Re: Any experts on BA Miles ? Please help
 

etlniwd wrote:

    > OK, to cut a long story short.<snip>The problem is that there is
    > absolutely no availability for BA Miles
    > redemptions on any flight to Australia until March 2003.
    > I know that BA 'release' seats for BA Miles redemption periodically but
    > I do not know if there is any liklihood that more seats will be released
    > for this particular routing. In other words, once all the seats have
    > gone are they gone forever or is there a possibility that they may
    > release a few more at a later date.
    > I've asked BA but they won't tell me. They either say 'Tough luck,
    > they've all gone' or 'Just keep trying' depending on who you speak to.
    > Does anybody know how the system works and what my chances are of seats
    > becoming available in Dec or Jan ?
    > I just want to know whether to keeping trying every day or whether I
    > should give up.

Keep trying, but you're in a difficult situation- Dec/Jan are the peak
months for travel UK-Aus, so there would be very few 'miles' seats released.

Obviously, if the airline would prefer to sell the seats, and in Dec/Jan,
they would have no problem doing this. sometimes if they are having trouble
selling seats, they release further 'miles' seats closer to the date of
travel. I don't think this will happen for you...

But- say, for example, there are 4 seats per flight allocated for 'miles'
redemptions. These are currently booked (unavailable). Person 1 phones up
and changes their dates. There is now 1 seat available on the original
flight. The next person who phones up and asks about that date will find out
this info and get the seat! It really is a case of keeping on
phoning/checking.

The closer you get to travel date, the more rapidly the bookings change. If
you can stand the uncertainty, here's another trick -- Many bookings are
made with the condition that they be ticketed and paid for 14 days before
travel. Before then, there are many 'silly' bookings, from agents and people
that have no real intention of travelling. Then at 14 days prior, these
bookings 'expire' as they haven't been paid for. Bingo - seats become
available on previously full flights. Even if tickets have been paid for,
when it gets closer to the flight date, many people will change their flying
dates, and cancel one flight in favour of another.

another technique is trying unpopular dates. I've found Christmas Day, or
New Years Eve are good! Especially New Years Eve, late evening flights ex
Heathrow... or flights arriving into Australia on Christmas Day. Most people
want to 'be there' for special days, not spend them on aircraft.

Just hang in there, and phone up whenever you have a spare minute. Ya never
know.
LJ

Any experts on BA Miles ? Please help
 

OK, to cut a long story short. I have enough BA Miles saved up to enable my wife and I to fly one way to Australia in Club Class. These were built up over a long period and I want to use them up before I migrate.

One of the conditions (due to the way I earned the miles) is that I can only use these on 'BA Mainline services' i.e. not Qantas codeshare flights etc.

The problem is that there is absolutely no availability for BA Miles redemptions on any flight to Australia until March 2003.
I know that BA 'release' seats for BA Miles redemption periodically but I do not know if there is any liklihood that more seats will be released for this particular routing. In other words, once all the seats have gone are they gone forever or is there a possibility that they may release a few more at a later date.

I've asked BA but they won't tell me. They either say 'Tough luck, they've all gone' or 'Just keep trying' depending on who you speak to.

Does anybody know how the system works and what my chances are of seats becoming available in Dec or Jan ?

I just want to know whether to keeping trying every day or whether I should give up.

Re: Any experts on BA Miles ? Please help
 

Hey there!

The people who advised you to keep trying are absolutely right.

My wife and I were in a similar situation: miles up the wazoo and we wanted
to use them for first class travel to Melbourne. In our case, though, the
miles are with United Airlines, and they do allow codeshare flights within
the Star Alliance.

First time I called, I also got the "no room til March 2003" shpiel from
UAL. We wanted to fly in November. In desperation, I called their partner,
Air New Zealand directly - and got the advice to repeatedly call over the
next few days.

The "trick" as the very nice lady explained, was to call every day at
roughtly the same time (evening our timezone) when "the databases get
reset". Now, I have no idea whether she meant UAL, ANZ or even the SAABRE
system, or whether she was just confused about the technical details
altogether.

Fact is, for the next 3 evenings, I got completely different seat
availability information. You would have thought I was calling different
airlines, every time! And, on the 3rd evening, miracle of miracles, we got
vacancy information in first class on the dates we wanted.

so yes, call and call again, there is hope!

Cheers
Mike


etlniwd <[email protected]> wrote in
news:416444.1032185254@britishexpat-
s.com:

    > OK, to cut a long story short. I have enough BA Miles saved up to enable
    > my wife and I to fly one way to Australia in Club Class. These were
    > built up over a long period and I want to use them up before I migrate.
    > One of the conditions (due to the way I earned the miles) is that I can
    > only use these on 'BA Mainline services' i.e. not Qantas codeshare
    > flights etc.
    > The problem is that there is absolutely no availability for BA Miles
    > redemptions on any flight to Australia until March 2003.
    > I know that BA 'release' seats for BA Miles redemption periodically but
    > I do not know if there is any liklihood that more seats will be released
    > for this particular routing. In other words, once all the seats have
    > gone are they gone forever or is there a possibility that they may
    > release a few more at a later date.
    > I've asked BA but they won't tell me. They either say 'Tough luck,
    > they've all gone' or 'Just keep trying' depending on who you speak to.

Re: Any experts on BA Miles ? Please help
 

Many thanks for that info Mike.

Re: Any experts on BA Miles ? Please help
 

Me too,

Have just enough for a single biz class and wanted to go as soon as got visa. Heartrate has just dropped again :)

Many thanxs

Nigel

Re: Any experts on BA Miles ? Please help
 

Thanks for the tips LJ. I know about the Christmas Day thing. I spent Christmas Day last year on a flight to Saigon via Bangkok. Fantastic, the only day available in December and at a reasonable price too. Christmas doesn't mean much to me now that I've grown up so I snapped it up. That was only 3 months after the WTC thing so more availability than usual. This year seems a lot more booked up though.

Will keep trying.