Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

[r01x]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

there's a button on the results page that takes you back to the calendar page

 

[anat0l]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

That's true, and a side-effect of this is that because the site found a flight combo for you instead of saying 'sold out', you no longer have that week-span of flight availability to check other nearby dates; you need to do a separate search for each date. It would be good if the next enhancement was some kind of 'my dates are flexible' feature in the search.

Overall though I'm tickled pink at this development.

One thing you can do is to try and find a date where there is no availability. Unless your searched route is super loaded with availability, I can't imagine that'd be too difficult. Another way is to search for First Class, since the availability of First is quite low (or on your chosen route, maybe impossible), it will almost certainly tell you "can't find anything, try another date". You can then change the class on the week display, and it will show you the availability in the class of interest.

In any case, with the "flexible" week display, you only get told if there is any option. You won't know what your options are until you check that specific date.

As also reported above, you can get that "superficiality" where a short sector in a higher class causes the entire booking to price at the highest class of service, even if the majority of the itinerary is in a lower class of service. A bit like the Qantas search bug we all love to hate. Nevertheless, I'd like to see if this gives some leeway on booking some itineraries which were unreasonably unavailable to book previously, e.g. European connectors to F services, or similarly connectors from Australia to F services in Asia.

Oooooooooooh, I wonder though if this will have implications for the screen-shot method of booking? Mixed class bookings don't replace the usefulness of the screenshot method for all-J routes, but I wonder if they'll start pushing back and saying 'you need to book through our website, there are flights available for the route you want'.

The screenshot method will still be interesting to use if you can find availability on the separate flights of interest, but not on the combined one and if you can show that there does exist other dates where the combined itinerary is certainly possible to book in one hit. I think if your demand is reasonable enough (no crazy **** like you could get away with on the old US programme), they might be obliging.

I also wonder what the baggage rules will be.

Same as always - governed by the rules of the carriers themselves, or, in the cases of mixed carriers in the same itinerary, the IATA guidance on the Most Significant Carrier.

 

[anat0l]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

I'm loving it today! Opens up so many options now.

This must make LM the best scheme out there at the moment. Just hope the golden goose doesn't get "enhanced".

It may not get enhanced, but it will surely be, ummm.... let's just say the golden goose is laying eggs on crack with a gun pointed to its head.

 

[cleaver]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

What a day to come back after a few weeks of actually flying and not just reading about flying.

Had to Google 'Mostrar más fechas', which is an excellent enhancement!

 

[anat0l]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

BoardingArea hasn't sniffed this one out yet. (Alright, alright... it's getting into / is now late hours in the USA)

I'll take bets now on:

• When they will report on this
• If they will quote / use / lift something from AFF

:mrgreen:

 

[smit0847]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

BoardingArea hasn't sniffed this one out yet. (Alright, alright... it's getting into / is now late hours in the USA)

I'll take bets now on:

• When they will report on this
• If they will quote / use / lift something from AFF

:mrgreen:

It'll be reported on OMAAT within the next 12 hours.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

Congratulations to Lifemiles!

An example of an airline actually working to offer an enhancement!

 

[Guvner]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

We are still going to need screenshots to go to Europe though - I can't get anything to work

I found a J SYD-BKK and F BKK-FRA....

 

[smit0847]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

I found a J SYD-BKK and F BKK-FRA....

This is brilliant.

 

[tania73]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

I found a J SYD-BKK and F BKK-FRA....

After a fair bit of searching, I have come to the conclusion some routes to Europe work, others don't BNE - BCN does not work, but I can marry the screenshots up. The big question is who is going to try and screenshot redemption to see what reaction they get?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

Unfortunately still some issues.

searching Australia to China and selecting the Air China option... still comes back (on the dates I tried) as a 'booking error, unable to process'. This was despite a mixed business/economy availability being returned.

 

[Guvner]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

Confirmation of the new SQ route(s) from CBR

http://www.singaporeair.com/jsp/cms...&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AU_edm_20Jan16

 

[Guvner]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

Found a 3 class option...

 

[smit0847]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

Has anyone found SQ A380/77W J availability more than 14 days out?

 

[r01x]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

On selected routes, eg. the HKG flight with A380 has space

 

[Pele]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

Gday

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I bought a wad of points in their good special late last year for a trip which i will be able to book in February. Over the past month i did a huge amount of research on their website to work our itinerary's and trends on what tickets are released on what carriers on what day of the week with a plan b, plan c etc.... and now it is not too relevant. Well at least if it stays in its current format it will probably negate my need to use the screenshot method.

The impact for Australian users is probably higher then other parts of the world as they had a functioning website to begin with. The mixed cabin redemption allowance is a huge change. I love how they change one of the key parts of their plan with no announcement whatsoever. The shambolic nature of the program is one of its key attractions for me!

Pele.

 

[r01x]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

A lot of the new enhanced routes seem to be erroring out ... anyone managed to price?

 

[pmdg7444]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

Wow. Just Wow. Mixed Cabins, SQ wide open, LH F available, ANA flying to SYD, 140% bonus promotions all the time...........can life get any better?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

Wow. Just Wow. Mixed Cabins, SQ wide open, LH F available, ANA flying to SYD, 140% bonus promotions all the time...........can life get any better?

... it was. When the Aussie was buying USD1.1

Who cared about ANA back then, TG F to Europe was just a couple of dollars more than a paid QF economy fare.

 

[pmdg7444]

re: Avianca "Lifemiles" - Questions and Discussion

oh yeah.....forgot about the AUD. Life was sorta better back then