sxc

You gave them your login password? Is this a wise idea?

Anyway, did they say they could see availability? If so, did they offer to book it and waive fees?

BA Humbug

sorry let me clarify, I gave them my EC #, and they confirmed my address

They could only see the same availability as I did online (so only premium economy).

corporate-wage-slave

Which call centre number did you use? A Canadian one?

BA Humbug

I called the gold +1800 number (USA?) at about 6.30 pm GMT, although someone with a distinctly Irish accent picked up -- not sure if that helps any bit.

neofung

Mine is registered in UK address. Not sure if it makes any difference.

leolee210

I got the same problem as mattking2000. I also can't see any availability in HKg-SIN route in y class, however, my case is even worse, HKG-BKK and HKG - KUL also got problem, no availability in any day in the year of CX. But searching for seat of other airlines such as Malyasian Airline and Sri Lanka do not have problem. My account is registered in UK address. Don't know what happen and looking the way to solve it.

Mattking2000, did the one you called provided you any solution?

BA Humbug

I just spent 36 minutes arguing with an absolutely rude agent on the Gold line, who said, in her words, that I was "wasting her time", and that if I had no intention of booking the World Traveler Plus [W] seat, that she is 'very busy' and needs to help other customers.

She said she was looking at "live availability" and could not see any economy/business class seats on March 5 (the example I used, since Neofung was gracious enough to provide screenshots).

I asked her if it had to do with the point of sale, and she said "yes, it's up to Cathay to decide whether to release seats to certain markets, it releases into a central inventory for airline partners", to which I replied that I could see JL and QF could both see more or less the same seats as Cathay. She said that hey weren't the same "pool" of released seats to BA.

I then said that when I searched HKG-SIN, it gave me the option HKG-KUL on CX (implying there are seats on HKG-KUL), then KUL-SIN on MH. However, when I searched HKG-KUL, I couldn't find any seats in economy. She said that it's a different market, so Cathay releases it differently -- is she right? I thought that if there was availability in the award bucket, I could book it?

THEN, I reasoned with her that I could not see any economy availability on HKG-KUL and HKG-BKK in ANY month in economy (whereas I could see availability on these two routes last night), and she said that they must have been booked up. Really now? thousands of economy seats across several months booked in one night?

If Leolee210 is correct then it's obviously not a POS problem as he's in the UK and mine is registered in Canada...

I asked if there was any recourse and if there was any way my account could be "checked" and she said that it would "waste everyone's time in doing so", at which point I was quite shocked at what she said. I asked to speak to a supervisor and she said "what, so you could waste their time too? If you have no intention of booking the World Traveler Plus seat I found for you, sir, I am very busy and I need to help other customers as well".

I was beginning to get mad at this point so I just thanked her for "her time, which is obviously more valuable than mine" (my words, which I said more or less to spite her) and hung up.

I would have appreciated an "I don't have the answer, I'm sorry" much more than this downright rude response!

leolee210

I have two accounts both registered in UK address also have the same problem. That must be something wrong with BA system. I want to know is there anyone having the same problem??

mattking2000: the agent was so rude, I can't imagine BA provide such service

neofung

But mine is based in uk too (at the meantime), so I think POS is not the main concern.

ENTP

What do Iberia and Avios.com say?

KARFA

Bear in mind that CX is reported to use married segment availability for reward space, so route A->B->C may show availability whilst A->B and B->C individually may not. This has been discussed on the board before.

AC*SE

This strikes me as a waste of Avios. MH sell a Z fare for about $8500 HKD return in J. This earns double TP, due to the connection in KUL.

sxc

Mattking2000 - perhaps you can PM BA Executive Club here and point them to this thread and see if they can find out more for you?

BA Humbug

I've done just that, thanks! Let's hope someone can get to the bottom of this.

I only wish I'd gotten the last name of the rude agent -- I don't usually complain directly to airlines but now that I've had time to reflect on it, I think it's definitely warranted!

leolee210

I just did a search by using JAL system, HKG-BKK, HKG-SIN, HKG-KUL all y classes are also unavailable in the whole year of CX, now I doubt that there is some problem with CX system.

However, neofung and sxc can see the availability, that is so weird. Can't really understand what have happened.