Oneworld seamless travel (not)
 

I do LHR-BOS a lot (about to do 3rd this year), normally on BA, but for some some variety and to save some money our travel agent came up with an IB ticket, outbound LHRBOS on a AA codeshare, return LHRMADBOS on IB metal.

Should all be easy, IB/AA being One World and me being a BA GCH.....

But agent has had great difficulty booking me a VLML on the outbound AA flight. The agent says:

"I spoke to Iberia this morning and they advised that because the flight is operated by AA then we need to request the meal through them. The problem is AA won't accept the request as the flight is booked as an Iberia codeshare. Its a no-win situation it seems!

So we have sent a request through to the airline and noted in the booking that he requires a vegetarian meal. I called American again this evening and they said they can see the request but cant guarantee the veg meal."

And when I look at the details via my BA EC account, it shows special meals for the BOSMAD and MADLHR, but standard meal for the LHRBOS sector. Despite my EC profile having VLML of course.

This all sounds quite silly given what Oneworld and codeshares would claim to be about....

This is not simply a Oneworld issue - it's a AA/BA/IB JBV issue. I know it's early on, but surely someone must have thought about integrating service requests like meals. Maybe the IT haven't gotten to it yet?

OW isn't the best alliance for partner integration, though I couldn't tell you which alliance is. Some reciprocal benefits are wonderful, but others are inadequate - lack of ANY reciprocal baggage allowance and hugely disparate mileage earning between partners come to mind.

Actually, even ignoring OW, seems odd that if any two airlines codeshare that they can't enter special requests in each others.....

The annoying is the OW link-up kind of words, I can see my IB/AA flights in BA!

I've done far better in the past on codeshares with Quantas/BA but I guess they've been at it for longer.

Anyway, roll on Monday and see if any of it works (maybe my BA profile VLML will leak through).

Not meaning to harp, but Quantas is to QANTAS as Brit Air is to BA :)

It isn't that difficult. The agent just needed to learn the SPML request for the other airline's system, basically as any travel agent would do. This should be very easy UNLESS the res system is blocked from certain functions. I don't know SABRE, but a HELP SPML (or similar) should give all the codes.

On further reflection, I wonder if since it is a codeshare, the codeshare flight # did not have the meal services loaded in and so it isn't showing properly as a meal flight and/or one where SPMLs are actually bookable, so all that one can do is put in an SSR (Special Service Request) and hope for the best.

I'm thinking it is my "further reflection" but I'm not sure.

Is this documented somewhere? I have recently had to pay for a second bag on BA. Is it not implemented yet?

In the end the baggage issue is applied inconsistently. If I first check in with AA, where I'm entitled to 2 bags, or CX, who nearly always look the other way, then I don't pay, even when connecting to BA or another partner who more commonly change. On the return if you check in with one of those partners, then of course you pay.

That's embarrassing, I'm normally one to pick up on such things!

This agency is reasonably competent, and seems to have spoken to both IB and AA, so I presume they were blocked (although I may be being charitable). So I guess an SSR is what's logged.

Anyway, I found today that I couldn't OLCI. The IB site redirects me to the AA site, and the AA site shows all the details, but then tells me I can't OLCI with this itinerary!

Interesting point - presumably due to the Sabra/Amadeus split, I have three PNRs - one for the original booking, one which shows on the IB (and also BA) site, and one when I get presented within on the AA site!

I agree with the title of the thread.

IME, oneworld is not delivering on its promise, and there's very little seamless in what customers like me care about (no surprises with baggage fees because one airlines' policies are different from another--even in the same market--elite phone lines accessible from all oneworld elites, elite line at LHR T5 security open to all oneworld elites and not only BA elites, etc. etc.)

They have slipped from the beginning, and now they seem to be focusing on selling tickets (RTW etc.) and not delivering on services. They also seem to have rescinded all specific promises of seamless service (other than vague generic statements with no meaning) etc. from the website, along with the very important obligation that any of the oneworld airlines would handle other airline's ticketing etc.

Agent needs only put VLML meal request on all flight sectors. The message will automatically translate to respective airline. Codeshare on IB but on AA? Message will generate to IB and then forwarded to AA. Same with BA.. there is a generic VLML code but its specific to the GDS your TA is using. If its SABRE, its 3VLMLx - x being the segment number.

Why did your TA bother calling IB, of course they will pass the buck to operating airline..they could in fact just put in their own VLML code to the res. But honestly, rather than call each individual airline up, your TA should just do it .. meal requests, seat requests, wheelchair (if needed), car, hotel, everything...

Why am I telling your TA to do his/her job? Maybe I'm a better TA than him/her? :D

Well, that is what I originally thought, but if the meals weren't properly loaded by the airline into the codeshare flight info, there's nothing for it to stick to.

We all should be realistic. Alliances exist for marketing purposes, not for customer benefit. In theory a meal code will work throughout IATA carriers on the same PNR, but the facts are different. OW is still more consistent than either of the other two, believe me on that. I am top elite on all three alliances. OW is less bad than the other two, as far as consistency is concerned.

Well, sadly I don't talk directly to the agent (have someone else in the way) but the agent seems to have put some effort into calling both, so either they are totally clueless or they did hit a snag.

Anyway, needless to say, got on the plane and AA appeared to no record of my request (or at least no meal), despite the agents (maybe misguide) attempts or my OneWorld FF status. So missed out on the starter but they had a veggie main course. Purser didn't seem massively bothered or surprised - but offered to make up a plate of vegetable if I preferred.