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TATL Upgrades using Skymiles and SWUs on Air France/KLM

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TATL Upgrades using Skymiles and SWUs on Air France/KLM

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Old Aug 9, 2012, 2:03 pm
  #766  
 
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Originally Posted by TrojanTraveler
Should have been more specific. I could find no O inventory in fall for JFK-CDG.
Same here. And nothing either CDG-ATL at same period. I was aslo checking DTW/CDG both ways, could not find anything and stopped monitoring.
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Old Aug 9, 2012, 3:10 pm
  #767  
 
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Originally Posted by TrojanTraveler
AF O inventory has nearly become nonexistent. I know there are some changes afoot around AF changing redemption levels, so the change in O inventory could be related to that. No idea what it means though regarding future O availability.
Any idea when those "changes afoot" could take place or what they may end up being? My remaining SWU are now worthless as almost all of my flights are US/France. I've just requalified for PM next year so needless to say I won't be picking SWU for my '13 Choice Benefit.
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Old Aug 9, 2012, 5:10 pm
  #768  
 
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Originally Posted by wsw523
Any idea when those "changes afoot" could take place or what they may end up being? My remaining SWU are now worthless as almost all of my flights are US/France. I've just requalified for PM next year so needless to say I won't be picking SWU for my '13 Choice Benefit.
With O gone, it is indeed a great benefits that is going away.
Re. SWU though, I now use my SWU to upgrade domestically on Plat/Diamond heavy routes and used to use 15k skymiles to upgrade W to O anyway. So I will still find use of my 4 SWUs. It's really my miles that will be worthless for me...
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Old Aug 9, 2012, 10:41 pm
  #769  
 
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Originally Posted by vgb2001
O space is controlled by AF, not DL. One way to check that besides ExpertFlyer is to log in your flying blue account and look for classic business awards on TATL AF flights. None are available ...
Perhaps AF is blocking because of a dispute with Delta?
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Old Aug 9, 2012, 10:51 pm
  #770  
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Originally Posted by TrojanTraveler
Should have been more specific. I could find no O inventory in fall for JFK-CDG.
Odd, that's always seemed like one of the easier US-CDG routes. Surprised, but good luck.
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Old Aug 9, 2012, 11:17 pm
  #771  
 
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Just to be specific -- O inventory hasn't dried up period, it's dried up in the short term. March and April are wide open from LAX. I realize it doesn't help to those that are planning trips in the short term but it's also a far cry from saying the SWU is worthless.
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Old Aug 10, 2012, 7:50 am
  #772  
 
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Originally Posted by bradfrancini
Just to be specific -- O inventory hasn't dried up period, it's dried up in the short term. March and April are wide open from LAX. I realize it doesn't help to those that are planning trips in the short term but it's also a far cry from saying the SWU is worthless.
But drying up from now until December seems to me to be a very long period without O.

I did look at some random dates in 2013, JFK - CDG. Many days with no availability, some with the availability on the last flight, and even a day when O is at 9 for all AF flights (3/11/13).

I have been looking at JFK-CDG O inventory last month for any day between then and December 1, and found zero O availability. I hope there's some further clarity on this in the future; I chose the SWUs as choice benefits as I was planning on using them for this purpose, and have been unable to do so this year (although I have bought Business class TATL seats on several occasions, so O could have been available for upgrade but I didn't look).
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Old Aug 10, 2012, 8:03 am
  #773  
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Originally Posted by TrojanTraveler
But drying up from now until December seems to me to be a very long period without O.
There's a thread in the Flying Blue forum - started by a Mod - that speaks to a new Flying Blue long-haul redemption segmentation. The diminution of Classic O may be a symptom.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/flyin...-voyageur.html
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Old Aug 10, 2012, 8:08 am
  #774  
 
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Originally Posted by bradfrancini
Just to be specific -- O inventory hasn't dried up period, it's dried up in the short term. March and April are wide open from LAX. I realize it doesn't help to those that are planning trips in the short term but it's also a far cry from saying the SWU is worthless.
Agreed and I should caveat my earlier post - for my personal situation, I usually book 3-5 weeks in advance so the flights way out don't do me any good (Sept-Nov had O availability 6 months ago as well). And as I don't do much domestic travel I don't have the opportunity to use my SWU there.
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Old Aug 10, 2012, 8:21 am
  #775  
 
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Originally Posted by Cann75inNJ
Perhaps AF is blocking because of a dispute with Delta?
Unlikely since this affects everybody outside or Skymiles, including FlyingBlue members.
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Old Aug 10, 2012, 8:26 am
  #776  
 
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Originally Posted by wsw523
Agreed and I should caveat my earlier post - for my personal situation, I usually book 3-5 weeks in advance so the flights way out don't do me any good (Sept-Nov had O availability 6 months ago as well). And as I don't do much domestic travel I don't have the opportunity to use my SWU there.
And that is a real change of strategy. O used to be available far ahead, then dry up, then available again close to departure when Affaires seats were unsold. Now, it seems that planes are leaving with unoccupied Affaires seats in the front without any O opening. So one could buy a W even close to the departure date and it was very likely that O would show at some point. Now, things seem to be very different and PV=>Affaires upgrades require a very different strategy
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Old Aug 10, 2012, 1:12 pm
  #777  
 
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Originally Posted by vgb2001
Upgrade instruments:
PU503 or 15k miles
Eligible fares
AF ticket booked in W or S (not A, which is the cheapest PE fare)
Delta ticket booked in W (only delta fare for AF PE product)
Have spent over 3 hours on the phone with Air France (AKA DL) then the skyteam desk, then the reissue desk who finally cancelled the upgrade. They are absolutely INSISTENT that Air France tickets in S are not upgradeable unless they are fully unrestricted. I then got disconnected, finally got reconnected with the Skyteam upgrade desk who said that they would be happy to process the upgrade for an addition $6000 fare. I gave up and told them to just sell me A.
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Old Aug 10, 2012, 1:33 pm
  #778  
 
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Originally Posted by Cellisttoo
Have spent over 3 hours on the phone with Air France (AKA DL) then the skyteam desk, then the reissue desk who finally cancelled the upgrade. They are absolutely INSISTENT that Air France tickets in S are not upgradeable unless they are fully unrestricted. I then got disconnected, finally got reconnected with the Skyteam upgrade desk who said that they would be happy to process the upgrade for an addition $6000 fare. I gave up and told them to just sell me A.
So the good news is that you have found O I guess.
The bad news is the non sense regarding S fare:

Here is from delta.com
http://www.delta.com/skymiles/about_...erts/index.jsp


Redemptions on Air France
Valid on most transatlantic flights operated by Air France.1
One-way upgrade from Economy when booked in Y, B, or M class to Premium Voyageur class. Valid for travel on and after June 01, 2011.
or
One-way upgrade from Premium Voyageur when booked in S or W class to Business class. Valid for booking on and after June 01, 2011.

I think something was not right and I believe that those agents were wrong.

Unless.. were you trying to upgrade using Skymiles (miles or SWU)? or FLying Blue miles?
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Old Aug 11, 2012, 9:50 am
  #779  
 
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Originally Posted by vgb2001
I think something was not right and I believe that those agents were wrong.

Unless.. were you trying to upgrade using Skymiles (miles or SWU)? or FLying Blue miles?
I agree, I've never had an issue upgrading an S fare using SM miles or SWU. It can be a pain getting the re-issue but never a problem grabbing the O seat.

BTW, congrats Cellisttoo on finding O availability, but it wasn't on the AF 747 BOS-CDG by chance? That could explain the cost as there is no PV (but then there shouldn't have been an AF S fare..)

Originally Posted by vgb2001
Unlikely since this affects everybody outside or Skymiles, including FlyingBlue members.
I thought FB members could grab C seats that aren't available to SM members?
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Old Aug 11, 2012, 11:13 am
  #780  
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Originally Posted by wsw523
I agree, I've never had an issue upgrading an S fare using SM miles or SWU. It can be a pain getting the re-issue but never a problem grabbing the O seat.

BTW, congrats Cellisttoo on finding O availability, but it wasn't on the AF 747 BOS-CDG by chance? That could explain the cost as there is no PV (but then there shouldn't have been an AF S fare..)



I thought FB members could grab C seats that aren't available to SM members?
+1. Nothing more than misinformed agents who insist something wrong. Drives customers absolutely crazy.
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