sxf24

How often does your company purchase unpublished DL fares?

I never said blocks of consolidator tickets don't exist with reputable consolidators - I have simply said that the majority of corporate TAs don't work with consolidators or unpublished fares that would earn reduced MQMs.

The change will impact many customers; however, a negligible number will be business or corporate customers.

I have experience with many TAs, that combined would cover the majority of U.S. corporate spend. I don't see these TAs using the DL consolidator fares that would be eligible for reduced MQMs.

I am open to being correct and would like to hear about examples (and fare basis codes) where posters have booked unpublished DL fares that would be eligible for reduced MQMs.

Teamstone

I happen to work in the travel industry. I don't know of any corporate travel TAs that use consolidator fare. I do agree that DL may be "trial ballooning" this on these fares to see if there is any noise. If none, they may roll it out further.

MSPeconomist

This discussion is making me wonder about the AmEx PTS/CTS two-for-one (and related discounted) international business class fares, usually at full J rates. It would be very annoying not to receive the class of service RDMs on these. Are these considered to be unpublished/consolidator fares? I would guess yes to unpublished as they're not available to the general public, only to certain AmEx cardholders.

Also, I initially understood the announcement also to say that consolidator/unpublished fare tickets would not receive elite bonus RDMs, but this aspect hasn't been discussed here. Is this true, that one would lose the additional 125% for DM for example?

Pharaoh

You will note that I never addressed the MQM issue, only that there is a healthy market in consolidator fares, even by "corporate" TAs.

Yet there are indeed quite a few, many on my own customer list. It's easier to demonstrate a positive than a negative.

sxf24

I'm pretty sure those are published fares.

The MQM issue is the crux of the matter. The use of consolidators within Asia for business and leisure travel is extremely prevalent, but irrelevant to this discussion since those tickets would continue to earn full MQMs.

motytrah

Given Amex's relationship with DL I doubt they would rock the boat on those fares. Though I've been hard pressed to actually find a case when those two-for-ones saved any significant amount of money.

pbarnette

DL can and does do plenty of things that are wrong. This just doesn't seem to be one of them. I simply don't see large numbers of corporate travelers being caught out by this.

You have a different view, which is fine, but I simply disagree as to the applicability of it to the vast majority of those on this board. For example, you mention Pharoah's experience, but my reading of his/her posts seems to suggest they support a thesis that the impact will be limited as much or more than anything else.

You are concerned, it seems, with what could happen, while I am primarily concerned with what will happen. For now, I simply don't see much probability that this will impact many people (aside from those consciously booking a consolidator-type fare) and your vague references to having used fares such as these hardly seem like a particularly compelling counterpoint.

pbarnette

Except that the complaints on this board are rarely about new instances of actually being downgraded but references to past or even hypothetical instances. This constant rehashing of limited experience and hypotheticals obscures the reality, which is that, if you buy an -UP fare, you will almost certainly be sitting in F and that the risk is so minimal as to not be worth worrying about. But nevertheless, any thread on -UP fares seems to include an ominous warning about the risk.

Do we want this to be the same thing? Where we extrapolate from a handful of possible scenarios to create grave concern about unwittingly being caught out by this? I guess I've never been a fan of basing one's decision-making on worst-case scenarios and this is no exception. Is there some risk? Sure, but I don't think anyone has made a compelling case for that risk being more than minor.

RealHJ

+1. It fits the usual pattern of devaluation by a thousand cuts: a new cut every month or two weeks or so. Never too big to make much of an organized pushback. But combine the cuts of just a quarter, not even a year, into one and it's big -- just doesn't seeem like that as the rules change every second week or so, bit by bit, but surely..

Here just like T-72, this may be just the trial before a lot more (e.g. all L-U-T) fares mileage earning being devalued just a few short weeks later. And worst of all, while mileage earning basics may not be changing (though cuts to it are here, and more may come soon), as work on the new res. and loyalty system is still under way, FBATR (the worst possible thing that could happen by far) is still quite likely around the corner soon as well, which would be such a massive cut, though, there is no way to put that forth piecemeal.

sethb

My current employer, I don't know. A previous employer did (at least, unpublished fares on some airlines, I don't know specifically about DL).

RealHJ

And how often could a contracted TA use unpublished consolidator fares, in order to save them some $$ and add a bigger mark-up? I mean, it'd be tempting not to... if the company simply wants a set fare class or above and will pay the listed price for it, and the TA can get a consolidator fare for the same fare class for less than than the listed price, I am sure that at least some are going to jump on that opportunity, and simply fill the difference with their mark-up. Unless customer goes to look at the Delta receipt, and most probably don't, they'll never know, as they probably just go off the TA generated receipt. (And it is not clear how do consolidator fares differ on the DL generated e-mail receipts anyway.)

HongKonger

There's no such thing as common sense. However in this case I agree it seems extremely unlikely that DL would want to anger their corporate customers.

fti

Oh really? What about business travelers, like many who post on FT, who are affected by the T-72 hour rule change on award tickets. In reality, DL has no mercy.

hazelrah

This from Skypesos rules-

Program Changes and Termination

Delta and its program partners reserve the right to change program rules, benefits, regulations, Travel Awards, fees, mileage Award levels, and special offers at any time without notice.

fti

Can and WILL change the rules!