KARFA

Aha, what a great idea. Yes this would certainly solve the OP's problem and save time constantly attempting to change numbers. For access to fast track or lounges the passenger could simply show whichever card they have status on, but make the point to the agent that the number is not to be added to the booking.

Globaliser

FTers are a very poor example from which to extrapolate the prevalence of any particular type of request. As a population, we're tend to be adept to greater or lesser degrees at gaming using to our best advantage the various quirks of airlines' systems. But you only need to consider the proportion of the passenger population which flies without even having a frequent flyer number, let alone get anywhere near having multiple scheme memberships that have to be juggled.

Hence the almost unanimous view here that it's an edge case, and a low-priority problem. Even as someone who's tried to do this and failed, and who likes to get the most of out all the possibilities of flying, I would also rather that the airline devoted its resources to solving more pressing and important problems than this.

Turboprince

I have moved on.

fanger

Hi, I just purchased a flight + hotel package from BA.com while logged into my Executive club account. I forgot to change the FFN to my AA# (I need the whole trip to credit to AA) prior to purchase.

Is the Finnair website still the best way to do this change? Or should I call in, and if I call in will it get screwed up?

Thanks for the advice.

DeltaFlyingProf

This thread has gone on for longer than I care to read. But I can give you some recommendations based on my multiple year experience with being both AA, and BA elite and one year of being AS elite and trying to make sure everything goes to the right account.

• If you want to mix the target FF# on a single journey (For example, three outbound flights going to three FF programs), you need an expert travel agent or airline agent to enter the number segment by segment into your booking. Plus you have to make sure nobody along the route messes it up.
• If you want to swap FF# entirely on the whole ticket (or one way journey), you have three options. From simple to hard:
  1. Use an online system such as finnair.com (if your booking is done by BA) and change it there before you check in and/or go to the airport. (Simplest)
  2. Give your FF card to the check in agent but not your passport first, and have them change the FF# BEFORE they check you in. (A bit harder because if you give your passport with the FF card, agents tend to ignore what you tell them and check you in before changing the number while listening to your telling them you want to change FF program)
  3. Get checked in with the wrong number, but then have them enter the correct number and then VALIDATE it. It seems there are two places where your FF# goes. One agent in an Admirals Club saw that my emerald status was not showing up on the boarding pass, nor when he scanned the boarding pass and said "Oh it is in there but not validated". He 'validated' the BA# and reprinted the BP which then showed emerald status. Miles posted to BA as expected by me. I am not sure what validating means and I would NEVER rely on that method, except with the very same person in that particular Admirals Club.

It seems to me that you should use method 1 and if that is not possible, use method 2.

fanger

Thanks for the confirmation. I can confirm that as of Sep 2017 the Finnair.com method works smoothly to change a FF#on a booking in advance of travel.

As if to confirm that everything worked, the confirmation email appears to indicated that I was auto-assigned bulkhead seats for the outbound presumably based on Emerald status with the new FF#. Will check ba later.

Thanks again.