Does DL ever provide expanded award availability for Diam?
Feb 20, 2017, 3:50 pm
#1
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Does DL ever provide expanded award availability for Diam?
Trying to book a domestic seat 11 months out and nothing available at Level 1. Does DL ever provide expanded award availability for Diamond members (ie, queue a request to yield mgt to open up 1 seat)?
Feb 20, 2017, 3:52 pm
#2
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Nope. DL can open up inventory in some situations - such as to force a rebooking after a schedule change - but not for new bookings solely based on status.
Feb 20, 2017, 4:29 pm
#4
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Once upon a time, there was expanded availability. This feature still existed in the tool until very recently, which is why the "I am traveling" checkbox was there, but the extra inventory disappeared around the same time the award charts did.
Since they finally did the work to hide the checkbox, I wouldn't expect this to return anytime in the foreseeable future.
Even when it was offered, the expanded availability wasn't very generous. I only ever noticed it helping on domestic economy redemptions - partner, international, and business class flights seemed unaffected.
Since they finally did the work to hide the checkbox, I wouldn't expect this to return anytime in the foreseeable future.
Even when it was offered, the expanded availability wasn't very generous. I only ever noticed it helping on domestic economy redemptions - partner, international, and business class flights seemed unaffected.
Feb 20, 2017, 5:16 pm
#5
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When there was the expanded availability, it was supposed to only involve low coach awards on DL. I don't remember whether it was announced as domestic only or not.
At the time, there was a thread here where people did some experiments to see how significant the enhanced availability was. Someone would propose a route and date, and then folks would check and report availability as well as their elite tier and Reserve card status. IIRC most of the searches did show some enhanced availability, but the differences seemed to be an extra seat or two, which can make a difference if you're not trying to get award tickets for a big group.
At the time, there was a thread here where people did some experiments to see how significant the enhanced availability was. Someone would propose a route and date, and then folks would check and report availability as well as their elite tier and Reserve card status. IIRC most of the searches did show some enhanced availability, but the differences seemed to be an extra seat or two, which can make a difference if you're not trying to get award tickets for a big group.
Feb 20, 2017, 5:54 pm
#7
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,880
It seems kind of silly to me to provide a lower (i.e. cheaper) award level based on status. I could maybe understand providing award availability where no availability otherwise exists, but on Delta, I'm not sure I can recall any flight in recent times without some level of award availability (albeit it might not be a great value) when a revenue seat was available.
I fundamentally agree with Delta's wisdom that they shouldn't offer low award availability if they think they're a high likelihood that they will sell out / oversell a flight.
I fundamentally agree with Delta's wisdom that they shouldn't offer low award availability if they think they're a high likelihood that they will sell out / oversell a flight.
Last edited by rucksack; Feb 20, 2017 at 6:57 pm Reason: Edited to remove statement implying that AA sometimes has no award availability.
Feb 20, 2017, 6:07 pm
#8
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DL, like AA, offers last seat availability for Peak/Anytime awards. So there will always be awards "available" on either airline unless the flight is completely sold out.
Feb 20, 2017, 7:13 pm
#9
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Back before DL eliminated it, for several years (and I'm not going to bother with Wayback Machine) DL had explicitly identified extra access as domestic only, coach only.
Feb 20, 2017, 7:49 pm
#11
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Feb 20, 2017, 8:00 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2014
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Sure Delta doesn't publish an award chart, but award tickets do follow certain levels. I can't find the thread right now but a fellow FTer published an analysis that shows the 7 "levels" an award ticket can be.
Feb 20, 2017, 8:09 pm
#13
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7500
11000
11500
14500
15500
17500
20000
25000
32500
It didn't make me long to show that awards can exist at more than seven levels. The OP's concept of award levels 1-5 is outdated.
Feb 20, 2017, 8:14 pm
#14
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Feb 20, 2017, 8:20 pm
#15
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,880
I've looked at four domestic destinations in the last 10 minutes, restricted to non-stops in Main Cabin, one way. All travel is the same date. Award prices shown:
7500
11000
11500
14500
15500
17500
20000
25000
32500
It didn't make me long to show that awards can exist at more than seven levels. The OP's concept of award levels 1-5 is outdated.
7500
11000
11500
14500
15500
17500
20000
25000
32500
It didn't make me long to show that awards can exist at more than seven levels. The OP's concept of award levels 1-5 is outdated.