AF No Longer Honoring DL SkyMiles?
 

Two weeks ago, Air France attempted to downgrade my wife on a flight, claiming that they no longer honored bookings obtained with SkyMiles from Delta.

My wife and I flew to Paris two weeks ago for a long-planned birthday celebration. I flew on an I fare (discounted first class), booked through Delta on its code share, and we cashed in Delta SkyMiles for my wife's business class ticket. Both legs were on Air France, and we had incredible difficulty at the airport on both ends of the trip. This post concerns our outbound flight (ATL-CDG).

On the evening of our departure, we checked in and went to DL's BE lounge on Concourse E. Approximately 1 hour before departure, we were paged in the BE lounge and told to report to the gate immediately. When we got there, the head gate agent for AF advised us that AF was no longer honoring DL SkyMiles bookings and that my wife could not fly in Business Class. A clearly embarrassed Delta employee at the gate then told me that we could either wait until the next day to depart (when DL would accommodate us on one of its own flights), or that -- as an accommodation -- AF would fly my wife that night on coach.

I protested vigorously, noting my PM status with DL (something I hate to do) and pointing out that we had booked the SkyMiles ticket more than 4 months earlier. Then, after making a number of self-contradictory statements, the AF gate agent claimed she had misunderstood our situation and that, because we had booked the flight before the mid-December date when the new rule allegedly went into effect, my wife could retain her original booking.

Neither I nor my travel agent can locate anything substantiating the claim that AF will not honor any SkyMiles bookings made after mid-December. Additionally, we have spoken with several DL representatives, who likewise know nothing about this sudden change.

Has anyone else heard about such a change? Regardless of the rules, has anyone else confronted such a claim from AF?

Sounds like BS to me. Maybe they were oversold in J and wanted your seat back. That a DL rep was there and played along with it is pretty interesting.

What did you end up doing for the travel?

The only change I know about from last year is that AF no longer honors your right to use DL miles to book a ticket in F, not in J, on AF. Could it be the AF agent was thinking of that change, got confused about either the rule or that your wife was in J and not F, and then realized her error and tried to get out of it "gracefully" by saying this other garbage about a change with the J policy. I can't believe there's been such a change since late last year and NO ONE on FT has encountered it or knows about it. FTers are just too well-informed for that. :)

Af agents are generally the worst educated airline employees in the world in regard to their own program, let alone Skyteam, AF reallly doesn;t care to educate them in these matters and they regularly spout incorrect information.

They are certainly clueless way too often. Sounds like someone making stuff up.

There is clearly something going on here.

Since 1/1/2007, I have heard that it is no longer possible to upgrade on AF using DL miles and there is apparently no award availabiliy on the AF BOS-CDG flights using Skymiles even when the planes fly half empty.

I suspect the AF is afraid DL is going to go belly up and they won't get paid. Or someone didn't renew some agreement.

The OP may have lucked out because their tickets were booked last year.

I've pretty much given up on AF (who wants to pay $5k for a Business Ticket and get served freeze-dried peanuts) and am close to giving up on DL. The NW / KLM partnership has been working out much better for me. AMS is a wonderful aiport, probably one of the best in the world and CDG is one of the worst, only things like LHR are worse.

Indeed, this is one of the great truths of SkyTeam and travel in general!

Oh well, AF has been no longer honor with DL skymiles partner. What is reason why AF hasn't booking the ticket onto DL/AF? I can't imagine doing AF has been no longer exist. Because AF has been own decision when customers who want purchase with AF ticket to earned with DL miles. I think AZ would be just fine for booking online ticket from USA to Italy. I think AZ would be honor for purchase the ticketed. It does own DL SkyMiles program onto Alitalia.

Interesting. I wonder how AF treats awards booked with NW miles? I had been planning on attempting an award on AF since they are one of the few Skyteam members who fly 3 cabin aircraft across the Atlantic into western Europe. After reading about this incident and the OPs other post I'm not sure it is worth it, I guess maybe I should burn the extra miles and stick with NW/KLM in BusFirst.

Using NW WorldPerks points you can not book in to AF F. You can book in to AF J. On NW/KL you'll get WBC. On CO you'll get BF. CO charges more for their BF than for WBC on NW/KL. I don't know if NW is the same.

I suggest you read the entire thread in the DL forum to have the full range of opinions.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=657208