Help with booking award ticket
 

Hi there,

I am quite new to Frequent Flyer Programs in general and would like to book my first award ticket.

Given that the future conditions of the SWISS TravelClub program regarding flexibility of the award ticket, mileage level required for award tickets etc. are very uncertain at the moment, I would like to book an award ticket now for use in July next year.

I have got a few questions on which I would like to hear your opinion:

It seems I can book an award ticket on LOT for use next year although they won't be a partner of the Qualiflyer program anymore then and thus most likely not of the SWISS TravelClub program.
How does this affect my ticket? Will the LOT segment become invalid next year?

I read here on the forum that my ticket can consist of up to 8 segments including one stop-over.
I am not really sure whether I understood this correctly - it seems a bit too good to be true - so I would like to ask you if a routing like this is generelly possible (depending on seat availability etc.):

MAD-BRU-HEL-LED and then return from SVO-ZRH-BRE
Returning from LED as well wouldn't be a problem.
Also, I would like to do a stop-over in ZRH and stay in BRU and HEL for as long (<24h) as possible.

Is this possible?
Can I just call the Qualiflyer Service Centre and tell them the routing or do I have to provide the flight times as well?
I thought I would just ask to them to book me on the latest plane leaving BRU or HEL within 24 hours after my arrival there.

And finally, if I book a business class ticket, I understand that the service will not be very much different from economy class in most cases. Is it possible though to use not only the airport lounges of SWISS but of the involved partner airlines as well?

Thank you very much!

Ulrich

Hallo Ulrich, willkommen bei FlyerTalk!

I'm not quite sure on this one, but from what I understand you won't be able to get new tickets issued on LOT for use after 2002.

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- so I would like to ask you if a routing like this is generelly possible (depending on seat availability etc.):

MAD-BRU-HEL-LED and then return from SVO-ZRH-BRE

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Yes.

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Also, I would like to do a stop-over in ZRH and stay in BRU and HEL for as long (&lt;24h) as possible.
Is this possible?

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If LED/SVO is your destination, you can stay there as long as you want. The same applies to the one stopover you chose, e.g. ZRH. In all other locations, you have to stay less than 24hrs.

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Can I just call the Qualiflyer Service Centre and tell them the routing or do I have to provide the flight times as well?
I thought I would just ask to them to book me on the latest plane leaving BRU or HEL within 24 hours after my arrival there.

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The Qualiflyer Centers are not used to this kind of routing (and perhaps even unfamiliar with the rules allowing them). It is highly advisable to completely plan your entire itinerary (flight times, numbers, connections etc.) before calling them. Also, have some alternatives ready in case one flight isn't available.

Please bear in mind that you can only use LX, TP, SN, AY and until the end of the year LO for this itinerary. Interlining with other partners such as TK doesn't work.

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And finally, if I book a business class ticket, I understand that the service will not be very much different from economy class in most cases. Is it possible though to use not only the airport lounges of SWISS but of the involved partner airlines as well?

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You can use the lounge of any airline you're about to fly the next C segment with at the airport you're leaving from (if they have a lounge that is).

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airOli, the Swiss Air Line. ;)

Hallo airOli,
erstmal vielen Dank fuer die nette Begruessung!

And thank you very much for your very prompt response which helped me clarify the issues in question!

This restriction would make sense to me if FinnAir was excluded but airlib and airlittoral included, i.e. interlining was allowed on Qualiflyer Airlines only but not on Partner Airlines.
Could you please explain this, if there is a logic behind it?

Thank you!

Ulrich

First of all, I honestly forgot about the French carriers since their route network is only domestic and I hardly ever used them. They might work too, but I'm not sure.

Second, each partner airline (AY,CX,IB etc.) has different rules on interlining, and I know for sure that TK does not allow interlining (IB only with TAP, etc.), while AY does. There is no logic behind it.



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airOli, the Swiss Air Line. ;)

OK, thanks for this!

BTW: Your extremely quick responses frighten me a bit! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

Don't measure me on that for the future - it was just lucky timing. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif



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airOli, the Swiss Air Line. ;)

airoli, I usually trust your posts, but you got me confused. Infact I booked an award ticket back in 2000 interlining TK with the old SR. Have the rulues changed since? Does TK forbid interlining in general, or only with certain airlines?

Edited for spelling.

[This message has been edited by HajoFlyer (edited 10-05-2002).]

First, thanks for trusting me! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

When I was trying to book an interline award TK / SR in 2001, I was told that TK does not allow interlining. This might have started at the time when TK was "downgraded" from QG to QG partner airline and launched their own FFP. So apparently rules have changed indeed. But they might have done so again since then, thus anyone interested can still try!



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airOli, the Swiss Air Line. ;)

Airoli : apparently I submitted my itinerary with TK and QG said it was OK; they are going to call me today to confirm everything. I'll keep you posted. Itinerary is CDG-WAW-ARN-ZHR-ATH-IST-SVO-ZHR-CDG next month.