Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

[legroom]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

I did a cancellation this morning, and the points were back in my account almost immediately, unlike the points for a Krisflyer redemption I cancelled yesterday :\

With respect to the KF points, it could be instantly once you say the magic word.

..... please ......

Happens every time, allowing me to instantly book other flights or take up cleared redemptions etc ...

 

[Lizzi]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

With respect to the KF points, it could be instantly once you say the magic word.

..... please ......

Happens every time, allowing me to instantly book other flights or take up cleared redemptions etc ...

I'll make sure I specifically ask about it next time. The lady I spoke to sounded very unsure about the whole process, and asked me to confirm three times that yes, I did truly want to cancel the flight. I asked when the points/$ would be available and she said she didn't know, but that I would be sent an email once it was done. Since it's the first time I've cancelled a redemption with KF, I wasn't sure whether this was normal... The flight has disappeared from my list of upcoming trips, but there's no mention anywhere on the activity list anything to do with it being cancelled or any points movement.


Back to Lifemiles: does the release of J seats for SQ redemptions 14 days out still happen if there are no KF awards available on that flight? Or is the t-14 thing only if there are redemption seats available and visible elsewhere? (I'm not clear whether the *A and KF redemption seats come out of the same "pool".)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Back to Lifemiles: does the release of J seats for SQ redemptions 14 days out still happen if there are no KF awards available on that flight? Or is the t-14 thing only if there are redemption seats available and visible elsewhere? (I'm not clear whether the *A and KF redemption seats come out of the same "pool".)

lifemiles will only show award seats that are generally available... they won't have availability over and above what KF has.

 

[robd]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Any advice on this scenario?

Currently hold tickets 2 x tickets FRA-xBKK-MEL (TG A380) and another 2 tickets with the first leg on another flight same day, slightly different routing, meeting up with the 2 A380 pax in BKK and then all 4 travelling on the same flight BKK-MEL, all flights in J. Now TG has released 2 more on the first flight (FRA-BKK) which means all four can travel together all the way back to MEL.

Would/can LM switch the first leg for 2 pax to the A380, keeping the second leg as is or would the whole ticket need to be cancelled and rebooked, which may result in losing the 2nd leg in J (which shows no availability doing the online search)?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Any advice on this scenario?

Currently hold tickets 2 x tickets FRA-xBKK-MEL (TG A380) and another 2 tickets with the first leg on another flight same day, slightly different routing, meeting up with the 2 A380 pax in BKK and then all 4 travelling on the same flight BKK-MEL, all flights in J. Now TG has released 2 more on the first flight (FRA-BKK) which means all four can travel together all the way back to MEL.

Would/can LM switch the first leg for 2 pax to the A380, keeping the second leg as is or would the whole ticket need to be cancelled and rebooked, which may result in losing the 2nd leg in J (which shows no availability doing the online search)?

That should be possible with a change fee - which is going to be $75 more than the cancel/rebook fees. But probably worth it.

 

[Alanslegal]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Poor JT and the mods over on the AV success thread where there is just too much chatter going on

 

[robd]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Poor JT and the mods over on the AV success thread where there is just too much chatter going on

What are you supposed to do in that situation? Reply to the post, or not? What's the correct etiquette?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

What are you supposed to do in that situation? Reply to the post, or not? What's the correct etiquette?

I'm in the same boat... instinctively if feels right to reply to a particular issue right there... otherwise you have to reply anyway saying 'see other thread for comment'? That doubles the total number of replies. And potentially loses the context of the comment.

Or perhaps discontinue the other thread? There are so few redemptions of note anyway.

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

I'm in the same boat... instinctively if feels right to reply to a particular issue right there... otherwise you have to reply anyway saying 'see other thread for comment'? That doubles the total number of replies. And potentially loses the context of the comment.

Or perhaps discontinue the other thread? There are so few redemptions of note anyway.

What I do is if I have any booking which isn't smooth, I double post. I post the full story in this thread so we can continue discussion here. On the other thread, I simply post the itinerary, that's all. Maybe at the end of the itinerary I'll comment something like "not a smooth process (see LM thread for full story) but I got there!"

I think the purpose of the other thread is for people to see what sort of creative routing and bookings people have been successful with. If there are too many discussion going on it becomes hard to follow.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

What I do is if I have any booking which isn't smooth, I double post. I post the full story in this thread so we can continue discussion here. On the other thread, I simply post the itinerary, that's all. Maybe at the end of the itinerary I'll comment something like "not a smooth process (see LM thread for full story) but I got there!"

I think the purpose of the other thread is for people to see what sort of creative routing and bookings people have been successful with. If there are too many discussion going on it becomes hard to follow.

Agree - but there aren't (m)any real creative bookings anymore. Other than those that need to be achieved through the screenshot method (and those aren't really 'creative' anymore). It's not like we have (m)any hidden cites anymore, or great deals (like exGUM).

Most postings in the other thread (and bearing in mind cross-posting is frowned upon) will invariably involve some discussion around how that booking was achieved... so is there a point in doubling up?

 

[VAG newbie]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Agree - but there aren't (m)any real creative bookings anymore. Other than those that need to be achieved through the screenshot method (and those aren't really 'creative' anymore). It's not like we have (m)any hidden cites anymore, or great deals (like exGUM).

Most postings in the other thread (and bearing in mind cross-posting is frowned upon) will invariably involve some discussion around how that booking was achieved... so is there a point in doubling up?

It's not for us. But for people newly trying out LM.

However I feel it is probably worthwhile post some summary there with updates of what works and what doesn't, like ATO thread they constantly updated what cards still work and at what rate.

The thing that bothers me is websites like AUSBT still advertises that you can redeem SQ business cheaply when the reality is that it's almost impossible to get it ex-east Aus. No doubt there will be people who fall for that.

 

[Alanslegal]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

What are you supposed to do in that situation? Reply to the post, or not? What's the correct etiquette?

I don't know the answer, it is hard when posts here and there kind of overlap and some relates to actual bookings etc etc.

I'm in the same boat... instinctively if feels right to reply to a particular issue right there... otherwise you have to reply anyway saying 'see other thread for comment'? That doubles the total number of replies. And potentially loses the context of the comment.

Or perhaps discontinue the other thread? There are so few redemptions of note anyway.

I think I would sway to agreeing to discontinue the other thread, there's not much bookings nowadays anyway.

 

[casanovawa]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Such a pity a good little program got so screwed up...

 

[anat0l]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Such a pity a good little program got so screwed up...

The irony is that it was a "good little programme" when everyone was proverbially ripping into it within an inch of its life, viz. almost the direct opposite of the situation right now.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

The irony is that it was a "good little programme" when everyone was proverbially ripping into it within an inch of its life, viz. almost the direct opposite of the situation right now.

Unfortunately it's the same with many things. Mistake fares are an example... people pushed those to the limit with Swiss (Rangoon 3), and then again with UA ex Denmark... and that's now pretty much then end of them. IIRC Lifemiles and cabotage (via Tokyo) + other 'onward' routings has suffered a similar fate.

 

[boomy]

Avianca "Life Miles" - New FF program in *A

there's not much bookings nowadays anyway.

Or people just don't post anymore to avoid dealing with the lynch mob protesting every time someone reveals an interesting route.

 

[burmans]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Unfortunately it's the same with many things. Mistake fares are an example... people pushed those to the limit with Swiss (Rangoon 3), and then again with UA ex Denmark... and that's now pretty much then end of them. IIRC Lifemiles and cabotage (via Tokyo) + other 'onward' routings has suffered a similar fate.

Ah well, thats life. I'm pretty sure some marketing type somewhere is thinking up the next mistake promo as we are discussing this.

 

[seritonin]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Or people just don't post anymore to avoid dealing with the lynch mob protesting every time someone reveals an interesting route.

+1. I think twice of posting any quirks I found on LM for fear of someone telling me that it is not the correct way of using the program or I'm bending the rules too much.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

re: Avianca "Life Miles" - Questions and Discussion

Ah well, thats life. I'm pretty sure some marketing type somewhere is thinking up the next mistake promo as we are discussing this.

True.

The internet is a double edged sword though. It alterts more people, but that also means that the "shelf-life" now of any points/flight abitrage is now dramtically shortened.

Loop-holes don't last unless they are not really loopholes.

 

[boomy]

Avianca "Life Miles" - New FF program in *A

+1. I think twice of posting any quirks I found on LM for fear of someone telling me that it is not the correct way of using the program or I'm bending the rules too much.

I really dislike people who are doing that.
It's one thing to keep information to yourself, no problem with that, but not sharing information AND attacking generous individuals who share their knowledge with the community is a selfish and anti-social behaviour.
No one knows everything and if information is not being shared, eventually everyone looses.