OWE and GLOB rule changes

[littl_flier]

So with a move to E-Ticketing, does this bring the end of open dated segments and we will have nominate dates and then change them at a later point in time?

 

[Mwenenzi]

OWE rule changes on web site updated

The Explorer rule sheet (3015owrulev38_pm mark ups.pdf) on the OneWorld site is now dated 29 Jun. The new pdf file was created 30/06/07 10:31, so its very new.

12 hrs ago the 17 May version was downloadable.
Will print out both versions and compare line by line

 

[Keith009]

So with a move to E-Ticketing, does this bring the end of open dated segments and we will have nominate dates and then change them at a later point in time?

Open dating is possible on etickets.

 

[sparoy]

Open dating is possible on etickets.

Well, I just tried to purchase our DONE4 via AA NRT yesterday Fri 29 Jun. It's a 16 segment total including 1 surface segment. The last 7 segments were open dated. I called them up and give my credit card details etc, but the system didn't allow the ticketing to go through. The agent thought it could be due to the open dated segments. As it's past their closing time 5:30 pm NRT time, they suggested I call back on Monday (AA NRT only operates Mon-Fri 9AM to 5:30PM).

I called AA US ATW desk this morning to confirm and the agent told me (after consulting with her supervisor) that eticket can't be purchased on open dated segment even for 16 segment or less.
They have to issue paper ticket on open dated ticket. I then asked her to put just some dummy dates to overcome this problem.
I will have to call AA NRT on Monday to make payment again.

Hopefully there won’t be any other surprises.

sparoy

 

[Keith009]

Eek - I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing.

Hmm - I hope mandatory eticketing doesn't lead to a drastic reduction of the validity period of these fares, since the current max stay is 12 months from date of departure - but it's impossible to book flights until 330/355 days out. Not hard to overcome by putting in dummy dates and rebooking later I suppose...

That also means there's no way around avoiding wasted segments for co-located airports if you have to actually date segments to create etickets, come compulsory e-ticketing.

edited to add - ironically with the enhancement I now find myself gaining more miles than prior due to the increased number of repositioning tickets I have to purchase separately to avoid surface segments.... at least something positive came out of it, dubious as it may be...

 

[Dave Noble]

I called AA US ATW desk this morning to confirm and the agent told me (after consulting with her supervisor) that eticket can't be purchased on open dated segment even for 16 segment or less.
They have to issue paper ticket on open dated ticket. I then asked her to put just some dummy dates to overcome this problem.

Indeed. AA cannot issue electronic tickets with open sectors in them. I don't see that great a benefit with open sectors anyway over just putting random dates in. AA's system also has trouble pricing some fares ime ( obviously not applicable to OWE/GLOBs ) correctly if trying to book using open. When I have been with them, they have had to make a booking with dates and then make the sectors open afterwards anyway.

The only plus of open sectors imo is it is a way of forcing a paper ticket for those who for some reason prefer paper

Dave

 

[Dave Noble]

That also means there's no way around avoiding wasted segments for co-located airports if you

Have you ever successfully ticketed an itinerary using a city code rather than an airport?

Dave

 

[Keith009]

Have you ever successfully ticketed an itinerary using a city code rather than an airport?

Yep - TA has done it on a paper tix and with open segments. Haven't tried with AA.

 

[littl_flier]

Indeed. AA cannot issue electronic tickets with open sectors in them. I don't see that great a benefit with open sectors anyway over just putting random dates in. AA's system also has trouble pricing some fares ime ( obviously not applicable to OWE/GLOBs ) correctly if trying to book using open. When I have been with them, they have had to make a booking with dates and then make the sectors open afterwards anyway.

The only plus of open sectors imo is it is a way of forcing a paper ticket for those who for some reason prefer paper

Thanks Dave. I'm not sure why someone would actually want a paper ticket. E-ticketing is much easier IMO.

edited to add - ironically with the enhancement I now find myself gaining more miles than prior due to the increased number of repositioning tickets I have to purchase separately to avoid surface segments.... at least something positive came out of it, dubious as it may be...

Interesting thoughts QF009, doesn't this mean more cash and a devalue in the value to you of the xONEx?

 

[Keith009]

Interesting thoughts QF009, doesn't this mean more cash and a devalue in the value to you of the xONEx?

Indeed - hence the word 'dubious.'
At least the itinerary can still be salvaged. Just had to drop PER because there's no way the surface segment can be avoided there due to the transcon restriction, short of wasting a short segment on CBR-MEL or ADL-MEL.

New itin ('real' routing - will get bits and pieces removed to do eticket first, and then reissue later):
NRT-SIN-LHR-DXB-LHR-FCO-LHR-LAX//(unfortunately the folks are travelling with me in the US or I'd have turned back to LAX to pick up the DONE there) SFO-JFK-MIA-MSY-DFW-JFK-SYD-WLG-MEL-AKL-HKG-SIN-NRT

But knowing my luck they'd probably come up with something else prior to September...

 

[serfty]

My Aug '05 SC maximised DONE4 is well and truly out of date.

• It used CX to/from CMB
• Had a MEL-PER-CNS routing &
• MEL-SYD Open Jaw.

I used an open Jaw because I could not book D class MEL-LHR on the date I needed (7 months out) using CX in CMB. (Start of Labour day weekend in Melbourne, not in Sydney). I used a $79 red e-deal to get to SYD.

 

[Tiki]

I didn't get a choice, we have paper tickets, probably because of the SYD-PPT-IPC-SCL routing. I would have preferred e-tickets, less to carry around.

 

[serfty]

Another thing gone is the ability to get around the Oz transcon issue by routing PER-CBR with a cheap red e-deal to SYD/MEL. Will have to rethink optimum 4 segment routings in SWP.

 

[Keith009]

Another thing gone is the ability to get around the Oz transcon issue by routing PER-CBR with a cheap red e-deal to SYD/MEL. Will have to rethink optimum 4 segment routings in SWP.

There are some comparably long flights that still allow you to return to where you started without incurring a surface, like the segments to NZ or CNS. Not sure if the SC 'zone' is still the same though. But accruing to AA i find I'm not that much behind than before, after having replaced PER with segments to/from NZ.

 

[serfty]

There are some comparably long flights that still allow you to return to where you started without incurring a surface, like the segments to NZ or CNS. ...

PER and CNS is on the one only transcon list. I did -AKL-MEL-PER-CNS-MEL for 320 SC's. Had been planning something similar with CBR-PER-CNS in the mix but I now lose a segment doing that.

 

[Keith009]

PER and CNS is on the one only transcon list. I did -AKL-MEL-PER-CNS-MEL for 320 SC's. Had been planning something similar with CBR-PER-CNS in the mix but I now lose a segment doing that.

I meant segments to/from MEL/SYD. Not as good as PER-CNS for SC-earning i imagine.

 

[Dave Noble]

I meant segments to/from MEL/SYD. Not as good as PER-CNS for SC-earning i imagine.

SYD-PER, SYD-CNS, MEL-PER, MEL-CNS and PER-CNS are identical for SC earning

Dave

 

[sparoy]

Well, I just tried to purchase our DONE4 via AA NRT yesterday Fri 29 Jun. It's a 16 segment total including 1 surface segment. The last 7 segments were open dated. I called them up and give my credit card details etc, but the system didn't allow the ticketing to go through. The agent thought it could be due to the open dated segments. As it's past their closing time 5:30 pm NRT time, they suggested I call back on Monday (AA NRT only operates Mon-Fri 9AM to 5:30PM).

I called AA US ATW desk this morning to confirm and the agent told me (after consulting with her supervisor) that eticket can't be purchased on open dated segment even for 16 segment or less.
They have to issue paper ticket on open dated ticket. I then asked her to put just some dummy dates to overcome this problem.
I will have to call AA NRT on Monday to make payment again.

Hopefully there won’t be any other surprises.

sparoy

I didn't get the chance to call AA NRT yesterday. The AA NRT agent emailed me to say that the eticketing could go ahead now (It must be due to the fact that I don't have any open dated ticket anymore)
I emailed him back to go ahead and since he already had my CC details, I received an ETicket confirmation shortly and the status said "Ticketed" on aa.com

I must say this is a much more convenient procedure compared to getting an AA eticket from AA SYD. No messing around with faxing CC authorization forms etc.

But I think it would be a different story with paper ticket...

sparoy

 

[Keith009]

It seems like there are many things AA's systems cannot do that its partners can. I just helped Mum issue a DONE4 with CX NRT (she's the one that insisted on ticketing through them not me), and guess what? Not only could they do city code ticketing, the ticket was also an eticket despite open segments.

Mum's itinerary was fairly non controversial - way less than 16 segments. But I was expecting a paper ticket after reading some of the stuff here. So it looks like AA's operating on post it notes or something....

CX NRT also spoke good English like AA NRT.

The CX fuel fines on the other hand.....:shock: Personally I'd still go with AA even with the extra hassle as I get to save a fair bit even with the rerouting charges.