dd992emo

One more question...I'm unaccustomed to dealing with Alitalia. I'm seeing Z1 on quite a few flights around my dates. What are the dangers of booking one flight and then, if another award seat pops up, booking the other on a different PNR? I understand if nothing comes up before the trip I am on the hook for a redeposit fee, but is there any history of Alitalia bumping award pax in case of over-bookings? This is a big trip for my wife and I and I'm trying to cover all the bases. If something like that happened domestically I could handle it with DL, but I'm unfamiliar with AZ.

Duke777

I used to fly DL exclusively a few years ago, so I have quite a few SkyPesos left over. I now fly UA as I'm based out of WAS. I've been dreading using my SkyPesos, but managed a minor miracle.

I was searching for WAS-AMS-WAS award flights over President's Day Weekend. I was prepared to pay 95k miles for a one-stop departure and non-stop return. Unsurprisingly, DL eventually showed 130K miles in Y as the best option. The calendar showed the departure date at the "high level" and the return showed "low" available. I logged out and used a new browser where I was able to capture the 95k rate. I decided to search by schedule to look at more than the 12 random options DL presented me. IAD-AMS-IAD nonstop on KLM showed 60k miles rather than the 95k less-attractive options. I checked the return and saw J was available on KLM.

Somehow I ended up spending only 80K for nonstops on KLM both ways with J on the return leg when I was prepared to part with 95k SkyPesos in Y for a less convenient routing.

Moral of the story, DL's award search is criminal (as we all know). UA is MUCH MUCH MUCH better for award redemption (with the occasional phantom F availability on other * partners). I somehow lucked out finding minimum redemption levels in under an hour of searching. Yes, it's AMS during February, but it fit what I needed, especially when revenue tickets are close to $1K. I even have 100k miles left. Perhaps I will strike gold twice.

michael_v

I guess the most shocking part of this story is that you found KLM flights that did not "sell out".

roknroll

Don't count on another Alitalia seat opening up. I monitored it for a while on a trip I booked for my parents to Spain last year. It seems that they release 3 seats in Z, and no more. Someone probably booked 2 seats together, leaving the 1 seat behind for a solo traveler.

mnredfox

Same flight or different ones?

dd992emo

Sorry..same flight. I understand what roknroll said. Alternatives are one J/one Y on the same flight, or give up both seats, redeposit and start over.

wco81

Award calendar shows low award availability to SYD (from SFO or LAX) around Christmas and New Year.

Has anyone successfully combined a low BE award to SYD with some other Australian destination or New Zealand destination?

Search fails when I put in AKL and with MEL, awards disappear or there's some crazy layovers, like 12 hours at LAX.

mtkeller

There's a whole thread on going to NZ in VA. I'm doing it in a couple of months (LAX-BNE-WLG on VA). You can't book most intra-Australia/NZ flights on DL.dumb. Sign up for a Velocity Rewards account (enter any random address in Oz) and search. The award seat space generally matches what DL has. Then call DL to book (might be worth putting the TPAC sectors on hold first).

p1jlc2

So, I've been looking for business award availability to Europe in mid October using ExpertFlyer. I've been unable to find ANY "O" inventory to basically every city in Europe....searching Oct 5-25.

Does the change to fare classes have anything to do with the availability or is this simply a function of lack of seats? Is it correct to continue searching "O" inventory for low tier business awards?

mtkeller

Welcome to FT!

O was a common category on the fare hierarchy for DL and AF/KL, so no change will be made there. AF/KL O inventory TATL is very difficult to find now. EF will not show DL O inventory.

p1jlc2

So is there another way to search for low tier business awards? Seems like AF/KLM aren't releasing much in the way of inventory at the moment. Am I left to call DL and have them search for AZ inventory?

Could have swore I saw DL O inventory before, but I could very well be mistaken.

mtkeller

AZ inventory is available on EF. You want Z.

robyng

I do reward tickets on both DL and UA (and for many years before UA - CO) - so I ain't got no particular dog in this fight. But the one thing I've noticed is that it's much easier to find DL reward tickets on DL metal with convenient routings than UA tickets on UA metal with convenient routings. I'm doing a trip JAX/Tokyo this year - and UA basically came up with zilch in terms of a one-stop routing on UA metal.

People have to decide what's important for them. Fewer miles - more convenient routings - whatever. It's a personal decision IMO. Robyn

mnredfox

If you do, cancel your redundant ticket ASAP or risk both being cancelled.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...er-thread.html

Happy

Me too!

Each and every KL flight I found showing availability would turn into Sold Out when I hit submit with a lone exception - a 5am flight SVO to AMS on a single date in a 5 days window in August! Everything else on different city pairs all were "sold out". Every phone agent is well-aware of such issue also. They all tended to blame KL system was not in sync but I suspect there is much more to it - it seems AF/KL is in a feud with DL for months going.