Would one-way awards help solve DL's problems?
Feb 13, 2011, 3:41 pm
#1
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Would one-way awards help solve DL's problems?
With such dissatisfaction with DL's availability, cost of awards and booking engine itself, would one-way awards help solve DL's problems?
And of course, UA & AA have them.
And of course, UA & AA have them.
Feb 13, 2011, 3:47 pm
#2
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I think it'd be a big step in the right direction.
It might also prevent some of the funky pricing when doing multi-stop itineraries. I had to go through several phone calls before finding an agent that agreed that 115,000 miles was indeed a 'system glitch' for doing a roundtrip flight, in coach, within N. America with an ATL stopover despite one of the legs pricing at low availability.
One ways would also be great for when there is low one way, but where it's better to purchase a ticket the other due to only high award availability the other.
It might also prevent some of the funky pricing when doing multi-stop itineraries. I had to go through several phone calls before finding an agent that agreed that 115,000 miles was indeed a 'system glitch' for doing a roundtrip flight, in coach, within N. America with an ATL stopover despite one of the legs pricing at low availability.
One ways would also be great for when there is low one way, but where it's better to purchase a ticket the other due to only high award availability the other.
Feb 13, 2011, 4:07 pm
#6
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I just booked DC-NY-Johannesburg-Mauritius in business for 57.5K miles on United....and will book the return on One World through American. It definitely adds a lot of flexibility to be able to book one ways, and it's clearly an area where Delta is lagging behind its competitors.
Feb 13, 2011, 4:08 pm
#7
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DL management has for years had an easy way to resolve the nonsense SkyMiles customers experience when trying to book award tickets: two-tier award ticket pricing and using the inventory release algorithm that was applicable before DL whipped up the idea of fleecing customers via a three-tier award pricing approach to each cabin on a flight.
Feb 13, 2011, 4:29 pm
#8
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When AA implemented one-way pricing it also eliminated the domestic stopover (and, I believe, added further restrictions to international stopovers). So, as an example, an MCO-MSP <stopover> MSP-SEA <destination> SEA-MCO flight prices at 1.5x round-trip. That offsets some of the benefits sought where a simple one-way is useful.
As noted above, it should make award pricing more simple - but I don't think RT pricing is the core Delta award calendar problem.
As noted above, it should make award pricing more simple - but I don't think RT pricing is the core Delta award calendar problem.
Feb 13, 2011, 4:46 pm
#9
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When AA implemented one-way pricing it also eliminated the domestic stopover (and, I believe, added further restrictions to international stopovers). So, as an example, an MCO-MSP <stopover> MSP-SEA <destination> SEA-MCO flight prices at 1.5x round-trip. That offsets some of the benefits sought where a simple one-way is useful.
As noted above, it should make award pricing more simple - but I don't think RT pricing is the core Delta award calendar problem.
As noted above, it should make award pricing more simple - but I don't think RT pricing is the core Delta award calendar problem.
Feb 13, 2011, 5:04 pm
#10
Join Date: May 2009
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"stopover provision"???
Actually I GREATLY prefer the stopover feature on DL's award tickets to a one-way award if those are the only choices. And if all of you who posted understood (and used) the stopover provision to your advantage, you would never want one-way awards if it were an "either-or." Please, Delta, NO ONE WAY AWARDS.
Example
MEM-JFK (5/28)-JFK-BOS(6/18)-MHT-MEM (6/19)
flying out 5/28 to BCN and returning 6/18
anything I should know about booking this type of itin???
Last edited by stan1162; Feb 13, 2011 at 5:09 pm
Feb 13, 2011, 5:06 pm
#11
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Actually I GREATLY prefer the stopover feature on DL's award tickets to a one-way award if those are the only choices. And if all of you who posted understood (and used) the stopover provision to your advantage, you would never want one-way awards if it were an "either-or." Please, Delta, NO ONE WAY AWARDS.
round trip with stopover AND open jaw.
if DL follows this model, it will be a big win for people with elite status on two airlines.
Feb 13, 2011, 9:32 pm
#13
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 4,115
Boy is this funny. After another endless fruitless DL award search, I was just going to post a thread with just about this exact title!
DL, PLEASE allow this!
Your rules are already so restrictive - for example, I cannot do a US/Can>Europe>Mexico award. An open jaw and easy by any other program (even before o/w's by just charging the higher mileage), but flat out disallowed on DL because it's "two different regions". Add to that the downright bogus award inventory, and it is excruciating trying to use my DL awards.
One-ways would at least allow for the kind of flexibility that would let us grab a DL segment and combine it with a UA/AA segment. It would also make the above problem irrelevant by allowing any mix/match of areas.
Throw us a bone here, Delta!
DL, PLEASE allow this!
Your rules are already so restrictive - for example, I cannot do a US/Can>Europe>Mexico award. An open jaw and easy by any other program (even before o/w's by just charging the higher mileage), but flat out disallowed on DL because it's "two different regions". Add to that the downright bogus award inventory, and it is excruciating trying to use my DL awards.
One-ways would at least allow for the kind of flexibility that would let us grab a DL segment and combine it with a UA/AA segment. It would also make the above problem irrelevant by allowing any mix/match of areas.
Throw us a bone here, Delta!
Feb 13, 2011, 10:10 pm
#15
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One-way awards are great, and I just had the perfect situation for them: when one half the trip is on a low demand day and the cash fares are so cheap that you wouldn't want to use miles, but the other half is on a high fare day where the miles make a lot more sense. I just booked a trip for my daughter where the outbound is on an el-cheapo DL revenue ticket, but the return is an AA F award (for fewer miles than DL wanted in Y).