VA and AC still have a long way to go
Aug 28, 2018, 12:45 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I'm From Here
Programs: AC*SE & MM/*Wood Gold/HHonors Diamond/Marriott Silver/AirMiles Gold
Posts: 4,562
VA and AC still have a long way to go
Just a quick mini rant
I booked YYZ-MEL-SYD this week.
All the ticketing is fine and what not.
However, trying to change your flight on VA from a 014 ticket stock is an exercise in patience. I finished my meeting early and knowing that VA won't touch flights they don't fully control, I had called the concierge about 45 minutes before my arrival.
Not the concierges fault at all but it took about 75 minutes from first call to getting on that earlier flight. Tickets had to be exchanged and what not.
This was to leave exactly one hour earlier than my originally booked starting time.
I do very much appreciate the rules, differences in systems and what not, don't get me wrong there. That said, it seems it has been about a year since this partnership has been announced and everything is still very basic, at best.
Shouldn't take an hour to get on an earlier flight I would think.
I booked YYZ-MEL-SYD this week.
All the ticketing is fine and what not.
However, trying to change your flight on VA from a 014 ticket stock is an exercise in patience. I finished my meeting early and knowing that VA won't touch flights they don't fully control, I had called the concierge about 45 minutes before my arrival.
Not the concierges fault at all but it took about 75 minutes from first call to getting on that earlier flight. Tickets had to be exchanged and what not.
This was to leave exactly one hour earlier than my originally booked starting time.
I do very much appreciate the rules, differences in systems and what not, don't get me wrong there. That said, it seems it has been about a year since this partnership has been announced and everything is still very basic, at best.
Shouldn't take an hour to get on an earlier flight I would think.
Aug 28, 2018, 3:18 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: sqrt(-united states of apologist)
Programs: *$ Green
Posts: 5,403
Just a quick mini rant
I booked YYZ-MEL-SYD this week.
All the ticketing is fine and what not.
However, trying to change your flight on VA from a 014 ticket stock is an exercise in patience. I finished my meeting early and knowing that VA won't touch flights they don't fully control, I had called the concierge about 45 minutes before my arrival.
Not the concierges fault at all but it took about 75 minutes from first call to getting on that earlier flight. Tickets had to be exchanged and what not.
This was to leave exactly one hour earlier than my originally booked starting time.
I do very much appreciate the rules, differences in systems and what not, don't get me wrong there. That said, it seems it has been about a year since this partnership has been announced and everything is still very basic, at best.
Shouldn't take an hour to get on an earlier flight I would think.
I booked YYZ-MEL-SYD this week.
All the ticketing is fine and what not.
However, trying to change your flight on VA from a 014 ticket stock is an exercise in patience. I finished my meeting early and knowing that VA won't touch flights they don't fully control, I had called the concierge about 45 minutes before my arrival.
Not the concierges fault at all but it took about 75 minutes from first call to getting on that earlier flight. Tickets had to be exchanged and what not.
This was to leave exactly one hour earlier than my originally booked starting time.
I do very much appreciate the rules, differences in systems and what not, don't get me wrong there. That said, it seems it has been about a year since this partnership has been announced and everything is still very basic, at best.
Shouldn't take an hour to get on an earlier flight I would think.
Aug 29, 2018, 7:03 am
#3
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: West
Posts: 3,357
Aug 29, 2018, 7:28 am
#4
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: YYZ
Programs: FOTSG Tangerine Ex E35k (AC)
Posts: 5,612
What surprises me is that there was a return an hour earlier. That’s rather close, perhaps this was for the first leg allowing a better connection like within the MCT allowing a much more than 75 minutes saving?
Aug 29, 2018, 9:32 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I'm From Here
Programs: AC*SE & MM/*Wood Gold/HHonors Diamond/Marriott Silver/AirMiles Gold
Posts: 4,562
I believe the point was it should take 5 minutes, not 75. I’ve had similar experiences (not all airline based) where you end up so far down the line you keep going, because you keep being told it’s almost done.
What surprises me is that there was a return an hour earlier. That’s rather close, perhaps this was for the first leg allowing a better connection like within the MCT allowing a much more than 75 minutes saving?
The point being, given they are selling a partnership..it would be nice if there was better interplay/flexibility for things like that. Granted this time was only an hour, next time could be 4 hours.
Aug 29, 2018, 3:17 pm
#6
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: sqrt(-united states of apologist)
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Posts: 5,403
Wait. So you arrived in MEL early AM, had your meetings, then same day left to SYD which was your final destination?
If yes, and you were on a through fare to SYD, I'm surprised it didn't take 90 minutes to change. If it was a ticket booked on a GDS, I'm surprised it didn't take 120 minutes.
The only way to do this fast is to walk up to the VA counter and ask them to please let you board the flight for free. It's their coupon and flight, they can loose match it to whatever they want. Anything else requires repricing your entire outbound, and checking each fare one by one to see what it's combinable with, and checking what the other airline is offering as inventory. If it was booked as an AC codeshare, it's going to be pure garbage.
If yes, and you were on a through fare to SYD, I'm surprised it didn't take 90 minutes to change. If it was a ticket booked on a GDS, I'm surprised it didn't take 120 minutes.
The only way to do this fast is to walk up to the VA counter and ask them to please let you board the flight for free. It's their coupon and flight, they can loose match it to whatever they want. Anything else requires repricing your entire outbound, and checking each fare one by one to see what it's combinable with, and checking what the other airline is offering as inventory. If it was booked as an AC codeshare, it's going to be pure garbage.
Aug 29, 2018, 4:50 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I'm From Here
Programs: AC*SE & MM/*Wood Gold/HHonors Diamond/Marriott Silver/AirMiles Gold
Posts: 4,562
Wait. So you arrived in MEL early AM, had your meetings, then same day left to SYD which was your final destination?
If yes, and you were on a through fare to SYD, I'm surprised it didn't take 90 minutes to change. If it was a ticket booked on a GDS, I'm surprised it didn't take 120 minutes.
The only way to do this fast is to walk up to the VA counter and ask them to please let you board the flight for free. It's their coupon and flight, they can loose match it to whatever they want. Anything else requires repricing your entire outbound, and checking each fare one by one to see what it's combinable with, and checking what the other airline is offering as inventory. If it was booked as an AC codeshare, it's going to be pure garbage.
If yes, and you were on a through fare to SYD, I'm surprised it didn't take 90 minutes to change. If it was a ticket booked on a GDS, I'm surprised it didn't take 120 minutes.
The only way to do this fast is to walk up to the VA counter and ask them to please let you board the flight for free. It's their coupon and flight, they can loose match it to whatever they want. Anything else requires repricing your entire outbound, and checking each fare one by one to see what it's combinable with, and checking what the other airline is offering as inventory. If it was booked as an AC codeshare, it's going to be pure garbage.
I went YYZ-YVR-MEL (meetings) -SYD
It was booked as a thoroughfare via my TA. VA won't touch any flight that isn't on their ticket stock, even if AC added the flight to my PnR, VA won't move the coupon over. AC had to do it.
In the end, I was able to get up to Sydney an hour earlier, so it worked out. It was just the effort it took was something. It would be nice to have a bit more flexibility with the partnership. It would also be nice to see said partnership expand a little outside of ticketing (FF benefits, etc) but that is or another thread.
Aug 29, 2018, 7:57 pm
#8
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: sqrt(-united states of apologist)
Programs: *$ Green
Posts: 5,403
That is correct
I went YYZ-YVR-MEL (meetings) -SYD
It was booked as a thoroughfare via my TA. VA won't touch any flight that isn't on their ticket stock, even if AC added the flight to my PnR, VA won't move the coupon over. AC had to do it.
In the end, I was able to get up to Sydney an hour earlier, so it worked out. It was just the effort it took was something. It would be nice to have a bit more flexibility with the partnership. It would also be nice to see said partnership expand a little outside of ticketing (FF benefits, etc) but that is or another thread.
I went YYZ-YVR-MEL (meetings) -SYD
It was booked as a thoroughfare via my TA. VA won't touch any flight that isn't on their ticket stock, even if AC added the flight to my PnR, VA won't move the coupon over. AC had to do it.
In the end, I was able to get up to Sydney an hour earlier, so it worked out. It was just the effort it took was something. It would be nice to have a bit more flexibility with the partnership. It would also be nice to see said partnership expand a little outside of ticketing (FF benefits, etc) but that is or another thread.
But yes VA can definitely do something. They just chose not to (and are technically allowed not to), but they can definitely use that coupon for something else. The only thing they cannot do is make a voluntary ticket exchange, but that is not the same as doing a loose match on a DCS, which can be done in 3 minutes.
Aug 29, 2018, 8:55 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: I'm From Here
Programs: AC*SE & MM/*Wood Gold/HHonors Diamond/Marriott Silver/AirMiles Gold
Posts: 4,562
Yeah, your particular situation is a shitstorm. It's unfortunate, but it's normal. International through fare exchanged midway through the outbound, booked on a TA GDS interlining with another airline, and changing the flight that is not the ticketing carrier.
But yes VA can definitely do something. They just chose not to (and are technically allowed not to), but they can definitely use that coupon for something else. The only thing they cannot do is make a voluntary ticket exchange, but that is not the same as doing a loose match on a DCS, which can be done in 3 minutes.
But yes VA can definitely do something. They just chose not to (and are technically allowed not to), but they can definitely use that coupon for something else. The only thing they cannot do is make a voluntary ticket exchange, but that is not the same as doing a loose match on a DCS, which can be done in 3 minutes.
