LANPASS catch-22
Nov 9, 2009, 10:06 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Flew over the Equator 55 times last 3 years
Programs: LANPASS Comodoro (Emerald), others
Posts: 2,957
LANPASS catch-22
So you want to buy a ticket JFK-LIM-JFK and use the ‘upgrade to business’ Promotion using the 20000km each direction, but there is no way to know if upgrade seats are available when searching/buying the ticket! LANs solution is to first call LANPASS and find out when upgrade seats are available, hang up, go to website and buy those flights, call LANPASS back and request the upgrade. However, the seats may have disappeared in the interim. And LAN no longer has the “24 hours to cancel” option (they removed that November 1 without advertising the change) so you are stuck with a ticket you don’t want.
Call customer service at LAN and they make an exception, this time only, to cancel the ticket. They tell you to call LANPASS, find out what flights have upgrade availability, keep the LANPASS agent on the line, buy the ticket, and then ask for the upgrade. LANPASS agent refuses to do this, he has other customers to serve, even though you tell him you doing what the customer service people tell you to do (his answer, we are LANPASS, they are LAN.)
So go to website and make 6 reservations around the time they say upgrade seats available. Call LANPASS and ask when upgrade seats available. They refuse saying you need a purchased ticket confirmation code for them to help. Hang uo, call again for a more helpful agent. This time quote a reservation code and find flights that have upgardable seats still.
Go to that reservation, buy the ticket. Call LANPASS again, 3 minutes later, give the purchased ticket code and ask for upgrade. Sorry sir, there are no upgradeable seats left on those flights!!!! Ah, Catch–22.
Now you have a ticket after 2 hours on the phone with everyone, which you cannot upgrade and you do not want and cannot cancel. If you wanted to go economy on red eyes, you could have gone economy on a different airline for cheaper. LAN solution is to call intermittently to see if an upgradeable seat becomes available. I wonder anyone know how successful THAT will be? Any particularly good time to call (computer update days/times?)
Call customer service at LAN and they make an exception, this time only, to cancel the ticket. They tell you to call LANPASS, find out what flights have upgrade availability, keep the LANPASS agent on the line, buy the ticket, and then ask for the upgrade. LANPASS agent refuses to do this, he has other customers to serve, even though you tell him you doing what the customer service people tell you to do (his answer, we are LANPASS, they are LAN.)
So go to website and make 6 reservations around the time they say upgrade seats available. Call LANPASS and ask when upgrade seats available. They refuse saying you need a purchased ticket confirmation code for them to help. Hang uo, call again for a more helpful agent. This time quote a reservation code and find flights that have upgardable seats still.
Go to that reservation, buy the ticket. Call LANPASS again, 3 minutes later, give the purchased ticket code and ask for upgrade. Sorry sir, there are no upgradeable seats left on those flights!!!! Ah, Catch–22.
Now you have a ticket after 2 hours on the phone with everyone, which you cannot upgrade and you do not want and cannot cancel. If you wanted to go economy on red eyes, you could have gone economy on a different airline for cheaper. LAN solution is to call intermittently to see if an upgradeable seat becomes available. I wonder anyone know how successful THAT will be? Any particularly good time to call (computer update days/times?)
Nov 9, 2009, 3:38 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: FLL
Programs: UA 1K, B6 Mosaic
Posts: 824
According to LANPass, you can also go online and try to Reserve a J award ticket using km. Since both awards and upgrades to J are booked into a "U" bucket, it one exists the other should also.
I have done this in the past with mixed results. On my last trip, there was no J award online, but I called LANPass two minutes later and got the upgrade award. Also, I have seen J upgrades with km awards open up 2-3 days prior to flight time.
Now, after you do get an upgrade award, try getting them to give you the km you earned for Y!
Since the upgrade books into U, they always think it is a J award ticket and not an upgrade, and you get zero km. Takes multiple calls and weeks to get things sorted out!!
I have done this in the past with mixed results. On my last trip, there was no J award online, but I called LANPass two minutes later and got the upgrade award. Also, I have seen J upgrades with km awards open up 2-3 days prior to flight time.
Now, after you do get an upgrade award, try getting them to give you the km you earned for Y!
Since the upgrade books into U, they always think it is a J award ticket and not an upgrade, and you get zero km. Takes multiple calls and weeks to get things sorted out!!
Nov 9, 2009, 6:36 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2006
Programs: LAN, AA, SPG
Posts: 1,965
According to LANPass, you can also go online and try to Reserve a J award ticket using km. Since both awards and upgrades to J are booked into a "U" bucket, it one exists the other should also.
I have done this in the past with mixed results. On my last trip, there was no J award online, but I called LANPass two minutes later and got the upgrade award. Also, I have seen J upgrades with km awards open up 2-3 days prior to flight time.
Now, after you do get an upgrade award, try getting them to give you the km you earned for Y! Since the upgrade books into U, they always think it is a J award ticket and not an upgrade, and you get zero km. Takes multiple calls and weeks to get things sorted out!!
I have done this in the past with mixed results. On my last trip, there was no J award online, but I called LANPass two minutes later and got the upgrade award. Also, I have seen J upgrades with km awards open up 2-3 days prior to flight time.
Now, after you do get an upgrade award, try getting them to give you the km you earned for Y!
Since the upgrade books into U, they always think it is a J award ticket and not an upgrade, and you get zero km. Takes multiple calls and weeks to get things sorted out!!
Nov 10, 2009, 12:45 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: BUE
Programs: AAdvantage, Onepass, Lifemiles, SPG, Marriott. LANPASS s*cks.
Posts: 598
Back to AA
Yeah. Well. After the recent devaluations to the program, all the changes that went through without any notice and their obvious mistreatment of loyal customers; I chose to switch back to AA.
I just re-qualified for Comodoro, so will probably use it whenever I can hit an upgreade. However the rest of the flights will go directly to AAdvantage.
Just to summarize:
- LAN started requesting minimum fares for UPGs without giving any notice. You got the news at the airport (when denying the UPG).
- LAN increased minimim fares and would now include YQ (when YQ went sky-high) without any notice. You got the news at the airport (when denying the UPG).
- YQ went to zero, but LAN did not decrease the minimum fares that included YQ.
- LAN changed the reward system completely, again without notice. They devalued km for Biz Class travel, mostly dumped the Oneworld reward table, made impossible rewards with connections, and advertised an AAnytime-like award that ultimately cannot get you in the plane even when Y and B are available. So, not so any time.
-LAN dumped the 24-hour cancelation guarantee, again, with no notice at all.
I feel very dissapointed by LAN.
I just re-qualified for Comodoro, so will probably use it whenever I can hit an upgreade. However the rest of the flights will go directly to AAdvantage.
Just to summarize:
- LAN started requesting minimum fares for UPGs without giving any notice. You got the news at the airport (when denying the UPG).
- LAN increased minimim fares and would now include YQ (when YQ went sky-high) without any notice. You got the news at the airport (when denying the UPG).
- YQ went to zero, but LAN did not decrease the minimum fares that included YQ.
- LAN changed the reward system completely, again without notice. They devalued km for Biz Class travel, mostly dumped the Oneworld reward table, made impossible rewards with connections, and advertised an AAnytime-like award that ultimately cannot get you in the plane even when Y and B are available. So, not so any time.
-LAN dumped the 24-hour cancelation guarantee, again, with no notice at all.
I feel very dissapointed by LAN.