Be careful if booking with Expedia (and wanting to upgrade using vouchers)
#16
@headingwest, afaik nope on priceline but on ther OTAs (seat24 or something like that)
#17
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 6,344
I use Amex Travel UK for all my bookings departing from somewhere other than the UK, when I want to pay in GBP, because it converts the currency at the IATA rate and I get bonus Amex points.
So far my A3 tickets booked through Amex Travel UK have all been in the advertised booking classes and were eligible for upgrade (though not always successful in clearing waitlist).
So far my A3 tickets booked through Amex Travel UK have all been in the advertised booking classes and were eligible for upgrade (though not always successful in clearing waitlist).
#18
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Wedged somewhere between BTS and VIE ✈
Programs: Star Alliance Gold (A3 Gold), Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,338
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Wedged somewhere between BTS and VIE ✈
Programs: Star Alliance Gold (A3 Gold), Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,338
The reply from Aegean customer services...
''I would like to note that the barter tickets are tickets of special offers. Based on the offer of your Travel Agency, these tickets had no fare, and only the taxes were charged.
At this point, I would like to note that it does not have to do with the fare of the ticket. Normal, no barter tickets, under J Class, do earn miles. The specific ticket did not accrue miles, due to the category of the ticket, not the booking class. Regarding the information you received while booking your ticket, you may contact your Travel Agency.
I regret for the less than positive impression gained, due to the fact that these tickets do not accrue miles.''
So they are saying that J fares sometimes do collect miles and are ugpradeable. But how are we supposed to know when!?!
''I would like to note that the barter tickets are tickets of special offers. Based on the offer of your Travel Agency, these tickets had no fare, and only the taxes were charged.
At this point, I would like to note that it does not have to do with the fare of the ticket. Normal, no barter tickets, under J Class, do earn miles. The specific ticket did not accrue miles, due to the category of the ticket, not the booking class. Regarding the information you received while booking your ticket, you may contact your Travel Agency.
I regret for the less than positive impression gained, due to the fact that these tickets do not accrue miles.''
So they are saying that J fares sometimes do collect miles and are ugpradeable. But how are we supposed to know when!?!
#20
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: ARN
Programs: A3*G, SK*G
Posts: 336
But how are we supposed to know when!?!
#23
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Wedged somewhere between BTS and VIE ✈
Programs: Star Alliance Gold (A3 Gold), Oneworld Emerald (BA Gold), Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,338
This is exactly the point. If J sometimes isn't upgradeable, nor earn miles, it should be listed as such on the vouchers and earning chart.
#26
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: NW London and NW Sydney
Programs: BA Diamond, Hilton Bronze, A3 Diamond, IHG *G
Posts: 6,344
So, Amex Travel occasionally has problems with getting availability in cheaper booking classes, which can be good for A3 because it may offer S, K or L class even when A3 is selling U, P and T on its own website. That's what I did in the past.
Yesterday I found an acceptable fare on Amex Travel in U class, so I clicked BOOK NOW but it failed.
What's more, I found the same fare on A3's website with 1 seat remaining (yet I class was available on the award search), so I thought I might as well just book it direct in case someone else stole it.
For some reason it wouldn't book on A3.com either. I tried selecting Flex (and paying more) but it still wouldn't book. I tried some other OTAs and all of them also failed at the final stage...
Lastly I tried Expedia.ie which showed the same fare, but at the final stage it said the price had gone up by €19 and asked if I still wanted to book. I noticed the booking class had changed to S, which meant that I would now be able to upgrade!
(Expedia.com and expedia.co.uk, for some reason, used a bad exchange rate for USD and GBP, something like 3 or 4% worse** so I went with the Irish site and got 1% cashback on topcashback.)
So in an opposite state of affairs to the OP, Expedia sold me an upgradeable fare that I wasn't expecting and booking direct didn't even work.
Unfortunately, I was put on the waiting list for upgrade (despite availability showing), and this is a popular route so the chances aren't good.
P.S. Amex Travel used to list A3 as "Cronus Airlines" but they finally fixed it; they also took many years to add Premium Economy as an option on the main search form, so it may be a while before they get the logo right.
**GBP has just risen to €1.14 from €1.11 so it might have been as bad as 7-8% (doesn't happen with Amex Travel)
Yesterday I found an acceptable fare on Amex Travel in U class, so I clicked BOOK NOW but it failed.
What's more, I found the same fare on A3's website with 1 seat remaining (yet I class was available on the award search), so I thought I might as well just book it direct in case someone else stole it.
For some reason it wouldn't book on A3.com either. I tried selecting Flex (and paying more) but it still wouldn't book. I tried some other OTAs and all of them also failed at the final stage...
Lastly I tried Expedia.ie which showed the same fare, but at the final stage it said the price had gone up by €19 and asked if I still wanted to book. I noticed the booking class had changed to S, which meant that I would now be able to upgrade!
(Expedia.com and expedia.co.uk, for some reason, used a bad exchange rate for USD and GBP, something like 3 or 4% worse** so I went with the Irish site and got 1% cashback on topcashback.)
So in an opposite state of affairs to the OP, Expedia sold me an upgradeable fare that I wasn't expecting and booking direct didn't even work.
Unfortunately, I was put on the waiting list for upgrade (despite availability showing), and this is a popular route so the chances aren't good.
P.S. Amex Travel used to list A3 as "Cronus Airlines" but they finally fixed it; they also took many years to add Premium Economy as an option on the main search form, so it may be a while before they get the logo right.
**GBP has just risen to €1.14 from €1.11 so it might have been as bad as 7-8% (doesn't happen with Amex Travel)
#27
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lincoln, UK
Programs: A3G, BA Silver, LH FT
Posts: 296
I have also noticed recently that those cheap open jaw tickets between 2 northern European cities with a connection in Athens are no longer bookable anywhere. Even if an OTA shows a price it displays an error at the ticketing stage. It’s a shame as it was a great way to earn 4 segments as well as loads of miles cheaply
#28
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,566
I have also noticed recently that those cheap open jaw tickets between 2 northern European cities with a connection in Athens are no longer bookable anywhere. Even if an OTA shows a price it displays an error at the ticketing stage. It’s a shame as it was a great way to earn 4 segments as well as loads of miles cheaply
#30
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,566
What I thought: these flights are not open jaw flights but one-way non-stop flights via ATH. The open-jaw flights are "return" flights whereby the return segment does not start where the outgoing arrived. Two examples: [LHR-ATH]-[SKG-LHR] or [FRA-HER]-[JTR-FRA]. There are some who also include "return" flights whereby the return segment goes to an airport near the original deparure one, here would be two examples LHR-ATH-STN or DUS-ATH-CGN.