smanch

I'm trying to book a one-way flight from WLG-BWI on quite a tight schedule where we need to get the travel done with a late afternoon departure and arrival without a second overnight flight in the domestic US. There's a single route that works, which I can find bookable on Kayak and other OTAs (WLG-AKL on any NZ regular flight, AKL-IAH on NZ28, and IAH-BWI on UA1851). I can't get the NZ website to give this route, however, and would prefer to book it through NZ so that I can lodge an Elite upgrade on the long haul (OTAs are routing me to 016- UA tickets only). If I call in, can they book this ticket without charging exorbitant phone booking fees, since the NZ website won't do it? Or is there some way to trick the NZ website into making this fare available?

stick1

Yeah a similar issue has occurred to me. I'm trying to book AKL to FRA return, but want to go via LHR on NZ2/1 so i can use some RUs. However the Air NZ booking engine only comes up with single stop routes like through Singapore etc and won't let me choose NZ1/2 the whole way. You would think they would want to offer customers the option of maximizing the number of NZ metal flights??? What is up with this???

Thai-Kiwi

Did you try using the multi-city tool to force the route you want?

samyoull

Last time I found something unbookable on the website, they waived the phone fee. Should definitely be able to do it if you're *E.

However, if all the OTA's are trying to plate on 016, the issue might be lack of published fares WLG-BWI on NZ...

smanch

For my route, I can force it to get me to IAD or DCA but not to BWI since Baltimore isn't one of the cities listed in NZ's tools....

samyoull

Try searching from airnewzealand.com, I can get it to show up there.

smanch

Ah BWI does show up on the multistop tool from airnewzealand.com but it can't find the connecting flight IAH-BWI (gives me an error message with no available flights).

nzkarit

What is the connection time? Is it below the minimum connection time?

samyoull

Looks like airnz.com routes via LAX/ORD - any reason you don't want to transit ORD? Far better timings.

stick1

Yeah that does work. Sort of. It fails to estimate AP/SP earn. I assume it wouldn't create any issues with checking through.

sbiddle

Both the Air NZ site and multistop tool will only offer limited numbers of connections and will typically look at price and total travel time and give you what it determines as the best options rather than all options.

smanch

Here's the flight on Kayak (this one on a United ticket) plenty of layover time...

smanch

LAX/ORD flights are too early in the day for a work commitment. The only suitable flight is this itinerary through IAH (though if absolutely necessary, I'll book IAD or DCA as the destination airport instead of BWI; those would mean more of a drive).

samyoull

The ORD flight is after the IAH one? Leaves WLG later and gets you into BWI earlier, without the 5 hour layover in IAH.

https://goo.gl/flights/4rFeq

smanch

It's 20 Mar, not 20 Feb. I think UA doesn't have an ORD-BWI at the same time the following month.