Oct 22, 2016, 9:28 pm
Last edit by: JDiver
Currently (24 Sep 2017): airberlin has filed for insolvency, and announced they will wind down all operations by 28 October 2017. As of 15 Oct 2017 discontinued all long haul operations. Link to Forbes Magazine article.
Previously:
NOTE: change may be in the air.
Previously:
NOTE: change may be in the air.
http://aviationweek.com/awincommerci...ses-us-partner
http://www.aero.de/news-25278/Americ...ir-Berlin.html
http://www.tt.com/home/12164834-91/a...nes-bangen.csp
The end is nigh...
Should be interesting for those holding award seats on airBerlin... (that would include me).
http://www.aero.de/news-25278/Americ...ir-Berlin.html
http://www.tt.com/home/12164834-91/a...nes-bangen.csp
The end is nigh...
Should be interesting for those holding award seats on airBerlin... (that would include me).
AB / airberlin "Air Berlin" award issues (by 28 Oct 2017 winds down ops)
Dec 4, 2015, 5:53 am
#31
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: PHX
Posts: 323
Dec 4, 2015, 5:58 am
#32
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: NY
Posts: 733
AB is a small carrier with little TATL capacity or routes. AA saver award availability is poor. Nobody (well, maybe a few) wants to pay BA long-haul YQ. Iberia awards aren't searched on aa.com. What availability comes open on AB gets taken immediately by the frenzied award searches of maybe 100 million AAdvantage members post-merger.
Up until recently, AB figured in nearly every AA search.
Now, there is absolultely zero availability past January. I get that summer may be high demand time, but not too many people are dying to go DUS in Feb.
BA has been tough too. Trying to get to Norway (not Oslo) over Labor Day, I am not entirely opposed to BA. I can put all my spending for Dec on my 2 Chase BA cards and get the Travel Together certs before the end of the year..but little good it will do. There is very little F availability over that time.
For comparison, on Labor Day'13, I had 4 F awards on BA - and the NYC-LHR leg the 4 of us were the only ones in the F cabin.
Dec 4, 2015, 6:54 am
#33
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: DCA
Posts: 7,769
This is still a ways off, lots of things can evolve...I know a lot of us (myself included) like to book all of our trips on the day the window opens, but that might just not be the way it is any more. Lots of moving parts with mergers, IT migrations, devaluations, etc. Over on the EY thread there is plenty of discussion of the issues in showing/procuring EY awards so either it is some great worldwide conspiracy orchestrated by AA, or there are just some systems issues going on right now.
Dec 4, 2015, 7:03 am
#34
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: IND
Programs: Avianca Brazil Diamond, Etihad Gold, Southwest CC Pass, HH Diamond, SPG Gold
Posts: 315
Luckily I had already booked my TATL flights for this summer but there was a significant schedule change for connecting flight in Europe. I am even having troubles finding AB intra European flights from DUS. Nothing is showing up. I am sure availability will come back and then I can use the schedule change
Dec 4, 2015, 10:33 am
#35
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: NY
Posts: 733
check out this post by milevalue
http://www.milevalue.com/category/finnair/
his screenshots show tons of AB space in either class
while it's from August, it's highly unlikely everything got booked.
http://www.milevalue.com/category/finnair/
his screenshots show tons of AB space in either class
while it's from August, it's highly unlikely everything got booked.
Dec 4, 2015, 11:47 am
#36
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum; Hilton Diamond
Posts: 239
check out this post by milevalue
http://www.milevalue.com/category/finnair/
his screenshots show tons of AB space in either class
while it's from August, it's highly unlikely everything got booked.
http://www.milevalue.com/category/finnair/
his screenshots show tons of AB space in either class
while it's from August, it's highly unlikely everything got booked.
Dec 4, 2015, 1:16 pm
#37
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Peon Gold
Posts: 2,915
I've been looking every day and have multiple expertflyer alerts set for US-EU travel in the coming summer. Availability at the saver level is about nonexistent in any class on AA metal and non-BA OW partner metal. Really. There's not a single saver seat beteween DFW and FRA in all of June. It's not an engine issue with AA.com since expertflyer and the Advantage phone reps don't see any inventory either (all three use a different system).
My only response from AA was "there's nothing available, but keep trying!" It's very, very frustrating. Right now my only options are to book at anytime levels or fly BA with a $500 fuel surcharge per ticket EACH WAY.
It's so bad that American is actually making Delta award redemption look good!
My only response from AA was "there's nothing available, but keep trying!" It's very, very frustrating. Right now my only options are to book at anytime levels or fly BA with a $500 fuel surcharge per ticket EACH WAY.
It's so bad that American is actually making Delta award redemption look good!
So, yeah, to get to Oktoberfest next fall, I'm flying through DUB and then taking Ryanair to Munich. At least I got J seats and the dates I wanted though. Not ideal, but it'll work.
Dec 4, 2015, 4:33 pm
#39
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: STL
Programs: AA EXP, Delta Gold, Mariott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Avis Presidents Club
Posts: 307
I have that issue in March too. I currently have econ PHL-FRA booked, but want to go business. I can't find a route that doesn't have BA has the carrier. I looked at AB to see if I could do NYC-DUS then DUS-FRA and nothing. Really frustrating because I can purchase it (and through MIA or ORD too!), but can't even see it as a listing (more expensive or not) in miles.
Dec 4, 2015, 5:19 pm
#40
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: PHX
Programs: AA Peon Gold
Posts: 2,915
Funny you mention that. I would see open flights on AY, but when I would click on them to select them, I'd get a message that said, "Flight is no longer available".
Calling might be your best bet.
What's a good way to search it without running a million searches on BA and not dealing with false positives on AA?
Dec 4, 2015, 7:38 pm
#41
Suspended
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Finnair award availability using AA/BA miles/points is spotty, but I've booked AY many times using my AA miles. I book a mix of short-haul and long-haul flights when it comes to using AY flights with my AA miles. They have historically been relatively miserly with releasing award seats, and it's not really anything new for AY.
Dec 4, 2015, 9:51 pm
#42
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: On the road
Programs: Too many to list
Posts: 1,051
For AB, at the time just before it disappeared, we were finding availability about every other day or so from TXL to ORD or DUS to LAX or MIA, so there was availability for all over the schedule for weeks at a time, not just on BA or the occasional AY flight that we might find now if we're lucky.
We were getting a feel for what was available while searching those few weeks and weren't too concerned at the time as we were more worried about getting the domestic segments in premium cabins on AA/US metal and were even planning on getting positioning tickets if necessary.
Then, all of a sudden the availability completely dried up about 3 weeks ago (as noted before--for practically the whole year) and has not reappeared in the intervening weeks at all.
A few days ago we called in and spoke to a pretty decent agent. At first she didn't understand why she couldn't find availability, but then made a number of calls to different departments, first to IT, but then who even knows where.
We ended up being on the phone for almost an hour. Her investigation, at least what she reported to us, is that this is all on Air Berlin's end--that they are withholding award availability to partners for the time being and when it was going to become available again she did not know. We asked if this had anything to do with the new routes and again she didn't have an answer, but thought like we did that the new routes should have opened up availability, not restricted it as AB should want those planes full even if many of those seats are awards.
Dec 5, 2015, 1:00 am
#43
Join Date: Nov 2010
Programs: AA EXP (owe), BA Silver (ows), AB Silver (owr), WN A+/CP, IHG Spire AMB, Avis First
Posts: 1,414
This started happening at the same time that AB disappeared from searches (maybe 3-4 weeks ago).
For AB, at the time just before it disappeared, we were finding availability about every other day or so from TXL to ORD or DUS to LAX or MIA, so there was availability for all over the schedule for weeks at a time, not just on BA or the occasional AY flight that we might find now if we're lucky.
For AB, at the time just before it disappeared, we were finding availability about every other day or so from TXL to ORD or DUS to LAX or MIA, so there was availability for all over the schedule for weeks at a time, not just on BA or the occasional AY flight that we might find now if we're lucky.
Dec 31, 2015, 7:47 am
#44
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 5
Air Berlin Award Flights
It seems that Air Berlin is either extremely popular or just unavailable in the OneWorld network. I have been looking for flights in economy or business from TXL - JFK and I can't find a single Air Berlin flight in June or a return Air Berlin Flight in August. I would expect that, even if a saver wasn't available, there would be a standard award available at least one of those days throughout the month. I spoke to an AA rep, thinking I would have better luck on the phone, and they said that they have had the same issue with AB as well as Cathay. Not sure if anything can be done. I would fly BA but their carrier fees are almost as expensive as buying the ticket outright. What a scam that is.
P.S. On the flip side Star Alliance has plenty of saver availability for TXL-JFK and their carrier fees are peanuts. +1 for Star Alliance.
P.S. On the flip side Star Alliance has plenty of saver availability for TXL-JFK and their carrier fees are peanuts. +1 for Star Alliance.