Delta SUCKS for award travel in Europe.. HELP
#61
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Last edited by vinnmann; Aug 9, 2007 at 1:52 pm
#62
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So if I understand the DL apologists, there should be PLENTY of SkySaver Award tickets to any Western Europe city for May or June RIGHT NOW, correct?
#63
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Originally Posted by wco81
So if I understand the DL apologists, there should be PLENTY of SkySaver Award tickets to any Western Europe city for May or June RIGHT NOW, correct?
#64
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#65
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Originally Posted by vinnmann
However, I have discovered that the more effort you put into it, the better results you will get.
#66
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Well I've called before and yes they are very helpful.
It is too bad there is no way to integrate all the SkyTeam and partner flights into one search engine.
You would think Delta is trying to save costs by driving people to the web, considering how widely use the web now is for travel planning.
Don't want to see people lose jobs but can't imagine the $5 booking fee comes close to covering the costs of calls.
Especially when many calls don't result in a booking.
Anyone know if you can book an award ticket 9-11 months out but have the flexibility to change or cancel them later?
Or would that require SkyChoice award tickets, not SkySaver award tickets?
It is too bad there is no way to integrate all the SkyTeam and partner flights into one search engine.
You would think Delta is trying to save costs by driving people to the web, considering how widely use the web now is for travel planning.
Don't want to see people lose jobs but can't imagine the $5 booking fee comes close to covering the costs of calls.
Especially when many calls don't result in a booking.
Anyone know if you can book an award ticket 9-11 months out but have the flexibility to change or cancel them later?
Or would that require SkyChoice award tickets, not SkySaver award tickets?
#67
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: NH
Posts: 5,720
Originally Posted by Cholula
Well, 2 months ago it was only 6 months out but if you go back 5 months it was 10 months out.
That is unless you counted the other direction and then it would be 2 months in.
Waiting until next month, we're only looking at 3 months out or 9 months in depending on whether one looks forward or backward.
Hope this clears up the situation......
That is unless you counted the other direction and then it would be 2 months in.
Waiting until next month, we're only looking at 3 months out or 9 months in depending on whether one looks forward or backward.
Hope this clears up the situation......
#68
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Last edited by vinnmann; Aug 9, 2007 at 1:52 pm
#69
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 115
Europe in the Summer
Originally Posted by Cassius19
Hi,
I'm a Delta Internationa; Sales Agent. "Huge range of dates of July and August" Basically all of July and August is total high season. Booking levels are high enought that the free seats have been yanked booked long ago. Booking summer to travel Europe two months ahead is the equivilent of calling the week before Thanksgiving to get the "cheapest fare" on the Wed before and the Sunday after. Yesterday a guy "ripped into me" because I couldn't get him 3 skysaver seats for Business Elite on the no-stop JFK-ATH. When I I checked for him. I couldn't even sell him 1 full fare seat in coach or business on the dates he wanted.
I really appreciate the understanding most of you have in regards to summer travel to Europe. It's a bear! Still hope is not all lost. Our partner Continental seems to usually have availibilty to strange places like Bristol, Birmingham and Belfast. You can can probably get some type of decent fare to fly from one of those places to your final destination. If you really have hat many miles to "burn". Just double up and you'll get there. I know the Skychoice gets lots of people mad, but in reality, the double mileage really is similar to the value of the standard mileage from the times when people actually earned their miles from flying and providing loyal business to an airline instead of charging their lives away on credit cards and getting tons of miles that way.
I know there's many Medallion members here, and this is quote is NOT geared towards you guys and gals at all. I just had to throw it out there, since most of the whiners are "American Express Awards People"
On that note, I need to go to work now a matter of a fact.
I'm trying a HUGE range of dates in July and August... and I can't get any skysaver ticket to spain or italy. Can anyone help? I called and tried all the carriers under skyteam. Any suggestions for europe? I want to go to southern europe and would consider flying into somewhere else in order to be able to GET to spain. This is just sad.... Delta really has let me down over the past 2 months. I had a HUGE ordeal a month ago, wrote a letter of complaint, never heard shiiit back from them. Switching to NWA I think..... well, while I still have miles to burn, anyone got any ideas?
Thanks guys!
I'm a Delta Internationa; Sales Agent. "Huge range of dates of July and August" Basically all of July and August is total high season. Booking levels are high enought that the free seats have been yanked booked long ago. Booking summer to travel Europe two months ahead is the equivilent of calling the week before Thanksgiving to get the "cheapest fare" on the Wed before and the Sunday after. Yesterday a guy "ripped into me" because I couldn't get him 3 skysaver seats for Business Elite on the no-stop JFK-ATH. When I I checked for him. I couldn't even sell him 1 full fare seat in coach or business on the dates he wanted.
I really appreciate the understanding most of you have in regards to summer travel to Europe. It's a bear! Still hope is not all lost. Our partner Continental seems to usually have availibilty to strange places like Bristol, Birmingham and Belfast. You can can probably get some type of decent fare to fly from one of those places to your final destination. If you really have hat many miles to "burn". Just double up and you'll get there. I know the Skychoice gets lots of people mad, but in reality, the double mileage really is similar to the value of the standard mileage from the times when people actually earned their miles from flying and providing loyal business to an airline instead of charging their lives away on credit cards and getting tons of miles that way.
I know there's many Medallion members here, and this is quote is NOT geared towards you guys and gals at all. I just had to throw it out there, since most of the whiners are "American Express Awards People"
On that note, I need to go to work now a matter of a fact.
I'm trying a HUGE range of dates in July and August... and I can't get any skysaver ticket to spain or italy. Can anyone help? I called and tried all the carriers under skyteam. Any suggestions for europe? I want to go to southern europe and would consider flying into somewhere else in order to be able to GET to spain. This is just sad.... Delta really has let me down over the past 2 months. I had a HUGE ordeal a month ago, wrote a letter of complaint, never heard shiiit back from them. Switching to NWA I think..... well, while I still have miles to burn, anyone got any ideas?
Thanks guys!
#70
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Bristol is the one place DL reps continue to have luck with in terms of award seats for the summer. However, from there, the options are not great.
#71
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: NH
Posts: 5,720
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassius19
Hi,
I'm a Delta Internationa; Sales Agent. If you really have hat many miles to "burn". Just double up and you'll get there. I know the Skychoice gets lots of people mad, but in reality, the double mileage really is similar to the value of the standard mileage from the times when people actually earned their miles from flying and providing loyal business to an airline instead of charging their lives away on credit cards and getting tons of miles that way.
Cassius19,
There is one fallacy of your argument. That is that Delta has profited greatly from their partner programs... having been compensated by these partners for the skymiles. That's been a revenue stream for Delta that they should honor.
The partners have offered the miles to us, the public, in return for doing business for them. It's a quid pro quo that has had both the quid and the quo.
Anyway, I've noticed that you can get skysaver awards at the last minute on the outbound flight, although the return flights are still skychoice. What Delta should do is split the difference with its customers. If it takes 90,000 for the skysaver and 180,000 for the skychoice, but a skysaver is available for one leg, then charge 135,000 for the entire trip.
R.
Originally Posted by Cassius19
Hi,
I'm a Delta Internationa; Sales Agent. If you really have hat many miles to "burn". Just double up and you'll get there. I know the Skychoice gets lots of people mad, but in reality, the double mileage really is similar to the value of the standard mileage from the times when people actually earned their miles from flying and providing loyal business to an airline instead of charging their lives away on credit cards and getting tons of miles that way.
Cassius19,
There is one fallacy of your argument. That is that Delta has profited greatly from their partner programs... having been compensated by these partners for the skymiles. That's been a revenue stream for Delta that they should honor.
The partners have offered the miles to us, the public, in return for doing business for them. It's a quid pro quo that has had both the quid and the quo.
Anyway, I've noticed that you can get skysaver awards at the last minute on the outbound flight, although the return flights are still skychoice. What Delta should do is split the difference with its customers. If it takes 90,000 for the skysaver and 180,000 for the skychoice, but a skysaver is available for one leg, then charge 135,000 for the entire trip.
R.
#72
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Originally Posted by rkt10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassius19
Hi,
I'm a Delta Internationa; Sales Agent. If you really have hat many miles to "burn". Just double up and you'll get there. I know the Skychoice gets lots of people mad, but in reality, the double mileage really is similar to the value of the standard mileage from the times when people actually earned their miles from flying and providing loyal business to an airline instead of charging their lives away on credit cards and getting tons of miles that way.
Cassius19,
There is one fallacy of your argument. That is that Delta has profited greatly from their partner programs... having been compensated by these partners for the skymiles. That's been a revenue stream for Delta that they should honor.
The partners have offered the miles to us, the public, in return for doing business for them. It's a quid pro quo that has had both the quid and the quo.
Anyway, I've noticed that you can get skysaver awards at the last minute on the outbound flight, although the return flights are still skychoice. What Delta should do is split the difference with its customers. If it takes 90,000 for the skysaver and 180,000 for the skychoice, but a skysaver is available for one leg, then charge 135,000 for the entire trip.
R.
Originally Posted by Cassius19
Hi,
I'm a Delta Internationa; Sales Agent. If you really have hat many miles to "burn". Just double up and you'll get there. I know the Skychoice gets lots of people mad, but in reality, the double mileage really is similar to the value of the standard mileage from the times when people actually earned their miles from flying and providing loyal business to an airline instead of charging their lives away on credit cards and getting tons of miles that way.
Cassius19,
There is one fallacy of your argument. That is that Delta has profited greatly from their partner programs... having been compensated by these partners for the skymiles. That's been a revenue stream for Delta that they should honor.
The partners have offered the miles to us, the public, in return for doing business for them. It's a quid pro quo that has had both the quid and the quo.
Anyway, I've noticed that you can get skysaver awards at the last minute on the outbound flight, although the return flights are still skychoice. What Delta should do is split the difference with its customers. If it takes 90,000 for the skysaver and 180,000 for the skychoice, but a skysaver is available for one leg, then charge 135,000 for the entire trip.
R.
#73
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Last edited by vinnmann; Aug 9, 2007 at 1:52 pm
#74
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: CA/UT
Programs: Delta Gold, Starwood GM
Posts: 710
Originally Posted by GUWonder
Bristol is the one place DL reps continue to have luck with in terms of award seats for the summer. However, from there, the options are not great.
#75
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 115
Ok, let me try again one more time
Originally Posted by rkt10
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassius19
Hi,
I'm a Delta Internationa; Sales Agent. If you really have hat many miles to "burn". Just double up and you'll get there. I know the Skychoice gets lots of people mad, but in reality, the double mileage really is similar to the value of the standard mileage from the times when people actually earned their miles from flying and providing loyal business to an airline instead of charging their lives away on credit cards and getting tons of miles that way.
Cassius19,
There is one fallacy of your argument. That is that Delta has profited greatly from their partner programs... having been compensated by these partners for the skymiles. That's been a revenue stream for Delta that they should honor.
The partners have offered the miles to us, the public, in return for doing business for them. It's a quid pro quo that has had both the quid and the quo.
Anyway, I've noticed that you can get skysaver awards at the last minute on the outbound flight, although the return flights are still skychoice. What Delta should do is split the difference with its customers. If it takes 90,000 for the skysaver and 180,000 for the skychoice, but a skysaver is available for one leg, then charge 135,000 for the entire trip.
R.
Originally Posted by Cassius19
Hi,
I'm a Delta Internationa; Sales Agent. If you really have hat many miles to "burn". Just double up and you'll get there. I know the Skychoice gets lots of people mad, but in reality, the double mileage really is similar to the value of the standard mileage from the times when people actually earned their miles from flying and providing loyal business to an airline instead of charging their lives away on credit cards and getting tons of miles that way.
Cassius19,
There is one fallacy of your argument. That is that Delta has profited greatly from their partner programs... having been compensated by these partners for the skymiles. That's been a revenue stream for Delta that they should honor.
The partners have offered the miles to us, the public, in return for doing business for them. It's a quid pro quo that has had both the quid and the quo.
Anyway, I've noticed that you can get skysaver awards at the last minute on the outbound flight, although the return flights are still skychoice. What Delta should do is split the difference with its customers. If it takes 90,000 for the skysaver and 180,000 for the skychoice, but a skysaver is available for one leg, then charge 135,000 for the entire trip.
R.
Also on a side note, being nice to us really DOES make work harder for you. There's one Platinum guy that calls all of the time and refuses to talk to female agents! He demands to be transferred to male. Can you believe that? If you're nice and patient with me, and I have to tell you I can't find seats, you can be assured that I checked EVERY possible avenue. If you're rude, short, arrogant, etc...You won't get bad service necessarily, but no hoop jumping or backflips will be done for you.