jlin17

I'm trying to redeem an award where the first leg is HGH-TPE on 10/6. ANA shows 4 seats available on CA but when I call US, multiple agents tell me that they cannot see it in their system. Anyone know what's going on here? What can I do to get on this flight?

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

as stated - but it can't hurt to call and ask - might just be your lucky day

CleverK1

Has anybody experienced something similar?
I tried to book an award on SQ in C on the route SIN-CAI or also JED-SIN / SIN-JED.

Different agents say...they can't see the flight at all. So they can't even say something about the availablility...because they say the think doesn't exist.

SIN-CAI (via DXB) and SIN-JED is operated with an A330. So there shouldn't be a problem with StarNet blocking.

Anybody has an idea how to get these flights on an US award?

flashware

How about SIN-BKK-CAI on Egypt Air?

ProfNapalm

You rly want to offer an Egypt Air flight to sbdy wanting to find seats on Singapore? No way ?

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

sure why not?? business class on egyptair is probably better in a some respects. you'd get full flat beds, PJs and catering from the same biz class kitchen as Thai in Bangkok. plus a nice amenity kits and the IFE's supposedly not too bad. with sq you get and angled seat and good service, but no amenity kit, no PJs etc.

why not fly ms?

Air Rarotonga

If you would just had read the last 10 pages then you would have got your question answered!

Is it really necessary, that the same question shows up here every few days?

CleverK1

While I wouldn't mind flying MS, I can't take SIN-BKK-CAI because my itinery would run out of the 8 segments max idea. Open jaw from KUL isn't an option either, as I have a stopover in my itinery as well.
But thanks for your idea.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

you can always try for 5 segments. they might just allow it on MS given the wide open availability.

jlin17

OK, so I called CA and spoke with one of their CSR who confirmed that they were seats available to *A. He even advised me to tell the US CSR to book it as manually book as X-class and CA will confirm. However, again multiple US CSR say the flight doesn't exist in their system, and they repeatedly say that nothing can be done if they can't see it even if they can see that the flight exists on www.staralliance.com. Is this an example of Starnet blocking? Is this a lost cause? Should I just give up on booking this segment and buy the ticket?

rosepoint

Let us know if you manage to book these seats. I'm trying to get an ANA flight between IAD and NRT. Shows available award seats on ANA and UA sites but US can't see the flight at all. Trying to decide if we move points from AmEx to ANA to get the flight or just fly different dates on UA metal and meet up somewhere. We are trying to use our US points and save AmEx for a rainy day.

FLLDL

I have a similar situation on a biz award booking with BMI which has caught a snag with US as well. What did you have to do to get US and BA to get the tickets resolved?

US has told me that I can't fly the BD segment (now BA segment) as BA is not part of star alliance. They say that BA reissued the ticket as a paid ticket not an award ticket and now US would be on the hook for the cost of a full coach fare. I explained that this sounds like an issue which US and BA need to resolve amongst themselves as I am holding a confirmed ticket, but the agent refused to listen. They want to rebook elsewhere on star but there is no biz availability.

I politely excused myself and hung up so could review alternate options if needed. Needless to say biz availability is scarce.

What are my options in forcing US to accept the BD/BA booking. These were booked and confirmed long before the merger and my BD PNR is still showing everything is fine, no changes. Unable to login and see my US PNR.


Award is a flight from Middle East-LHR on BD(BA) connecting to a UA flight to the states.

alfrie

Someone already posted that US could not see CA's HGH-TPE and CTU-TPE for award travel. However, PVG-TPE was available last time I checked. You may try other one-stop routing such as HGH-(ICN, NRT)-TPE, or fly PVG-TPE.

eponymous_coward

I doubt it's Starnet blocking per se; it's not like there's a horde of FTers trying to book CA flights in coach in China the same way FTers were booking LH F- something that costs US a lot of cash, and upset LH executives who didn't like how easy it is to get 6 or 7 digit mileage balances on US (for relatively piddling amounts of cash) that sucked up all the LH F *A inventory. Thus LH changed their availability and leaned on their alliance partner hard about this (public statements on not liking US selling miles made at *A MegaDos, for instance).

I suspect (but can't prove, this is just based on chatter here from informed sources, plus some of my own experiences) that it's more like US, like UA post 3/3, is using a SHARES system for ticketing that's the airline equivalent of stone knives and bearskins, where things don't always work right, and the dictate from On High that seems to be the agreement between LH and US is Thou Shalt Not Perform The Manual Sell when "computer says no" (basically, if what the computer thinks as far as available award inventory is out of sync with reality, you're not allowed to fix it). I can tell you from personal experience that long before LH/LX F was effectively blocked from redemption I had problems getting LH regional flight award inventory in Y "seen" on US, on the same itinerary I had LX F flights (so it's not like US was really saving a lot of money by "Starnet blocking" something from me).

ejh25

I feel your pain. Glad you hung up. What they told you is completely bogus!

Does your BD/BA PNR still show biz class? Make sure of this. Mine was downgraded. I would keep calling US air back until you get the right agent. Direct the US Air Agent to BMI's webpage regarding Star Alliance award tickets.

Tell them that BMI has agreed to honor all tickets booked and ticketed prior to 5/31/2012. If the agent does not reissue...hang up and call again. You'll eventually find an agent who understands the situation. I find that calling morning EST gets you the more experienced agents (could just be my experience).