I just posted this on FT, too, but there is a reservation agent taking all questions right now on Reddit. I don't fly Delta a lot but I thought milepointers might upgrade the Q&A discussion. Redditors are not typically frequent fliers, so the questions so far have been fairly mundane. "I am a Delta/KLM/AF reservation agent that knows all the tricks to booking low fares and award tickets. Ask me anything."
Some interesting ones so far: ravelAuthority[S] 51 points 1 hour ago There are lots of unethical ones like booking child fares for adults to get 10-20% off or using bereavement/medical exemptions to get cheaper last minute fares or to get agents to waive change fees. Delta/AirFrance/KLM require a bit of info such as a hospital name, address, and phone number for a medical fare but they NEVER call to check up on it so I'm surprised more people don't just lie about it. doorslammer 26 points 1 hour ago I'm in Schipol airport right now waiting for a KLM flight... any tips on how to get any freebies/upgrades/benefits? permalink [–]TravelAuthority[S] 84 points 1 hour ago Yes, after your flight you should call or email (preferably the later) and let them know about every single thing you didn't enjoy about your flight (food, movie selection, rude flight attendant, tray table didn't work, wifi didn't work etc). The airlines have a specific department to deal with complaints and they'll give you tens of thousands of miles, free business lounge passes, travel vouchers, drink tickets etc.
Good find. Most of this knowledge is available elsewhere, including on MilePoint, but still nice to see it again. I found the information about working for the airlines particularly interesting.
Yeah I can't imagine complaining every single flight gets you anything but tagged and eventually barred.
My eyes hurt just from reading the format on that thread. I think I need to go lie down... Thank heavens for MilePoint.
Reddit isn't really set up as a forum, even though they have a subreddit called "Ask Me Anything" ... which is basically supposed to be a bunch of comments where the submitter can answer if he/she pleases. It is really annoying, especially if you don't have any browser plugins (like the Reddit Enhancement Suite). The site is really more of a place to submit interesting links.
Wow, I'm going through this thread and the questions all seem to be along the lines of: "I'm flying an international flight later this month that I bought for dirt-cheap, how I can get upgraded to business class for free?" "I live in NYC and want to go to SF, but the round-trip is $300, how can I get this for cheaper?" "how can i fly with my surfboard without paying $150 each way?" No wonder the general public is never satisfied with the airline industry.
People have not learnt that "you get what you pay for!" RIDICULOUS.... If you pay DISCOUNT Economy, expect economy!
Well observed! It's sad when so-called " first world " problems seem to be more important than so-called " third world " problems for many.
That's one thing about being in Afghanistan and I am reminded of each time I come out here and see the crazy poverty or attend a memorial for the fallen who are boarding their last plane home to their respective nation. "I did not get my drink fast enough." "I did not get the meal I wanted." "I did not get upgraded." "I cannot redeem my miles the way I think I should be able to do so." "I hate YQ/APD" (no, I still hate them) "My flight routing was changed, what does XXX airline owe me?" Coming here reminds me of humanity and, hopefully, to retain a sense of humility, even when things do not go my way. alright, rant over.
Well, I'll be. Turns out this poster may know some tricks I wasn't aware of ... particularly for KE awards. foofiter & I pressed about KE awards, which led to this post: http://www.jacksondai.com/5-steps-to-book-korean-airlines-with-skymiles/
Yep! I am trying to get more data points on his KE award calendar strategy to see if it really works. I was able to find greens on the calendar and an agent did find KE availability. Others saw green and claimed they did not find availability over the phone. Now the unfortunate variable is that they may have gotten lazy/badly trained agents on their calls. Without more data I won't really know. I suppose the moment of truth will be when I actually need to book something.
