FF credit on rebooked flights
 

Over the Christmas holiday, I held a ticket on Continental from BOS-PIT. Since bad weather had reduced Logan to one runway and I would have missed my connection in Newark, Continental very kindly (and without prompting!) reticketed me on a USAir non-stop (standby, but this was not a problem due to the bast numbers of scheduled USAir pasengers who chose to stay in Boston rather than miss connections in Pittsburgh).

My question is from which airline (both?) should I get FF credit. My preference would be USAir, since I tend to fly USAir more frequently (this case was a price issue). Is this possible, even though the return was on Continental (as ticketed)? What is the general policy in these instances?

Thanks.

There's a discussion about this somewhere else around here in another thread, but to answer your question, your best bet is to get credit on both airlines!

Getting credit on USAirways should be easy. You should have just given you frequent flyer number when checking in, but having not done that, you should go about claiming the missing credit in a typical manner.

As for Continental, you should be able to get credit on them also by sending them a letter explaining that they rebooked you on a different airline and you'd really like to get the Continental miles.

On at least two occasions, I have received miles from a cancelled/delayed Continental flight as well as from the airline I was re-ticketed on. Both times, I was actually checked in to the Continental flight, which I think triggered the miles to begin with (whether I had flown or not). Both times I had my ff number handy at check-in for the substitute flight. This has also happened on American.

If you didn't have your ff number with you or didn't check in for both flights, I think you should still get the credit with both airlines.

One should always get the milage on the one you actually fly. I believe CO has the policy to give you credit when it cancels flight and places you on other airlines. Whether you really want to claim mileages on both--assuming they are not automatically recorded--depends on how you "morally" justify it and whether you would bother with the hassel. :-) Roti: I think for most airlines, the mileage is triggered when you BOARD the airplane. That's why they they take the other half of your ticket. Southwest might be a different story as they give you the NAMELESS plastic stuff to start with.

I'm not exactly sure on how this works, but let me add to the speculation - I think that the airline to which you are bumped gets the revenue for the flight. But this does not mean that the airline will give you FF miles for the flight - personally I was once diverted to a BA flight and BA refused to give miles on the grounds that I did not purchase a BA ticket (and this was not even a discounted fare that BA refuses to give miles on). US airlines will, in my experience, give you FF miles in this case.

I think that the airline on which the passenger was originally ticketed will give you FF miles as compensation for diverting you and perhaps as a reward for loyalty to that airline.

Does someone have the inside scoop on this?

Have had this happen on several occasions, and each time I have gotten credit on both airlines. I have always made sure that I never make any misrepresentations in the letters I send to the carriers. I tell the original booked flight that I was diverted off of their flight, and am a member of their FF program, and would really like to get their miles. I then tell the airline I was bumped onto that I was rescheduled to their flight, enjoyed it, and would like to get frequent flyer mileage for the flights I have actually taken. Both airlines have always given me the mileage with no problem. As I see it, the original airline is compensating you for the hassle of the rebooking (and trying to keep your loyalty), and the airline you fly on is trying to win your loyalty (and actually received the money for the flight, and therefore ought to provide you the same FF mileage that everyone else on the flight is getting). To answer the question that I am sure some will ask, I am not aware of any case law on the subject. I think that number of miles involved are too small on any one flight for the companies and the individuals to be litigating over.

as discussed under different airline-titles here on flyerboard:

There is no published ruel on this but common practice: If you can prove/make it believed (bumbed, rerouted by airline's fault), you get credit on both.

My last "case" (september 98): SAS (UA-StarAlliance-partner) dropped my Helsinki-Copenhague-Zurich flight and did put me on the direct Finnair-flight (code-share/mileage-program-partner of Swissair); they got credit with both programs (Swissair-Qualiflyer and UA-Mileage Plus).

Ditto on the "both" option. I have, in the past year, rec'd credit on UA and USAir on a bump, UA and AA on a weather cancellation (plane stuck at DEN) and UA and Delta on a delay that would have missed a connection. Each time, UA gives me a form to fill out and I get the UA miles (which DO count toward premier and include bonuses) as well as the miles on the actual carrier (by presenting ff card at the gate).

Works like a charm!

On Delta the milage is triggered when they take your ticket and you're only left with your boarding pass.

Earlier this year, I got off of a flight I had boarded because of a delay and I got credit for the flight I got off of and the flight I got rebooked on.

I've also gotten double milage on Delta for standing by for a flight ... but I don't know exactly how that happened ... but as they say, don't look a gifted horse in the mouth!

Now we finally know, Beckles is into HORSES *grin*.

I also have ALWAYS received credit on both airlines. United actually has a printed form that they give you to fill out and send in to Mileage Plus to get full (flight and bonuses) mileage credit. When I get to the new airline, I just give them my FF number and my endorced United ticket and I get their miles as well. No problem.

I had the same type of situation happen once before and CO gave me onepass miles for the flight, even though they reticketed me on Delta, I got skymiles from Delta.

I asked a CO supervisor and was told their policy is to give onepass miles if you are reticketed on a non-onepass partner. If reticketed on a onepass partner then you get your choice of miles from the original or reticketed flight, but not both.

Hmmm, looks like AA ripped me off on this one... I had to be reticketed on CO because my early morning AA flt into DFW was canceled due to ice, and the AA agent said the there's no way I'd get mileage from them. Even worse, I was flying on a J class (upgrade to 1st tix) and she wouldn't book me in first on CO nor put a request in to prorate the milage that was deducted from my Advantage account, but the CO check-in agent upon hearing my story gave me AND my friend who was not flying up-front, both upgrades

OK Burkey, you need to get a little tough with AA on this one now that they're not in the throes of weather problems.

I would write and ask politely for the mileage you missed and for a pro rated refund of your upgrade miles. I don't know if you'll get anywhere with your first request. However, if AA endorsed your ticket to CO on a J basis and you had paid miles to upgrade to P or F, they owe you. From AA's standpoint, it's irrelevant what CO did out of the goodness of its heart. Don't give up.

Charlie

I had a UA counter agent fill out the form, and he told me he would take care of it, but I am still missing the miles and segment.

We shall see...