How often should I call about KE award?
Jan 8, 2012, 12:14 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: PVD, BDL
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 478
How often should I call about KE award?
I am in the process of putting together a trip to asia for next fall. I want to go on KE because of the A380 and the 120k biz redemption. I am having a tough time on putting it all together cuz of the lack of transoceanic availability. the Dl reps say keep calling. How often should I call? Weekly? Daily? Twice a week? Thanks for insights!
Jan 8, 2012, 1:14 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: LAX - san fernando valley, CA
Programs: DL PM, Alaska Gold MVP, Expedia Elite Plus, Amex Reserve.
Posts: 1,156
That is a very interesting question I am in the same boat as you. I was told the same thing as well, I just don't know the meaning of the word often as per the DL agent. The only reason I want to fly K Air is for the A380 nothing else. Or perhaps I will just settle for a trip to Europe on AF A380 out of LAX. I will call to again and see f I vet lucky.
Jan 8, 2012, 3:04 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: SFO/OAK
Programs: AS MVPG 100K, DL Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Lifetime Plat.
Posts: 329
I guess I was lucky. In one phone call, I found 2 separate tickets to Southeast Asia (via KE18/17) in late March. Unfortunately, i couldn't find any two Prestige awards together for the transpacific segments.
Jan 8, 2012, 3:05 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: dl diamond, spg plat
Posts: 37
Not sure if this is a new development, but you can check award availability online at koreanair.com. Note that, for me, the international award search only worked correctly with IE (not Firefox).
Call Delta once to get the blackout dates around the time that you're looking to travel (which are different than the blackout dates listed on KE.com) and then keep checking online until the flights that you want open up.
Call Delta once to get the blackout dates around the time that you're looking to travel (which are different than the blackout dates listed on KE.com) and then keep checking online until the flights that you want open up.
Jan 8, 2012, 3:25 pm
#5
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Chattanooga, TN
Programs: DL Diamond Million Miler, AA Ex-Plat, IHG RA, Marriott PLAT, HERTZ Pres Circle
Posts: 1,220
Me too. I called to book some tickets for my wife, son, and sister-in-law from ATL to ICN. I was all ready to concede and route them through DTW, but on a lark I asked to agent to look on KE and she found three tickets for 70K each on the dates I wanted (I already knew the blackout dates ahead of time). Through the whole process I was waiting for her to come back and tell me that it had been rejected or whatever, but in less than an hour o was able to book three KE tickets at the low level. Quite a jackpot from my experience. Maybe things are getting better.
Jan 8, 2012, 5:09 pm
#6
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SUX
Programs: BA Silver; HHonors Gold; SPG Gold; Points but dirt with everyone else
Posts: 8,050
Not sure if this is a new development, but you can check award availability online at koreanair.com. Note that, for me, the international award search only worked correctly with IE (not Firefox).
Call Delta once to get the blackout dates around the time that you're looking to travel (which are different than the blackout dates listed on KE.com) and then keep checking online until the flights that you want open up.
Call Delta once to get the blackout dates around the time that you're looking to travel (which are different than the blackout dates listed on KE.com) and then keep checking online until the flights that you want open up.
Jan 8, 2012, 9:02 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: PVD, BDL
Programs: DL GM
Posts: 478
Update
Well I made my booking and it turned out to be OK! I was looking at making JFK my starting and ending point but switched to LAX. So get this. LAX-ICN-PEK-ICN-HKT-ICN-LAX. All biz with an A380 in there for 165K miles and 88$ in taxes! Not bad; DL miles are great as long as you use them on a partner carrier!
Last edited by sectflyer; Jan 8, 2012 at 9:49 pm
Jan 8, 2012, 10:31 pm
#9
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 21
I got a great agent and was able to book lax-nrt on KE President's day weekend. A330 on the way there and A380 on the way back conntecting through ICN. Had much better availability than Delta. 120k miles. Had luck with AF to europe as well. You just have to play around with it and find a good agent.
Jan 9, 2012, 1:33 am
#10
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Seoul (GMP/RKSS) HNL/PHNL
Programs: A3 *G, fmr DL PM
Posts: 404
True dat.
Here are the blackouts:
ANY KE FLIGHT
10SEP 11 THROUGH 14SEP 11
01OCT 11 THROUGH 03OCT 11
09DEC 11 THROUGH 31DEC 11
01JAN 12 THROUGH 08JAN 12
20JAN 12 THROUGH 25JAN 12
01MAR 12 THROUGH 04MAR 12
04MAY 12 THROUGH 06MAY 12
18MAY 12 THROUGH 01JUL 12
14JUL 12 THROUGH 26AUG 12
28SEP 12 THROUGH 03OCT 12
07DEC 12 THROUGH 31DEC 12
Here are the blackouts:
ANY KE FLIGHT
10SEP 11 THROUGH 14SEP 11
01OCT 11 THROUGH 03OCT 11
09DEC 11 THROUGH 31DEC 11
01JAN 12 THROUGH 08JAN 12
20JAN 12 THROUGH 25JAN 12
01MAR 12 THROUGH 04MAR 12
04MAY 12 THROUGH 06MAY 12
18MAY 12 THROUGH 01JUL 12
14JUL 12 THROUGH 26AUG 12
28SEP 12 THROUGH 03OCT 12
07DEC 12 THROUGH 31DEC 12