M ticket to DXB wihtout Z availabilty: good or bad risk?
Mar 5, 2012, 8:40 am
#17
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: MLB
Programs: DL - KM DM, DL 1.57 MM, UA - 1P, AA - EXP HH - Diamond, PC - Platinum, SPG - Gold, Hertz 5*
Posts: 887
Mar 5, 2012, 11:49 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 99
Thanks again, everyone! Yeah, I know, I messed up myself. It is a very complex trip, with 5 destinations, 10 or 11 total flights, and time of ticketing complications (needs to be done now; normally, I do not buy tickets more than a week in advance, and end up changing them even then; probably first time in 10+ years I got a ticket this early). Having the bulk on one airline just made sense, but ... overworked brain in the overdrive mode did not register red flags, which were clearly there. Nobody to blame but myself. To add more fun, I did not cancel the ticket before the deadline, so now have a $4K-worth "travel voucher" if I cancel (but not a big deal, I will easily use it in a very short time). The funniest part is that the MCO-ATL leg (the only of 5 outbound flights) cleared, so DL immediately pulled one SWU and reissued the ticket (i.e. that SWU is lost; well, don't know what to do with them anyway).
I agree that it is a senseless risk, that judging the loads this early is meaningless, and although there is a possibility of still getting an upgrade, I resent the very notion of having to wait, quite possibly until DOD, when at this time there isn't a single ticket sold in BE on that flight. I am not asking to get anything for free, just to use a hard earned SWU and still pay a premium fare. Call me spoiled, entitled (and I probably am entitled, because DL made a promise of certain benefits in exchange for the consistent flow of my $$ into their coffers, and I just took for granted that they would honor their end of the bargain; just open one Z, not a big deal!), and flame away those who want to say that "this is not an entitlement,", "buy J if you want to fly J," etc. I do that most of the time, and DL gets decent $$ from me. But DL should be honest about the "benefits" (but more importantly, someone like me, who's been a Platinum since I can remember and a Diamond since it existed, should not be as gullible; embarrassing rookie mistakes made by a seasoned veteran).
hfly, I appreciate your comments about EK and don't doubt that you are right: you've been flying with them way more than I have. But several flights I took (on 380 though) were wonderful, from seats, to service, to cabin features, to food (1-2-1 configuration in J, 1-2-1 suites in F). I don't think I would even compare DL to EK. And EY on 340 was another great experience too. Would fly those airlines in a blink of an eye, and it looks like they might be getting my J business soon ... (can do it from JFK; MCO-ATL or MCO-JFK, doesn't make a difference to me).
Thanks, I am glad I started this thread. Perhaps someone would do a search one day and will avoid making mistakes that I have made.
I agree that it is a senseless risk, that judging the loads this early is meaningless, and although there is a possibility of still getting an upgrade, I resent the very notion of having to wait, quite possibly until DOD, when at this time there isn't a single ticket sold in BE on that flight. I am not asking to get anything for free, just to use a hard earned SWU and still pay a premium fare. Call me spoiled, entitled (and I probably am entitled, because DL made a promise of certain benefits in exchange for the consistent flow of my $$ into their coffers, and I just took for granted that they would honor their end of the bargain; just open one Z, not a big deal!), and flame away those who want to say that "this is not an entitlement,", "buy J if you want to fly J," etc. I do that most of the time, and DL gets decent $$ from me. But DL should be honest about the "benefits" (but more importantly, someone like me, who's been a Platinum since I can remember and a Diamond since it existed, should not be as gullible; embarrassing rookie mistakes made by a seasoned veteran).
hfly, I appreciate your comments about EK and don't doubt that you are right: you've been flying with them way more than I have. But several flights I took (on 380 though) were wonderful, from seats, to service, to cabin features, to food (1-2-1 configuration in J, 1-2-1 suites in F). I don't think I would even compare DL to EK. And EY on 340 was another great experience too. Would fly those airlines in a blink of an eye, and it looks like they might be getting my J business soon ... (can do it from JFK; MCO-ATL or MCO-JFK, doesn't make a difference to me).
Thanks, I am glad I started this thread. Perhaps someone would do a search one day and will avoid making mistakes that I have made.
Mar 5, 2012, 2:57 pm
#20
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: DL FO, UA, AA, AsiaMiles, SPG, HHonors
Posts: 7,982
Thanks again, everyone! Yeah, I know, I messed up myself. It is a very complex trip, with 5 destinations, 10 or 11 total flights, and time of ticketing complications (needs to be done now; normally, I do not buy tickets more than a week in advance, and end up changing them even then; probably first time in 10+ years I got a ticket this early). Having the bulk on one airline just made sense, but ... overworked brain in the overdrive mode did not register red flags, which were clearly there. Nobody to blame but myself. To add more fun, I did not cancel the ticket before the deadline, so now have a $4K-worth "travel voucher" if I cancel (but not a big deal, I will easily use it in a very short time). [1]The funniest part is that the MCO-ATL leg (the only of 5 outbound flights) cleared, so DL immediately pulled one SWU and reissued the ticket (i.e. that SWU is lost; well, don't know what to do with them anyway).
I agree that it is a senseless risk, that judging the loads this early is meaningless, and although there is a possibility of still getting an upgrade, I resent the very notion of having to wait, quite possibly until DOD, when at this time there isn't a single ticket sold in BE on that flight. I am not asking to get anything for free, just to use a hard earned SWU and still pay a premium fare. Call me spoiled, entitled (and I probably am entitled, because DL made a promise of certain benefits in exchange for the consistent flow of my $$ into their coffers, and I just took for granted that they would honor their end of the bargain; just open one Z, not a big deal!), and flame away those who want to say that "this is not an entitlement,", "buy J if you want to fly J," etc. I do that most of the time, and DL gets decent $$ from me. But DL should be honest about the "benefits" (but more importantly, someone like me, who's been a Platinum since I can remember and a Diamond since it existed, should not be as gullible; embarrassing rookie mistakes made by a seasoned veteran).
hfly, I appreciate your comments about EK and don't doubt that you are right: you've been flying with them way more than I have. But several flights I took (on 380 though) were wonderful, from seats, to service, to cabin features, to food (1-2-1 configuration in J, 1-2-1 suites in F). I don't think I would even compare DL to EK. And EY on 340 was another great experience too. Would fly those airlines in a blink of an eye, and it looks like they might be getting my J business soon ... (can do it from JFK; MCO-ATL or MCO-JFK, doesn't make a difference to me).
[2]Thanks, I am glad I started this thread. Perhaps someone would do a search one day and will avoid making mistakes that I have made.
I agree that it is a senseless risk, that judging the loads this early is meaningless, and although there is a possibility of still getting an upgrade, I resent the very notion of having to wait, quite possibly until DOD, when at this time there isn't a single ticket sold in BE on that flight. I am not asking to get anything for free, just to use a hard earned SWU and still pay a premium fare. Call me spoiled, entitled (and I probably am entitled, because DL made a promise of certain benefits in exchange for the consistent flow of my $$ into their coffers, and I just took for granted that they would honor their end of the bargain; just open one Z, not a big deal!), and flame away those who want to say that "this is not an entitlement,", "buy J if you want to fly J," etc. I do that most of the time, and DL gets decent $$ from me. But DL should be honest about the "benefits" (but more importantly, someone like me, who's been a Platinum since I can remember and a Diamond since it existed, should not be as gullible; embarrassing rookie mistakes made by a seasoned veteran).
hfly, I appreciate your comments about EK and don't doubt that you are right: you've been flying with them way more than I have. But several flights I took (on 380 though) were wonderful, from seats, to service, to cabin features, to food (1-2-1 configuration in J, 1-2-1 suites in F). I don't think I would even compare DL to EK. And EY on 340 was another great experience too. Would fly those airlines in a blink of an eye, and it looks like they might be getting my J business soon ... (can do it from JFK; MCO-ATL or MCO-JFK, doesn't make a difference to me).
[2]Thanks, I am glad I started this thread. Perhaps someone would do a search one day and will avoid making mistakes that I have made.
[2] I doubt it, because there is a thread about this almost every day.
Mar 5, 2012, 2:58 pm
#21
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2000
Posts: 15,347
EY has a better product (I was Etihad Gold as well but am letting it lapse) the problem is that they do not fly to that many places that I need to go to, and I do not have to go through AD that much these days. Ultimately it was one or the other and EK's route network won out, definately not their lounges, nor their on board product. The A380 in Biz is not bad if you get the right seat, which is about half of them, the other half are coffins. Furthermore they only have about 20 of them, and they tend to fly the longest routes which means in essence that you can only count on them in whole or in part on about 15 routes at any given time. I was referring mostly to the 777, which is the workhorse of their fleet of which they have about 100 and close to a hundred more coming. the Airbii are almost irrelevent, the 345's are a disaster and they will soon be dumped (as they have been by almost all airlines) the 343's insignificant, and the A330's are not that significant either.
Mar 5, 2012, 4:43 pm
#22
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 99
[2] OK, thanks for rubbing it in
! I already admitted that I made a stupid mistake and trusted Delta without doing a careful search here...
Mar 6, 2012, 1:13 pm
#23
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: HKG
Programs: DL FO, UA, AA, AsiaMiles, SPG, HHonors
Posts: 7,982
[1] Any advice is welcome! Most likely this ticket is going to be canceled, but I want the certificate back, just as a matter of principle.
[2] OK, thanks for rubbing it in! I already admitted that I made a stupid mistake and trusted Delta without doing a careful search here...
[2] OK, thanks for rubbing it in
! I already admitted that I made a stupid mistake and trusted Delta without doing a careful search here...I am not sure about this but I think it is possible to get your SWU back if you change/cancel the ticket.
Mar 6, 2012, 2:10 pm
#24
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 99
Once the certificate is pulled, it cannot be reinstated. You can change the flights, but cannot cancel the ticket and use the certificate for a completely different reservation and new destination. Tried that several times yesterday.
But I would like to say that I was able to work everything out in an acceptable way. No serious grudges, my own mistake, and Delta came through so far.
But be very, very careful with M+ without Z availability and multi-leg use of SWU. You may loose them even if you do not use them -- they effectively cease to exist as soon as tickets are reissued; it's in the T&C.