The Definitive "How To Search for Low Tier Business Awards"
#46
Join Date: Dec 2007
Programs: Skyteam, OneWorld, AMEX
Posts: 127
So this thread and the responses have been VERY helpful - thanks!
I'm kinda new to some of this stuff so can someone explain why you're specifying 'Y', "J', etc? If the calendar shows availability is it necessary to specify fare class. Also, why does it matter if it's an award ticket?
Is there a resource on FT that explains more about fare classes?
Thanks everyone!!!!
I'm kinda new to some of this stuff so can someone explain why you're specifying 'Y', "J', etc? If the calendar shows availability is it necessary to specify fare class. Also, why does it matter if it's an award ticket?
Is there a resource on FT that explains more about fare classes?
Thanks everyone!!!!
#47
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Ann Arbor
Programs: HHonors Gold , National Emerald Exec, Hertz Presidents, Delta Gold
Posts: 2,604
#48
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 24
So this thread and the responses have been VERY helpful - thanks!
I'm kinda new to some of this stuff so can someone explain why you're specifying 'Y', "J', etc? If the calendar shows availability is it necessary to specify fare class. Also, why does it matter if it's an award ticket?
Is there a resource on FT that explains more about fare classes?
Thanks everyone!!!!
I'm kinda new to some of this stuff so can someone explain why you're specifying 'Y', "J', etc? If the calendar shows availability is it necessary to specify fare class. Also, why does it matter if it's an award ticket?
Is there a resource on FT that explains more about fare classes?
Thanks everyone!!!!
Last edited by hesusbaby; Apr 10, 2010 at 2:21 pm
#49
Join Date: Apr 2010
Programs: DL Plat, *wood Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 3
Brad - Thanks for the tip - I am finding mucho glitches (which I shan't report to DL...) Here is a common error: ":Lets Try That AgainWere having some trouble completing your search right now. Give it another chance and start over. If that doesnt work, contact us for help.Message # 7500" also "message #7000"
In any case, on the searches that DO complete, I have not found one BE hidden in the Coach results for Award search, after 2 hours of searching. Tried many city pairs... I could be missing something - or Do you think DL fixed this?
In any case, on the searches that DO complete, I have not found one BE hidden in the Coach results for Award search, after 2 hours of searching. Tried many city pairs... I could be missing something - or Do you think DL fixed this?
#50
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: DL (NW) Silver, UA (CO), AA, AC
Posts: 296
I was not able to find any BE hidden in coach although I could find TATL BE for a few days in August. In some cases although I could see the low BE segments in One Way, I was not able to knit them together with Multi-City.
#51
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Programs: AA Plat, UA Silver, DL Silver, Marriott Titanium, etc.
Posts: 4,210
Wow - so Delta does respond to our concerns about the difficulty in booking Award tickets at sub-astronomical mileage levels - unfortunately that's not quite the kind of response I was hoping for!
#52
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: KUL/TPA/OTP
Programs: UA1k, DL
Posts: 3,138
Brad - Thanks for the tip - I am finding mucho glitches (which I shan't report to DL...) Here is a common error: ":Lets Try That AgainWere having some trouble completing your search right now. Give it another chance and start over. If that doesnt work, contact us for help.Message # 7500" also "message #7000"
In any case, on the searches that DO complete, I have not found one BE hidden in the Coach results for Award search, after 2 hours of searching. Tried many city pairs... I could be missing something - or Do you think DL fixed this?
In any case, on the searches that DO complete, I have not found one BE hidden in the Coach results for Award search, after 2 hours of searching. Tried many city pairs... I could be missing something - or Do you think DL fixed this?
During the search, you will encounter error messages from time to time. When they occur, try different dates / flights. Keep trying
It's unfortunate that we must go through this in order to book low tier awards, but it is what it is. Try to have patience. Check daily. Good luck.
#53
FlyerTalk Evangelist & Ambassador: China
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: DEN
Programs: DL DM/MM, UA 1K, AA Exp, HH Dia, WOH Glob, IHG Plat, Marriott Gold, NA EE, Hertz PC
Posts: 17,410
Brad - Thanks for the tip - I am finding mucho glitches (which I shan't report to DL...) Here is a common error: ":Lets Try That AgainWere having some trouble completing your search right now. Give it another chance and start over. If that doesnt work, contact us for help.Message # 7500" also "message #7000"
In any case, on the searches that DO complete, I have not found one BE hidden in the Coach results for Award search, after 2 hours of searching. Tried many city pairs... I could be missing something - or Do you think DL fixed this?
In any case, on the searches that DO complete, I have not found one BE hidden in the Coach results for Award search, after 2 hours of searching. Tried many city pairs... I could be missing something - or Do you think DL fixed this?
#54
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: PDX
Programs: AS Gold
Posts: 123
Recent Booking
I booked a couple flights to Prague on the Delta website last weekend. I got exactly the flights I wanted in Business and First (for the domestic legs), but the website gave a lot of mixed signals first.
We used 100,000 miles each to fly PDX-LAX-CDG-PRG. I chose the LAX routing to get more comfortable business class seats than the old 767-300's on the PDX-AMS route.
1. I found that even though the handy little color-coded calendar said there was only Mid-level awards available (200k miles), that really was not the case.
2. Running searches signed in and not signed in made a difference form time to time. This was not consistent.
3. We were also searching from two different computers over the same date range and I could swear the calendar seemed to react and start reclassify dates from Low to Mid after a certain number of similar searches.
4. We did search individual segments separately, and then put them together with the multi-city option, BUT I think I ended up with a First class domestic segment that in the end that did not seem available during my initial single-segment searches.
5. Once the itinerary was saved (the first time), an error message appeared and said I had to call in to Delta. When I did so, the CSR advised me that everything was fine. When I created another saved itinerary, the first one disappeared. I do not know if that was an error or not.
Lesson: Don't assume the calendar will give you an accurate view. Spec out the flights you want and see if you can get them for the lower cost.
Another little item: I have it on good authority that the Delta CSRs are restricted to 20 minutes helping any customer and they will tell you there are no award seats available to get you off the phone.
We used 100,000 miles each to fly PDX-LAX-CDG-PRG. I chose the LAX routing to get more comfortable business class seats than the old 767-300's on the PDX-AMS route.
1. I found that even though the handy little color-coded calendar said there was only Mid-level awards available (200k miles), that really was not the case.
2. Running searches signed in and not signed in made a difference form time to time. This was not consistent.
3. We were also searching from two different computers over the same date range and I could swear the calendar seemed to react and start reclassify dates from Low to Mid after a certain number of similar searches.
4. We did search individual segments separately, and then put them together with the multi-city option, BUT I think I ended up with a First class domestic segment that in the end that did not seem available during my initial single-segment searches.
5. Once the itinerary was saved (the first time), an error message appeared and said I had to call in to Delta. When I did so, the CSR advised me that everything was fine. When I created another saved itinerary, the first one disappeared. I do not know if that was an error or not.
Lesson: Don't assume the calendar will give you an accurate view. Spec out the flights you want and see if you can get them for the lower cost.
Another little item: I have it on good authority that the Delta CSRs are restricted to 20 minutes helping any customer and they will tell you there are no award seats available to get you off the phone.
#55
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Austin, TX
Programs: DL (NW) Silver, UA (CO), AA, AC
Posts: 296
Update: I have successfully knitted together multi-city routings (and returns) for TATL in Aug-Sep. Also, when not even looking for it, I did find BE/First one-way routings while searching for Coach, as initially suggested by the OP. In one case the routing was Business for intra-Europe, Business for TATL, and Coach for the home leg of MSP-AUS. I can live with that, although it is somewhat frustrating in that not a single seat is shown as being occupied on that last flight (which is a CRJ900). If I end up selecting that itinerary, I may call the desk to see if there is a way to get those seats in F.
In many cases, as expected, the calendar would not show availability.
Thank you again, denolloyd, for your suggestions.
In many cases, as expected, the calendar would not show availability.
Thank you again, denolloyd, for your suggestions.
#57
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
Experienced posters have reported on FT that DL agents have spent over an hour with them on (successful) award searches.
#58
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: AA EXP2M, DL 1MM DM ext, UA PP <=> HH G/Marr PE/Hyatt G/IHG P FT RA ( Recovering Addict)
Posts: 4,581
#60
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 400
I had to ping Denolloyd couple of times to get my own mind straightened out. Maybe it's just me but here is my learning for people that might have got the same question.
It's actually simple: as Delta doesn't offer one way award, therefore if a one way search shows the same number of miles as a 'low' round trip, that means 'low' is available for that part of the trip.
For example, I was checking NRT to MSP one way and it showed 120,000 miles. I was like, this is bad, if one way needs 120K, round trip would be 240K at least.
I was wrong. 120K for one way actually is a good sign. That means I've got half of the trip figured out. If I can find another day that also has 120K 'one way availability' from MSP to NRT, I would be able to put these things together and get the NRT/MSP round trip for 120K. (by the way we are all talking about BE here.)
So skymiles are not totally useless just yet as I had thought.
One thing I haven't figured out yet though: NRT is not my final destination usually. If I need to add BKK/SIN/HKG/TPE/PVG to the trip - those flights tend to have limited# of BE seats and therefore very little availability, and I am willing to sit in the back for those flights, how would I be able to string these things together, i.e., Y in the intra-asia portions and J for the trans-pacific pieces?
I know Denolloyd suggested searching Y first and J could come up and in that case I can see you can mix things up. But I haven't had any luck for the trans-pacific scenarios. I always had to search for J to get J to show. The choice of cabin seems to apply to the entire trip, even in the multi-segment search.
What did I miss?
It's actually simple: as Delta doesn't offer one way award, therefore if a one way search shows the same number of miles as a 'low' round trip, that means 'low' is available for that part of the trip.
For example, I was checking NRT to MSP one way and it showed 120,000 miles. I was like, this is bad, if one way needs 120K, round trip would be 240K at least.
I was wrong. 120K for one way actually is a good sign. That means I've got half of the trip figured out. If I can find another day that also has 120K 'one way availability' from MSP to NRT, I would be able to put these things together and get the NRT/MSP round trip for 120K. (by the way we are all talking about BE here.)
So skymiles are not totally useless just yet as I had thought.
One thing I haven't figured out yet though: NRT is not my final destination usually. If I need to add BKK/SIN/HKG/TPE/PVG to the trip - those flights tend to have limited# of BE seats and therefore very little availability, and I am willing to sit in the back for those flights, how would I be able to string these things together, i.e., Y in the intra-asia portions and J for the trans-pacific pieces?
I know Denolloyd suggested searching Y first and J could come up and in that case I can see you can mix things up. But I haven't had any luck for the trans-pacific scenarios. I always had to search for J to get J to show. The choice of cabin seems to apply to the entire trip, even in the multi-segment search.
What did I miss?