techie

Hi all,

Just encountered my first example of Delta admitting that there is a route for which Revenue Management does not publish rates bookable online or via the app and they can only be purchased by calling.

This isn't some exquisite routing either, just a trip between 2 US cities via ATL.

Why and how often do they do it?

Cheers ^

Tedgrrrr

You can't book NYC to ALB or BMG online. It irks me to no end.

techie

What is further puzzling is that I can purchase a sample fare via an OTA like Expedia. So why would Delta restrict themselves in such fashion?

TTT

Are you saying a fare isn't published at all? There are a few markets I can think of where Delta doesn't publish fares (RDU-CLT, for example). They probably are bookable via the phone, but it's a split fare, they are selling RDUATL as one fare and ATLCLT as the second.

3Cforme

They probably don't think xxx-ATL-yyy is a logical route. Is there some reason you didn't specify the route?

flyerCO

I can't book SAT-DFW, but an agent can sell me SAT-ATL and ATL-DFW if i really want it on one ticket.

acrophobia

Here's another odd one: in the app I can book JFK-HAN as an r/t with a connection in ICN, but I can't book JFK-ICN-HAN-JFK (with connection on last leg of course). It is really odd that you can't book the stopover in ICN on the app when most flights to HAN from the states connect in ICN anyway.

MSPeconomist

It can be difficult to book RTs to Europe connecting through AMS/CDG with an overnight connection under 24 hours on the return.

xliioper

Yes, but not necessarily all fares. Many V fares do not permit end-on-end constructions unless it is A-B-A routing and you'll probably need to upfare to higher fare class to get them on a single ticket. OP, DL does publish "rates", they publish fares, and there are many cities where there are no published fares, but where you can purchase two fares on a single ticket (a broken fare). I suspect there's a good chance OP's fare construction can actually be pulled up and purchased on delta.com (via Kayak, ITA Matrix, or possibly even multi-city). But there's not much point in this thread as long as OP continues to be so cryptic.

flyerCO

You're wanting to stopover on ICN. It can't do this because DL has no fare ICN-HAN. Only KE sells fares ICN-HAN. DL does apparently have JFK-HAN available using KE flights connecting in ICN.

MSPeconomist

I wonder how the price would compare if one were to book JFK-ICN and HAN-JFK as an open jaw plus purchase ICN-HAN as a separate KE ticket....or it might be possible to purchase the ticket with the stopover from KE, although this could have implications for the miles earned.

techie

I am not an expert in these things, but I would have thought that the fare must be published in some way, shape or form for it to be bookable via Expedia online.
If they do not think that it is a logical route, why still allow it to be booked by phone. The restriction seems very odd and to their detriment, since most people wouldn't even know that they can still book it over the phone and would just try to book with an alternate airline.

Nothing to hide with the route: JAX-ATL-TPA.

ProfRB

I keep trying to book JFK-LAX-LGA as one leg, but Delta won't let me!

3Cforme

That's not a problem of Delta failing to serve a viable market. That's a problem of failing to understand U.S. geography at a level taught to sixth-graders.

https://books.google.com/books?id=g6...20maps&f=false

Enjoy a Silver Airways Saab 340 non-stop scheduled at 67 minutes.

xliioper

Contrary to the agent's assertion, this trip can be found and booked as a single ticket on the website simply by using multi-city search. There is no DL published fare for this route, so the ticket consists of two separate one-way fares combined on a single ticket. The delta.com one-way search will sometimes price out broken fare options, but not always (and it may not always be the cheapest). Other websites are more capable of piecing together broken fare options which is why you were able to find it on them. Your cheapest option is two X fares (fare code XAVNL0MB) for $220 total. Even though they share the same fare code these are actually two different fare filings with separate pricings (one for JAX-ATL and one for ATL-TPA). There are some slightly cheaper one-way E, V, X fares available, but they cannot be combined on a single ticket because of the following fare rule in the combinability section --

"IF THE FARE IS USED END- ON-END MUST BE AN A-B-A COMBINATION."

So you could potentially save a few bucks by buying the flights as two separate tickets ($196 total for two V fares, or $166 for two E fares). Fare rules can be found at the "Fare Rules" link on delta.com when you price out an itin.