Reward Availability Funny

So, funny thing happening here. Anyone else seen this, or can shed any light?

I've got a SFO-LHR flight coming up, booked as an S, which I'd like to upgrade with miles to Upper.

Usually, the best way to work out if there is G availability is to do a 'dummy' award booking, right through to the point where it asks you for your credit card details to pay the taxes and fees. If there is no G availability on the day you want, it will usually say 'no availability' and offer you a calendar of the nearest available days.

So, I just did this for the date I'm travelling, and I get as far as the stage where you actually pay and confirm, when making the dummy booking.

I phone up VS reservations, and the agent says that there is no availability in G on that flight, which is puzzling, considering I got 99% of the way through the dummy booking. This has happened twice too, once when I made the initial booking, and again since.

I usually make sure I hold onto the web booking session until the reservations agent picks up, at which point I release it (i.e. if there is only 1 G seat available, I'm not holding it online).

So, wondered if anyone else has come across this, or knows a way out rather than just sitting on the phone to reservations an awful lot.

Mike

Luckily, I have never experienced that. Whenever I have made a dummmy G booking online, then phoned to upgrade a paid ticket with miles, I have always been able to do so. Indeed sometimes extra availability/dates have been available over the phone.

Did you not say anything to the agent about the G showing online ?
Have you tried 2 booking 2 G's ?

Hi Mike,

I've had this problem before with booking concert tickets in specific seats. Now I'm not sure if VS are the same, but the seats were held as booked for 5-10 minutes. If they were not bought within that time then they were put back on the shelf for sale.

I know you closed the page after getting through to the sales team on the phone but I'm just wondering if it's a case of a similar delay between your dummy run and the seat being reset back into the stream.

Hope this might shed a little more light on the matter. As I said, it's only a stab at it but might just be the answer. No doubt someone will follow me with the 100% correct answer now!

AC

Edited to say thanks, I'm now a Frequent Flyer!! [8D]

Well, turned out there was only one G seat remaining on that VS20, and I've now got it.

Interestingly I was hit with £12 YQ surcharge on doing the upgrade, which I queried, and I was initially told that it was security (i.e. UK PSC), which I said couldn't be the case as Premium Economy is already levied at the higher level of UK PSC. The agent then went and checked with ticketing and they said that this was the difference between the PE and Upper fuel surcharge.

I've never been hit with that before. Anyone else any knowledge or experience of this?

Mike

Congrats on getting your G. It really is one of lifes little pleasures getting a G reward/upgrade !!

We upgraded using miles on the way back from SFO to LHR last weekend, and had to pay $22 each in extra fuel surcharges, so yes... they are charging you more.

Up until recently, fuel surcharge was the same in all three classes. The differential is new.