So up until late last week, you could book for example DTW-LAX (stopover) LAX-HNL (2 days later), then return HNL-DTW for 40K coach or 75K first with no problem online. Now, it will price out as 150K or 105K etc. I have confirmed that all 3 legs have first available. DTW-LAX on 2/9, LAX-HNL on 2/11, and HNL-DTW on 2/16 via SFO and MSP, yet it does not price out properly. Called PM line, first 2 agents said this is what the computer says, third agent said this is not right researched it for me and got it booked properly. I wonder if this is some sort of 1/1/2012 roll out, the end of stopovers on award tickets or something, because why else would it work properly for years and now not. I tested this with other stop overs for example DTW-SEA (stop over)-ANC and back in the summer, same thing.
So up until late last week, you could book for example DTW-LAX (stopover) LAX-HNL (2 days later), then return HNL-DTW for 40K coach or 75K first with no problem online. Now, it will price out as 150K or 105K etc. I have confirmed that all 3 legs have first available. DTW-LAX on 2/9, LAX-HNL on 2/11, and HNL-DTW on 2/16 via SFO and MSP, yet it does not price out properly. Called PM line, first 2 agents said this is what the computer says, third agent said this is not right researched it for me and got it booked properly. I wonder if this is some sort of 1/1/2012 roll out, the end of stopovers on award tickets or something, because why else would it work properly for years and now not. I tested this with other stop overs for example DTW-SEA (stop over)-ANC and back in the summer, same thing.
They made some changes to the award booking engine last week - adding the ability to select cabin when searching by schedule. I bet this would be a glitch as a result of that change.
Programs: DL Plat/million, AA 1 mil, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 16,357
I could duplicate the OP's award price failing with a DTW-MSP <stop> SEA-DTW routing that priced at 50K in coach after confirming all individual segments were Low. If the plan is to drop stopovers and price by segment that should have priced at 37.5K so TTT's supposition may be true.
As an aside, award searching is insufferably slow at the moment.
Programs: DL DM, BW DE (lifetime), SPG GPG, Marriott GE, National Emerald Club
Posts: 3,116
Quote:
Originally Posted by kss5555
So up until late last week, you could book for example DTW-LAX (stopover) LAX-HNL (2 days later), then return HNL-DTW for 40K coach or 75K first with no problem online. Now, it will price out as 150K or 105K etc. I have confirmed that all 3 legs have first available. DTW-LAX on 2/9, LAX-HNL on 2/11, and HNL-DTW on 2/16 via SFO and MSP, yet it does not price out properly. Called PM line, first 2 agents said this is what the computer says, third agent said this is not right researched it for me and got it booked properly. I wonder if this is some sort of 1/1/2012 roll out, the end of stopovers on award tickets or something, because why else would it work properly for years and now not. I tested this with other stop overs for example DTW-SEA (stop over)-ANC and back in the summer, same thing.
It doesn't work properly if booked by phone either. For quite a few days now I've been trying to get a reservation to price properly, where also the moment you add in a stopover the pricing is broken. It's valid routing, under the MPM, etc., but still is incorrect additive pricing. But, all the agents at "international manual reissues" have their own excuse, saying that "you can't have multiple airlines on a single reservation," or "that is what _____ (other airline) is charging is," or that "you can't have a stopover and a destination, you can only have one stop" (which basically means, you can only have a destination, no more stopovers), and so on.
I think so, come Jan 1 (or any arbitrary date) likely no more stopovers for Dullta award tix. This major devaluation seems to be put in, just like the other ones, by stealth.
Programs: DL 2+ million/PM, YX, Marriott Plt, *wood gold, HHonors, CO Plt, UA, AA EXP, WN, AGR
Posts: 9,379
Quote:
Originally Posted by RealHJ
I think so, come Jan 1 (or any arbitrary date) likely no more stopovers for Dullta award tix. This major devaluation seems to be put in, just like the other ones, by stealth.
Either way - whether it's a stealth change or it's truly an error - the key thing here is that DL has lost the trust of it's passengers such that the first thing that one thinks is "this is malicious".
Programs: DL DM, BW DE (lifetime), SPG GPG, Marriott GE, National Emerald Club
Posts: 3,116
Quote:
Originally Posted by Global_Hi_Flyer
Either way - whether it's a stealth change or it's truly an error - the key thing here is that DL has lost the trust of it's passengers such that the first thing that one thinks is "this is malicious".
Either way - whether it's a stealth change or it's truly an error - the key thing here is that DL has lost the trust of it's passengers such that the first thing that one thinks is "this is malicious".
"This is customer-unfriendly", even when DL and/or its apologists will assert that DL is doing that which DL's "competition" is already doing.
__________________
Like TSA, DL SkyMiles management treats airline customers as if they are the enemy or sheep to be fleeced and it shows.
I am trying to book a college trip for my daughter and me. BOS-SFO-LAX-BOS.
I think I ought to be able to do this as a SkyMiles award trip as a round trip BOS-SFO with a stopover on the way back. The award rules say one stopover or an open jaw are permitted.
About two weeks ago, I checked this and delta.com was happy with this, charging 80,000 miles for both tickets, which makes sense because the BOS-SFO and the LAX-BOS are mid-level awards for my dates and flights (40,000 per round trip). The SFO-LAX is low-level and didn't add anything to the total. We even called an agent to confirm this was correct and they got the same answer.
I wish we had been ready to commit then.
Starting last weekend, however, this route prices at 65,000 per ticket.
I have now heard many stories from Delta agents, which pretty much make no sense. Here are some of them:
* A stopover has to be at a hub, and LAX isn't a hub, it is an international gateway.
Maybe, but the fare rules say "a stopover must be along a published route" and nothing about hubs. (and SFO-LAX-BOS is a published route for SFO-BOS)
And the pricing for BOS with a return stopover in SLC or MSP behaves the same way, at 65,000 miles when the hops are at the same levels as my route.
* The destination counts as your stopover.
Except that many places in the delta tariff and SkyMiles info talk about destinations and stopovers as different things.
* It is just the availabilty
Except that I can schedule the same dates and flights as a BOS-SFO-BOS round trip for 40,000 with the return passing through LAX.
* The stopover is permitted, it just costs extra.
Internationally, there is often a nominal charge to add a stopover, but the increment delta.com is charging is the full round trip mileage for the extra SFO-LAX as though it was an independent trip.
I have been using delta.com as recommended on boards by checking each leg as a one way and only then using multicity. Agents get the same answers.
I also note, as have others, that it doesn't price correctly even as a multicity - if it was a multicity with the stopover not on a standard routing, then it should be 52500... But it really should be 40000, and was until recently.
Booked an award ticket: JFK-MAD (8 nights) MAD-ATL; 1st leg at mid level, 2nd at low level. Trying to modify it to JFK-MAD-FUE (5 nights) FUE-MAD (3 nights) MAD-ATL, flying to FUE on UX. Agent told me that adding the FUE leg of the trip would be something like 50K extra miles. ?????
Booked an award ticket: JFK-MAD (8 nights) MAD-ATL; 1st leg at mid level, 2nd at low level. Trying to modify it to JFK-MAD-FUE (5 nights) FUE-MAD (3 nights) MAD-ATL, flying to FUE on UX. Agent told me that adding the FUE leg of the trip would be something like 50K extra miles. ?????
Maybe part of the problem is that's because your first leg is mid and you are adding a partner?
When I've tried to add an AS segment to a mid level DL segment it won't price together as a oneway but rather individually.
And then on top of it maybe it's also mispricing as well...
Classic award engine "enhancement" that I'm sure was either intentional, or if not will take 9-12 months to "fix".
You're lucky you can get the multicity to display at all. I can't even get a point to point to show up without the award engine giving me 17hr+ layovers the first time I search, then 2 stops on the second attempt, then back to a 17hr+ layover the third time, and finally the correct flights on the 4th retry.
), and so on.
