Only 4 left at this price - phantom partner award availability
Mar 23, 2019, 1:42 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 37
Only 4 left at this price - phantom partner award availability
I am trying to book an Award on Deltas Partner Virgin Australia LAX-BNE....for Feb12, 2020....Deltas website shows non stop flight on VA8 is available for 40,000 SM and only 4 left at this price......When I go to book it, I can enter all the necessary info, even select seats, on the last page to confirm and pay, the website then says that flight has just sold out and to search for another flight.... Delta's website has been doing this for three days... Even when I call Delta,( I have tried for three days now numerous times) they keep saying there is no availability on that flight...YET Delta doesn't seem to update their website.....
Mar 23, 2019, 2:14 pm
#3
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,403
Sometimes it can be helpful to go to some third party website to search for availability: You start with DL because you're using DL miles, then go to VA as the operating carrier (but they're likely to show award seats available with their own miles), then some other partner, and maybe try EF.
Mar 23, 2019, 9:34 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,482
It may never be corrected. Same phantom availability happened to me on MU flights. It was not corrected for about 2 months when flight departed.
Mar 23, 2019, 10:15 pm
#6
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
Programs: VA-PLT, QF-GLD, DL-GM, UA-ex1K, AA-exPLT, HH-DM, IHG-PLT, MR-GLD
Posts: 8,242
Not really funny unfortunately. There have been problems like this for years. DL doesn't seem to care. When/if this phantom availability does go away, it won't be due to an actual solution.
Mar 23, 2019, 11:06 pm
#7
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, BW DE (lifetime), HH DE, Marriott PE (lifetime), National Emerald Executive
Posts: 7,205
It isn't always phantom availability. Sometimes it is real, just need a competent phone agent to get it through the very buggy ticketing system.
Mar 23, 2019, 11:33 pm
#8
Join Date: May 2011
Location: NYC
Programs: DL PM. 1MM
Posts: 2,045
THIS. I would keep calling Delta and insist they honor the offer on their own web site. Hang up. Call again. Keep pushing and trying. You will get it eventually.
Mar 23, 2019, 11:46 pm
#9
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,403
I don't think it's so easy. DL can't manufacture partner award inventory that doesn't exist or that the partner isn't willing to make available to DL.
Mar 24, 2019, 2:07 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, BW DE (lifetime), HH DE, Marriott PE (lifetime), National Emerald Executive
Posts: 7,205
Yes and no. If it is really available and just can't be booked at the first try/online (other sources confirm availability, like ExpertFlyer), then yes, there is a shot at that, if you get a good agent who cares and knows what they are doing. But if it is true phantom availability, then no, as nothing DL can do to open up award space on other airlines (well unless they call and ask them, but DL doesn't care about its pax or its reputation, that's way down in the gutter anyway, so DL won't bother to do that...and even if they did, 90%+ likely it wouldn't work, as it's not an irrops or such situation when DL may have a valid case to ask the operating airline to open up inventory).
Mar 24, 2019, 5:06 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 37
I have tried calling Delta numerous times ...twice a day for over four days, they put me on hold, and come back and say there is no award availability.... I mention about how it STILL shows up on their(Delta's) website( 4 available at this price of 40K miles), and agents just say that they (agent I was speaking to at the time) doesn't control what goes up on the website. Mention it shows on EF and they still say no availability....THEN they mention it is available as a paid flight...This is for Feb12, 2020 so I guess I will keep trying...thanks for all the info everyone
Mar 24, 2019, 9:05 am
#13
Join Date: Sep 2014
Programs: IHG Platinum
Posts: 629
I’ve seen economy class on VA available far out, but never business class. Business on VA from LAX is typically not bookable until about a week out, but it’s showing available on the OPs date.
It has to be an error, but grab it while you can if it’s not.
What a cluster ..... Delta puts its employees and customers through.
It has to be an error, but grab it while you can if it’s not.
What a cluster ..... Delta puts its employees and customers through.
Last edited by sleuth; Mar 24, 2019 at 9:13 am
Mar 24, 2019, 10:57 am
#14
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Brooklyn
Programs: Delta Diamond, Bonvoy something good; sometimes other things too
Posts: 5,050
Any tips on what to say to the good agent when it's showing on EF but Delta.com bugs out trying to book it? I see some China Airlines space that shows on EF so I'm guessing it's real ...
Mar 24, 2019, 12:15 pm
#15
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: HNL
Programs: DL PM/1MM, BW DE (lifetime), HH DE, Marriott PE (lifetime), National Emerald Executive
Posts: 7,205
Have them first search segment by segment vs origin to destination (if not going to or from TPE only).
That or long sell, but long sell I think pretty much everyone is blocked from doing now.