Problems and Issues with SkyMiles Award Availability Calendar: The Definitive Thread
Dec 30, 2008, 11:59 pm
#241
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
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Posts: 102,095
I had difficulty booking a PNS-SUN award ticket about two weeks ago. I couldn't get the calendar to show up if any part was in January. If the whole trip was in February, it would show up (trip began in late January and ended in early February). However, the biggest problem was when I would select two "Low" days and I'd get 32,500 or around 41,000 miles for the trip. How is this the "Low" tier? I tried PNS-BOI, PNS-SUN, PNS-TWF, PNS-IDA, MOB-BOI, and MOB-SUN, and kept experiencing the same problems. How can I properly book my flight when I can't view the calendar for several city-pairs on various dates, when even IF the calendar does show up, it is completely unreliable?
It was extremely difficult to locate a RT for 25,000 miles.
It was extremely difficult to locate a RT for 25,000 miles.
Dec 31, 2008, 12:14 am
#242
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: PHX
Programs: DL GM/SC/SkyBonus, UA (xCO), AS, AA, US, FL, Hilton Gold, Best Western Gold, Choice, Wyndham
Posts: 658
Dec 31, 2008, 12:35 am
#243
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: DFW/SEA
Programs: *A Silver, AA Gold + Miles Scattered Everywhere.
Posts: 2,045
with everything that has been said at least we now know someone on the inside is working and attempting to fix the problem. thanks for the updates DeltaWebDev
Dec 31, 2008, 7:27 am
#244
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 494
one thing i learned yesterday was that we discovered an issue on monday that was causing some issues in getting the calendar results back. its been corrected so you should see the calendar returning back much more often now. we're also looking into issues where specific markets are failing completely to return the calendar.
that's all the info i have for right now.
that's all the info i have for right now.
Dec 31, 2008, 9:30 am
#245
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Lafayette, CO, USA
Programs: SPG Lifetime Plat, AA Gold, UA Gold, DL Silver, HH Gold, Vail Epic
Posts: 9,096
DeltaWebDev,
Thanks for working on this!
I mentioned my trouble with seeing a calendar for a trip to EGE. I just tried again and get the same results as before. Specifically, I am having trouble with searches for travel from CAE to EGE that include a return flight in March.
If my requested return date is in March (e.g. depart 2/26/09 and return 3/3/09), then the calendar never shows up, and I am sent straight to the resulting availability for the specific travel dates that I entered. No error message is presented to indicate that it would have been normal to have seen a calendar.
If I instead have a return date in Feb (e.g. depart 2/26/09 and return 2/28/09), I get the award availability calendars. From there, I can advance the calendars to the month of March. Availability in March shows for the Outbound CAE-EGE, but every single day on the Return calendar is grey and says "n/a".
Computer/browser configuration: Windows XP with IE 6.0sp3.
Thanks for working on this!
I mentioned my trouble with seeing a calendar for a trip to EGE. I just tried again and get the same results as before. Specifically, I am having trouble with searches for travel from CAE to EGE that include a return flight in March.
If my requested return date is in March (e.g. depart 2/26/09 and return 3/3/09), then the calendar never shows up, and I am sent straight to the resulting availability for the specific travel dates that I entered. No error message is presented to indicate that it would have been normal to have seen a calendar.
If I instead have a return date in Feb (e.g. depart 2/26/09 and return 2/28/09), I get the award availability calendars. From there, I can advance the calendars to the month of March. Availability in March shows for the Outbound CAE-EGE, but every single day on the Return calendar is grey and says "n/a".
Computer/browser configuration: Windows XP with IE 6.0sp3.
Dec 31, 2008, 11:07 am
#246
Join Date: Dec 2008
Programs: DL, AA, US, AF
Posts: 19
The changes Delta has made to their Skymiles availaible are atrocious IMO, and their Skymiles area is broken.
I first reported to their tech support that the "Revise" box would throw an error message each and every time (does not do this in the paid ticket section of their website interesting) and that the award calendar no longer works five days ago and nothing so far, unless you count the one that insisted I did not know how to use it and that it was not a big deal to have to re-enter every single piece of information to check alternate dates and routes.
Add to that res agents who are insufficiently trained (had one yesterday tell me I needed to use a separate award for the domestic portion as it was only available in Coach not Biz
) so you now have to call until you can actually get one who is knowledgable and also willing to put forth effort on your behalf.
I transferred miles into my account at the cost of almost 700 bucks since they have the restriction that all miles for an award need to come from the same account, then they do not even post ANY low mileage awards on the day they release FFM space.
The agent on with me this morning told me that folks are really starting to raise a rukus due to the lack of lower mileage award seats and that I should not expect to see them until the last minute.
So the early bird no longer gets the worm. Shame on Delta.
I first reported to their tech support that the "Revise" box would throw an error message each and every time (does not do this in the paid ticket section of their website interesting) and that the award calendar no longer works five days ago and nothing so far, unless you count the one that insisted I did not know how to use it and that it was not a big deal to have to re-enter every single piece of information to check alternate dates and routes.
Add to that res agents who are insufficiently trained (had one yesterday tell me I needed to use a separate award for the domestic portion as it was only available in Coach not Biz
) so you now have to call until you can actually get one who is knowledgable and also willing to put forth effort on your behalf.I transferred miles into my account at the cost of almost 700 bucks since they have the restriction that all miles for an award need to come from the same account, then they do not even post ANY low mileage awards on the day they release FFM space.
The agent on with me this morning told me that folks are really starting to raise a rukus due to the lack of lower mileage award seats and that I should not expect to see them until the last minute.
So the early bird no longer gets the worm. Shame on Delta.
Dec 31, 2008, 11:17 am
#247
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 494
sc flier : i caught a coworker on the qa team just before he ran to lunch about your trip specifically. i can replicate everything you are describing and some other things. i won't have a solution for you today, but we are trying to figure it out. hopefully i can find some similarity in the markets that consistently behave this way. i was hoping that the examples provided would result in the same behavior, but so far (unless i'm trying different dates than y'all were) i can get the calendar to return for the others.
its not browser related though (these issues almost never are) as i can get the same results in ie, firefox (my preference), and safari using windows.
its not browser related though (these issues almost never are) as i can get the same results in ie, firefox (my preference), and safari using windows.
Dec 31, 2008, 11:51 am
#248
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Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Watchlisted by the prejudiced, en route to purgatory
Programs: Just Say No to Fleecing and Blacklisting
Posts: 102,095
Even "last minute" has been cracked down upon by DL, thereby making the "low" standard awards harder to come by than they were several months ago. This DL crackdown on standard "low" award availability adds insult to injury as the crackdown happens to be made worse and worse by DL even as regular paid demand for air travel falls faster than supply gets adjusted.
Dec 31, 2008, 11:59 am
#249
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Portland, Maine
Programs: UA 1K, SPG PLAT, HYATT PLAT, HH GOLD, AA GOLD, MR GOLD
Posts: 1,179
What frustrates me most is that the overview calendar will display "low" availability, then when I click on those date I get an extravagant price (ex: 240K miles for TPAC in Y).
Frankly, I'm over the whole 3 tier thing -- it may suck, but it's here to stay. I'm willing to work with it, but it hasn't been willing to work with me. I know the "low" has gotten "higher," but come on Delta. If you publish something, stick to it.
My personal favorite Award anecdote. I recently purchased a vacation trip, NYC-GUA in the spring (Y). I paid $270 r/t a/i. For fun, I plugged in my dates and it showed "low" availability -- that is, at 65,000 miles! To Central America! I'm no mathematician, but wouldn't that mean Pay with Miles is a, let's see, 200%+ BETTER deal than old fashioned award ticketing?
Frankly, I'm over the whole 3 tier thing -- it may suck, but it's here to stay. I'm willing to work with it, but it hasn't been willing to work with me. I know the "low" has gotten "higher," but come on Delta. If you publish something, stick to it.
My personal favorite Award anecdote. I recently purchased a vacation trip, NYC-GUA in the spring (Y). I paid $270 r/t a/i. For fun, I plugged in my dates and it showed "low" availability -- that is, at 65,000 miles! To Central America! I'm no mathematician, but wouldn't that mean Pay with Miles is a, let's see, 200%+ BETTER deal than old fashioned award ticketing?
I am looking for BOS 04/17 - JNB r/t 04/27 Business/First class
The results for week are all over the place.
Today (12/31/08 1:56PM EST) both outbound and return come up as LOW - 175K!!!
try it again and they come up as medium, then again one of each.
I realize the easy answer from DL reps is "award inventory is always changing", but this the a computer computation problem.
I am DL Gold and really believe that the move to CO and STAR-A is looking better each week.
Heck for 175k miles I can have Premium First class (not International DL Business) on United!
Dec 31, 2008, 12:28 pm
#250
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 4,677
Maybe it is my imagination, but the calendar seems to be working much better right now. Not perfect, but when it says low, and I click through the ticket actually costs the low amount.
I was looking at DC-Europe tickets for last minute travel and there is J award space available all over the place. Pretty much every market I looked at, including LHR, CDG, BUD, FCO, NCE and a few others could be had for 100K Miles.
I was looking at DC-Europe tickets for last minute travel and there is J award space available all over the place. Pretty much every market I looked at, including LHR, CDG, BUD, FCO, NCE and a few others could be had for 100K Miles.
Dec 31, 2008, 12:47 pm
#251
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Portland, Maine
Programs: UA 1K, SPG PLAT, HYATT PLAT, HH GOLD, AA GOLD, MR GOLD
Posts: 1,179
Well Said!!! I have the same feeling. I can make myself live with change - even if it is uncomfortable at first. But when I adapt the the change "it" does not work the way promised.
I am looking for BOS 04/17 - JNB r/t 04/27 Business/First class
The results for week are all over the place.
Today (12/31/08 1:56PM EST) both outbound and return come up as LOW - 175K!!!
try it again and they come up as medium, then again one of each.
I realize the easy answer from DL reps is "award inventory is always changing", but this the a computer computation problem.
I am DL Gold and really believe that the move to CO and STAR-A is looking better each week.
Heck for 175k miles I can have Premium First class (not International DL Business) on United!
I am looking for BOS 04/17 - JNB r/t 04/27 Business/First class
The results for week are all over the place.
Today (12/31/08 1:56PM EST) both outbound and return come up as LOW - 175K!!!
try it again and they come up as medium, then again one of each.
I realize the easy answer from DL reps is "award inventory is always changing", but this the a computer computation problem.
I am DL Gold and really believe that the move to CO and STAR-A is looking better each week.
Heck for 175k miles I can have Premium First class (not International DL Business) on United!
BOTH directions come back as LOW.
300K miles
Let me repeat did the search @ 1:56PM and exact search at 2:46PM EST and BOTH come back as low, but the second "low" is 300K miles
300K miles for "low"(Yes, Green box) 50 minutes later.
300K for LOW.
Dec 31, 2008, 12:50 pm
#252
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Portland, Maine
Programs: UA 1K, SPG PLAT, HYATT PLAT, HH GOLD, AA GOLD, MR GOLD
Posts: 1,179
I jut did another EXACT search BOS-JNB Business/First 04/17-04/27return.
BOTH directions come back as LOW.
300K miles
Let me repeat did the search @ 1:56PM and exact search at 2:46PM EST and BOTH come back as low, but the second "low" is 300K miles
300K miles for "low"(Yes, Green box) 50 minutes later.
300K for LOW.
BOTH directions come back as LOW.
300K miles
Let me repeat did the search @ 1:56PM and exact search at 2:46PM EST and BOTH come back as low, but the second "low" is 300K miles
300K miles for "low"(Yes, Green box) 50 minutes later.
300K for LOW.
OK just for kicks and giggles I just did the search again (2:50PM EST):
17th Yellow-Med
Return 27 Low Green
175k miles
IT IS ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!!!!!!!!
Jan 1, 2009, 2:19 am
#253
Suspended
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Tucson, AZ, USA. UA 1K, reluctant but * best in class * DL FO/MM. Former BA jumpseat rider and scourge of Dilbertian management and apologists. As LX might - and do - say: "....an experienced frequent flyer of international airlines"
Posts: 3,386
DL.COM is deliberately not showing the lowest available mileages for redemptions?
The DL award tool problems are severe in many respects. It's almost a junk application to those of us used to NWA.COM or CO.COM.
For you DL guys out there seeking SkySaver tix, try this. Search DL.COM for an award itin e.g. to use a co-worker's recent example CVG-CDG-CVG in July/Aug. This guy is a DL GM BTW. DL shows no availability at anything except ridiculous SkySnork levels. The calendar bears no relation whatsoever to the bookable reality, as we all know, but manually checking all his possible out/return date combos in sequence - about twelve of them - shows nada at SkySaver levels. Nothing available below 100k each - which doesn't even make sense using the published levels, but never mind.
Now, search the same city pair, same dates on NWA.COM. Without the benefit of elite login. Find low-priced itin. Now we see a 50,000 mile itin in Y! On DL/AF. For two people. On the original days...
Now, we return to DL.COM and manually enter the itin as a multi-seg trip. Now it finds SkySaver availability on the exact flights for 60k! WHICH IT DID NOT SHOW BEFORE!
The DL.COM award booking issues are the ones that are going to push me to status match to StarA. If I can't reliably book available award tickets at the mileages specified, and use my time to search effectively for the lower published levels, there's really no point in accumulating the miles.
No excuses can cover the factual reality that NWA.COM outperforms DL.COM, even when it deals with DL metal. Or, is it worse than simple outpeformance? Is it actually possible that DL.COM is *deliberately* not showing the lowest available mileages for redemptions when such inventory does in fact exist, even on its own metal? That would be scandalous.
For you DL guys out there seeking SkySaver tix, try this. Search DL.COM for an award itin e.g. to use a co-worker's recent example CVG-CDG-CVG in July/Aug. This guy is a DL GM BTW. DL shows no availability at anything except ridiculous SkySnork levels. The calendar bears no relation whatsoever to the bookable reality, as we all know, but manually checking all his possible out/return date combos in sequence - about twelve of them - shows nada at SkySaver levels. Nothing available below 100k each - which doesn't even make sense using the published levels, but never mind.
Now, search the same city pair, same dates on NWA.COM. Without the benefit of elite login. Find low-priced itin. Now we see a 50,000 mile itin in Y! On DL/AF. For two people. On the original days...
Now, we return to DL.COM and manually enter the itin as a multi-seg trip. Now it finds SkySaver availability on the exact flights for 60k! WHICH IT DID NOT SHOW BEFORE!
The DL.COM award booking issues are the ones that are going to push me to status match to StarA. If I can't reliably book available award tickets at the mileages specified, and use my time to search effectively for the lower published levels, there's really no point in accumulating the miles.
No excuses can cover the factual reality that NWA.COM outperforms DL.COM, even when it deals with DL metal. Or, is it worse than simple outpeformance? Is it actually possible that DL.COM is *deliberately* not showing the lowest available mileages for redemptions when such inventory does in fact exist, even on its own metal? That would be scandalous.
Jan 1, 2009, 6:43 am
#254
Join Date: Oct 2008
Programs: Delta - Plat Medallion, Hyatt Gold Passport - Platinum, Hilton Hon - Gold VIP, SPG Gold
Posts: 51
I just tried to book a JFK-MXP award ticket in Business again this morning. The calandar showed that low milage seats were available for a June 6 to June 16 trip. When I seleceted those dates the milage charges came back starting at 175,000 per passanger. This program simply does not work.
Last edited by Marc NYC; Jan 1, 2009 at 7:20 am
Jan 1, 2009, 7:26 am
#255
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: Tucson, AZ USA
Programs: AA Exec Plat / DL-Silver / Hyatt - Glob / Hilton-Gold
Posts: 1,577
It isn't a personal thing.
NW has always put more efforts (read: $$$) into IT than most carriers. I say this as an ex-developer for AA (in Flight Operations, nothing to do with Reservations) and was always impressed at conferences when hearing what NW was up to. I think the difference in the DL & NW websites has as much to do with management support than the Develper's abilities.
As an NW flyer, I have no experience with the DL award booking.
But I can say that overall, the NW website is FAR superior to DL, it is much more user freindly.
Naturally, that statement is somewhat biased as I'm more familiar with the NW site than with DL's but I still feel it is a fair statement to make.
So it saddens me to hear that the desicion has been made to stick with the DL website.
You claim that after full analysis, it was determined that overall, it would be "best" for to stay with the DL site.
The definition of the term "best" is subjective. Being PHX based, I've already witnessed one airline "combining the best from 2 carriers to create the world's greatest airline". I doubt that ever I'll set foot on a US airplane again. America West's definition of "best" was always from their accountant's point of view and not the customers.
I'm watching this concept of defining "best" very closely with DL/NW.
DL Management needs to remember the customer in that definition. If they truley think that the DL website is "better" for the customer over NW's then DL is already down a few points.
And for me personally, DL/NW starts off minus several points. I can sum it up in one word: Continental
The only reason I've decided to give DL/NW one year to see how the definition of "best" plays out across the board is because switching to CO would involve also switching back to US as a secondary carrier.
Steve