nebraskaboy

Just off the phone with the award desk trying to use award miles at low levels.. (the time I've spent to do this is worth more than the ticket I could have just purchased at this point.) I've plotted out an itinerary that I think should price out at 105k miles (70k base economy there, partial 140k base business back). This is within MPM for a ticket to Jakarta and back. What do you think?

Departure:
BOS-LGA Delta Coach (15 hr layover)
JFK-NRT Delta Coach (8 hr layover)
HND-CGK Garuda Coach (2 days in Jakarta)

Return:
CGK-BKK Garuda Coach (multi-night stopover)
BKK-ICN Korean Business (12 hr layover)
ICN-JFK Korean Business (14 hr layover)
LGA-BOS Delta Coach

Delta was coming back trying to price this a 150k plus. I tried to get an explanation as to where I was going wrong, but they just said I have two stopovers. Help me understand where I'm going wrong here

Billy Mumphrey

If I'm not mistaken you get 24 hours on an int'l layover but only 4 hours on a domestic one. So it's possible the BOS-LGA and LGA-BOS segments are pricing as a separate trip. What happens if you remove those segments?

If that solves the problem it would be more efficient to just buy the shuttle flights or drive from Boston and park at JFK for your trip.

EZEDoesIt

You get 24hrs in the US gateway, but only 4hrs in any other US connecting points.

3Cforme

There is no 'gateway' qualifier on stopover in the international contract of carriage.

(Not applicable to travel between Canada and Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands) A stopover will occur when a passenger arrives at an intermediate point and is not scheduled to depart within 24 hours of arrival.

3Cforme

It seems you have reasoned that you have a CGK destination and BKK stopover. For that to price as a single award I believe you need a through fare (not a constructed fare) on KE BOS-CGK that allows your proposed routing.

Here are the DL-involved routings KE BOS-CGK on a common economy fare from ExpertFlyer:

49. BOS-DL-ATL-SEL-HKG-CI-JKT
50. BOS-DL-ATL-SEL-JKT
51. BOS-DL-ATL-SEL-SIN-GA-JKT
52. BOS-DL-DFW-SEL-HKG-CI-JKT
53. BOS-DL-DFW-SEL-JKT
54. BOS-DL-DFW-SEL-SIN-GA-JKT
55. BOS-DL/US-NYC-SEL-HKG-CI-JKT
56. BOS-DL/US-NYC-SEL-JKT
57. BOS-DL/US-NYC-SEL-SIN-GA-JKT

EZEDoesIt

Good to know! Can't believe I've had it wrong all this time.

akcae

Why on KE? The OP is flying DL and GA and not via ICN.

michael_v

It should price at 110k (40k economy one-way + 70k business the other way), assuming all DL segments are in low. Since OP has a stopover, it will have to be manually priced by a competent agent/supervisor.

RealHJ

Usually award routing hasn't been subjected to revenue routing rules, it just has to be 4 segments or less one-way and under the permitted MPM.

exwannabe

The CoC stopover definition does not control what tickets/fares DL is required to offer.

From the SkyMiles terms:

http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_...ons.html#award

RealHJ

By this exact definition, the return trip is three connections (four flights), and thus no stopover in BKK. Normally it's been fine for three connections (four flights) with stopover one-way, but now that it's manually done so may be no longer the case - if the agents are paying attention.

I would suggest OP to book it as open-jaw (go to CGR, return from BKK, three flights either way). Then they can't possibly deny that. Before the res systems downgrade this would have priced out just fine as RT, even though it strictly doesn't meet the award routing rules, as on the return leg there are four and not three flights (can have four w/o stopover, but w/ stopover only three).

nebraskaboy

Thanks everyone for your help and confirming that i'm not totally crazy. I have something held for now but will work to adjust down to 3 legs. Maybe I'll cash in some UA miles to fly Jakarta to Bankok. Another fun night on hold with the ticketing desk... whee!

exwannabe

Or just ex the LGA->BOS leg and take the train. Or hitch-hike :-)

RealHJ

If it takes you as long to ticket the flight with DL as is your total flying itme, don't be surprised. That's normal.

With any other airline (I know from experience UA, AA, JL) award flights can be easily booked in minutes, if not online then by phone. Only with DL does it take multiple layers of escalation, arguing with clueless and obviously untrained agents, and thus hours upon hours for simple itineraries (such as yours is).

Don't give up though. Your itin is really fine and until the latest further massive dumbification of the DulltaMatic it would have been no problem. Only if you have to (you don't want to keep HUAC'ing and value your time more than the short connecting flight price), take out the CGR-BKK or the last LGA-BOS (whichever is cheaper separately), as then the Dullta agents will have no argment whatsoever why they are not pricing it out right.