jumboluck

played with dl.com and my sample confirms that all "just sold out" errors are within KE directional peak season: US-ICN on May.16 can't be ticketed but ICN-US can. The reverse is true for July.18.

emkn45

ICN to US on KE cannot be booked for late December 2015

rchiu91

I was searching for a NRT-ICN-JFK flight in July during the KE peak season and it showed up for 70K but after reading upstream, I checked for ICN-JFK on the same date and it doesn't show up at all. This confirms what realHJ mentioned for my little test. I also called DL.com and they couldn't see the ICN-JFK leg. Only the NRT-ICN leg. I didn't have enough points to try to book as I was trying to cancel my ticketed award on DL metal to switch over to this new itin. Good thing I found this thread before canceling it and trying to book it online.

ENFO

Oh, I didn't pick up on that! In that case I agree that it is indeed major! Sorry for the confusion.

I guess my only sticky point now is that Delta should not show online availability for routes that really they won't allow to be booked.

RealHJ

True. One needs to be an informed consumer now (as always with DL, despite Dullta having declared war on infomred consumers) and not even bother searching for travel in the direction/between sectors that are in KE "peak season", as shown on https://www.koreanair.com/global/en/...eakseason.html . While the direct flights will not show in the direction that is KE "peak" on dullta.com, connections with KE flights still will show, and by many reports will error out at the very last stage of booking nor be bookable by phone (though I can't confirm it so myself; I've been able to book KE flights during previous DL blackout dates just fine by phone, though it errored out online, but it hasn't been in direction/between sectors that is KE "peak" at the time).

ENFO

Interesting, that hadn't even occurred to me. It suddenly clicked for me, why my search isn't working. Try to search JFK-MNL on 6/28, which is in the 5.15-6.30 window for peak NorthAmerica-Asia. It's not a "direct flight" but both legs are on KE. This route is showing on multiple days in June and I assume is not bookable.

On the other hand, just JFK-ICN on the same dates, in the same 5.15-6.30 window, will not bring up the direct KE flight. Just as RChui91 experienced.

So I guess that strengthens the argument that this route is showing in error and ICN-MNL is available bec that's not a peak travel date between Korea and the rest of Asia.

RealHJ

You are correct. As I first reported here, flights that are not bookable will show as connections, but not as direct, during the KE "peak" periods. It may be also all flights not bookable, it doesn't need to be one flight out of "peak" sectors as in your example. Eg search for, say, pus-fuk on Asia travel peak dates. You won't see any of the daily direct flights, but on most days you will see connections via icn, even though it (likely) won't be bookable, and if you search icn-fuk you won't see the very same flights you just saw as connections direct.

ENFO

Yes. I'm hoping someone will call out Delta on this. Like the previous poster said - in effect they are not honoring a published fare. It is irritating to see this - and know that half the flights aren't bookable.

cnc2002

I am holding a SM ticket to fly from KTM to CAN (Guangzhou) to ICN (first two legs on CZ), then overnight at ICN, and a flight on KE on May 1 (ICN-SFO). This is the first day of a blackout period (May 1-5) but I was able to book this online using SM--confirmation came through rapidly. Doesn't this violate their blackout rules, or does the blackout period not affect this because the first flight leaves KTM on 4/30, and all of the onward flights are fewer than 24 hrs after arriving?

discstickers

I actually took advantage of the blackout dates this year. KE is wide-open US-Asia in the lead up to May 15. Was able to grab two biz seats ATL-ICN-BKK. Way back is on CI.

There are still two biz seats on LAX/ATL/IAH/IAD/SEA-ICN on multiple days that week.

RealHJ

Delta has no blackout dates for KE, and neither does KE, so this doesn't violate any rules.

And plus, as per https://www.koreanair.com/global/en/...eakseason.html the only peak dates during 5.1 - 5.5 are for Korea domestic flights, and according to your own post you are not flying on any domestic flights within Korea. (And even if you were flying on flights such as ICN-PUS/PUS-ICN or ICN-CJU/CJU-ICN, likely would not be under this, as those flights count as international since the immigration is done at PUS and CJU, not ICN; ICN arrival and departure is as int'l. But again as you have no domestic flights w/in Korea, not sure what is the point here..)

Peak season for direction of Asia/etc. TO N.A. is 1.1 - 1.4, 2.17 - 2.23, 7.17 - 8.23, 9.25 - 9.28, 12.19 - 12.31 (for 2015). You are travelling well (more than 2 months) outside of the next dates for that.

RealHJ

The only "peak" dates (what I presume you mean by "blackout" dates) for N.A. to Asia are 5.15 - 6.30 and 12.10 - 12.25. So did you book flights during these dates? If not, then it's consistent with what others have reported, that flights during "peak" dates (between sectors and direction that is "peak") are blocked and if viewable still not bookable. But if you booked US-ICN during 5.15 - 6.30, however, then pray do tell.

discstickers

No. I'm saying that availability US-Asia is good right before the peak dates kick in.

ENFO

I think Delta.com has finally corrected their website search results. They still block Korean Air's peak dates, but at least it's also reflected on their website now, so that KAL awards previously showing (but not bookable) are now gone. Can anyone else confirm?

JulienMSP

I didn't see how much this thread had grown since I last posted to it.
I called tonight because I realized I booked my travel 2 days too early. DL STILL (as of today) shows my routing available but errors out when I try to buy it. Now that I've read this--I see why--blackout dates.

Am going on an hour on the phone trying to resolve this. I want them to charge me the same amount of miles for a different routing (through NRT using DL and Viet metal) and FORCE it through at the same levels I originally paid since they essentially sold me BOGUS tickets. Will keep people posted.