baba786

Hello Everyone

This is my first post and I have a question.

I have an options voucher on the following sector
GRU-DXB-HKG-DXB-GRU

I know that the re-routing is not allowed and I don't want to go to HKG. So assuming I get a ticket for the whole trip issued, will it still be valid if I skip the DXB-HKG-DXB trip without telling the airline? I just want to fly GRU-DXB-GRU.

Has anyone done this before?

Thanks a lot in advance!! @:-)

eightblack

Welcome to FT and to the EK Forum

A word of advice. You might want to remove your email address from your profile under your handle. Despite the many, many great people on FlyerTalk, there are also a few whose motives aren't so pure. And unless you want be bombarded by every spammer on the web, you might want to do this sooner rather than later.

I've never heard of an "options voucher". Normally though, if you don't complete your booked itinerary, the airline will cancel the rest of your ticket. The specific fare conditions will determine whether or not the remainder of the ticket has any value.

eshaq786

Is this a voucher you received as some form of compensation? If it is then I believe you may have to complete the whole journey. however you may be able to call up and ask if they can just allow you to go to DXB as this will work out cheaper for the airline anyway.

ung1

Eightblack, an options voucher is compensation in the form of a free ticket given for voluntary/ involuntary bumping off a flight. Most Golds and Silvers will be unfamiliar with this because the airline targets non-Skywards members before asking premium customers.

Essentially the coupon entitles you to a return ticket in the same cabin on the same route you were meant to fly, valid for one year. The sad part is it must be used on the same route, and can't be changed to a different destination within the zone. The great thing is you still get tier miles, so given the choice I would probably accept one of these.

Though I did once, and I wasn't very wise then, and let myself get pushed around a bit, which I shouldn't have.

To the OP: Original fare rules would apply for stop overs etc. If you're trying to build up status, I'd suggest flying to HKG for a nice meal, but spending most of your time in DXB as you want to. Ok, probably not such an exciting Mileage Run since it's in Y

yanny baba

Does an option voucher come in addition to a later flight that you have chosen to take at EK's request?

ung1

Yes - they put you on a later flight and provide meals/ transport/ hotels in the mean time, while the voucher is for future travel.

yanny baba

Thats probably why i've never heard of them before. I imagine they're a bit like hens teeth!

ung1

It isn't often that flights are so full that there aren't enough seats after upgrades and no-shows. The one time I experienced this, the flight had 23 no shows, but they were oversold by 26, so had to VDB 3 pax.

The airport manager was quite discreet while requesting passengers. And it depended on connections and loads on those connections as well, so you're more likely to be asked if flying to DXB. In fact, while initially they had asked more pax to VDB, they eventually told all of us we could board the flight. So they control this very tightly. They must have had a last minute show, because they did eventually need to get three people off.

When this happened with me, the situation was handled poorly, and SIN is not the most exciting place to get a free ticket to, so I don't know if I would go through it again.

yanny baba

Thanks for the f/b.

I'm generally LHR/LGW-DXB, so an option voucher would definately be useful to me without being too much of an issue due to frequency of alternatives.

Another factor to add into my pre-flight booking strategy!

ung1

I don't know if they would offer it if the next flight was within a few hours. In my case it was a 10 hr wait, hence the crappy hotel room. Also the fact that I was ticketed ex DXB so they didn't just say go home.

As a counter example, though with QR, they cancelled a DOH - DXB flight giving no reason and no compensation despite being on a full F ticket. Next flight was 2-3 hrs later.

Zol

Are you sure you get the tier? A friend of mine experienced this on a PER-DXB flight and he was told specifically he would earn no miles (and he didn't) on the flight and that it is treated like a reward.


As for the OP's question, I had a similar experience on a revenue ticket LHR-DXB-BOM and when asked EK if I could skip the DXB-BOM legs after I had landed in DXB they said I could and they would just re-route the ticket but I would get no refund.

ung1

Yes, because I got tier and redeemable miles when I used my voucher. I vaguely recall someone telling me I wouldn't get miles, and was actually quite surprised I did. Maybe I got lucky.

lsed

So supposing your flight was from say JFK - DXB - SIN - DXB - JFK. And if you VDB on the JFK - DXB, they still issue you a full return ticket?

As you said they target non skywards, how did you manage to get selected then?

I'm guessing if you check in early they won't target you?



According to CNNGo, SIN is rated #2!

ung1

I'm not sure, but I suspect that's the case. I was on a DXB-SIN-DXB. They gave me a return ticket despite my VDBing on one leg only. So I suspect it's for an equivalent itinerary.

When this happened, I was Skywards, but had just started flying regularly with EK, so no status.

I think it depends on at what point they know they need to deny boarding to people. And then target single travelers, preferably flying only one leg. I remember there being a couple of girls complaining they'd come in from Australia and were flying on to BHX. They eventually didn't get VDBed.

But another guy was connecting to somewhere else and did get VDBed. I think it depends also on where you're connecting to. I was at check in a good 90-120 minutes before - the duty manager asked me to come back after an hour when I expressed interest in his offer. So I didn't turn up last minute. And I would have done the OLCI. Oh and I had a bulkhead aisle seat selected online.

Haha, SIN isn't interesting because I fly between DXB and SIN all the time anyway. There's nothing exciting about it. It's somewhere I'd pay to fly anyway. I personally wouldn't rank Singaporeans as the second coolest nationality though. Your link is strange, because it's the Tokyo page. Maybe Japanese find the people here fascinating.

baba786

Thanks to all of you for the answers. Thanks to Eightblack for the email tip, I somehow just didn't notice.

Now let me clarify a few points:

1. Options voucher can be offered to anyone irrespective of membership status but as a rule generally it is offered to non members first. I was a gold when it was offered to me.

2. It is offered as a compensation if you get bumped off a flight. You might or might not get reward points from this voucher. In my case I'm not getting any so less incentive to fly to HKG.

3. I plan to do the following I have taken a 3 day halt in DXB on my way to HKG. The flight from HKG I don't intend to fly in any case but I would still checkin online. The same for return from HKG to DXB, not flying but checkin online only.

4. I don't know after this my ticket from DXB-GRU will be valid but I will update you guys on what happened in the end.

Lets see how it goes...

Thanks again.