Booking available reward seat I can see on EY website using Velocity FF points

[Ghostdunks]

Can someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I was under the understanding previously that if I could locate reward seats on the Etihad website(known on the EY website as GuestSeats), I could then subsequently book these seats using my Velocity FF points by calling up Velocity call centre and getting them to book the seats as partner redemption seats. eg. this was one way we could book EY First class using velocity FF points


Is that still correct? Reason I'm asking is that I'm planning to go to europe next year, and have located some J reward seats on the EY website, these don't show up as bookable on the Velocity website as reward seats, and when I've called up the call centre to try and book them, they said they have access to the same inventory as I do on the website and nothing else so they can't help me.

 

[CJEMNMAC]

Can someone please correct me if I'm wrong. I was under the understanding previously that if I could locate reward seats on the Etihad website(known on the EY website as GuestSeats), I could then subsequently book these seats using my Velocity FF points by calling up Velocity call centre and getting them to book the seats as partner redemption seats. eg. this was one way we could book EY First class using velocity FF points


Is that still correct? Reason I'm asking is that I'm planning to go to europe next year, and have located some J reward seats on the EY website, these don't show up as bookable on the Velocity website as reward seats, and when I've called up the call centre to try and book them, they said they have access to the same inventory as I do on the website and nothing else so they can't help me.

You are correct. Some at the call centre have no idea.

I just booked 2 x one ways in J JFK - SYD and 1 x one way SYD - JFK . I looked up Etihad site and found the guest reward seats. Called the Velocity Call Centre and said I need to redeem a partner reward on Etihad.

Gave them flight numbers and dates and went through the drama of we need to charge you a fee to book over phone blah blah blah. So I had to hold while the rep tried to replicate the booking on the VA site. They agreed it can't be done online and waived the call centre fee.

There has been some issues with first seats being released to VA for whatever reason ( I am not sure ) and discussed on another thread. But for J seats I had no issues.

I have argued every time that EY flights on EY cannot be booked online for points and funnily enough the velocity website says :

Please note: Etihad Airways is currently not available via our website for reward reservations. Please contact our call centre for assistance in processing your request.

I also note that it seems that some EY codeshare flights can be booked online

 

[Ghostdunks]

You are correct. Some at the call centre have no idea.

I just booked 2 x one ways in J JFK - SYD and 1 x one way SYD - JFK . I looked up Etihad site and found the guest reward seats. Called the Velocity Call Centre and said I need to redeem a partner reward on Etihad.

Ah that's encouraging! So before you called up Velocity, did you go through the website for reward bookings, and you couldn't actually see the seats as available as reward seats? What was the point cost of the EY flights you booked through Velocity? Was it comparable/same to a similar routing if it was a VA flight?

Also, based on your last sentence, it sounds like you are actually ticketed as EY rather than VA, is that correct?

 

[get me outta here]

Just an idle thought, what approx was the cost of this in points and 'fines' on EY J ?

... one way SYD - JFK

 

[CJEMNMAC]

Ah that's encouraging! So before you called up Velocity, did you go through the website for reward bookings, and you couldn't actually see the seats as available as reward seats? What was the point cost of the EY flights you booked through Velocity? Was it comparable/same to a similar routing if it was a VA flight?

Also, based on your last sentence, it sounds like you are actually ticketed as EY rather than VA, is that correct?

Yes. The seats did not show on Velocity site. The availability came from checking EY Guest. The points were as per the chart ( 125000 VA points ) for SYD - JFK in business.

So, when completed just ask for the EY PNR and then you can go to Etihad site, manage the booking and select seats etc etc

 

[CJEMNMAC]

Just an idle thought, what approx was the cost of this in points and 'fines' on EY J ?

JFK - SYD is 125000 VA points plus $42.99 AUD

SYD - JFK is 125000 VA points plus $108.39 AUD

 

[mlob]

That is encouraging as there has been some comment that people have had no luck with this even when when hanging up and trying again repeatedly. Which has been very disheartening.

 

[CJEMNMAC]

That is encouraging as there has been some comment that people have had no luck with this even when when hanging up and trying again repeatedly. Which has been very disheartening.

Ah that's encouraging! So before you called up Velocity, did you go through the website for reward bookings, and you couldn't actually see the seats as available as reward seats? What was the point cost of the EY flights you booked through Velocity? Was it comparable/same to a similar routing if it was a VA flight?

Also, based on your last sentence, it sounds like you are actually ticketed as EY rather than VA, is that correct?

So, to hopefully help a little. This is my experience from literally 5 mins ago..

Checked EY site for random date 16 August ( see attached) and availability SYD-JFK on 14, 15, 16, 17 august for 1 x J seat according to Etihad.

Checked VA site for same date 16 August ( see attached ) and availability SYD - JFK on EY is NIL

Called Velocity 13 18 75, keyed in my membership number, selected international redemption and told the operator I would like to book a partner redemption on Etihad. Gave him the date of the 16 August and he says NO. I say please check 17 august ( knowing that EY site says 14, 15, 16, 17 ) and he says yes no problem on 17th. I say are you sure nothing on 16th ? He says I will double check...Oh hang on, yes you can have 16th or 17th ... It is 125000 VA points + 108.39 tax would you like to book now...

I will post again with regard to LHR as it was slightly different experience

 

[mlob]

Sounds like a great alternative to getting to JFK. Especially considering there is NO availability at all on the OZ to USA legs in J on the velocity site. 33 hours sounds a bit of a shlep. Do you mind expanding on those flights and connection times? Would love to hear about LHR as well.

 

[CJEMNMAC]

Sounds like a great alternative to getting to JFK. Especially considering there is NO availability at all on the OZ to USA legs in J on the velocity site. 33 hours sounds a bit of a shlep. Do you mind expanding on those flights and connection times? Would love to hear about LHR as well.

Ok so 16 August is EY455 lands AUH 6.15am and connection EY101 departs 10.20am

but on 17 August available is EY451 landing 12.05am and connection EY103 departs 2.55am

I just did same process with LHR as post #8. Checked EY random 16 August ( shows 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19 available ) I checked 16 august only on VA site ( attached ) and the operator could see the same flights as VA site. In this case I would have had to book via VA website to avoid call centre fee.

The thing is, I could not book the flights SYD -AUH- LHR as seen on EY site but it appears you had to do the SYD-MEL-AUH-LHR as shown on VA site. Operator would not or could not book SYD-AUH-LHR

 

[mlob]

Very illuminating, thanks CJEMNMAC for your efforts.

 

[CPMaverick]

Very illuminating, thanks CJEMNMAC for your efforts.

Agreed, appreciate the detail.

 

[Ghostdunks]

Not sure if they've enhanced the Velocity reward seat engine recently, but reward seats that I couldn't see before on the velocity website but were seen as available on Etihad guest site, have all of a sudden appeared on velocity web site now. I can now see the EY designated flights as well as the VA flights(same plane, just different code-shares). Previously I could only see the VA flights, but I was gearing up to call up the call centre and try calling and following CJEMNMAC's method to book a "partner redemption on Etihad" when I double-checked it today, and it seems that the reward flights which are available on Etihad guest website are now also shown on the VA website, making it easier to book online without needing to deal with call centre operators.

EDIT: This seems to have happened only with the routes I was looking at, Mel to european destinations, and back. I just double checked CHEMNMAC's example of flying from SYD-JFK and the EY flights don't seem to have appeared there even though there's availability on Etihad guest site.

 

[CJEMNMAC]

Not sure if they've enhanced the Velocity reward seat engine recently, but reward seats that I couldn't see before on the velocity website but were seen as available on Etihad guest site, have all of a sudden appeared on velocity web site now. I can now see the EY designated flights as well as the VA flights(same plane, just different code-shares). Previously I could only see the VA flights, but I was gearing up to call up the call centre and try calling and following CJEMNMAC's method to book a "partner redemption on Etihad" when I double-checked it today, and it seems that the reward flights which are available on Etihad guest website are now also shown on the VA website, making it easier to book online without needing to deal with call centre operators.

EDIT: This seems to have happened only with the routes I was looking at, Mel to european destinations, and back. I just double checked CHEMNMAC's example of flying from SYD-JFK and the EY flights don't seem to have appeared there even though there's availability on Etihad guest site.

Great you can see them and book without the call centre. The crazy thing is the European vs North America is so different for whatever reason. I could see the LHR flights for example but never JFK to be able to book directly.

Anyway, its one of those things I guess. Good luck with your trip

 

[Ghostdunks]

Great you can see them and book without the call centre. The crazy thing is the European vs North America is so different for whatever reason. I could see the LHR flights for example but never JFK to be able to book directly.

Anyway, its one of those things I guess. Good luck with your trip

Thanks! Just out of curiosity, I'm going to call up the call centre later this week, and see if I can replicate how you "booked" or checked availability for the SYD-JFK flight as a "partner redemption on Etihad", and see if the agent I get can do it or not. Knowing thats possible will open up a lot more reward seats, especially if its not directly visible on the velocity website, so others who are not in-the-know won't even know they're available so they won't get booked out as quickly.

 

[greenfish]

I've had no problems "seeing" EY flights ex Europe to Australia on the VA site, but almost everything else doesn't work. It is quite quirky - an HKT-LHR search works but SIN will only ever show SQ flights (if any).

Probably belongs in the VA webste broken thread thought

 

[Dylan O'Connor]

I think it doesn't show EY to JFK because it's not the "best" route. VA must think SYD-JFK would be via LAX and 20hrs and via AUH on EY or via SIN-FRA on SQ at over 33hrs each.

What they need to do is make those options available for us to see.

I want to book BNE-AUH-JFK on EY in J using points but I will have to call the call centre because VA doesn't even give me the option because it thinks it's a route I wouldn't want to get to JFK.

 

[EUROPA]

Just tried booking SYD-AUH-IAD. Reward availability shows on EY Guest site however VA call centre maintains they do not have access to the 'straight-through' flight and would need to book as 2 segments i.e SYD-AUH, AUH-IAD with each leg being 92k points so one way ends up costing 184k points instead of the 125k that some of you have been able to get. Anyone know why this is or a way around it?