Inventory/Fare Mismatch?
 

OK, so today is my DL b*tching day.

Anyone run into the following problem on delta.com: you check the lowest fare between city pairs, read the fare rules (advance purchase, minimum stay, etc.) carefully, cross-check your availability/inventory results on EF and KVS and go to book your flight on delta.com. Once you try to book there, you are offered a much higher fare (e.g., Q or H), even where all systems show that a lower booking class (e.g., T) is available and you meet the requirements for such lower fare. Is DL simply holding back on offering this lower fare even though the booking class is available and you meet the requirements thereof? I guess they're within their rights to do so ("shrewd" inventory bucket management), though I never had this problem with NWA or nwa.com.

Any thoughts?

Are you connecting? Inventory in a fare bucket aaa-bbb and bbb-ccc doesn't mean availability aaa-bbb-ccc: married segment availability may prevent this.

Search for entire itineraries on ITA Software then go to delta.com to book. Very seldom (although I can't say never) does this fail.

Interesting. In the most recent case, I was actually looking at a one-segment, non-stop flight and this mismatch came up. On connecting flights, this has failed for me at times even where EF/KVS have shown fare bucket availability for both segments, and I've appeared to meet the aaa-bbb-ccc fare bucket requirements. I don't have ITA Software. Am I missing something?

For connections, Journey Control may be causing your pain.

Can't understand the direct flight problem, though. Have you tried expedia or orbitz to see if you can get the price on other sites?

David

Yes, indeed. They're showing the higher fare as well. Painful.

Thanks for the input/thoughts, though.:)

You might post your particulars on the non-stop in the KVS support thread. Maybe some expert there will know what's going on.

David

Please provide specific flight/booking class/fare details.