Hassles Changing FF Program at Gate
 

They say it's a simple matter to book a flight using one FF program to get status benefits, them switch to another at the gate to get mileage credit. But my experience doing this on AA wasn't too smooth.

On the first trip, the outbound journey switching to AS at the gate worked fine, but on the return my seats had been reassigned to rear middles and on course I was in boarding group 5. Lucked out changing to an exit row at the airport, but it was luck.

The second trip, to avoid the computer stripping my bennies for the return, I phoned the Platinum desk after switching at the gate. She assured me I would retain my bennies, but I later found the outbound had been credited to AAdvantage rather than AS. A series of phone calls and letters caused the miles to be changed back to AS Mileage Plan eventually, but it was a nuisance. On the return journey, I had retained AAdvantage status, but each gate agent had to be instructed again to key in the AS credit.

Did I do something wrong, or is this process inherently unwieldy?

Other than trying to cheat the system, no. Why should an airline make it easy and convenient to use benefits from someone else's program?

-alan in seattle

Not necessarily does changing at the gate mean cheating the system. My brother flew BA JFK-LHR, connecting on QF LHR-SYD. He wanted AA miles but AA doesn't give on BA transatlantic. At checkin they can't/wouldn't put a different FF number for each segment. The only thing he could do was change at the gate.

goodo

BA's not giving AA miles (or redeeming them)
on trans-Atlantic flights is the main reason
I avoided AAdvantage in looking for a new program when DL trashed SkyMiles. They also don't give miles on BA for some fare classes.
Indeed, just about all of their European partners have the latter problem. Truth in advertising should compell AA to describe its European partners as merely ''limited partners'' and BA as a ''VERY limited partner''!

Explore wasn't trying to cheat the system. He is already an AA Plat flying on AA metal; therefore he should get AA Plat benefits, regardless of what kind of mileage credit he accepts for the flight. I don't know how to resolve the situation - I think the airlines just have lousy systems - but I don't think the original poster was trying to do something sneaky.

For domestic U.S. trips this should not be such a huge hassle anymore now that TSA is/will be requiring boarding passes prior to getting to the gate. Just go to the gate agent and tell them you want to change the frequent flyer number for that segment, chat them up, ask the how their day is going, talk to a real human being, thank them for the trouble, and board your flight...

As to alanw's remarks that this is somehow cheating the "system" shows supreme ignorance of the current state of the frequent flyer system as designed by the airlines.

Towards the end of last year I was flying on AS metal a lot but assigning the miles to AA; I had already qual'd for '03 MVPG on AS and was going for EXP on AA. Everytime I went to purchase a ticket online it wouldn't let me upgrade; I'd have to call the MVPG desk and explain that I was a Gold but was assgining the miles to a "paartner" airline.

Then I'd go to check in on line and the system wouldn't let me, thinking I had to pay for the upgrade. I always had hassles checking in at the AS kiosks as well, as the machine would try to charge for an upgrade.

I wound up leaving the FF# assigned to AS but changing it at the board room during checkin; with the "boarding pass before security" requirement now in effect, you'll have to go to the counter to change the FF# at the last minute.

It's going to be even more of a hassle trying to fly one carrier while assigning the credit to another. I hope the airlines figure out a way around this.

...Never mind I re-read this and understand it now ;-)

[This message has been edited by billhallNY (edited 01-16-2003).]

Had little luck with doing this at UAL (did not get elite points because I did it wrong at first), but then on another flight I figured, why not just send the copies of all tickets, boarding cards, and even the luggage tags, etc to the partner airline anyway with a short letter explaining frustration at the gate, and try to get credit?...

I did, it worked, all double- and triple-dipping aside. In fact, I have done it 3x!

If they did not catch it, and I played dumb, it was worth the shot. In one case, I got miles for one flight on three partner carriers. I got the elite and other bonuses on the one I actually flew. Everything posted in due time.

Try it sometime. If it fails, you lose nothing you didnt already not have. If you ever do, play dumb to try to save what you have/had, and then stop. They all oughta fix their own holes!

...In case you havent noticed, they are all taking away many bene's out there this year- all across the board. Why the heck not go for this kind of thang whenever possible to get a little something back?

...be sure to copy the tickets/boarding cards on a lighter setting, whiteout whatever FF numbers show up on them, and then copy them again. Send that in.

This is the meanie in me showing up in here today. Mostly I am nicer to all things... (Besides, they should let you split the miles among partners for each segment anyway, if you so choose to. If they screw that up, then that is what it all could have looked like happened if someone ever audits.)

Be careful - the moral and ethical questions aside, that would constitute criminal fraud in some states.

What was being asked was a perfectly legitimate use of the programs. Fly one airline where you have status and get the perks associated with it, such as upgrades, E+, early boarding, whatever, but get the miles credited to another airline (and only that airline)

What you are doing is simple, straightforward, slimy, unethical, and against the rules of the programs.

It's cheating like this that ruins it for the rest of us.

The whole "it's not wrong if I don't get caught" and "I deserve it beacause they are changing the rules" is simply an ethos that I cannot comprehend.

Why the heck not go for this kind of thang whenever possible to get a little something back?

Because it's wrong - plain and simple.

Let us know when they catch you and cancel all of your miles....

"Other than trying to cheat the system, no. Why should an airline make it easy and convenient to use benefits from someone else's program?"

SQ allows you to earn status in their program WHILE crediting miles to another partners program! So I certainly don't say this is trying to cheat the system. Unfortunately the computer systems of most airlines are not up to the task of recognizing your status separate from where you want to credit your miles. They just assume that we want to credit our miles where we have status. While this is likely true in 99.99% of the cases, there is a small minority that wishes to do otherwise.

Until the airlines expressly forbid it, then more power to those who keep pushing the boundaries.

I don't know of any ff program that have it written in the member guide saying if you want your status benefits, you have to credit miles with our program. Air Canada says you must credit miles with their program to get benefits but it is not a program rule, just an interpretation of some agents.

On the other hand, I don't expect the airlines to spend millions of dollars rejigging their computer systems just to accomodate the .01% (or less) of the ff population that wants to credit miles to a different program.

Those of us who are doing this have very good reasons to do so, e.g. earned status in one oneworld program but need it in another since travel patterns may be split between two continents where it is handy to acquire status in two oneworld partners.

Having said that, we should do so at our own peril and know the challenges. Don't blame the airlines for the lack of sophistication of their computer systems. Prepare to be frustrated!

[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 01-19-2003).]

For '03 I'm booking as UA 1P but crediting all *A miles to my AC account with at the airport changes. So far, it looks like I'm 6 for 7 in having the job done correctly without hassle. The one instance it didn't work, my boarding pass says AC but the miles still went to UA... go figure. I'll add that UA seems much more adept at making this kind of change than AA is.

And I bet you did not have to try very hard, huh?

Just kidding!

Honestly though, I don't agree with you saying to white out the numbers so they don't show up. Sounds like an atempt to cheat the system.

MeWantMoreMiles

MM,

I respect and enjoy reading your usually longwinded and nutty (but inventive and legal) master plans. Please rethink doing this, as it devalues future grand ideas you will surely have.