An ironic twist: Award reservations
Oct 7, 2000, 9:18 pm
#1
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Join Date: May 2000
Location: Home: Arlington, VA; Home airports: IAD/DCA/BWI
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An ironic twist: Award reservations
Well, despite NW's stinginess with business class award/upgrade travel seats that everyone's been mad about (including me 
), I managed to grab an award business class seat to Bangkok (of all Asian destinations) for travel this Wednesday. 
And I just had the ticket issued a few hours ago. 
Talk about luck. [Something came up in BKK, and my father has to go to BKK at the last minute.]
However, it wasn't an easy task. First, I went through the website to check if NRT-BKK was available. Then I checked flights to NRT from every single int'l gateway and found SEA-BKK & LAX-BKK open. Then I found out that DTW-SEA only had award first class on the outbound in the morning.
Nothing was available for BKK-NRT on the dates that my father wanted to return, so I just took the rulebuster option. (Good thing it still exists. :rolleyes : )
Then came resevation agents:
The agent told me no business class seats were available until Oct. 18th!
I told her that I could see that DTW-SEA-BKK was open, but she said insisted nothing was available. <She was more than happy to say that cattle class was available. > So I took the usual advice given by people here: hang up and call again.
Then what do you know? The new agent got the seat for me and had the ticket issued immediately.
I find it ironic that I've been checking award availability to BKK since January for a trip to BKK in December - with no award business class seats being released, and that I was able to grab an award seat to BKK at the last minute.
To say the least, I don't have to fret about searching for award seat availability to BKK anymore since my father for sure won't be travelling to BKK in December using his miles.
- Pat
[This message has been edited by Wiirachay (edited 10-07-2000).]
), I managed to grab an award business class seat to Bangkok (of all Asian destinations) for travel this Wednesday. And I just had the ticket issued a few hours ago. Talk about luck. [Something came up in BKK, and my father has to go to BKK at the last minute.]However, it wasn't an easy task. First, I went through the website to check if NRT-BKK was available. Then I checked flights to NRT from every single int'l gateway and found SEA-BKK & LAX-BKK open. Then I found out that DTW-SEA only had award first class on the outbound in the morning.
Nothing was available for BKK-NRT on the dates that my father wanted to return, so I just took the rulebuster option. (Good thing it still exists. :rolleyes : )
Then came resevation agents:
The agent told me no business class seats were available until Oct. 18th!
I told her that I could see that DTW-SEA-BKK was open, but she said insisted nothing was available. <She was more than happy to say that cattle class was available. > So I took the usual advice given by people here: hang up and call again.Then what do you know? The new agent got the seat for me and had the ticket issued immediately.
I find it ironic that I've been checking award availability to BKK since January for a trip to BKK in December - with no award business class seats being released, and that I was able to grab an award seat to BKK at the last minute.
To say the least, I don't have to fret about searching for award seat availability to BKK anymore since my father for sure won't be travelling to BKK in December using his miles.
- Pat
[This message has been edited by Wiirachay (edited 10-07-2000).]
Oct 8, 2000, 8:29 am
#2
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Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 46,817
Perhaps "irony" is a secret new weapon in NWA's marketing plan!
Oct 10, 2000, 7:45 am
#3
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Posts: 13,344
Northwest has a marketing department? Scary if it is true.
Oct 10, 2000, 2:47 pm
#4
Moderator: GLBT Travelers & Hyatt Gold Passport
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: CVG
Posts: 15,300
I'm still having the same experience with trying to find WBC seat for my trip to BKK in Feb. Have been searching since March. 
Was wondering about using RuleBuster - how late can I book that or is there no limit as long as there are seats?
Was wondering about using RuleBuster - how late can I book that or is there no limit as long as there are seats?
Oct 10, 2000, 6:50 pm
#5
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Homosassa, FL & Ringwood, NJ -UA-G(Lifetime); SPG-Plat (Lifetime)
Posts: 6,120
I flew NRT-BKK on Oct 5 and the Business Class section was only 1/2 full. Likewise, I flew the return today and WBC was again only 1/2 full. On my outbound flight, the one that CO had already deducted miles for an upgrade for as part of a EWR-NRT-BKK round trip (but couldn't confirm me in WBC for the NRT-BKK segment), the agent in NRT had no problem giving me the upgrade on the spot since the CO ticket had printed on it that 50,000 miles were already deducted.
Oct 10, 2000, 7:21 pm
#6
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Posts: 46,817
So it was a good trip then, eh?
Welcome back!
Welcome back!
Oct 11, 2000, 12:37 pm
#7
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Homosassa, FL & Ringwood, NJ -UA-G(Lifetime); SPG-Plat (Lifetime)
Posts: 6,120
Thanks, doc. Freddie and I are gradually getting our bearings and I will post a thorough, and long trip, report in a day or two. It was a fun trip.
Oct 16, 2000, 1:47 pm
#8
Moderator: GLBT Travelers & Hyatt Gold Passport
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: CVG
Posts: 15,300
Just to bring the thread forward. I checked availability today for NW WBC award seats to BKK in Feb. They finally showed up and I got a seat booked CVG-LAX-NRT-BKK on 2/19 and BKK-NRT-SFO-MSP-CVG on 2/26 (not exactly what I want but they will do) I've been checking at least once a week since March.
I've been checking at least once a week since March.