AA won't hold RTW bookings more than 21 days

[Dave Noble]

However not everyone has access to a corporate TA.Although I can find a few TA's that charge a lot less they either do not take diners or usually a 2% surcharge so for me this deal works out.I must mention I get 1.5 rewards points for every dollar i spend on DC and can convert those to AA points.Therefore each $A I spend = 0.75 AA points.So this deal comes out a lot cheaper than buying points on aa.com.
As I said it is obviously not for everyone but there probably are others in a similiar situation to me.

But why pay any travel agent? Why not just skip the agent and book direct with the airline and avoid fees and cc charges

Dave

 

[serfty]

But why pay any travel agent? Why not just skip the agent and book direct with the airline and avoid fees and cc charges

Dave

I believe Tiki wishes to pay in installments; something that may be easier to do with some TA's rather than a carrier.

 

[drron]

But why pay any travel agent? Why not just skip the agent and book direct with the airline and avoid fees and cc charges

Dave

I used to.But like Tiki AA are not playimg ball with me.They want their money in 21 days either using US or UK.I note you talk about the Dublin office-I guess then you must have had a close encounter with the Blarney stone.Just doesnt seem to work for us mere mortals.
If I use AA will be paying up to 6months before I wpuld pay agent.As I run on an overdraft that means an extra $700 interest on fares of $20000.So even paying $400 doesnt seem so bad.

 

[Tiki]

I used to.But like Tiki AA are not playimg ball with me.They want their money in 21 days either using US or UK.I note you talk about the Dublin office-I guess then you must have had a close encounter with the Blarney stone.Just doesnt seem to work for us mere mortals.
If I use AA will be paying up to 6months before I wpuld pay agent.As I run on an overdraft that means an extra $700 interest on fares of $20000.So even paying $400 doesnt seem so bad.

Drron, so you tried booking with the UK office and also struck out? They won't give you more than 21 days? My US booking expired last week, I haven't rebooked yet. I am convinced that Dave Noble is getting special priviledges because he is a platinum (by normal means, not challenges), he is commercially important. Mere mortals like me (you too?) won't get that kind of treatment. Also, he books in either first or business class, I am booking in L-economy class which may also make a difference.

Payment would be so much easier if AA still had an office in Australia, I still don't like the idea of paying the Indian call centre either. Besides, Serfty is right, I need to pay in installments at least 4 days apart. That's how long it takes Amex to process a charge and then for me to use Bpay to pay it off.

I'm still looking at options like backpacker specialists or travel agencies affiliated with credit card companies. I want the Amex points too, though I will be spending them on hotels in Tahiti!

 

[drron]

Yes Tiki I struck out but I did the same as you first booking through the USA.Next time I will try the UK first.Maybe their hands were tied having gone to the US first.
I dont think it has much to do with status.It certainly doesnt have anything to do with class of travel as I was booking 2 DONE4's.I think it has a lot to do with the agent you get.Certainly the AA Sydney office had agents of differing knowledge and certainly temperments.
At FT the advice is to keep ringing until you get the answer you want.This certainly works at Hilton but AA seems to have a greater group loyalty and they stick up for the answer you were originally given.

 

[Tiki]

Drron, when I had that AA booking from the US, I tried to get them to extend the ticket time limit. They refused and put some kind of note in the PNR so that no other agent would extend it either. I did try that with the UK office and they wouldn't extend it. So maybe there still is the option of making a fresh booking with the UK office that hasn't been contaminated by some nasty little note in the PNR?

There still remains the question of paying for the ticket and who actually issues it. I am sure it will be a paper ticket with the TN-QF codeshare and PPT-IPC segment. I don't get why AA is so pigheaded about non-USA credit cards. Last year I booked domestic USA flights (LAX-MCO-LAX) on UA on the website and paid by Aussie Visa card with no problems so I know it isn't some kind of US law.

 

[drron]

Yes the non-acceptance of non US credit cards is annoying.AA arent the only ones.We have a son in new york and when there I can book aa on the web and then have to walk to Grand central and the AA office where my aussie credit card is accepted no questions asked.
I have got away with some other merchants in the USA using my Diners by notifying DC that I am going to use my sons address as my billing address for that purchase.They have allowed that so far and does make it easier.
The problem at present is that I do like to have my RTW bookings arranged well in advance(a capricorn thing) but I dont want to pay for them until as late as possible.Will give it another month and try again with the UK.If not successful will go back to plan B.

 

[NM]

The agent was pushing for "plating on the first carrier that takes you out of Australia" which is the last thing I want-QF!

You8 may have to find a routing where you can use AA codeshare either Trans-Tasman or Trans-Pacific for that sector.

By the way, this is the same thing our corporate TA told me. Not sure if its a ticketing requirement under their contract with Qantas. But its certainly not a fare rule as AA ATW desk has issued many ATW tickets with airlines other than AA being the first international carrier.

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

By the way, this is the same thing our corporate TA told me. Not sure if its a ticketing requirement under their contract with Qantas. But its certainly not a fare rule as AA ATW desk has issued many ATW tickets with airlines other than AA being the first international carrier.

I have had TAs (not my current one) tell me this "rule" before. I think it must be something they are trained in - ticket with the first airline used.

 

[NM]

I have had TAs (not my current one) tell me this "rule" before. I think it must be something they are trained in - ticket with the first airline used.

Yes, I think they are told this by Qantas since it is most common for these tickets to use Qantas for their first international segment when issued in Australia.

 

[Dave Noble]

I have had TAs (not my current one) tell me this "rule" before. I think it must be something they are trained in - ticket with the first airline used.

If there was such a rule, then the TA must surely be able to show where this rule is written, though I doubt the existence of the so called rule since, if it did exist, how comes AA can issue OWEs where no AA content exists

Dave

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

If there was such a rule, then the TA must surely be able to show where this rule is written, though I doubt the existence of the so called rule since, if it did exist, how comes AA can issue OWEs where no AA content exists

Dave

Just to be clear - I don't think there is such a rule. However so many TAs have said this (to me and others) that I think it is something they have been told by an airline or trainer (ie not just making it up - where you'd expect some variations).

 

[Dave Noble]

Just to be clear - I don't think there is such a rule. However so many TAs have said this (to me and others) that I think it is something they have been told by an airline or trainer (ie not just making it up - where you'd expect some variations).

Yeah, I think its on par with Queensland dive operators that start quoting things that they claim are rules regarding diving in Queensland, yet when I hand over a copy of the The Qld WHS Recreational Technical Diving Code of Practice and Qld WHS Compressed Air Diving Code of Practice , they are unable to find such rules

If enough operators believe it, it starts to take on a life of its own

Dave

 

[NM]

If there was such a rule, then the TA must surely be able to show where this rule is written, though I doubt the existence of the so called rule since, if it did exist, how comes AA can issue OWEs where no AA content exists

Dave

It is not a fare rule, but it may be part of an agreement between Australian TAs and Qantas as part of the commission payment system etc. Hence it would not apply to anyone other than an Australian TA that has an agreement with Qantas for ticket issuing services.

 

[Dave Noble]

It is not a fare rule, but it may be part of an agreement between Australian TAs and Qantas as part of the commission payment system etc. Hence it would not apply to anyone other than an Australian TA that has an agreement with Qantas for ticket issuing services.

Would such a trade restriction be legal?

Dave

 

[Altair]

Would such a trade restriction be legal?

Dave

As Darth Sidious said "I'll make it legal." Not that I would ever equate QF with the Darkside ....Deathstar anyone?

 

[NM]

Would such a trade restriction be legal?

Dave

Don't see why not. Qantas can state that if the TA commits to issuing a certain volume of tickets (probably measured by ticket value) in a measured time period (month, quarter, year) than Qantas will pay them a commission at a certain rate. Of course the TA still has the choice to use another airline to issue the tickets, but it may affect their volume and hence their overall commission rate. And an ATW ticket is a significant value ticket compared with most domestic fares.

So in that case the TA would not be specifically contractually required to use QF, but certainly is financially incented to do so. Its not an exclusive arrangement, but could be a preferred supplier arrangement. Agree to use Qantas as your preferred supplier (ticket issuer) and get a higher commission rate. Agree to always use QF to issue multi-carrier tickets where QF is the first international carrier and get a higher commission.

Its really not much different from going into McDonalds and wanting to have a Pepsi with your Happy Meal only to be told that at McDonanlds they will only fill their cups with Coca Cola products. They have a contract with Coca Cola which is quite legal.

 

[Dave Noble]

Don't see why not. Qantas can state that if the TA commits to issuing a certain volume of tickets (probably measured by ticket value) in a measured time period (month, quarter, year) than Qantas will pay them a commission at a certain rate. Of course the TA still has the choice to use another airline to issue the tickets, but it may affect their volume and hence their overall commission rate. And an ATW ticket is a significant value ticket compared with most domestic fares.

Agree to always use QF to issue multi-carrier tickets where QF is the first international carrier and get a higher commission.

There's a big difference between being paid bigger commissions for using them to the creation of a rule restricting trade such that they have to use QF for issuing of a ticket; the latter is the one whose validity I was questioning

If the former, which is not unreasonable, then there is no rule that would prohibit the issuing of the ticket

Dave

 

[NM]

If the former, which is not unreasonable, then there is no rule that would prohibit the issuing of the ticket.

But I did not say it was a rule. I suggested it may be part of an agreement between the two parties (TA and Ticket Issuing agency).

 

[Tiki]

OK, you guys won't believe this! The TA has read this forum and doesn't want to do the booking because of all the hard work and research I have put into this purchase. I mean what kind of idiot plans a $8500 purchase and DOESN'T do any research? I spent hours researching the $450 DVD recorder I bought two months ago! So they prefer dummies who don't know anything and just plunk down the cash.

There is something fishy about these agreements where the TA's are refusing to plate on anything besides QF. This is a published fare, not some special discounted fare put together by QF. The tickets can be issued by any One World carrier.

If the motivation is increased commissions because of volume, isn't this some kind of violation of ACCC rules? It seems that the TAs are not acting in the best interests of the customers.

How much commission is a LHGLOB34 worth? Base fare is $3889 AUD regardless of who issues it.