KLM didn't credit my flight to Delta, is this a lost cause?
Jan 21, 2019, 4:49 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: GLA
Posts: 1,214
KLM didn't credit my flight to Delta, is this a lost cause?
I had a flight from BKK-AMS on KLM that I upgraded with miles. When I checked in, I gave them my Delta Skymiles number and asked them to credit the flight there. It was a pretty frantic check in because we had a dog so there was a lot of other paperwork flying around. When I went to take the return flight a few months ago I noticed that the miles had been credited to my KLM account instead, and I contacted them to transfer them to Delta. They said it wasn't possible, because even though I had added my Delta account, my KLM number was still on the ticket because we had used KLM miles to upgrade. They have acknowledged that I asked to credit the miles to Delta at check-in, but said there's nothing they can do because the miles are already in my KLM account.
Here's their most recent email:
For your future reference, please be advised that once Flying Blue number is registered to your booking, there will be a highly likely possibility that your flight Miles would be credited to Flying Blue, even when you add another program's frequesnt flyer number later on.
As stated in our Terms & Conditions section 1.2.12 and 2.10, we regret to inform you again that we are unable to remove the Miles once credited. Therefore, we would like to kindly advise you to not to utilize your Flying blue number to login when making reservations or managing your booking online, as it will lead to your Flying Blue number to be associated to your reservation automatically. In addition, please note that Flying Blue number can also be added to your reservation if you mention your Flying Blue number at the time of booking, check-in or when you attempt to utilize Flying Blue member benefits such as upgrades.
Does this not seem sort of strange? Is there anything I can do, or is this a lost cause?
Here's their most recent email:
For your future reference, please be advised that once Flying Blue number is registered to your booking, there will be a highly likely possibility that your flight Miles would be credited to Flying Blue, even when you add another program's frequesnt flyer number later on.
As stated in our Terms & Conditions section 1.2.12 and 2.10, we regret to inform you again that we are unable to remove the Miles once credited. Therefore, we would like to kindly advise you to not to utilize your Flying blue number to login when making reservations or managing your booking online, as it will lead to your Flying Blue number to be associated to your reservation automatically. In addition, please note that Flying Blue number can also be added to your reservation if you mention your Flying Blue number at the time of booking, check-in or when you attempt to utilize Flying Blue member benefits such as upgrades.
Does this not seem sort of strange? Is there anything I can do, or is this a lost cause?
Jan 22, 2019, 6:00 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: GLA
Posts: 1,214
Jan 22, 2019, 8:49 am
#4
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: YOW
Programs: Flying Blue Plat, Accor Gold
Posts: 391
I had a flight from BKK-AMS on KLM that I upgraded with miles. When I checked in, I gave them my Delta Skymiles number and asked them to credit the flight there. It was a pretty frantic check in because we had a dog so there was a lot of other paperwork flying around. When I went to take the return flight a few months ago I noticed that the miles had been credited to my KLM account instead, and I contacted them to transfer them to Delta. They said it wasn't possible, because even though I had added my Delta account, my KLM number was still on the ticket because we had used KLM miles to upgrade. They have acknowledged that I asked to credit the miles to Delta at check-in, but said there's nothing they can do because the miles are already in my KLM account.
Jan 22, 2019, 10:39 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: GLA
Posts: 1,214
I'm not sure. They do not dispute the fact that I asked them to credit my Delta account, rather they are saying because I used KLM miles to upgrade the flight a few months earlier, it was impossible to credit the miles to Delta.
Jan 26, 2019, 5:11 am
#6
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Hilton Diamond, IHG Spire Ambassador, Radisson Gold, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 3,622
Your posts says you asked them to credit to Dejta but you didn’t t say what the agent’s response was. I assume he or she said no problem we can do that here’s your boarding pass?
And now they’re basically saying the agent screwed up and shouldn’t have told you that? But they can’t compensate you on Delta miles for that error.
What I find odd is them saying it’s “highly likely” the miles will be credited by KLM and not the partner under these circumstances. Should this be either a yes we can credit to the partner or no we can’t situation? Why is there an element of luck or likelihood?
And now they’re basically saying the agent screwed up and shouldn’t have told you that? But they can’t compensate you on Delta miles for that error.
What I find odd is them saying it’s “highly likely” the miles will be credited by KLM and not the partner under these circumstances. Should this be either a yes we can credit to the partner or no we can’t situation? Why is there an element of luck or likelihood?
Jan 26, 2019, 11:16 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: GLA
Posts: 1,214
Correct. Or at least, they definitely did not say that they could not do it. Because of the dog, there was a lot going on at the check-in counter so I can't testify to exactly what they said, but I walked away believing that my miles would be credited to Delta.
And now they’re basically saying the agent screwed up and shouldn’t have told you that? But they can’t compensate you on Delta miles for that error
What I find odd is them saying it’s “highly likely” the miles will be credited by KLM and not the partner under these circumstances. Should this be either a yes we can credit to the partner or no we can’t situation? Why is there an element of luck or likelihood?
What I find odd is them saying it’s “highly likely” the miles will be credited by KLM and not the partner under these circumstances. Should this be either a yes we can credit to the partner or no we can’t situation? Why is there an element of luck or likelihood?
It's a bizarre response overall. They are saying they are not technologically capable of doing things that most middling airlines in the world are capable of doing, and they are Holland's flagship carrier? One should be able to upgrade with one miles program and change it to another for the miles credit. That's pretty standard and I've done it on other airlines. I also don't believe that they can't take miles out of their program and transfer them elsewhere.
Jan 26, 2019, 11:25 am
#8
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
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I don't think you can use KLM miles to "pay" for an upgrade and then credit the flight to DL. Moreover, if there were earlier flights on the ticket/PNR that you credited to KLM, you should note that DL won't permit you to change the FF number on an itinerary after the first flight has been boarded/flown (or maybe even the cutoff is when you check in?). DL apparently won't permit you to use one FF number for status benefits and a different program's FF number to credit the flight. [Some carriers such as SQ and others in *A are known to permit this and in fact have two FF number fields in their systems.] On the KLM side, once you use KLM miles for the upgrade, the system probably won't permit you to credit the flight to a different program or to change the FF number on the reservation.