rvlcr

Hi All - hoping some AP experts on here can shed some light on my current situation.

I have two award tickets booked with AP from ORD-IST-MLE and MIA-IST-MLE departing on 9/29 and arriving on 10/1. unfortunately, TK has canceled the IST-MLE flight on 10/1 and has decided to resume on 10/2.

I want to move our itinerary by one day so leaving on 9/30 and arriving on 10/2. Issue is there is no award (I) space on either ORD-IST, MIA-IST or IST-MLE...

I am on the phone with AP now and they are saying that they can’t force availability on TK despite having read on here that it’s definitely possible when TK themselves cancel the flight.

Can anyone confirm whether what i’ve read on here is correct? Is this a case of HUCA? Thanks in advance

aznfreak007

it is not easy to force open a seat on TK, but you can reroute on any carrier that has (I) space without triggering fee and surcharge recalculation. it might not be that easy nowadays in order to respect covid transit rules of different countries. good luck

rvlcr

Thanks, this is interesting because this thread says otherwise:
Aeroplan bought flight cancelled, no availability, options?

this is very frustrating because we did have an agreement and i would expect AP to work with TK to free up availability in this case so that they can still get me to MLE within 24H.... there are some flights with Swiss and EY but, with their covid testing requirements it’s not feasible. A revenue J flight is like 5,000 so not feasible. what’s most annoying is that both flights are empty.....

canadiancow

Aeroplan can and will force space on AC metal for things like this.

For other airlines, the only "consistent" (and even here it can take some fighting) time I've seen them buy revenue space on other airlines is when they fail to ticket and the space disappears.

I would definitely not expect them to buy a TK flight here, and my advice is to lengthen your trip by one day.

Anything's possible, and I've certainly seen unusual things happen, but expecting them to buy TK J on a date you weren't even booked is just asking for disappointment.

rvlcr

well, i was perfectly happy with my original date, had TK not canceled it! so it’s not like it’s them doing me any favors so the least TK could do is free up space!

the only other option is EY, and i don’t want to fly with EY because of covid testing.

YYCCL3

It's an unpleasant situation for sure, but this is not a normal time to be travelling and as you've noticed there just aren't many options in some cases, especially with niche destinations.

If I was in your shoes, I would take the EY flights and deal with the cost/logistical challenge of COVID testing before departure. If all goes well, you'll quickly forget about it once you are at your resort in the Maldives.

Often1

AP can ask AC through its *A liaison to reach out to the *A liaison desk at TK and request that the space be opened. If TK will do so, AP can then change the ticket. But, there is nothing AP can do to force anything other than on AC.

Given that you have an entire month, I would start that process right now.

Don't give this much of a chance because TK is likely accommodating its own customers first and that may not leave much space, whether revenue or redemption.

In the meantime, I would look at other *A alternatives and have those in reserve.

rvlcr

I was able to get across a super competent agent who was able to find availability... except that all of a sudden TK pulled all revenue business availability literally mid call on the IST-MLE leg (no issues on the ORD-IST segment) so now the process is on hold. i assume this is a temporary glitch due to inventory reshuffling.

he confirmed that they are allowed to force revenue seats for TK by what i’m assuming is the exact process you described. will call again later when TK will put back space for revenue seats (hopefully soon).

300rwhp

the cannot force revenue or award seats from TK.

rvlcr

the supervisor i spoke to was definitely able to force it for the ORD-IST leg despite there being no I availability for redemption on my specific date. I dont know how he did it (maybe forced is the wrong word...?)

The IST-MLE leg is for some reason not showing any J availability on any friday in october presumably bc they are shuffling things around... or some sort of glitch.

I will just call back as soon as i see J for sale
again on IST-MLE on 10/1... and let’s see what happens.

downinit

TK does do strange things with its inventory. I was looking at a *A award flight (OZ miles) from LAX to IST for about a week, and there were 4 seats available every single time that I checked. On the day I decided to book, the J availability for that specific flight vanished, and I was forced to settle for Y on that segment. A few days later, all of the J seats reappeared. I had to pay a $30 change fee, but I was able to rebook in J.

Often1

I can assure you that AP can't force anything on TK and that if TK did not wish to permit the space, it would not have ticketed.

Just keep pressing AP. You need an agent who is willing to be your advocate.

rvlcr

they have now added J revenue seats back into inventory.. except now ive called back 3 times and everyone says they cant help me or even contact *A/Turkish despite what the agent said this morning. What a pain, not sure what else I can do.

Not sure if there is a specific way to phrase this. the last woman i spoke to said that she's been working with AP for 20 years and said that this is not protocol. maybe the guy from earlier today was lying, but i dont know what is up...

warakorn

You are wasting your time.

I think this flight will be cancelled as well.
The second wave is increasing now - also affecting Turkey more and more.
Airlines are usually cancelling flights in a batch. With the next batch, the 10/2 flight will be included.

All the time you are spending now to rebook the ticket, is basically wasted.

In 2020 longhaul tourist travel is not going to happen.
Are you really sure that people from the US are allowed to enter the Maldives - without any restrictions? It would seem strange if yes.

canadiancow

Just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's protocol.

I've redeemed millions of miles on flights over the past few years, and when stuff like this happens, I've had AC space opened for me, I've had change fees waived, I've been allowed to exceed MPM, I've been allowed an extra stopover, and I've been allowed to book LH with no YQ.

But I have never had space opened on another airline for me.

IMO, it is not worth with the time and effort to pursue this. Find I space on any dates/airlines/routes that work, and go for that. Try LH with no YQ. Extend your trip by a day. Do something. But trying to get what you want is going to take many hours on the phone, and I think your chance of success is below 10%.