"Exclusive" Reservation Service
Sep 21, 2005, 2:34 am
#1
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"Exclusive" Reservation Service
From the list of Platinum Benefits :
"Exclusive reservation service. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our dedicated team is on hand to care for your flight reservation. Your exclusive reservation service phone number is printed on the back of your Flying Blue Platinum Elite Card."
Duh?!? What dedicated team? What exclusive reservation service phone number? The number on the back of my card is the general reservations number in the Netherlands +31 20 4 747 747, available to any Tom, Dick or Harry. Am I missing something?
Johan
"Exclusive reservation service. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our dedicated team is on hand to care for your flight reservation. Your exclusive reservation service phone number is printed on the back of your Flying Blue Platinum Elite Card."
Duh?!? What dedicated team? What exclusive reservation service phone number? The number on the back of my card is the general reservations number in the Netherlands +31 20 4 747 747, available to any Tom, Dick or Harry. Am I missing something?
Johan
Sep 21, 2005, 2:37 am
#2
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM), France and TravelBuzz!
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Paris, France, AF F+ Rouge pour toujours, Flying Blue whatever, LH FTL, HHonors Gold, formerly proud SCC Executive, now IC Ambassador, BA down to nobody, Grand Voyageur Le Club
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There is indeed a 24/7 dedicated phone number for reservations, which I have successfully used over the last five years. The one I have access to is located in France.
Sep 21, 2005, 2:41 am
#3
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Originally Posted by JOUY31
There is indeed a 24/7 dedicated phone number for reservations, which I have successfully used over the last five years. The one I have access to is located in France.
and they really do great job - even at 2am
Sep 21, 2005, 12:49 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Cheshire, UK
Programs: FB Platinum Elite
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I'm with Johan on this one.....
I spent a good hour this afternoon trying to make a seat reservation on a flight from MAN/AMS/MSP next week. The FB contact number on my Platinum card is 0870 24 29 242. This number gives you 4 options, only one of which, #3 I think, gets you through to a human being. As it turns out, this number is only for Award bookings or changes to Award bookings. What's happened to the "Exclusive reservation service. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our dedicated team is on hand to care for your flight reservation. Your exclusive reservation service phone number is printed on the back of your Flying Blue Platinum Elite Card."' I asked? It doesn't exist anymore, I was told. To make a seat reservation I would need to call Air France or KLM. I spoke to KLM and was informed that as of this week, they are no longer to make seat reservations on paid reservations through Travel Agents, irrespective of frequent flyer status. Furthermore, you can no longer call the Platinum Helpdesk for a seat reservation unless it is an Award booking.
Yet another erosion of FF benefits? Has anyone else had the same response lately?
Just as a comparison, I followed my frustrating calls to FB with a call to Emirates to make seat reservations on a forthcoming trip to Australia & Hong Kong. I'm only a beginner with Emirates, a Blue Card, but what service! My seat preferences had been noted from my on-line Skywards profile and all seats were confirmed in one minute. Fantastic.
Time to burn my FB miles and say goodbye to KLM, NW and AF for good!
I spent a good hour this afternoon trying to make a seat reservation on a flight from MAN/AMS/MSP next week. The FB contact number on my Platinum card is 0870 24 29 242. This number gives you 4 options, only one of which, #3 I think, gets you through to a human being. As it turns out, this number is only for Award bookings or changes to Award bookings. What's happened to the "Exclusive reservation service. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our dedicated team is on hand to care for your flight reservation. Your exclusive reservation service phone number is printed on the back of your Flying Blue Platinum Elite Card."' I asked? It doesn't exist anymore, I was told. To make a seat reservation I would need to call Air France or KLM. I spoke to KLM and was informed that as of this week, they are no longer to make seat reservations on paid reservations through Travel Agents, irrespective of frequent flyer status. Furthermore, you can no longer call the Platinum Helpdesk for a seat reservation unless it is an Award booking.
Yet another erosion of FF benefits? Has anyone else had the same response lately?
Just as a comparison, I followed my frustrating calls to FB with a call to Emirates to make seat reservations on a forthcoming trip to Australia & Hong Kong. I'm only a beginner with Emirates, a Blue Card, but what service! My seat preferences had been noted from my on-line Skywards profile and all seats were confirmed in one minute. Fantastic.
Time to burn my FB miles and say goodbye to KLM, NW and AF for good!
Sep 21, 2005, 1:27 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Paris
Programs: BA ExClub Blue (ex Silver), Flying Blue Silver (ex Platinum), M&M forever base soldier
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The 24/24 service provided by the AF FB Elite line, at +33 1 xx xx xx xx, is really superb. I never waited and the staff is usually very knowledgeable (and know that they are talking to a well-informed passenger, which helps get to the point quickly). It's a whole different league from the 0820 820 820 standard call center. Besides, it's a regular number, not an overtaxed one!
Last edited by albireo; Sep 22, 2005 at 10:40 am Reason: Masked the Elite line number
Sep 21, 2005, 1:34 pm
#6
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Originally Posted by albireo
The 24/24 service provided by the AF FB Elite line, at +33 XX XX XX XX XX, is really superb. I never waited and the staff is usually very knowledgeable (and know that they are talking to a well-informed passenger, which helps get to the point quickly). It's a whole different league from the 0820 820 820 standard call center. Besides, it's a regular number, not an overtaxed one!
I usually use french call center "le club" or af business service at SXB airport for some special requests.
Last edited by chrissxb; Sep 22, 2005 at 10:03 am Reason: telephone number
Sep 21, 2005, 1:37 pm
#7
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Originally Posted by albireo
The 24/24 service provided by the AF FB Elite line, at +33 1 48 59 20 00, is really superb.
Johan
Sep 21, 2005, 1:55 pm
#8
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM), France and TravelBuzz!
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mmm .... Not sure whether this phone number should be made available except by PM. OTOH, if it is available elsewhere on the Internet ?
Sep 21, 2005, 2:31 pm
#9
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Originally Posted by johan rebel
Nice to hear, but do they have full access to all seats on KL flights, including emergency exit rows?
Johan
Johan
Sep 22, 2005, 1:25 am
#11
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Not really a problem as the agent who replies asks for confirmation of your name and FF#; if the status isn't Elite/Elite Plus you get told to phone the regular #.
UTA
UTA
Sep 22, 2005, 3:51 am
#12
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I sent a note to the moderator to delete the number, but hopefully albireo will respond soon. It's is clearly against Flyertalk rules.
One point about the number, it is the same number for the lower elite levels. So it isn't really exclusive to Platinum members. However I agree that it is a great service and I have done KL bookings on this number for simple CDG-AMS or AMS-LYS flights. But I don't know about long-haul and exit row, etc.
One point about the number, it is the same number for the lower elite levels. So it isn't really exclusive to Platinum members. However I agree that it is a great service and I have done KL bookings on this number for simple CDG-AMS or AMS-LYS flights. But I don't know about long-haul and exit row, etc.
Sep 22, 2005, 6:30 am
#13
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM), France and TravelBuzz!
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Originally Posted by stimpy
One point about the number, it is the same number for the lower elite levels. So it isn't really exclusive to Platinum members.
Edited to add that, while the CDG dedicated counters are now available to SkyTeam Elite pax, the ones in ORY are still restricted to Elite + pax.
Last edited by JOUY31; Oct 7, 2005 at 11:47 am Reason: Update about ORY
Sep 22, 2005, 7:03 am
#14
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Originally Posted by johan rebel
Nice to hear, but do they have full access to all seats on KL flights, including emergency exit rows?
Johan
Johan
Air France reservation
+33(0)14 .... the one mentioned above
KLM reservation
+31..."jumbo jumbo" (if you had a FD card you recognize it)
Anyway, I have 2 lines, one for AF and one for KLM. I doubt the first covers also the second !
Sep 22, 2005, 7:08 am
#15
Moderator: Flying Blue (Air France & KLM), France and TravelBuzz!
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AF & KL remain, for many purposes, two different airlines, with separate reservation systems.