I haad a US Airways reservation that was supposed to be ticketed by today (03-25).
SFO-HND-HKG-BLR
BOM-DOH-DFW-SJC
(all in business except domestic F)
Except that I made the naive assumption that it would expire by midnight. Called around 4pm PDT and was on hold for only 45 mins (see below). Agent had to recreate my itinerary and in the process the JAL flight was gone for the day I wanted to leave, at least per BA.com. But the USAirways agent told me it was available. Agent priced itinerary at 60K miles and realized something was amiss, so she called the rate desk - long hold.
Agent then said that this was because SJC was not valid, I had to return to SF. I told her that it was ok and indeed had been held, had it not been cancelled it would be there. Agent went to talk to rate desk again, then
CLICK
phone got cut off.
Called back around 645pm PST. Was on hold for one hour +.
Decided to call on my cell phone to an US Airways overseas office, as suggested in this thread. Called Australia, message said welcome to American Airlines. Hung up. Called Japan, same message, decided to continue.
Meanwhile I was still on hold on the land line.
AA Japan said she would transfer me. So now I have the same crazy loop playing on two speakerphones. Cell phone was picked up first but the agent kept saying he could not hear me. After screaming he kept saying he could not hear me. Or rather I think he could hear but not very well. He did try 3 or 4 times but it was clearly not working. Hung up cell phone.
Now the hold time on the land line was approaching 3 hours.
Finally, an agent on the line. Explained the situation, and had to feed her all 6 flights again. This time she was able to find the SJC flight as a coterminal. Ready to price again. Interminable (well more like 6-8 minute) wait for the rate desk. Then she gets my credit card and asks me to look up the record on USAirways.com. No flights show up.
Sinking feeling.
Agent tells me to look on the next day. Because the SFO-HND flight leaves at 0135. I find all the flights, now leaving a day later. Return was the same. It reminded me of when I had first booked it, the US agent insisted the flight was on the previous evening. Said that's the way they had to look it up. Why, I may never know, as US joins the great pantheon of airlines in the sky.
Anyway, I'm a day late and about a hundred and twenty USD short, and it's 30 minutes to midnight in Phoenix.
And this was my first DM redemption ever (mostly an AA flyer! But loaded up via 4 Barclays cards in the past two years).
RIP Dividend Miles.
No more RTW routings. No more India via Middle East if I remember the AAdvantage routings. India via HKG, pay more. Great availability via LHR, but do we have a formerly-known-as-fuel surcharge for you?!
SFO-HND-HKG-BLR
BOM-DOH-DFW-SJC
(all in business except domestic F)
Except that I made the naive assumption that it would expire by midnight. Called around 4pm PDT and was on hold for only 45 mins (see below). Agent had to recreate my itinerary and in the process the JAL flight was gone for the day I wanted to leave, at least per BA.com. But the USAirways agent told me it was available. Agent priced itinerary at 60K miles and realized something was amiss, so she called the rate desk - long hold.
Agent then said that this was because SJC was not valid, I had to return to SF. I told her that it was ok and indeed had been held, had it not been cancelled it would be there. Agent went to talk to rate desk again, then
CLICK
phone got cut off.
Called back around 645pm PST. Was on hold for one hour +.
Decided to call on my cell phone to an US Airways overseas office, as suggested in this thread. Called Australia, message said welcome to American Airlines. Hung up. Called Japan, same message, decided to continue.
Meanwhile I was still on hold on the land line.
AA Japan said she would transfer me. So now I have the same crazy loop playing on two speakerphones. Cell phone was picked up first but the agent kept saying he could not hear me. After screaming he kept saying he could not hear me. Or rather I think he could hear but not very well. He did try 3 or 4 times but it was clearly not working. Hung up cell phone.
Now the hold time on the land line was approaching 3 hours.
Finally, an agent on the line. Explained the situation, and had to feed her all 6 flights again. This time she was able to find the SJC flight as a coterminal. Ready to price again. Interminable (well more like 6-8 minute) wait for the rate desk. Then she gets my credit card and asks me to look up the record on USAirways.com. No flights show up.
Sinking feeling.
Agent tells me to look on the next day. Because the SFO-HND flight leaves at 0135. I find all the flights, now leaving a day later. Return was the same. It reminded me of when I had first booked it, the US agent insisted the flight was on the previous evening. Said that's the way they had to look it up. Why, I may never know, as US joins the great pantheon of airlines in the sky.
Anyway, I'm a day late and about a hundred and twenty USD short, and it's 30 minutes to midnight in Phoenix.
And this was my first DM redemption ever (mostly an AA flyer! But loaded up via 4 Barclays cards in the past two years).
RIP Dividend Miles.
No more RTW routings. No more India via Middle East if I remember the AAdvantage routings. India via HKG, pay more. Great availability via LHR, but do we have a formerly-known-as-fuel surcharge for you?!
