collect on different Frequent Flyer programmes on same booking (not same flights)
 

I booked Delta but 2 of 3 flights are operated by Virgin Atlantic, so I cannot get miles on Flying Blue as the 2 Virgin flights aren't operated by a SkyTeam airline, but still have a Delta flight number. Can I collect on my Delta flight as FlyingBlue, and claim the other two flights on Virgin's Flying Club? Anyone had any experience with this?

Regarding the DL operated flight (with DL number), yes you can collect FB miles. Present your FB card at check in to make double sure and things will be fine.

Regarding collecting miles on Virgin's flying club, you are not on the right forum. Most people here will not know (I don't) the rules for collecting Virgin miles on Virgin operated flights but with another airline number.

You should go and ask on Virgin forum (or read the rules for collecting Virgin miles).

P.S. I have just read the rules about partner airline DL and it says "Flying Club members can earn on all Delta operated and marketed services including the flights operated by Delta regional services; Delta, Delta Shuttle, Delta Connection. This excludes any codeshare flights unless booked with a VS flight number.". So I would say you will not be able to collect miles on VS FFP.

I recently had such a situation, indeed for the DL operated flights, you get the miles as any normal SkyTeam flights to FB.
For the VS operated flights, irrespective if it is DL or VS marketed flights, you either have the option to credit the miles to the SkyMiles program or to VS's own Flying Club.

For elite benefits - if you are not DL or VS Elite and not flying in one of the Premium class (PE or UpperClass), you can't access any lounge, priority check-in, etc basically no SkyPriority benefits.

It's as simple as this :)

Cheers!

ps: Enjoy the VS service - much better compared to the BA service and if you are in one of the premium classes, enjoy it even more even compared to DL's own premium class services.

Hmmm. This seems to contradict VS FFP rules. Do you have experience of it happening?

I don't follow you here :confused:. Of course not possible to credit VS flights on FB, but it is hopefully possible to credit VS flights on VS program !

I don't follow you neither. :D

The OP says that the flights are VS operated and DL coded.

The VS FFP rules on gaining miles when partnership with DL say "Flying Club members can earn on all Delta operated and marketed services including the flights operated by Delta regional services; Delta, Delta Shuttle, Delta Connection. This excludes any codeshare flights unless booked with a VS flight number.

Codeshare services that are marketed by Virgin Atlantic and operated by Delta Airlines also earn mileage.

This excludes any codeshare flights unless booked with a VS flight number seem to apply to the situation : code share with DL but not VS flight number.

I think this is a question for the VS forum, since none of the posters who answered here appear to have experience of this situation (VS operated sold with DL number).

I think we are in a total confusion :D
- DL marketed & operated : earn miles on FB and VS program
- DL marketed, VS operated : no FB miles, earn miles on VS program (as per the rule you quoted and which I have bolded)
- VS marketed and operated : no FB miles, earn miles on VS program

To come back to OP's question, he/she has 3 flights DL-marketed among which 1 is DL-operated and 2 are VS-operated. And he/she wants to credit the DL-operated flight to FB and the 2 VS-operated flights on VS program. And the question is can I have 2 different FFP in a PNR. For me the answers to the questions are:
- yes you can credit the DL-operated flight to FB
- yes you can credit the 2 VS-operated flights to VS program
- yes you can have 2 FFP in a PNR, but this can be the most tricky point as usually you cannot do that on-line. You need the intervention of an agent, and the likeliest option is that only one program will be in the PNR and OP will have to retroclaim the other flight(s) on the 2nd program.

It is possible if done carefully, I recently had a VN flight connecting to a TG flight on the same PNR (ticket was issued by VN, booked via expedia)

I could update one FFP number on TG website, and add the other via email to VN, both flights where then credited correctly to FB/TK with no issues or needing to retroclaim.

With due respect (highly due ;)), you are mixing things up (or so I dare think :)).

What you have highlighted (marketed by Virgin Atlantic and operated by Delta Airlines ) is a flight operated by DL and marketed by VS, which would generate miles in VS FFP.

In the op's case, it is the opposite : the flight is operated by Virgin and marketed by Delta.

Carnarvon, it is you that seems confused.

Delta owns 49% of VS. Any combination of Delta and Virgin [DL code on DL metal; DL code on VS metal; VS code on DL metal; VS code on VS metal] will earn miles in either of their FFPs (Skymiles for Delta; Flying Club for VS).

To the OP:

Put your Flying Blue number in the booking and leave it there until all travel has been completed, and until all the flights that can earn in FB have posted successfully.

Only after all this has happened should you then commence a retro-claim via Flying Club for the sectors that could not be credited to Flying Blue.

This may well be, but I don't get it. :confused:

Flying Club members can earn on all Delta operated and marketed services including the flights operated by Delta regional services; Delta, Delta Shuttle, Delta Connection.

This is not our case : the 2 flights are operated by VS.

It says Delta operated and marketed, not Delta operated or marketed.

This excludes any code share flights, unless booked with a VS flight number.

The code share flights are with a DL number, so they are excluded from mile earning flights (to earn miles, they should be booked with VS flight number as per above).

So, I do not see the rule which says that:

- a VS operated flight with DL number will earn miles in VS FFP.:(

I would advise instead that for all the VS operated flights to just ask the VS agent (at check-in or at the gate) to insert the Flying Club number. This is how I normally do this - the reason is because the VS and the DL system do not talk to each other. [this will most probably work only if your 1st flight is the DL operated one - because if your DL flight is the 2nd/last one in the system, the DL agent will most probably tell you that you cannot change your FFP after your first flight, etc BS. Until today I have no idea why as this is the DL practice ions ago and they have kept to it] In this case, than yes, you will have to follow the advise as above.

For me this has always worked without any problems and if you have status with VS, this would even add to the experience especially for op-up reasons.

The text highlighted below in the "Delta" box actually says the same thing twice - but you can probably accept, from the wording used, that they instead meant to cover both codesharing scenarios.

Frankly, why would VS bother putting their codeshare on a DL flight if this ended up with their frequent flyers not earning anything for the flight?

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/gb/en...air-lines.html
http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/us/en...ses/Delta.html

Because they earn less on DL marketed flights. They would obviously prefer their FF to buy VS coded flights.

However, posters on VS forum say that VS operated / DL coded flights can be credited to VS FFP.

Yes, and that's normal.

But what would not be normal is for two partners such as this to allow 1 combination out of the four possibilites [VS/VS, VS/DL, DL/VS, DL/DL] to not earn any miles.