Its a Feature, Not a Bug!
Dec 28, 2010, 3:13 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: SFO
Programs: AS MVP, FB Silver (former UA 1K)
Posts: 161
Its a Feature, Not a Bug!
After being batted back and forth between reservations and web support, I have to vent a little.
My needs are simple: a V-class round trip SFO-JNB via FRA on LH metal. The fare is available on ITA software and seemingly available on the LH website. (My dates are in January, 2011, but the exact dates are irrelevant to the problem. The fare simply requires a Sunday stay.) After selecting the dates, I see availability in all economy fare classes - outbound and inbound - including "Economy Basic II" that corresponds to V-class. So far, so good, and the fare should be about $1629. However, after selecting the V-class outbound, the V-class inbound fares disappear as "not combinable."
I called reservations, which had no problem booking the exact dates and flights in V-class, albeit for about $30 more than the apparent online price. The $30 won't kill me and is besides the point. Why can't the website book a V-class round trip?
Back to web support for another 30 minutes. The agent saw the same problem, but then claimed to have overcome it. She then directed me to change browsers and security settings (and likely every other script in her notebook), all to no avail. After 20 minutes of this nonsense, I had her walk me through her "success," only to learn that she avoided the problem by picking a different fare (ineligible for upgrades) on the inbound.
I was then put on hold while she checked the list of known bugs. Inasmuch as this non-functionality had not been identified by her supervisor as a bug, it could not be a bug and must be an intended feature. Seriously! No plausible reason could be advanced for preventing online booking of a V-class roundtrip, but I was invited to call back tomorrow to discuss this with her supervisor.
Really amazing. By the way, the call center was in South Africa.
Marc
My needs are simple: a V-class round trip SFO-JNB via FRA on LH metal. The fare is available on ITA software and seemingly available on the LH website. (My dates are in January, 2011, but the exact dates are irrelevant to the problem. The fare simply requires a Sunday stay.) After selecting the dates, I see availability in all economy fare classes - outbound and inbound - including "Economy Basic II" that corresponds to V-class. So far, so good, and the fare should be about $1629. However, after selecting the V-class outbound, the V-class inbound fares disappear as "not combinable."
I called reservations, which had no problem booking the exact dates and flights in V-class, albeit for about $30 more than the apparent online price. The $30 won't kill me and is besides the point. Why can't the website book a V-class round trip?
Back to web support for another 30 minutes. The agent saw the same problem, but then claimed to have overcome it. She then directed me to change browsers and security settings (and likely every other script in her notebook), all to no avail. After 20 minutes of this nonsense, I had her walk me through her "success," only to learn that she avoided the problem by picking a different fare (ineligible for upgrades) on the inbound.
I was then put on hold while she checked the list of known bugs. Inasmuch as this non-functionality had not been identified by her supervisor as a bug, it could not be a bug and must be an intended feature. Seriously! No plausible reason could be advanced for preventing online booking of a V-class roundtrip, but I was invited to call back tomorrow to discuss this with her supervisor.
Really amazing. By the way, the call center was in South Africa.
Marc
Dec 28, 2010, 6:36 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Tasmania, Australia
Programs: M&M SEN, Amex Plat, Club Carlson, Marriott, HHonors & Accor Gold, Velocity Silver, Qantas Bronze
Posts: 3,767
Dec 29, 2010, 12:28 am
#4
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: Disgruntled HON**, Indifferent EK Gold, skeptical BA Silver
Posts: 1,734
Dec 29, 2010, 2:19 am
#5
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between DM464 and DM463 on the NAPSA26 RNAV TRANS in EDDM
Programs: this and that
Posts: 1,731
Similar situation...
The LX Website allows you to book r/t or o/w itins, but not any open jaw and/or multi segment trips. This sucks big time and it reinforces the statement made before that you need a good TA.
I tried to book
MUC LX xZRH LX RMF // HRG LX xZRH LH MUC
and all the website allowed me to book was either
MUC LX/LH xZRH LX RMF LX xZRH LX/LH MUC or
MUC LX/LH xZRH LX HRG LX xZRH LX/LH MUC
Trying to book two o/w tickets did yield Y as fare class only, while V was widely available.
Needless to say that neither HRG nor RMF can be booked via the LH website...
The LX Website allows you to book r/t or o/w itins, but not any open jaw and/or multi segment trips. This sucks big time and it reinforces the statement made before that you need a good TA.
I tried to book
MUC LX xZRH LX RMF // HRG LX xZRH LH MUC
and all the website allowed me to book was either
MUC LX/LH xZRH LX RMF LX xZRH LX/LH MUC or
MUC LX/LH xZRH LX HRG LX xZRH LX/LH MUC
Trying to book two o/w tickets did yield Y as fare class only, while V was widely available.
Needless to say that neither HRG nor RMF can be booked via the LH website...
Last edited by cas_de; Dec 29, 2010 at 2:25 am
Dec 29, 2010, 9:05 am
#7
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between DM464 and DM463 on the NAPSA26 RNAV TRANS in EDDM
Programs: this and that
Posts: 1,731
Well I am fortunate enough that two ladies at my corp travel agency are helping me out on personal travel arrangements, too. Hence, I cannot really recommend anyone. Sorry...
Dec 29, 2010, 10:14 am
#8
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: LEJ
Programs: LH HON, Hilton DIA, Marriott Gold, Sixt DIA, AVIS Pres., AMEX Plat.
Posts: 8
The problem of combining certain fares online is true for a lot of flights. It works on both ways as sometimes the website will allow you to combine fares that a TA cannot (had this recently with a ticket INN-FRA-JED-FRA-INN where the website combined D and Z class, the TA couldn’t)
Usually it helps to play around with the flight numbers as the whole fare rules thing is so complex that I doubt even LH understands everything they setup…
BTW the South Africa Call Center answers are often worth to be challenged…
Usually it helps to play around with the flight numbers as the whole fare rules thing is so complex that I doubt even LH understands everything they setup…
BTW the South Africa Call Center answers are often worth to be challenged…
Dec 29, 2010, 12:42 pm
#11
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 1,943
There may be reason to use a great TA for some special bookings (e.g., round the world), but this looks like a case ANY TA could fix because they have access to a different booking mask. LH should just get their act right and fix the booking tool. And, in the meantime, waive the phone booking fee.