Award booking issues on FB website
Jun 11, 2022, 8:02 pm
#946
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: MSP
Programs: Delta Platinum
Posts: 6
Booked a once in a lifetime business class using Amex points converted into Flying Blue miles to take my dad golfing in Scotland. Was a simple, one stop itinerary from INV-AMS-MSP on the way home. KLM for some unknown reason split the reservation into two separate tickets, canceled the AMS-MSP and then put us both on some of the worst itineraries I've ever seen (INV-AMS-ORD-ATL-DTW-MSP). Spent hours on hold only to get hung up on by the support desk. There's a Delta AMS-MSP flight with plenty of seats available, but KLM is saying there is no award space. I even requested INV-AMS-ORD-MSP, but despite the many Delta ORD-MSP each day there is no award availability.
What are my best options? As expected, a one way intl cash ticket booked on Delta is exorbitantly priced, even for economy. A refund is annoying because I won't get the Amex points back, just Flying Blue miles. The flight isn't for a couple months, is there a way to find when award availability is changed? I don't think I can deplane in Chicago and book a one way to MSP because we are checking golf bags.
What are my best options? As expected, a one way intl cash ticket booked on Delta is exorbitantly priced, even for economy. A refund is annoying because I won't get the Amex points back, just Flying Blue miles. The flight isn't for a couple months, is there a way to find when award availability is changed? I don't think I can deplane in Chicago and book a one way to MSP because we are checking golf bags.
Took me hours on hold to get through to them to cancel the tickets (naturally this can't be done online...). Obviously I should have stayed on the phone with them, because they only canceled one of the two tickets. I've called in multiple times since then and can't even get on with a person before the system just hangs up on me. Ended up disputing the transaction with Amex to at least get the $300 in taxes and fees back. I don't even care about the FB miles (which I would love to turn back into Amex points but I have long since given up on).
Pretty ridiculous for a global flag carrier airline.
Jun 12, 2022, 9:35 am
#947
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,939
I'm a bit confused with FB website and difference between award pricing there and award pricing over the phone.
I currently have a SFO-CDG-LHR flight that was priced out at ~165k miles for J, but there's a chance I will need to go to ARN instead of LHR, so I called to put an award on hold for that and the phone agent said it was 55k miles for J. When I asked her to look at my current flight to LHR that was 165k, she said that was in fact 55k miles as well, despite showing as 190k miles online...
I'm actually hoping to go to Europe sooner than my current booking, and I'm wondering if it's worth calling FB and asking them to check various dates that are showing as astronomically priced on their website (i.e. 380k miles one way in J).
Obviously this was a pleasant surprise, but any chance this was maybe a mistake?
I currently have a SFO-CDG-LHR flight that was priced out at ~165k miles for J, but there's a chance I will need to go to ARN instead of LHR, so I called to put an award on hold for that and the phone agent said it was 55k miles for J. When I asked her to look at my current flight to LHR that was 165k, she said that was in fact 55k miles as well, despite showing as 190k miles online...
I'm actually hoping to go to Europe sooner than my current booking, and I'm wondering if it's worth calling FB and asking them to check various dates that are showing as astronomically priced on their website (i.e. 380k miles one way in J).
Obviously this was a pleasant surprise, but any chance this was maybe a mistake?
The lesson to learn is maybe to always give a ring to FB when a high price in miles is seen online ?
Jun 24, 2022, 6:28 pm
#948
Join Date: Jun 2022
Posts: 1
Jun 25, 2022, 1:28 am
#950
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,939
Jun 25, 2022, 5:26 pm
#951
Join Date: May 2009
Location: LAX
Programs: AS MVPG100, Hyatt Globalist, MGM Gold, Caesars Diamond
Posts: 636
Please don't tell Alaska Airlines this. They gave me a free positioning flight from LAX to SEA in order to hop on my SEA-DUB on Aer Lingus Lie Flat for 60K miles. But then again maybe that's why some people AS program is "out of this world."
Jun 26, 2022, 3:09 am
#952
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Paris, France
Programs: AF/KL Flying Blue Platinum for life/Club2000 Ultimate, Accor ALL Diamond
Posts: 21,939
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Jun 26, 2022, 7:46 am
#953
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Reality, Freedom • Fly Tarom •
Programs: AF FB Platinum For Life (F+ Rouge Vintage®) / Hertz President's Circle / SNCF Grand Voyageur Le Club
Posts: 10,077
I guess I am going to have to call FB because that is outrageous ....
Added: On the app it's about double that, by the way!
Last edited by blairvanhorn; Jun 26, 2022 at 9:32 am Reason: Added app results
Jul 5, 2022, 3:19 am
#955
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: VIE/PRG
Programs: FB Platinum, Marriott Platinum Elite
Posts: 1,592
Anybody seen recently flights with China Airlines or Korean Air from Europe to West Coast or vv? I had a few flights booked but could not fly due to covid, would be nice to fly it now but availability seems dead to me.
Jul 5, 2022, 7:13 am
#956
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 4
I have been trying to book MUM-SFO using FB Miles in sept/oct 2022. Dynamic pricing is causing some crazy miles requirement to fly BOM-AMS-SFO . But I find that two diff tickets using FB miles BOM-AMS and AMS-SFO are lot cheaper in terms of miles.If I buy two separate tickets , do I have to get out in AMS (get my bags and go through immigration) and re check-in again AMS for SFO flight?. Would it be possible to make it into single ticket?
Jul 5, 2022, 6:11 pm
#957
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: LAX
Posts: 288
There must be something wonky going on at air france website. A few weeks ago I saw plenty of award flights in 55K one-way in business to anywhere in Europe during the month of March/April 2023. Now everything is in the 120K to 250K one way. Is this normal? I don't believe all these business awards seats are booked.
Jul 5, 2022, 6:13 pm
#958
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: PAR, TYO, SEL, SIN, SYD
Programs: AF/KLM Platinum Ultimate, VA Velocity Platinum, ALL Platinum
Posts: 716
Not sure about CI but KE has pulled a ton of award seats. They used to have 3-4 J and at least 1 F seat on almost every flight but now its hard to find available seats even when using skypass miles.
Jul 6, 2022, 1:45 am
#960
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: LAX
Posts: 288
Sigh, I just signed up 70K AF card last month.