Award Availability
Sep 3, 2005 | 5:29 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: KOA
Programs: NWA PE, UA 1P; Displaced Illini Quadruple Diamond
Posts: 461
Award Availability
I have read conflicting information on this forum about how award availability works. Do Platinum Elites get the most standard tickets followed by Golds then Silvers, or do all Elites get the same standard award availability? The reason that I am asking, is because I am trying to decide if it is worth it to try to get from Gold to Platinum because I want to take a couple trips out to KOA next year on award tickets.
Sep 3, 2005 | 5:37 pm
#2
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: MSP
Programs: Hilton Gold, SPG PLAT, NWA Plat
Posts: 645
There is no evidence and NWA management have denied any policy that would make decisions different between people who are gold and plat for getting award tickets or op-ups.
Sep 3, 2005 | 5:45 pm
#3
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: BSB
Programs: DL 2 MM
Posts: 5,002
Availability is different based on Elite Tier Status - formula is closely held by NW
I can tell you that NW makes a greater number of std award seats available for Plat Elites than Gold Elites, Silver Elites have less std award availabilty and base members have the minimum number of std seats.
This is a closely held confidential yield management formula.
Worldperks makes it easier for the most frequent flyers to get standard availability because these pax spend the most with NWA and their satisfaction with award redemption (availability) is the most important.
Less frequent pax and occassional worldperk base members can still find std awards with the new award availability enhancements ay nwa.com.
RC
This is a closely held confidential yield management formula.
Worldperks makes it easier for the most frequent flyers to get standard availability because these pax spend the most with NWA and their satisfaction with award redemption (availability) is the most important.
Less frequent pax and occassional worldperk base members can still find std awards with the new award availability enhancements ay nwa.com.
RC
Sep 3, 2005 | 5:58 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: KOA
Programs: NWA PE, UA 1P; Displaced Illini Quadruple Diamond
Posts: 461
Originally Posted by Radiocycle
I can tell you that NW makes a greater number of std award seats available for Plat Elites than Gold Elites, Silver Elites have less std award availabilty and base members have the minimum number of std seats.
This is a closely held confidential yield management formula.
Worldperks makes it easier for the most frequent flyers to get standard availability because these pax spend the most with NWA and their satisfaction with award redemption (availability) is the most important.
Less frequent pax and occassional worldperk base members can still find std awards with the new award availability enhancements ay nwa.com.
RC
This is a closely held confidential yield management formula.
Worldperks makes it easier for the most frequent flyers to get standard availability because these pax spend the most with NWA and their satisfaction with award redemption (availability) is the most important.
Less frequent pax and occassional worldperk base members can still find std awards with the new award availability enhancements ay nwa.com.
RC
Sep 3, 2005 | 7:11 pm
#5
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Brunswick, OH
Posts: 174
I cant say for Gold or silver, but when I search not logged in I may not find seats. If I sign in after failing to find seats, sometimes seats will appear. Not sure if I agree with the policy but as a platinum, I am not complaining.
Sep 3, 2005 | 7:18 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Bay Area, CA
Programs: UA Plat 2MM; AS MVP Gold 75K
Posts: 35,092
I just can't see how it would make sense to go up a tier just for the increased award availability.
Both NW and DL serve KOA (or DL will soon), and the additional inventory won't help you for DL.
Worst case, grab a flight to HNL and pay the extra 10K miles for the HA inter-island award.
Both NW and DL serve KOA (or DL will soon), and the additional inventory won't help you for DL.
Worst case, grab a flight to HNL and pay the extra 10K miles for the HA inter-island award.
Sep 3, 2005 | 7:40 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: BSB
Programs: DL 2 MM
Posts: 5,002
There are subsets within the award buckets based on the WP accounts status
One reccomendation, if you are Plat and your wife is silver, use your account for award seats for both of you. Your wife will get the benefit of your Plat Elite status and whatever additional availability for awards issued FROM YOUR PLAT ELITE ACCOUNT. She may not be accessing the same inventory and that explains why she was 4 for 10.
Hope this explanation helps.
RC
Hope this explanation helps.
RC
Sep 3, 2005 | 8:35 pm
#8
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: MKE
Programs: DL 2 MM
Posts: 974
Lots of seats, had to use Rulebuster
Wife and I are flying to Copenhagen Monday in WBC. I'm platinum, and booked (earlier this year) when signed in to my account.
Only way to get the dates I needed was with rulebuster -- and the DTW-AMS flights still only have about 10 people in WBC each way.
Frustrating.
Only way to get the dates I needed was with rulebuster -- and the DTW-AMS flights still only have about 10 people in WBC each way.
Frustrating.
Sep 3, 2005 | 8:42 pm
#9
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: BSB
Programs: DL 2 MM
Posts: 5,002
Have you checked avaiulability in WBC Std award today?
WBC Seats get released between 72 hours and 24 hours before departure and std award often becomes available.
WP will not call you and say Mr. TommyD2, we wonder if you would like to fly Std WBC and have us redeposit the rulebuster miles, you (the pax) have to call them and request std award space.
Let us know if any WBC std inventory "opened up" for your flight Monday.
RC
WP will not call you and say Mr. TommyD2, we wonder if you would like to fly Std WBC and have us redeposit the rulebuster miles, you (the pax) have to call them and request std award space.
Let us know if any WBC std inventory "opened up" for your flight Monday.
RC
Originally Posted by TommyD2
Wife and I are flying to Copenhagen Monday in WBC. I'm platinum, and booked (earlier this year) when signed in to my account.
Only way to get the dates I needed was with rulebuster -- and the DTW-AMS flights still only have about 10 people in WBC each way.
Frustrating.
Only way to get the dates I needed was with rulebuster -- and the DTW-AMS flights still only have about 10 people in WBC each way.
Frustrating.
Sep 3, 2005 | 8:51 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: PHL (and sometimes BKK)
Programs: aa/ua gold; mar titanium. SPG till I die.
Posts: 15,649
Originally Posted by jjj
I cant say for Gold or silver, but when I search not logged in I may not find seats. If I sign in after failing to find seats, sometimes seats will appear. Not sure if I agree with the policy but as a platinum, I am not complaining.
Sep 3, 2005 | 9:06 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: MKE
Programs: DL 2 MM
Posts: 974
Thanks RC
Dang, didn't even think of that.
Will do tomorrow a.m., and let you know.
Thanks!
Will do tomorrow a.m., and let you know.
Thanks!
Originally Posted by Radiocycle
WBC Seats get released between 72 hours and 24 hours before departure and std award often becomes available.
WP will not call you and say Mr. TommyD2, we wonder if you would like to fly Std WBC and have us redeposit the rulebuster miles, you (the pax) have to call them and request std award space.
Let us know if any WBC std inventory "opened up" for your flight Monday.
RC
WP will not call you and say Mr. TommyD2, we wonder if you would like to fly Std WBC and have us redeposit the rulebuster miles, you (the pax) have to call them and request std award space.
Let us know if any WBC std inventory "opened up" for your flight Monday.
RC
Sep 3, 2005 | 9:48 pm
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: BOS, PVG
Programs: United Global Services and 1MM, Marriott Titanium, Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 10,304
As a Plat, I usually have no trouble using my miles to get standard WBC awards to Asia for my family members.
I only wish I could have more miles in my account.
I only wish I could have more miles in my account.
Sep 3, 2005 | 10:06 pm
#13
Join Date: May 2005
Location: NYC
Programs: NW Plat, CO Plat
Posts: 353
Originally Posted by BOS-NWA
As a Plat, I usually have no trouble using my miles to get standard WBC awards to Asia for my family members.
I only wish I could have more miles in my account.
I only wish I could have more miles in my account.
). I am plat on both CO and NW.
I had no problems burning NW miles, but tell me about CO... Last example this week: with NW miles, I had tons of possibilities for KLM flight TPE-AMS for the exact dates/ timeframes I wanted, basically between october '05 and november 05 (both Y and WBC) with available returns in july 06 ^
I called Onepass as I am starting running short on NW miles... no availability at all between Oct 05 and Jan 06, not one single seat on the exact same route
Last edited by BBT in NY; Sep 3, 2005 at 10:10 pm
Sep 4, 2005 | 9:22 am
#14
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: MKE
Programs: DL 2 MM
Posts: 974
Rats, no luck -- no standard awards available for tomorrow. 
I guess the only good thing is I got them for 180k instead of 200k
I guess the only good thing is I got them for 180k instead of 200k
Originally Posted by TommyD2
Dang, didn't even think of that.
Will do tomorrow a.m., and let you know.
Thanks!
Will do tomorrow a.m., and let you know.
Thanks!
Sep 4, 2005 | 9:45 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: KOA
Programs: NWA PE, UA 1P; Displaced Illini Quadruple Diamond
Posts: 461
Originally Posted by channa
I just can't see how it would make sense to go up a tier just for the increased award availability.
Both NW and DL serve KOA (or DL will soon), and the additional inventory won't help you for DL.
Worst case, grab a flight to HNL and pay the extra 10K miles for the HA inter-island award.
Both NW and DL serve KOA (or DL will soon), and the additional inventory won't help you for DL.
Worst case, grab a flight to HNL and pay the extra 10K miles for the HA inter-island award.
Could you please tell me how to get a HA inter-island flight. When trying on nwa.com it always says there are no flights between HNL and KOA. Thanks.