Amex partner ticket on AZ
 

Hi All

I have two AMEX partner ticket awards. I have to say I find them a total joke. I actually got very angry with the Alitalia agent today who said that as per Alitalia's regulations they only have to provide 1 seat per flight for awards. This is pretty rigorously applied in business class. So as an Elite plus member with two Amex award tickets for two people the chances of getting a flight anywhere in Business class is ALMOST ZERO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My advice to everyone is to avoid the Alitalia Amex card as it is a rip off (if you want to fly business).

They also told me they cannot tell me where there is availability. You have to phone and check routes and dates for every possible option.

Terrible!!!!!!!!

You can search availability for yourself. Create a FlyingBlue account (the Air France/KLM loyalty program). www.flyingblue.us

From there, search, and Alitalia options (along with AF/KL and other Skyteam partners) will appear in the results. You're looking for the Alitalia space, and when you see that, go ahead and book it directly through Alitalia. You're just using FlyingBlue to search. If you prefer, you can also use the Delta website without creating an account - same drill, search for awards, look for Alitalia in the results.

I'm not sure what routes you're looking at, but many do indeed have more than 1 business class seat, and their inventory is pretty dynamic. BOS-FCO, for instance, usually has 1, often 2, sometimes 3. YYZ-FCO often has 3. I'm not sure about going in the other direction.

thanks
 

I am not sure about using other airlines - you can use alitalia's site as well - just never shows any availability. Someone suggested I use expertflyer - that shows availability but when I phone Alitalia they say they have nothing.

If you understand the class codes correctly on EF, this shouldn't happen. Have you tried reporting the problem of "phantom availability" being shown to EF? Alternatively, if you're sure you're using EF right, try the HUACA routine with AZ to alleviate the effect of getting an incompetent phone agent. Ask for the specific flight number and date where EF shows the seats available.

BTW, do yoou really need to travel on exactly the same flights?

Longer term, if people complain about this to AmEx, they might be able to force AZ to open up more availability. In fact, you could try to use any AmEx travel agent services to which you have access as part of your card to book this award tickets. There might be a ticketing fee, but some AmEx agents might be more experienced at finding availability and booking these tickets. [One of my AmEx cards gives access to PTS which I understand now has a department focusing on award tickets. There is a small airline ticketing fee imposed by PTS.]

The Alitalia site won't show availability until you have miles in your account, and even then it's glitchy. Don't use it.

I use ExpertFlyer, and that availability lines up exactly with what I see through Delta and FlyingBlue. Hang up and call back if the agent isn't helpful - give them exact dates, flight numbers and segments with city pairs where you see availability. For instance, and I'm making this up, if you want to fly BOS-FRA and you see availability elsewhere on Alitalia, give them December 1, 2015, AZ615 BOS-FCO Fare class Z December 2, 2015 AZ999 FCO-FRA Fare Class Z.

thanks all - I did ask for specific dates and specific flights - I also reported this to EF - they just told me AZ was lying :-) I will keep at it :-)

Do you have some specific benefit that requires you to book over the phone, or are you just earning miles into your Alitalia account? I'm wondering if once you have miles in your account if you won't be able to book online.

I know it's frustrating, but Alitalia awards definitely need heavy use of the HUACA (hang up and call again) strategy. Are you calling the desk in Rome, or another country?

I am calling the CFA helpdesk in Rome - I have an Amex companion ticket reward which can only be booked on the phone - it is a deal you get with the Alitalia Amex card - once you spend x €'s you get a free companion ticket if you book and award ticket.

As far as I know it's the only way....and always the same story :(

update - today I thought I had made a breakthrough - on the third call the agent found me two seats on the outgoing flight and I thought I had cracked it - but them could not find me anything on the return :-(

Do the terms and conditions on the card say what specific inventory needs to be available for these flights? At least in the US, credit card certificates like companion passes and such tell you which fare classes need to be available in order to book/upgrade/whatever. If you can find the fare classes needed (and your routes/dates), I can take a look on ExpertFlyer.

the rules are the same as for an award ticket

OK, give me city pairs and date ranges that work, and whether cabin matters. I'll take a quick scan.

Just to clarify, if you mean the same as for an award ticket, that to me means Z for business, U for economy.

thanks PWMTRAV - I am looking to fly Z from MXP - Abu Dhabi - leaving 15/16 April 2016 and returning 23/24 or even 25 April - I actually am going to go onto the Maldives but will buy a separate ticket for that. I am not sure what you can do as I have spoken to AZ several times that both expertflyer and Delta show a lot of availabily in Z (by that I mean around 10 seats outbound (either from Milan or via Rome) and 12 inbound. They just keep telling me they do not care what other systems show - theirs has no availability. I do not want to fly economy :-)

I'm wondering what you're seeing - are you looking at seat maps or the actual inventory? I'm asking because I don't think Alitalia shows more than 7 in any fare class and you're mentioning seeing 10 or 12.

Anyway, I see Z3 on 4/13, 4/14, 4/16 MXP-AUH on AZ856. For the return, I see at least Z2 every day MXP-AUH AZ857 from 4/22-4/28.

Hang up and call back. If they tell you it's not available, ask them what fare class DOES need to be available.

Deal with the agents like they don't know anything. Use airport codes instead of city names, specific flight numbers and the inventory you see.

Best of luck. I know it's not easy dealing with Alitalia on the phone.