mtkeller

Published rules notwithstanding, it is totally possible to have a stopover and an open jaw on a DL award. I know because I've done it.

It's not based on segments, it's based on fare components. The fare components flown are DTW-OGG (4417mi, routing doesn't come into play) and OGG-LIR (4740mi). DTW-LIR is 2181mi, so the OJ is legal.

RealHJ

That is not correct. You are allowed ONE stopover. Open jaw counts as a stopover.

It seems that you haven't even read the DL Award Travel Rules.

Suggest you read this:
http://www.delta.com/skymiles/about_...ules/index.jsp

Namely this,
and this,
Now put 1 and 1 together...and you get 1.

Some may be lucky and not get the rules enforced from time to time. But, never count on that. That is getting lucky.

vxmike

Interesting. It's possible to ticket a stopover plus open jaw on Delta.com quite often, but it doesn't always work (as in this case). I did not even know about the rule you quoted, because what I'm trying to do usually works on the Delta website.

I suppose the question now becomes: has anyone been able to ticket an award containing an open jaw plus a stopover via the phone or do the agents follow this rule?

seychellesbound

I don't trust ANYTHING on dl.dumb. All I know is that you CAN and always have been able to book both regardless of what the rules say.

RealHJ

Phone agents are just your remote hands, to do what DL doesn't want to let you do online yourself. They don't think (they are not allowed to think). They just use their keyboard to enter the keystokes required to get you the flights you specify. Then they tell you the price that their computer spits back at them. They can not control the price in any shape or form, there is no way for them to change it or override it. As such, the vast majority of phone agents are totally ignorant of most (if not all) rules, as they don't need to think. They just assemble the reservation for you. They do nothing else, and certainly no rule enforcement or interpretation (or even knowledge of) seems to be required for DL phone res. agents. The computer is supposed to enforce the rules. If it doesn't enforce it, good for you. If computer is buggy and prices out your itineary wrong and thus breaks DL's own rules, too bad, as it'll be next to impossible for you to fix it, and the agents will just tell you "it is what the computer tells me" and not care about the fare rules, routing rules, or anything else.

RealHJ

Not so. For quite a while earlier this year no stopover or open jaw (not even one) could be booked. So, reglardess of what the rules say, NO open jaw OR stopover (just one of the two) was possible for a while.

What you are saying here is not true at all.

Abusing the system and not following the rules is likely to bring that back: NO stopover OR open jaw, neither allowed anymore.

FlysthruBNA

Was able to book the following all at low business award a week back on delta.com for 100,000 SM.

7/20 IAD / CDG AF27
7/21 CDG / FCO AF 1904

7/26 VCE / CDG AF 2227

7/29 CDG / IAD AF 28

There's an open jaw and a stopover in this one....correct?

mtkeller

Yes. The rules have not changed. The published rules say stopover OR open jaw, but in practice you can do a stopover AND an open jaw. I've done it on the phone with no issues.

fti

Wow, hard to believe all the misinformation.

First of all, the issue that was addressed originally in this thread has been fixed.

Nothing to do with luck. As was stated by you (see below), the agents just regurgitate what the computer says and the computer prices out both an OJ and a stopover when correctly booked.

I have done it more than once on the phone. Always get the same price as online (occasionally I can't book it online for various reasons, even with multi-city).

The issue is that a stopover and OJ is not breaking the rules.

Correct. It priced correctly.

Exactly.

The rumors WERE a bug in the system that didn't allow the stopover plus open jaw, but it was fixed weeks ago. In fact, when I tried to change one of my award reservations with both (during that time frame), I was told it would have cost an additional 25K miles. I said, "Forget it." But then once the IT issue was fixed, I called back, changed the award reservation for no additional miles.

Unfortunately you can't first go thousands of miles in one direction, then thousands of miles in the other direction and combine a HI and Europe award in the same reservation. If you stayed within continental US/Canada for the DTW-??? flight on 5/10, then it would work. But what you are doing is trying to combine two awards at vastly different mileage levels and that doesn't work.

Just like you can't book NYC-FAI (destination)-NYC (stopover)-LHR (open jaw). Miles-wise it works, but it is combining a domestic US award with a Europe award. It won't work.

mtkeller

LIR is in Central America. The OJ and routing are legal, so I'm not sure what's breaking down here. You've got more experience at this than I do, but I'm not following your logic.

ETA: The NYC-FAI-LHR example doesn't work because the OJ isn't legal since the unflown fare component (NYC-LHR) is longer than NYC-FAI. Repeating myself from up thread:

fti

Oops. I read LHR. My eyes are bad! Sorry. Still I don't think you can combine such award zones. I am pretty sure I can have an award from continental US to Hawaii, but then I have to end up in the continental US/Canada/Alaska. I can't end up in a third award zone (Central America).

I can have an award from DTW to Europe, return to DTW (stopover), then fly from there to somewhere in the continental US/Canada/Alaska. But I can't add DTW-OGG or DTW-LIR.

Since DL doesn't offer one way awards, thus you can't just combine the mileage for one-ways like the poster is trying to do.

fti

Actually I checked that before posting (first I thought of ANC, but then your point would have been correct). The mileage is actually correct. NYC-FAI is 3,469 miles each way, NYC-LHR is 3,458 each way. So the mileage is not the issue and the unflown portion is shorter than any flown portion. It is trying to combine a domestic award with a Europe award and that is the problem.

mylifenomadic

The problem is that you're trying to use 3 different award regions. There is no "North America" with Delta - it's US49/Canada, Hawaii, Central America. Since there are no one-way awards, you will be charged the full round trip for each region crossing, so 40K (US-Hawaii) +35K (US-Central Am) at the least, if you could find Low level award space.

If you change LIR to YYZ or anywhere in US49/Canada where DTW is in the valid routing, it prices out correctly as a stopover.

fti

That is what I have been trying to say all along, but you said it more eloquently than me. Thank you!

mnredfox

The issue is if the policy has changed in practice or not. We all know the T&C have changed on the website as you used to be allowed SO and OJ per the rules and in practice.