and surprised here a few days ago) in first class to boot!

Follow your dreams. You can reach your goals. I'm living proof. Beefcake! Beefcake!!!!!!