janeway

From my understanding, there is a difference between "booking" and "holding" the award reservations, but that both have the effect of taking that seat out of total award seats available. And previously, anyone (with any level of Skymiles status) could "hold" a reservation for 331 days.

Since Plats don't get charged anything to change "booked" award seats, it shouldn't really have any difference (for the airlines' most frequent customers, that is), if total # award seats isn't being decreased. Except that people no longer can "hold" multiple reservations that they may never actually "book".

carm100

Previously you could not "hold" an award reservation for more than 2 weeks without ticketing. I am a Gold member and perhaps that's different for Platinum members but once the ticket is run, it is a $50 charge to change or cancel. In many cases, family vacations are planned 331 days out and if you changed the reservation after ticketing it would cost $50 per ticket. In either case, no one could "hold" a reservation for more than 2 weeks without some financial penalty after it is ticketed.

janeway

Plats don't get charged $50 to change award tickets. That's why this change should benefit us. ^

carm100

By "us" I assume you are referring to platinum members. Well, there are MANY others (including some very loyal silver and gold members) that having a 2 day rule would hurt. Perhaps we should look beyond what affects "us".

avflyer

If you are booking award travel as a PM, GM, FO, etc, this rule change will affect you if:

1. You try and grab a flight (during peak times) shortly after the flight gets loaded into the system, at the 331 day window (often at midnight Eastern). If you don't do this, then this rule change won't affect you.

2. You have ever booked award travel but one leg wasn't available to you when you booked the other, then you too will be on the phone more frequently trying to tie up your open iteneary. Again, if you always get an outbound and return at the same time, then this doesn't matter to you.

As a loyal and supportive GM (rarely ever flying discount or deeply discounted flights), I feel my hard earned award miles are just as good as anyone else's. That said, the waived fee provision for PM's make this rule change somewhat less painful as you could always book a leg you want coupled with a leg you will never take, and suffer nothing while you wait for the right flight to clear inventory.

The lesson here is, PM's get a perk but all of us, PM, GM, and FO will spend more time trying to lock in the award travel we want. I can't wait to see the thread entitled "DELTA JUST TOSSED OUT MY FAMILY'S SUMMER VACATION AFTER ONLY 2 DAYS .

GUWonder

It's not that hard for me to understand.

1. Given SkyMiles award seats are capacity controlled (i.e., not guaranteed to be available on desired routes, in desired cabins, in desired number of seats, everyday), plenty of customers are essentially required to schedule their vacation (with the office) around actual SkyMiles award availability.

2. Therefore (without quitting work) this requires either:

a) putting an award ticket on hold, getting vacation approved by the office and then getting the booking ticketed after getting the vacation cleared;

or

b) making even more DL bookings a cash+miles booking (where the cash paid for necessary changes, when vacation is not approved, is revenue for DL; cash going beyond taxes and fees passed through diretctly to airports/governments).

This is a change that is hostile to many SkyMiles members and is likely to help fewer than it hurts -- while allowing DL to ramp up SkyMiles revenue generated from member-paid fees.

GUWonder

This should hurt plenty of PMs like us too. This will cost me more phone time.

I don't know about you but I don't want my staff spending 45 minutes to 2 hours on the phone every two days for a week or two or three in order to save $50. That's just financially idiotic for most of us -- unless you are making a McDonalds' senior hamburger-flipper wage or less, a wage which is not what most of us PMs are living on.

rcs85551

DL has changed the rules effective today. If you ticket the reservation immediately, and then book the return once it becomes available, the $50 reissue fee will be waived.

GRS reference is G*9708/47-12.

GUWonder

Improvement. ^^ And thank you for sharing the good news.

But I would prefer a move that reduced the phone wait times.

Spiff

Excellent news. Thank you. ^

carm100

Yes but what happens if a return flight does not become available for award tickets? Are you stuck with a one way ticket?

I didn't realize that PM do not get charged for a reissue or redeposit. Perhaps Platinum members are holding multiple award reservations since there is no penalty to do so. Gold and Silver members do have a penalty for canceling or redepositing so there is less of an incentive to hold multiple award tickets. Should Delta impose a $50 per ticket on PMs as well to open up more inventory of award tickets??? Just a thought!

Traveller

This just went into effect for PMs on April 4th of this year.

Bulldog King

Actually...Delta only recently (earlier this month) decided to eliminate all "award ticket related" fees for PMs.

A.J.

indufan

Aren't there still rapid redemption fees? Of course, a creative PM ought to be able to figure out a way around them.

carm100

Rapid redemption fees have nothing to do with the new 2 day rule. If you are able to get an award ticket on short notice, the return flight would be available so the 2 day rule does not have any bearing.