ahopkins767

Seasons Greetings .

I have an itinerary booked from TLV-CDG-BHX next May for myself, Mrs ahopkins767 and Mini-ahopkins767.

TLV-CDG (AF963) has been re-guaged from an a350 to an a330, with the arrival time in CDG being pushed back 20minutes (from 20:00 to 20:20). This has resulted in my connection to AF1564 (21:05) being moved to the next day on AF1164 (09:25). Tickets are redemption tickets from an FB Gold account.

As a family we have made a habit of trying to make the most of connections - sightseeing and the rest. It would be most uncharacteristic of us to bed down in an airport hotel and get the morning flight, so...

I was contemplating seeing if I can be rerouted on RO0154 at 23:30 (TLV-Bucharest) as this was possible on the awards map with onward travel to AMS then BHX...but trying to switch it to AF1089 to CDG (06:00-8:10) and then getting a day at Disneyland before the 21:05 flight to BHX. Do you think this is possible?

What ideas would you have?

fifty_two

Just for confirmation , are you sure about what you wrote ?

Cause AF probably dont have codeshare on this route , so it will cost them a lot , without even mentionning interlining and connection time at OTP

ahopkins767

It's an available route on the award matrix for TLV-OTP-AMS-BHX so I'm wondering if I can get TLV-OPT-CDG-BHX instead. The ticketing partner is Flying Blue, not Air France, so I need to rebook via Flying Blue in any event.


Availability from TLV-BHX on an award ticket - 25th May

fifty_two

The award matrix is one thing , revenue tickets is another . Awards can offer/allow crazier routings that are not available or cost huge amount of money as revenue ticket

Plus rebooking on a partner , even if they use the same FFP will generate an extra cost that AFKL most likely would like to avoid unless no other options

Even if you see something and it is available , doesnt mean AFKL will rebook you this way , but its always good to be aware of your options (talking about revenue tickets) before calling in case of disruptions

As current situation is not suitable for you , call AFKL (or your TA if done from 3rd party) and ask what options can be offered , but beware that between december and may a lot of things can change

Fabo.sk

But this is not a revenue ticket, this is an award ticket!

what I can see as more issue is that the award ticket presented in screenshot is not TLV-OTP-CDG-BHX but presumably TLV-OTP-AMS-BHX so replacing a part of it might be an issue.
In any case if the aim is to go to Disneyland I doubt that you'd enjoy it much after doing a redeye flight TLV-OTP, wait for hours in middle of the night in Bucharest airport and then take first morning flight to Paris....

I would rather suggest two options:
- if you simply want to get to BHX, find whatever routing works for you, whether revenue with AF or award with FB and try to get on it, or
- if you want to make use of day to visit Euro Disney, keep your TLV-CDG, get a hotel in a practical location, and ask for your CDG-BHX to be changed from mid-morning flight to the late flight.

HalconBCN

The red eye layover in Burcharest would be an absolute killer, especially with a child in tow, not to mention the dreadful non-existent service on Tarom lately. I would recommend an earlier flight from TLV to CDG, ask to spend a night in CDG (connection time-24h) and fly next day to BHX at a reasonable hour.

irishguy28

Having recently been moved, on an upcoming FB award booking, from a direct KLM Monday flight back from the US onto the same direct KLM service on the previous day, due to the cancellation of the direct KL service on that Monday, I rang up and asked to be rebooked on the alternate routing as suggested by the FB booking tool when making a new dummy/test booking for the original date of travel that best suited me.

If you ask for a routing that is currently offered by the FB booking tool - even if for a higher mileage amount than originally paid - it should not be a problem.

Verify what you want is on offer via FB, then ring up and ask for thar routing.

If you're requesting something that is not available and offered by the FB booking tool for a new dummy booking, then you are probably not going to get that.

Please report back!

ahopkins767

Thanks . I appreciate your ideas .

We are just starting to apply for Mrs ahopkins767's French Visa, so we won't change anything until that is in hand (because otherwise you have to explain the change and that's just adding to the workload). Application made today, submission will be at the end of the month (sandwiched within a nice little trip to Cebu and flying back to the recently re-opened mountain strip airport of Baguio - home sweet home).

And I've heard the sentiments regarding TAROM from quite a few people...I am concerned with the timing really. If we went for the 07:50am AF flight, we would end up having to be at the airport for 4am, and therefore leaving whatever place we started in the middle of the night. I would either keep the late afternoon flight, stay overnight and try to get onto the last flight the following night or I would go on TAROM purely from a timing perspective (a 23:30 departure means heading to the airport after dinner). In our favour is that Romania is not yet Schengen and so we would not fall foul of the annoying misconception check in staff have regarding a country issuing the Schengen visa must the port of entry into Europe, which is a concern I have going with KLM via Amsterdam.

ahopkins767

To update on this - we got the French visa back and so I spent some time chatting with an operator from Venezuela.

We didn't change the ticket at this point but I was able to ascertain my options and also had seat selection fee (paid in miles) refunded as I said those seats no longer served their purpose (of reducing the rush to make what was a tight connection).

My options are:

- I can change my departure point to AMM (which is tempting, as Petra is on our bucket list, but uncertain as it requires ANOTHER visa and I don't know if we will have time to get it).

- I understand that I can re-route basically according to what is available on the award chart I can see from the AirFrance website for booking with miles, so my desired routing (which wasn't on the chart) isn't available to me. However, I could go via RO via what is advertised on the award chart (with onward connection to AMS).

- Mileage differences don't matter in this case - all of the options are substantially more expensive mileage wise at this moment and that isn't an issue.

I'll let you know what I go for in the end. First we need to fix visa's and try to get a plan to stick (all my travel plans 2020-2022 fell through. My new year's resolution is to stop that trend!).

Yreal

you are allowed stopovers on FB awards now. Get the ticket refunded and rebook with a stopover at CDG allowing some disney time?

irishguy28

Given that the OP has said all potential routes are much more expensive in price (miles) now, that strategy would mean that they will have to pay substantially more if they now cancel and then seek to make a new booking.

The increase in (mileage) price doesn't matter as long as they are at the stage of making changes due to the airline's cancellation/schedule change - but if they cancel outright and book again, they will be hit with these new, substantially higher mileage prices.

ahopkins767

Our plans included a later specific UK-Poitiers trip for Futuroscope to then get a train to Paris for Disneyland . But then ryanair (who do Stanstead to Poitiers) rescheduled the flight so it’s back to the drawing board there.

My wife had a lovely time explaining the concept of Ryanair to the Manila visa submission officer the other week and why we wouldn’t book their flights until much closer to the time…fortunately we have something called Cebu Pacific here and the Philippines ATC had a meltdown on NY day as a prompt…

Yreal

Sorry, missed that part

hsumh316

AF cancelled my flight and rebooked me on a flight that departs before I arrive. There is only one flight per day so the only option will be the next day. Will AF cover my hotel for the forced overnight? Will AF allow me to make it a stopover, if they do I’ll cover my own hotel? This is a cash ticket. Should i wait before making any changes? Flight isn’t til May also.

Fabo.sk

They will cover a hotel if you end up with a forced overnight. If you request a stopover on your own accord while a same-day connection is available, they might or might not allow it but in that case you are on your own for hotels.

Look up what flights are available that will work best for you and call in prepared. CS agents are usually receptive and if you come with a solution they are more likely to approve it, instead of them having to find alternatives for you.