Originally Posted by
flyerCO
It's the way all airlines operate for awards. Your overall hate for DL never ceases to amaze.
Yes, but DL more so than others.
Other airlines (like UA) will at least bend the routing rules and will try to get other airlines to open up award inventory, have their IT actually work to find and fix the bug, etc. It's the amount of effort. From DL you get none (unless you're exceedingly lucky and get someone who cares and is empowered). From other airlines, it varies, but more often than not is more than DL.
But yes, of course, that is the way it typically is.
As I said in the part that you chose to exclude, however, DL will not only open up award inventory on its own flights, it also CAN do so with its JV partners (though I doubt KE, but AF/KL, AZ, and I believe also VS it can reach out to them and have the inventory opened up). So, if there is a way to get to where one is going with a JV partner, all may not be lost... if not, though, then it's highly unlikely, unless one gets one of the few people at DL who care (as there are ways to make it happen and make it right, just that DL staff who go out of their way to help customers will be reprimanded by management, that I know for a fact).
Practically here, the advice here should be (instead of snipe remarks, helping the OP):
1. If there is a way to get to destination on DL, then award availability doesn't matter. DL can get you there. Insist that they do.
2. If there is a way to get to destination on DL JV partner(s), DL won't want to, but they can get you there. Award availability doesn't matter. Firmly insist that DL get the X or O space opened up to get you there.
3. Otherwise (if no award availability, but there is a way to get there on SkyTeam), worth to ask for DL to reissue ticket in revenue fare class as an even exchange, though it's highly unlikely - practically guaranteed - to work (if it does work, rush out a buy a lottery ticket pronto!
).
In case of MU, it's worth a few HUACAs and escalations to insist that DL call MU and have them open up inventory and make it right, if the flight is still operating. As DL is tied up with MU, though not in a formal JV, DL should have some pull and should be able to do it -- if the right person at DL contacts the right person at MU on this.