Granite64

Is it possible to redeem miles for flights with SQ on inter asia routes?

MD/DC Flyer

I see wards seats available on ANA (on AC and TP) but Turkish does not seems to see them. Anyone experienced it or have a solution for that? It is on the edge of the award calendar so that might be the problem, but it is still strange.

ISTFlyer

The web tool is not the best place to book *A awards. A local sales office would be able to see the same seats that you saw via ANA.

MD/DC Flyer

It was done via phone call to the call-in center, not via the website (which is completely useless - agreed). The call center could not see the flights even when they were fed to them.

Before I'm going to waste half a day tracking down to the local sales office (which I'll probably have to do to pay for the ticket), I'd like to know that it is not going to be a complete time waste.

MD/DC Flyer

I've dug a little deeper on my daily call to the call center trying to figure it out. My guess was is that the flights I'm looking at are at the edge of the calendar and therefore it cannot be booked. What I've "discovered":

1. For the dates I'm looking at they cannot see any flights apart from United flights (which of course are not bookable, because United had not opened the flights so far in the future yet)
2. Going back couple of weeks in on the calendar, they can see the other airlines flights, but despite having I class availability on ANA they cannot see the I class.
3. When I asked when usually they start seeing award class open the answer was that this month they started seeing them for September !!!!! I don't know if I'm going to believe it or not, but the agent sounded very convinced (as if, this is not something I'm inventing to get you off the phone).

I'll guess I'll have to get my self to the ticketing office soon.

So frustrating.

ISTFlyer

Unfortunately, the TK call center is being operated by third-party companies ( not by themselves ) so the agents could sometimes can't answer that a 200+post FlyerTalk member can easily answer. I have heard that the English call center ( international ) is operated by several companies all around the world including Asia and Latin America. They are definitely not TK employees. I don't know their ability of booking *A rewards as I always call the Turkish version but I could tell you that most TK issues can't be solved unless you are face to face with an employee.

Despite being an LCC, even, Pegasus Airlines has a better customer service team than Turkish Airlines.

So yes you would have to get your self to the ticketing office.

Granite64

So frustrating to see that one way award tickets with 4 segments in business class blowS up the entire TK booking system..

MD/DC Flyer

UPDATE:

I was ready to gett myself to Turkish ofice last week, but by the time I was ready to go the filghts I wanted were gone. I was monitoring the availability - a good one appeared over the weekend but was gone by Monday. I did continue to call to the call in center for my daily dose of frustration / amusement.

Today I've decided to cut my losses and go to the office an book an none ideal flight (that will require another connection that I'll have to buy) but something that would get me where I need to be on time.

For those who are intrested in the DC office (which is actually in Virginia) - you can park for free at the mall and just walk to the indiscreet office builing that house the office.

The agent could only find one of the flights (the transatlantic, but not the intra European connection). After a lot of manual requests, proding, checking on ANA, and the airline sites, feeding the flight number and times manually, and a lot of refreshs on the screens I managed to get the flights I wanted.

Despite the frustrating process one cannot beat the value of USA-Europe flight in business class for 45,000 miles and change in taxes (no junk fees!).

craigthemif

Presumably United, as AFAIK TK pass along the surcharges on Lufthansa, etc.

FWIW you can do the same far easier for 55K Aeroplan easier-to-earn miles...

MD/DC Flyer

My comments about junk fees were in reference to the fact the the same flights on TK metal would have cost several hundreds dollars in junk fees.

As for Aeroplan miles - easier to earn is relative. All my TK miles are actually from flying (maintaining *G status, many actually on TK metal as they have cheap business class to the destinations I'm going to), and if needed can be topped by transfer from Citi). Those miles would have expired had I had not use them this year. It is far easier for me to get TK miles than AC miles.

I completely agree that the process is antiquated and border line crazy - but the value is still there.

slickvik

nov11

I don't know how recent is this but I managed to book and ticket 2 partner award reservations through the phone last week. Agent sent me an e-mail asking me to check the details and informed me that the reservation will auto-cancel in 12-24 hours if I don't ticket via phone or in person at an office before the deadline (deadline provided in the e-mail based on the time of the first departure city). True enough, the e-mail came and it says I can ticket my reservation through the call centre ^.

sydunipete

I don't see why not. I've booked a TK redemption including an SQ leg (SYD/SIN/IST/ARN).

BTW - I think you mean intra-Asia (internal to Asia).

thefilipinotraveler

Hi,
Thanks for the info. Did they give you the amount of tax/surcharge right after booking your flights or was it given on your second call when you are about to ticket it? Thanks.

MD/DC Flyer