Booking an R ticket (buy a ticket but use miles to upgrade)
'Mileage Upgrade- lowest fares'
Trying to use an ECV - value is from a cancelled full fare ticket, not a bump voucher, etc.
After your first search you can ask for 'More Search Options' and get back to the original window. This time you can select the dollars off option and enter the ECV#
So if you think you didn't select the correct ECV option first time (of the 3 options) you can go back and get all the options in the drop down.
From then on the site tells you:
"Prices do not reflect the ECV voucher you entered. This discount will be applied later in the purchase process after you select a flight."
Not true!
Right up to the point you purchase the ticket. It doesn't actually apply the ECV though it's difficult to tell that from the purchase page and email.
After 1 1/2 hours on the phone (first rep hung up inadvertantly) NWA says using miles to upgrade a paid ticket is considered 'Award Travel' and the ECV can't be used. Even though it reflects money you once used to purchase a ticket on a cancelled record. And this is a 'support issue' for the site.
I have used ECV's in the past with this option (still have the paper receipt) so I guess a partial patch is in place on the site.
The user experience was confusing, misleading and aggrevating {OK, that's never happened to anyone else in air travel
I have no status with NWA (former gold and silver). I asked the rep to take the miles and do an op-up on the voucher paid fare. No deal.
Extend the voucher life (it expires on Sunday). No deal. I have to email the 'other' customer service group.
So I sent an email and they did respond in 3 hours. The response said they would respond in 5 biz days. Well after the voucher expires.
I'm just posting to alert that the site seems to have tightened on ECV's and that there are use cases where you think it is going to be applied when it's not. IMHO if the ECV does not apply to this fare class then don't let me enter it and don't tell me it's going to be applied when I click purchase.