Plan B for Standard BusinessFirst Award Travel
Apr 19, 2012, 11:32 pm
#121
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: 40.6413° N, 73.7781° W
Programs: moka Lifetime
Posts: 142
So does this work on a wholly domestic award example o/w HNL-EWR or it needs a leg going intl??
Apr 24, 2012, 11:25 pm
#122
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: NYC
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 295
One of the all-time great posts on FT, ever. A great work-around that served me and many others well over the years. Whether it's still relevant I don't know, but it deserves a place in the FT Hall of Fame, if such a thing were ever to be created. Thank you J. Edward. 
Apr 28, 2012, 2:51 pm
#123
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 3
I am MP G and am trying to use Plan B to book a BF Award on the following route for mid July:
SFO - EWR
EWR - TLV
I have been searching several times a day for the past month, no BF or Economy awards were available. Finally, on Friday, an Economy award showed, but when I called to implement Plan B, I was told by two different agents that I could not book and waitlist for BF unless I had a confirmed Economy award reservation. I booked the Economy award, and was told to call back after it was ticketed to change to BF and waitlist. By the time I finished the call, the website no longer showed the Economy award - it is a very desirable route with almost no award availability.
After the confirmation came through, I called reservations again to redeem miles for BF and waitlist. The agent checked with two supervisors and told me that they could waitlist me for BF, but would redeem the miles only if it cleared. The reservation shows confirmation in X for both segments and waitlist in I for both. My account shows only 40K miles taken, not the 60K needed for BF.
How can I get them to redeem the miles and change the booking to BF waitlist with seating in economy, so my status will be a displaced BF, and a PR-1 if it doesn't clear T-24?
I am assuming the EWR - TLV segment won't clear before check-in, and I want to ensure that I will be as high as possible on the standby list at the airport.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
SFO - EWR
EWR - TLV
I have been searching several times a day for the past month, no BF or Economy awards were available. Finally, on Friday, an Economy award showed, but when I called to implement Plan B, I was told by two different agents that I could not book and waitlist for BF unless I had a confirmed Economy award reservation. I booked the Economy award, and was told to call back after it was ticketed to change to BF and waitlist. By the time I finished the call, the website no longer showed the Economy award - it is a very desirable route with almost no award availability.
After the confirmation came through, I called reservations again to redeem miles for BF and waitlist. The agent checked with two supervisors and told me that they could waitlist me for BF, but would redeem the miles only if it cleared. The reservation shows confirmation in X for both segments and waitlist in I for both. My account shows only 40K miles taken, not the 60K needed for BF.
How can I get them to redeem the miles and change the booking to BF waitlist with seating in economy, so my status will be a displaced BF, and a PR-1 if it doesn't clear T-24?
I am assuming the EWR - TLV segment won't clear before check-in, and I want to ensure that I will be as high as possible on the standby list at the airport.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
