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TATL Upgrades using Skymiles and SWUs on Air France/KLM

TATL Upgrades using Skymiles and SWUs on Air France/KLM

Old May 25, 2012, 4:09 am
  #676  
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Originally Posted by mnredfox
Technically DL rules say no. I've had some luck, sometimes not. YMMV. AF has a tendency to take them away, so watch your ticket.

If you can get DL to reissue all in J for you great. Keep in mind prem economy or even J intra-Europe on AF means nothing. Oh wait, prem economy means sit towards the front, J means no one in the middle seat. Same seat, same food.
Doesn't seem worth pursuing, I'd hate for something to inadvertently happen to mt TATL upgrade, which obviously is far more important. I'll suck it up on Y+ on the short legs. Thanks.
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Old May 25, 2012, 5:43 am
  #677  
c_d
 
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Originally Posted by mnredfox
Technically DL rules say no. I've had some luck, sometimes not. YMMV. AF has a tendency to take them away, so watch your ticket.

If you can get DL to reissue all in J for you great. Keep in mind prem economy or even J intra-Europe on AF means nothing. Oh wait, prem economy means sit towards the front, J means no one in the middle seat. Same seat, same food.
I have never had issues for the intra-EU segments and was always in Biz. They have changed that slightly. PV has moved before the curtain (like two or three rows of PV) and they do serve Intra-EU Biz food now. However, middle seat is not protected so is is pretty much Y.
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Old May 29, 2012, 4:31 pm
  #678  
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Originally Posted by c_d
I have never had issues for the intra-EU segments and was always in Biz. They have changed that slightly. PV has moved before the curtain (like two or three rows of PV) and they do serve Intra-EU Biz food now. However, middle seat is not protected so is is pretty much Y.
Agree on the "it's pretty much Y". Again, if it's that important just call DL and find an agent that will put you into O. Watch your PNR carefully and call DL back if AF dumps your intra-Euro J seat.
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Old Jun 2, 2012, 3:13 pm
  #679  
c_d
 
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A picture says more than a thousand words ...

Since this question often comes up again and again: Yes, there is a way to find out whether the the SWU is correctly applied and coded. However, one needs to understand that it is not only looking on the "my trips" page, see the two indicators "O" and "confirmed" because they mean nothing as such. Scroll down on the page, locate your ticket number, click on it and a new window appears with more "technical information" about your trip.

If you see something looking the screenshot below, your SWU IS NOT properly coded (despite showing class "O" and "confirmed" on the trip summary). Remember, it is a trap because they even let you select BE seats at this point, although your ticket is actually still ECONOMY!



If you see something in the lines of below, your SWU IS properly coded:


Let me repeat just for the sake of completeness: What you see on the trip summary page is irrelevant and merely informative. Even though you see a BE seat, fare class "O", and the magic word "confirmed" next to your segments does not mean that your SWU is properly coded and applied and they may put you in Economy because this is what your ticket (as issued) is saying.

Only the info on your ticket receipt shows what's really going on.

BTW: Coupon Status "O-AF" does NOT mean fare class "O" on Air France but that the segment is operated by Air France and that its still Open (not checked-in, flown, or otherwise). Some people seem to mistake the coupon as confirmation that the SWU is in order (well the wording is slightly misleading as the SWU basically is a coupon of some kind).
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Old Jun 3, 2012, 6:04 am
  #680  
 
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Thanks c_d - very helpful.

I am using 2 TATL SWUs and 2x25,000 SM for my family this summer (DL metal thru AMS, not AF), ours are coded:

MSP/PU503 - for the 2 SWUs - look correct, SWU have been "closed" in my account; I assume the "M" is for M-class, no idea about the SP

MSP/FD551 - for the 2 mile award upgrades, miles had been credited from my account about 3 days after I made the request.

I wish I had known this earlier, I got SWFU'd twice this year already - once from IAD to CDG on AF, and again from HKG-PUS on KE. Both times I purchased Y, called DL and had the upgrade "applied" (SWU for AF, miles for KE) - selected my BE seats, assumed all was good - and both times, within a month, when I showed up at the gate the airlines said I was in Y, and they refused my upgrade because DL had not yet coded it. In each case they said DL just hadn't done it yet, they didn't say it was done incorrectly.

If I had known what to look for, as I do now, I would have fixed this before heading to the airport. AF made me run to the DL counter, after an hour DL somehow figured it out, I sprinted to the gate and barely made the flight. KE could never figure it out, I called and twittered DL and they said they could not do it in time - so I paid the $500 difference for J thinking DL might be able to fix and reimburse me later. I asked DL for "credit" afterwards, they gave me 9,000 DM - oh joy

Last edited by cmcdanie; Jun 3, 2012 at 6:05 am Reason: typos
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Old Jun 5, 2012, 4:06 am
  #681  
 
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Just as an update... I finally flew my outbound segment for my DL531/mileage upgrade of a DL/AF W flight. I had approx a 30 minute delay at JFK while they reissued my ticket again at the AF counter - when the flight went to gate control I was completely removed from the flight. Before then, it was showing up properly, and the ticket was correctly showing WHWLSUS/D531 for the fare code. Buyer beware to leave extra time...
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Old Jun 5, 2012, 5:28 am
  #682  
 
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Originally Posted by j.bell
Just as an update... I finally flew my outbound segment for my DL531/mileage upgrade of a DL/AF W flight. I had approx a 30 minute delay at JFK while they reissued my ticket again at the AF counter - when the flight went to gate control I was completely removed from the flight. Before then, it was showing up properly, and the ticket was correctly showing WHWLSUS/D531 for the fare code. Buyer beware to leave extra time...
Could you provide additional details? This was obviously AF-operated, correct? I've got WHWLSUS/FM01 and WHWLSUS/PU503 flights this summer, and my confidence in the integrity of my upgrades is seriously waning. I'm deeply regretting not flying DL nonstop, but the savings associated with an AF connection in CDG were material. But obviously not if I wind up in Y.
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Old Jun 5, 2012, 5:53 am
  #683  
 
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Originally Posted by jamienbaker
Could you provide additional details? This was obviously AF-operated, correct? I've got WHWLSUS/FM01 and WHWLSUS/PU503 flights this summer, and my confidence in the integrity of my upgrades is seriously waning. I'm deeply regretting not flying DL nonstop, but the savings associated with an AF connection in CDG were material. But obviously not if I wind up in Y.
No problem... yes, AF operated, since it was a 15k premium economy-business upgrade. AF reissued it from O (upgrade business) to D (discount business). My primary indicator of any problem had been that it was showing up on AF twice, once for W and once for O. Curious to see what happens on the return... I have a twitter message confirming that the upgrade and res looks fine, so...
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Old Jun 5, 2012, 6:06 am
  #684  
 
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Originally Posted by j.bell
No problem... yes, AF operated, since it was a 15k premium economy-business upgrade. AF reissued it from O (upgrade business) to D (discount business). My primary indicator of any problem had been that it was showing up on AF twice, once for W and once for O. Curious to see what happens on the return... I have a twitter message confirming that the upgrade and res looks fine, so...
Thanks. I'm curious why they opted to re-ticket from O to D. Did you lose seat assignments and were you flying solo? I only ask due my family of four is split into 2 PNRs. In the event they need to re-ticket us and we are temporarily removed from the flight, we could lose our advantageous seat assignments (first upstairs row on the A380).

Lastly, when you say it showed up twice, I assume you mean on the AF site before you went to the airport?

Sorry to obsess, but I don't take chances when it comes to the summer vacation. Heck, I'm the guy that hires a chase car to follow my family to JFK, in case there's an accident
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Old Jun 10, 2012, 5:37 pm
  #685  
 
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Originally Posted by jamienbaker
Thanks. I'm curious why they opted to re-ticket from O to D. Did you lose seat assignments and were you flying solo? I only ask due my family of four is split into 2 PNRs. In the event they need to re-ticket us and we are temporarily removed from the flight, we could lose our advantageous seat assignments (first upstairs row on the A380).

Lastly, when you say it showed up twice, I assume you mean on the AF site before you went to the airport?

Sorry to obsess, but I don't take chances when it comes to the summer vacation. Heck, I'm the guy that hires a chase car to follow my family to JFK, in case there's an accident
I have no idea why they did that... I was traveling alone. I did lose the seat, but they were able to put me back in it. By showed up twice, yes, I mean on AF before going to the airport. Just did the return and had no problems.
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Old Jun 14, 2012, 2:59 pm
  #686  
 
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Originally Posted by c_d
If you see something looking the screenshot below, your SWU IS NOT properly coded (despite showing class "O" and "confirmed" on the trip summary). Remember, it is a trap because they even let you select BE seats at this point, although your ticket is actually still ECONOMY!



If you see something in the lines of below, your SWU IS properly coded:

c_d you are an angel.
After a discussion with MSPEconomist about using SWUs on a 2-leg to Asia, I thought I'd check an upcoming itinerary to try to be helpful. I've done this before & not had the improperly coded problem. Lo-and-behold, my upcoming trip to BLR was exactly as you said above: confirmed seats but no PU505 after the Fare Code Basis. A call to the DM line confirmed the SWUs were entered improperly and the ticket was not reissued, though I did get the email with the Affaires seats. So, after molto complications owing to the fact that the SWUs I used have since expired, they're reissuing my ticket as I type. THANKYOU! One saving grace is that at least we get to deal with the nice DL people and not the icky AF people through all this. I smell JWD cert brewing if I get the reissued ticket. Ironically I had given a JWD to the agent who originally ticketed me as it seemed to have gone so unprecedentedly smoothly.
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Old Jun 14, 2012, 4:55 pm
  #687  
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Originally Posted by NotHamSarnie
c_d you are an angel.
After a discussion with MSPEconomist about using SWUs on a 2-leg to Asia, I thought I'd check an upcoming itinerary to try to be helpful. I've done this before & not had the improperly coded problem. Lo-and-behold, my upcoming trip to BLR was exactly as you said above: confirmed seats but no PU505 after the Fare Code Basis. A call to the DM line confirmed the SWUs were entered improperly and the ticket was not reissued, though I did get the email with the Affaires seats. So, after molto complications owing to the fact that the SWUs I used have since expired, they're reissuing my ticket as I type. THANKYOU! One saving grace is that at least we get to deal with the nice DL people and not the icky AF people through all this. I smell JWD cert brewing if I get the reissued ticket. Ironically I had given a JWD to the agent who originally ticketed me as it seemed to have gone so unprecedentedly smoothly.
Glad that it helped, thank you!
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Old Jun 14, 2012, 5:02 pm
  #688  
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I am getting totally frustrated here: I am trying to locate O inventory on AF from IAH to CDG to DEL in mid-November but there is zip for weeks. Not even on the individual segments. Am I operating EF wrongly or is there really nothing?
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Old Jun 14, 2012, 5:31 pm
  #689  
 
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Originally Posted by c_d
Glad that it helped, thank you!
Actually see my latest post on US-Asia flights. The reissue didn't work.
But you saved me from having a meltdown at the airport on departure day, so you still helped me!!

With respect to your latest post, I have found zero availability in O ex-USA on AF. It's really easy to get the return, but I don't think EF is lying unless it's been lying since I started looking in March! I put watches on several days that interested me in July, and nothing has cleared so far.
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Old Jun 14, 2012, 6:46 pm
  #690  
 
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Originally Posted by c_d
I am getting totally frustrated here: I am trying to locate O inventory on AF from IAH to CDG to DEL in mid-November but there is zip for weeks. Not even on the individual segments. Am I operating EF wrongly or is there really nothing?
Its not you. It seems the availability has all but evaporated. Even the DL agents I speak with have recognized this. I can't find a single seat JFK-CDG or ATL-CDG or return from now through end of year. I have a RT in 2 weeks JFK-CDG-JFK. Shame on me for buying a Premium Economy 'W' fare. I suppose I can beg at the gate, but as a DL flyer, I doubt AF will have much pity on me. Plenty of seats open on the A380.
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