Recent Award Availability thru Partner
Jun 13, 2019, 2:31 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: JFK/EWR/SFO/LAX/YYZ <-> HKG, PEK, CKG
Programs: CX, Hyatt
Posts: 155
Recent Award Availability thru Partner
New to forum - have done a quick lookthru at recent threads but haven't seen this being raised.
I am specifically looking at JFK-GRU flight redemption on flight 8181 / 8180. When I was looking about 2 months ago many seats (in many cases, at least 9 seats) were available on most dates in Aug / Sep to partners. However, when I checked in the last week or two on BA / AA and called CX MPC (our FF program there), availabilities zeroed out across all dates. I checked the loading of the flights on EF and they remain light.
Is this a temporary system thing (although have lasted quite a few days now) or did LATAM decide to pull all availabilities at least on this route from partners?
Thanks.
I am specifically looking at JFK-GRU flight redemption on flight 8181 / 8180. When I was looking about 2 months ago many seats (in many cases, at least 9 seats) were available on most dates in Aug / Sep to partners. However, when I checked in the last week or two on BA / AA and called CX MPC (our FF program there), availabilities zeroed out across all dates. I checked the loading of the flights on EF and they remain light.
Is this a temporary system thing (although have lasted quite a few days now) or did LATAM decide to pull all availabilities at least on this route from partners?
Thanks.
Jun 15, 2019, 8:33 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,934
Awards often need to booked many more months ahead than paid flights. If you see awards, don't hesitate, if your dates are firm already at least, because award availability can go "poof" at any time.
Airlines don't like people who would pay for flights to book awards. So they make awards available further out from the travel date, when few people book paid flights, and then when more people book paid flights (closer to the travel date), they often take away award availability, to nudge people to actually pay money for the flight.
And/or 9 people (perhaps a group) may have booked those awards seats in the intervening months. Remember, you're never the only one looking for awards.
Airlines don't like people who would pay for flights to book awards. So they make awards available further out from the travel date, when few people book paid flights, and then when more people book paid flights (closer to the travel date), they often take away award availability, to nudge people to actually pay money for the flight.
And/or 9 people (perhaps a group) may have booked those awards seats in the intervening months. Remember, you're never the only one looking for awards.
Jun 15, 2019, 6:05 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Location: JFK/EWR/SFO/LAX/YYZ <-> HKG, PEK, CKG
Programs: CX, Hyatt
Posts: 155
Thanks for your response. I am a FF and well experienced with award availability nuances and fluctuations. The probability is simply too low for all availabilities across several months to be gone suddenly just because other pax booked all of them. I am confident it is event driven, and was wondering if anyone is in the know.
Jun 16, 2019, 7:01 am
#4
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 553
Thanks for your response. I am a FF and well experienced with award availability nuances and fluctuations. The probability is simply too low for all availabilities across several months to be gone suddenly just because other pax booked all of them. I am confident it is event driven, and was wondering if anyone is in the know.
Jun 17, 2019, 10:46 am
#5
Join Date: Jan 2012
Programs: AY+ Plat, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Discoverist
Posts: 2,846
Yes, this is my experience. LATAM will make 7 seats available one day, and the next they'll be gone. Sometimes, the availability does come back, although I don't think there's rhyme or reason to it.
Jun 22, 2019, 10:43 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,934
Thanks for your response. I am a FF and well experienced with award availability nuances and fluctuations. The probability is simply too low for all availabilities across several months to be gone suddenly just because other pax booked all of them. I am confident it is event driven, and was wondering if anyone is in the know.
The only external "event" that I could think of that would last months would simply be seasons. For example, I can imagine them not making awards available to the southern tip during Antarctica sailing season, and stuff like that.
Jun 25, 2019, 12:24 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Bergen County NJ
Programs: AA EXP, UA1K B6 Mosaic 1, Amtrak Select, Marriott Plat , AMEX Plat (noted for club access reference)
Posts: 786
Can also attest to this... About a week or two out to fly when it happened. Really screwed me and ended up have to fly 2 and 1 on consecutive days... Availability never did come back despite seats not being full...