Online no longer does award stopovers properly
Dec 27, 2011, 8:51 pm
#166
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: Denver CO
Posts: 3,682
Today I put on hold a domestic award with a stopover on the return. It had priced at twice the correct mileage. I called the PM line and the agent contacted the rates and reissue desk. According to the agent, the reissue desk is aware of the issue and confirmed that IT IS indeed a computer error and that they were not aware of a pending policy change. The agent was told to ticket the outbound trip and the first part of the return (the part from the inbound origin to the stopover city) and then have the reissue desk add the last part from the stopover city to the destination. I didn't actually go through with it, though, since the trip may not happen.
On a separate note, for testing purposes, I was able to correctly price a domestic award with an open jaw.
What remains to be seen, however, is whether we'll again be able to book both an open jaw AND a stopover in the same domestic award. The rules don't permit it, and with programming changes being made, that capability may disappear altogether.
On a separate note, for testing purposes, I was able to correctly price a domestic award with an open jaw.
What remains to be seen, however, is whether we'll again be able to book both an open jaw AND a stopover in the same domestic award. The rules don't permit it, and with programming changes being made, that capability may disappear altogether.
Good also to hear DL say the issue is not a change in policy, though until someone from DL gets on FT to confirm, I'm going to treat this as a data point rather than gospel.
Dec 28, 2011, 2:46 am
#167
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Dec 28, 2011, 3:12 am
#168
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I don't know how this kind of "error" could have been introduced if they did not have some kind of change to award rules in mind that affects stopovers. And if this is somehow a pure accident surely Delta would have found a way to make that known by now. Perhaps, like they did with the award change/ redeposit time limits (that ultimately ended up with the 72-hour mileage death penalty rule now in place), they are field testing changes to gauge the level and scope of negative responses from customers before deciding exactly what the permanent policy changes will be.
Dec 28, 2011, 5:52 am
#169
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Dec 28, 2011, 8:59 am
#170
Join Date: Feb 2008
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It's good I found this discussion..
I ran into this problem today trying to book a friend for TLV-SFO with a a stopover at JFK.
Can anyone confirm whether it is a policy change or a technical glitch?
Edited to add documentation:
The weird part is that it changes if I try booking one stoppover vs. 2. Also, if I try changing airports (even co-terminals) the flight price jumps to reflect additional domestic RT, though it is permitted. Even more 'interesting' flights that were available for the return under the original search (and there were four of them) became all N/A for the search with a different airport in the middle.
Oh, well... :|
Can anyone confirm whether it is a policy change or a technical glitch?
Edited to add documentation:
The weird part is that it changes if I try booking one stoppover vs. 2. Also, if I try changing airports (even co-terminals) the flight price jumps to reflect additional domestic RT, though it is permitted. Even more 'interesting' flights that were available for the return under the original search (and there were four of them) became all N/A for the search with a different airport in the middle.
Oh, well... :|
Last edited by DLroads; Dec 28, 2011 at 9:05 am
Dec 28, 2011, 9:17 am
#171
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In other words, we really don't know.
Dec 28, 2011, 11:04 am
#172
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correctly priced online w/ stopover
I went back a couple of days and 20+ posts to see if others had been trying online and met with success. A DTW-MSP <stopover> SEA <destination> SEA-DTW that failed a week ago (confirming the OP's contention) priced properly as a 25K coach round-trip just now.
I won't declare the issue resolved with one itin but it may be worth resuming online multi-city searches.
Outbound Mon 16 Jan 2012 Delta 1797
8:35am DTW 9:47am MSP Nonstop 2 h 12 m Delta 1797
Return Tue 17 Jan 2012 Delta 2253
5:25pm MSP 7:15pm SEA Nonstop 3 h 50 m Delta 2253
Return Mon 23 Jan 2012 Delta 822
1:15pm SEA 8:32pm DTW Nonstop 4 h 17 m Delta 822
Award Tickets cannot be redeposited or changed within 72 hours of scheduled flight departure time.
Total Miles required: 25,000
Total purchase price including Taxes/Fees (USD) : $ 7.50
I won't declare the issue resolved with one itin but it may be worth resuming online multi-city searches.
Outbound Mon 16 Jan 2012 Delta 1797
8:35am DTW 9:47am MSP Nonstop 2 h 12 m Delta 1797
Return Tue 17 Jan 2012 Delta 2253
5:25pm MSP 7:15pm SEA Nonstop 3 h 50 m Delta 2253
Return Mon 23 Jan 2012 Delta 822
1:15pm SEA 8:32pm DTW Nonstop 4 h 17 m Delta 822
Award Tickets cannot be redeposited or changed within 72 hours of scheduled flight departure time.
Total Miles required: 25,000
Total purchase price including Taxes/Fees (USD) : $ 7.50
Dec 28, 2011, 11:18 am
#173
Join Date: Sep 2009
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I don't know how this kind of "error" could have been introduced if they did not have some kind of change to award rules in mind that affects stopovers. And if this is somehow a pure accident surely Delta would have found a way to make that known by now. Perhaps, like they did with the award change/ redeposit time limits (that ultimately ended up with the 72-hour mileage death penalty rule now in place), they are field testing changes to gauge the level and scope of negative responses from customers before deciding exactly what the permanent policy changes will be.
I think someone in IT was taking off for vacation over Christmas / New Years and finished their due-in-early-2012 project early, implemented it live (before the matching policy change), and took off.
Delta Rev Mgmnt is seeing the benefits this brings to them (customers redeem more miles for less flights) and is not going to have it rolled back temporarily, only to bring it back again.
In any professional environment, any such IT issue can be easily resolved and fixed in a matter of a few minutes by simply rolling back to the previous version of code that did not contain the bug. That is, if there is version control. And if this is indeed a bug. (Ask Delta phone reps, the more knowledgeable ones will tell you that yes, there is no policy change, but they will also mention that "this is how you and we usually first find out of policy changes" - and you can take that honest statement as you will..) And given the highly unprofessional shop Delta runs, who knows, may be there is no version control and a few minute task becomes a few week task.. (here now this is the best case scenario, if really this is not intentional...which is possible, and I sure am hoping for...but, I fear, it's not too likely the case)
Another theory is the last thing you say: before implementing this as policy, DL is quietly field testing it, seeing the flack and "pushback" they get on this before making it official. If customers are as easy of a pushover as they were on T-72, then it's just a matter of days (or weeks, at most) before this becomes official policy, IMO.
Last edited by RealHJ; Dec 28, 2011 at 11:24 am
Dec 28, 2011, 12:28 pm
#174
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I went back a couple of days and 20+ posts to see if others had been trying online and met with success. A DTW-MSP <stopover> SEA <destination> SEA-DTW that failed a week ago (confirming the OP's contention) priced properly as a 25K coach round-trip just now.
I won't declare the issue resolved with one itin but it may be worth resuming online multi-city searches.
Outbound Mon 16 Jan 2012 Delta 1797
8:35am DTW 9:47am MSP Nonstop 2 h 12 m Delta 1797
Return Tue 17 Jan 2012 Delta 2253
5:25pm MSP 7:15pm SEA Nonstop 3 h 50 m Delta 2253
Return Mon 23 Jan 2012 Delta 822
1:15pm SEA 8:32pm DTW Nonstop 4 h 17 m Delta 822
Award Tickets cannot be redeposited or changed within 72 hours of scheduled flight departure time.
Total Miles required: 25,000
Total purchase price including Taxes/Fees (USD) : $ 7.50
I won't declare the issue resolved with one itin but it may be worth resuming online multi-city searches.
Outbound Mon 16 Jan 2012 Delta 1797
8:35am DTW 9:47am MSP Nonstop 2 h 12 m Delta 1797
Return Tue 17 Jan 2012 Delta 2253
5:25pm MSP 7:15pm SEA Nonstop 3 h 50 m Delta 2253
Return Mon 23 Jan 2012 Delta 822
1:15pm SEA 8:32pm DTW Nonstop 4 h 17 m Delta 822
Award Tickets cannot be redeposited or changed within 72 hours of scheduled flight departure time.
Total Miles required: 25,000
Total purchase price including Taxes/Fees (USD) : $ 7.50
Dec 28, 2011, 12:54 pm
#175
Join Date: Sep 2009
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Posts: 7,205
Care to note what routing here worked for you? Is it only US domestic or also now int'l that works properly? (Apparently for routes via Japan on Delta now rules say NO STOPOVERS IN JAPAN... or so I was told, though the fare rules I see do not say that anymore. Perhaps that was the fare rules in place while this was not working, as apparently many, many fare rules changed during the last two weeks... and perhaps now it's reverted back to how it was before, pricing and fare rules wise. The only question is: for how long.)
Dec 28, 2011, 1:37 pm
#176
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: JFK,ATL,LGA (the rest of the world follows)
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Posts: 3,190
Well, half problem solved
using multiple city search I was able to search and price with stoppover. So, one problem seems to be addressed (fully or in part). The open jaw one does not seem to be pricing correctly though. Any open jaw attempt (even co-terminals) results in a pricing of two award tickets
(i.e. TATL+US continental pricing).
Well, half solution is good start
(i.e. TATL+US continental pricing).
Well, half solution is good start
Dec 28, 2011, 2:59 pm
#177
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Dec 28, 2011, 3:37 pm
#179
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Hooray!
has anyone tried swapping a segment of an already booked itinerary?
does it reprice crazy?
has anyone tried swapping a segment of an already booked itinerary?
does it reprice crazy?
Last edited by aubreyfromwheaton; Dec 28, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Dec 29, 2011, 8:17 am
#180
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Whew!
It is semi official that this has been fixed. The PointsGuy reports that the website is now pricing properly and there has been no change in policy.
http://thepointsguy.com/2011/12/delt...ooking-engine/
I'm so glad that this was a temporary false alarm.
Thank you DELTA IT for fixing this....
http://thepointsguy.com/2011/12/delt...ooking-engine/
I'm so glad that this was a temporary false alarm.
Thank you DELTA IT for fixing this....