hoyt

This is a new one for me. I frequently use my GUCs on KLM flights because it's easy to track with Z inventory. I booked a flight and called into DL to clear into J on a KLM fight showing Z2. My work booked me on the KL flight number, not the DL marketed flight. The DM agent changed my flights to be on the DL flight number and processed the upgrade. I see on DL.com that I'm in a Z fare for that leg. I use the KL confirmation number on KLM.com and select a seat in the J cabin. The next day, I go check my reservation and the seat is gone. This isn't a fluke because I've now done this a few times and my seat keeps disappearing. In one case, the seat I was in is now occupied by someone else, so it's not just the webpage not displaying my seat selection either.

I called into DL yesterday and the agent said the ticket looks correct. Any suggestions on what I should ask them to specifically check on the DM line? Thanks!

MSPeconomist

Are you sure the ticket has been reissued into business class and not just onto the DL codeshare flight number? It sounds like it was, but what is the status of the GUC? You might need to call KLM to get a seat assignment as IIRC DL can only request seats.

hoyt

I believe it has been re-ticketed, and when I asked they question, they confirmed it on the phone. I do have a receipt in my inbox from DL of a new ticket number (after my initial phone call to clear the GUC). Oddly the emails shows a fare class of Y on that leg in the email, I was originally booked into L I think, but clearly Z on the DL webpage. When I go to klm.com, it does list the leg in questions as "World Business Class."

MSPeconomist

This sounds to me like you've been upgraded on the PNR (reservation) but the ticket is still coach and has not yet been reissued into WBC. You should get a receipt with a new ticket number showing the segment as ticketed in Z class. Can you click on the top of your PNR (on delta.dumb) to see the ticket?

hoyt

When I click 'Receipt' on DL, it shows the segment in question as Z. It does show a different 006 number than what I have in my email, so it's possible they didn't send me the confirmation.

I just got off the phone with a good agent, he had me on hold while he called KLM. He said they were able to select those seats for me. I put a reminder in my calendar to check the seat online again tomorrow.

Edit: I feel more comfortable after this change. My flights are AAA-AMS-SFO, with an overnight in AMS. So I only upgraded the AMS-SFO leg. However, I was seeing a duplicate AAA-AMS on KLM.com (but not on DL.com). I no longer see that, so I think perhaps I wasn't reticketed fully until my latest call with them.

MSPeconomist

Depending on your fare construction, the same GUC should also cover upgrading the AAA-AMS segment on KLM if upgrade inventory is available.

hoyt

When I changed from KL to DL marketed flights, I had to pay to re-fare it. The KL marketed was less than the DL marketed equivalent. This was a new experience to me, but the cost was fairly insignificant and I had HUCA'd a few times and gotten the same response. Re-faring just the AMS-SFO leg was, surprisingly, a few hundred less, and the initial leg is <2 hours, so I didn't want to bother paying anything for that leg.

btonkid12345

What fare class was SFO-AMS booked into?

Note: To upgrade with any main cabin fare class, you must book DL marketed and then they changed it to KL flight numbers when they process into Z.

To upgrade with KL marketed on your original ticket, you must be booked in Y, B, or M. I believe Y upgrades into Z, and B or M upgrade into O. Maybe this is why your reissue is held up?

hoyt

My original ticket (as issued by my work's travel agency) was KL605 in a V fare. The entire ticket was on 006 stock. I thought, but this very well could have been wrong, that previously when I was booked on a KL marketed flight the DM agents changed me to the DL marketed flight, but that it didn't include a "re-fare." This often happens when I book a trip to/from Europe because I have very little control on how it gets ticketed from my work agency. Perhaps the DM agents could always "just" make this change because the KL fare I booked was higher than a V and was the same price as the DL marketed equivalent. In this case, that was not true. Booking the equivalent DL flight number (DL9380) for KL605 was more expensive.

The DM agents did tell me that I needed to be in a Y, B, M because of my fare but because I was in the 24 hour window, they basically just rebooked me on DL9380 for KL605 with a difference in fare paid directly to DL. That ticket ended up being in an L fare. All of that then enabled the use of a GUC.

Utskicat

This makes sense. You had KL605 V. They reissued under 24 hour risk free cancellation to DL9380 L. Reissued. Then used the GUC and converted back to KL605 Z and reissued. This is how its supposed to happen. I'm really suprised you found an agent that got it right.

Regarding the seat...I've seen this happen before. Very likely, the KLM (Altea) pnr is a mess with all the reissues. You've probably got duplicate segments and possible previous etkts still hooked to the KLM pnr. Here is what I would do (and have done many times). Send a message to the Twitter desk. Tell them you are seeing old segments in the record at KLM.com. Ask them to contact the Joint Venture desk and have the KLM pnr cleaned up. Generally this only takes a few minutes to have done. As soon as its cleaned up, the seat reservation works fine. The automation between DL and KL/AF systems during reissues is horrible. Most of the time if its not cleaned up on the KLM/AF side, when you check-in for a KL/AF flight, check-in won't work and they have to clean it up at the airport. Always good to make sure what you see on KLM.com and AF.com matches the Delta reservation.

hoyt

The PNR clean up is what must have happened during my call yesterday when the DM agent put me on hold. That's very good to know because I wish I had been able to have that corrected sooner. I ended up not getting my preferred seat (and seat alerts don't work for KLM WBC on expert flyer), but it seems to have at least stuck.

I ended up spending nearly 90 minutes on the phone with a DM agent to get the initial re-issues done. Easiest use-case to give a JWD code over the phone!