Original Routing Credit when re-routed on partner
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Atlanta, GA USA
Posts: 692
Original Routing Credit when re-routed on partner
I know how original routing credit works in general, but if I am re-accommodated (due to bump, mechanical, whatever) from my original airline to one of their partner airlines, can I obtain original routing credit AND credit from the flights taken and have both posted to the same FF program?
Specific example: I'm a DL GM. This weekend I'm flying ATL-MSP-SFO on NW and crediting to DL. If I were to take a bump and be accommodated on the DL non-stop, I'd definitely want to credit to DL and try for the upgrade on ATL-SFO, but that'd be less EQMs than the ATL-MSP-SFO routing which I'd also want credit for. How to handle? Can I get both?
(Of course I'd be hoping NW books me in the Y bucket on DL, at which time talking just the DL flight credit would exceed the original routing - but I'd still be happy to take the original routing too!)
Specific example: I'm a DL GM. This weekend I'm flying ATL-MSP-SFO on NW and crediting to DL. If I were to take a bump and be accommodated on the DL non-stop, I'd definitely want to credit to DL and try for the upgrade on ATL-SFO, but that'd be less EQMs than the ATL-MSP-SFO routing which I'd also want credit for. How to handle? Can I get both?
(Of course I'd be hoping NW books me in the Y bucket on DL, at which time talking just the DL flight credit would exceed the original routing - but I'd still be happy to take the original routing too!)
#2
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: OKC/DFW
Programs: AA EXP/2 MM
Posts: 9,999
I know how original routing credit works in general, but if I am re-accommodated (due to bump, mechanical, whatever) from my original airline to one of their partner airlines, can I obtain original routing credit AND credit from the flights taken and have both posted to the same FF program?
Edited to add: Curious to know why you think being on a partner airline would make a difference in the case of ORC. Are you sure you understand how it generally works?
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist




Join Date: May 1998
Location: Massachusetts, USA; AA 2.996MM & Plat Pro, DL 1MM, GM & Flying Colonel
Posts: 25,037
This varies from airline to airline, and often from situation to situation and/or person to person within a given airline.
It helps if the agent who reroutes you makes a note in your PNR that you should receive ORC. Customer Service, or whatever DL/NW call it, can see the note when you ask for ORC. In the specific case you describe, you can tell CS it was part of the bump compensation agreed to at the time, and without it you would not have taken the bump.
Receiving credit on both airlines: you can often get it, though the rules say "no," because you'll already have credit on the airline you flew and the airline you want ORC from won't know this. In your case it may be a problem, because you want DL credit for both and DL CS will be able to see that you already got credit for what you flew. The most you're likely to get is the extra miles for your original, longer routing. If you want to try double-dipping, go for ORC on NW or split them up some other way.
The ethics of this have been discussed here ad nauseum. Some say this is unethical. Others say it's fair compensation for the inconvenience. You won't find a consensus.
It helps if the agent who reroutes you makes a note in your PNR that you should receive ORC. Customer Service, or whatever DL/NW call it, can see the note when you ask for ORC. In the specific case you describe, you can tell CS it was part of the bump compensation agreed to at the time, and without it you would not have taken the bump.
Receiving credit on both airlines: you can often get it, though the rules say "no," because you'll already have credit on the airline you flew and the airline you want ORC from won't know this. In your case it may be a problem, because you want DL credit for both and DL CS will be able to see that you already got credit for what you flew. The most you're likely to get is the extra miles for your original, longer routing. If you want to try double-dipping, go for ORC on NW or split them up some other way.
The ethics of this have been discussed here ad nauseum. Some say this is unethical. Others say it's fair compensation for the inconvenience. You won't find a consensus.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Atlanta, GA USA
Posts: 692
If I am booked on NW, bumped, and end up flying UA, I know I can give UA my MP# and get MP miles, while also getting ORC miles on NW. The difference here is that both are SkyTeam airlines and I want to credit both the actual and ORC miles to the same program. Without taking ethics into account, I just want to know the experience of others so if/when it does happen, I have some idea of how to initially credit the miles. The complication is the upgrade possibility, otherwise I could probably just fly DL with no FF# in the record, call NW after the fact for ORC, then send in my DL BP for actual flight credit.
#5
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: HOU/IAH
Programs: WN CP; Hilton Diamond; IHG Plat
Posts: 189
The answer to this, in my experience, has been yes.
A few years ago I was Plat on CO, and my UA flight out of Denver was delayed so they gave put me on CO. When I got to the CO desk I gave them my OnePass # and, not only did I get the points, I was bumped to first bcause of my Plat Status. Then, I also received the UA Mileage Plus points as well (can't remember if it happened automatically, or, if I had to call).
A second time I was booked on Air Jamaica IAH-CUR; it turned out when I got to the airport, Air Jamaica had disconintued operations, so they booked me on AA instead. Once again I gave AA my AAdvantage # at the counter (they even created new accounts for my wife and child) and we all got points R/T. I then noticed we got Delta points for the IAH-to-Jamaica segment of the outbound (Delta being partners with Air Jamaica).
In my opinion there is no ethics involved with this issue. It's simply a matter of asking for something and getting it, or not getting it. All thenyhave to do (and can do) is say no.
A few years ago I was Plat on CO, and my UA flight out of Denver was delayed so they gave put me on CO. When I got to the CO desk I gave them my OnePass # and, not only did I get the points, I was bumped to first bcause of my Plat Status. Then, I also received the UA Mileage Plus points as well (can't remember if it happened automatically, or, if I had to call).
A second time I was booked on Air Jamaica IAH-CUR; it turned out when I got to the airport, Air Jamaica had disconintued operations, so they booked me on AA instead. Once again I gave AA my AAdvantage # at the counter (they even created new accounts for my wife and child) and we all got points R/T. I then noticed we got Delta points for the IAH-to-Jamaica segment of the outbound (Delta being partners with Air Jamaica).
In my opinion there is no ethics involved with this issue. It's simply a matter of asking for something and getting it, or not getting it. All thenyhave to do (and can do) is say no.
#6




Join Date: May 1998
Location: Naples FL, Munich DE
Programs: UA MM, AA 2MM, Marriott LT Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 6,816
IndigoEyes, I think you may be misinterepreting the OP's question.
You note, quite correctly, that is it usual when you're bumped from one carrier to another to get miles credit on both if you play it right, and they are not in the same "alliance". For instance, if you were booked on United, they cancelled and put you on Delta, you could get miles both on United (for the original routing => ORC) and on Delta (for the actual routes flown).
As I read it, the OP is asking whether (a) this would work on members of the same alliance, and (b) if so, whether you could get both ORC and actual routes flown credit posted to the same account. For example, book on Northwest, get bumped to Delta and have both ORC and actual miles posted to your Delta Sky Miles (or Air France Flying Blue) account.
In my experience, if you're rebooked on a carrier in the same alliance, you can get either ORC or actual miles flown, even if you credit them to different accounts in the same alliance. For example, if I was booked on United and they cancelled and rebooked me on Lufthansa, I could get actual miles on Lufthansa's Miles and More, or, if I wrote to United, get ORC on United's Mileage Plus, but usually not both, since United would see that I had listed my Miles and More number on the boarding pass of the flight I actually took.
There are reports of people managing to get dual credit on programs in the same alliance by not giving any FF program when taking the flight actually flown, and then asking for retro-credit on that carrier as well as ORC on the originally-booked carrier. Since many carriers require you to send in the boarding passes for retro-credit and for ORC, that might be difficult to do (you only have one original boarding pass, after all).
However, the second part of the OP's question makes it more difficult -- in that case you're asking for one program to essentially give you double credit for the same flight coupon, and I have never heard of that happening. It is similar to asking United to give you double credit when they cancel one flight and rebook you on their flight on the same routing one hour later.
As I say, I've never heard of it being done, but I suppose one could always ask.
You note, quite correctly, that is it usual when you're bumped from one carrier to another to get miles credit on both if you play it right, and they are not in the same "alliance". For instance, if you were booked on United, they cancelled and put you on Delta, you could get miles both on United (for the original routing => ORC) and on Delta (for the actual routes flown).
As I read it, the OP is asking whether (a) this would work on members of the same alliance, and (b) if so, whether you could get both ORC and actual routes flown credit posted to the same account. For example, book on Northwest, get bumped to Delta and have both ORC and actual miles posted to your Delta Sky Miles (or Air France Flying Blue) account.
In my experience, if you're rebooked on a carrier in the same alliance, you can get either ORC or actual miles flown, even if you credit them to different accounts in the same alliance. For example, if I was booked on United and they cancelled and rebooked me on Lufthansa, I could get actual miles on Lufthansa's Miles and More, or, if I wrote to United, get ORC on United's Mileage Plus, but usually not both, since United would see that I had listed my Miles and More number on the boarding pass of the flight I actually took.
There are reports of people managing to get dual credit on programs in the same alliance by not giving any FF program when taking the flight actually flown, and then asking for retro-credit on that carrier as well as ORC on the originally-booked carrier. Since many carriers require you to send in the boarding passes for retro-credit and for ORC, that might be difficult to do (you only have one original boarding pass, after all).
However, the second part of the OP's question makes it more difficult -- in that case you're asking for one program to essentially give you double credit for the same flight coupon, and I have never heard of that happening. It is similar to asking United to give you double credit when they cancel one flight and rebook you on their flight on the same routing one hour later.
As I say, I've never heard of it being done, but I suppose one could always ask.
Last edited by Counsellor; May 26, 2007 at 6:39 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: OKC/DFW
Programs: AA EXP/2 MM
Posts: 9,999
However, the second part of the OP's question makes it more difficult -- in that case you're asking for one program to essentially give you double credit for the same flight coupon, and I have never heard of that happening. It is similar to asking United to give you double credit when they cancel one flight and rebook you on their flight on the same routing one hour later.
#8
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 243
yes, I have done it before.
I once flew AA on the following route YYZ-ORD-ATL.
However, when I got to chicago, the AA flight was cancelled, they rebooked me on UA to ATL.
I gave UA my number and got UA pts ORD-ATL.
After I got back home, I phoned AA and asked about getting credited for ORD-ATL on AA, and they said ok. However, I had to mail in my AA boarding pass that wasn't used along with a copy of my ticket explaining what had happened.
The key here was that I wasn't bumped voluntarily.
AA cancelled the flight. I told the rep on the phone that, and he verified that the flight was cancelled. So, this was a forced rerouting. I don't know about if it's doable when bumped.
I once flew AA on the following route YYZ-ORD-ATL.
However, when I got to chicago, the AA flight was cancelled, they rebooked me on UA to ATL.
I gave UA my number and got UA pts ORD-ATL.
After I got back home, I phoned AA and asked about getting credited for ORD-ATL on AA, and they said ok. However, I had to mail in my AA boarding pass that wasn't used along with a copy of my ticket explaining what had happened.
The key here was that I wasn't bumped voluntarily.
AA cancelled the flight. I told the rep on the phone that, and he verified that the flight was cancelled. So, this was a forced rerouting. I don't know about if it's doable when bumped.
#9
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: OKC/DFW
Programs: AA EXP/2 MM
Posts: 9,999
If "it" refers to the OP's query, then (according to your post) you have NOT done "it" before. If you'll reread the OP and Counsellor's post, you'll note that the OP asked about crediting the actual miles and the original mileage into one FF program, not two.
#10
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Aiea HI
Programs: OZ Gold DL GM
Posts: 65
Wish I could get just credit for one or the other. Was scheduled on UA from TPA to Houston (sorry don't know all the codes). UA had weather problems & rerouted me on CO. My miles are with OZ & DL so both of these were partner airlines but neither would give me alliance miles. Bummer.
#11
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: OKC/DFW
Programs: AA EXP/2 MM
Posts: 9,999
Wish I could get just credit for one or the other. Was scheduled on UA from TPA to Houston (sorry don't know all the codes). UA had weather problems & rerouted me on CO. My miles are with OZ & DL so both of these were partner airlines but neither would give me alliance miles. Bummer.

