Changing oneworld crediting FF program mid ticket no longer allowed?

[Aussie_flyer]

I've never had an issue with Star alliance showing gold card at lounge but crediting to other program. Depending on the lounge they sometimes write down the card number.

 

[Danger]

Hi Pozza,

I assume when you were denied access at PER is when this issue started?

Two weeks is well before this issue came to a head. I was told lounge agents received an email on Thursday and a second one on Friday (the latter being specific to the Emirates partnership).

 

[k3nnis]

Thanks. Hopefully no issues from today onwards...

 

[Danger]

I had no problems changing my FF numbers at Perth domestic last Friday, inside the Qantas Club at the service desk. Quick and painless.

 

[Flashback]

Interesting thread on FT: Minor niggle about MAN lounge access - FlyerTalk Forums

 

[Kangol]

Interesting thread on FT: Minor niggle about MAN lounge access - FlyerTalk Forums

Interesting from that thread to see this quote from the AA T&Cs:

It is necessary to request AAdvantage mileage credit for any flight on which a member wishes to use AAdvantage elite status benefits.

AAdvantage Terms And Conditions

That particular statement is referring to the flight, not the period before the flight...

 

[perk]

Have there been updates to this policy? I would be looking at booking a QF/EK combined itinerary and any update would be relevant to me (and others i'm sure).

 

[Kangol]

Have there been updates to this policy? I would be looking at booking a QF/EK combined itinerary and any update would be relevant to me (and others i'm sure).

What flights in particular are you planning on crediting to which program?
I thought the "policy" which was then reversed was due to a QF/EK issue, not a OW one but I'm still not exactly sure how people were "rorting" the system...

 

[perk]

I'm EK SG but only QF PS so I would be looking at booking EK planes with QF numbers, using my EK benefits then swapping to earn sc on QF so I can make it to QF SG this year. I'll probably drop back to EK PS because i'm flying on QF, Air Niugini and Fiji Air more than EK this year

 

[Danger]

I had a problem today.

I flew across to Melbourne and onwards today. On my way to the gate I phoned the QF premium desk and asked to change the FF number I had in my booking. The agent was a bit confused, I think, did a couple of things, then put me on hold. When she came back she said she had changed the numbers but asked why I had waited until the last minute. I said that if I did it earlier I would lose my Platinum shadow (which, somewhat interestingly, she didn't understand even when I put it in lay terms). She then said "you're not allowed to do that". The agent was polite but firm and was not impressed with what I had done. However, she couldn't tell me why I couldn't and I told her "I'm yet to see the reason why I can't in the T&Cs".

What makes me quite angry is that the agent added "I've added a note in your profile" about what I'd requested and, presumably, that it's allegedly not allowed. This really bugs me.

I'm not really sure where to go with this. I might approach the lounge staff in Perth and I can get more information about the email that was apparently set around to staff earlier in the year (see my post 29). Incompetent or poorly trained agents are one thing; it's quite another to tell me outright "you can't do that".

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I had a problem today.

I flew across to Melbourne and onwards today. On my way to the gate I phoned the QF premium desk and asked to change the FF number I had in my booking. The agent was a bit confused, I think, did a couple of things, then put me on hold. When she came back she said she had changed the numbers but asked why I had waited until the last minute. I said that if I did it earlier I would lose my Platinum shadow (which, somewhat interestingly, she didn't understand even when I put it in lay terms). She then said "you're not allowed to do that". The agent was polite but firm and was not impressed with what I had done. However, she couldn't tell me why I couldn't and I told her "I'm yet to see the reason why I can't in the T&Cs".

What makes me quite angry is that the agent added "I've added a note in your profile" about what I'd requested and, presumably, that it's allegedly not allowed. This really bugs me.

I'm not really sure where to go with this. I might approach the lounge staff in Perth and I can get more information about the email that was apparently set around to staff earlier in the year (see my post 29). Incompetent or poorly trained agents are one thing; it's quite another to tell me outright "you can't do that".

Why didnt you just do it in the lounge or at the gate???

 

[Danger]

Why didnt you just do it in the lounge or at the gate???

Time.

And there's nothing to say the same thing wouldn't have happened.

I'm not sure what the problem is with changing over the phone.

 

[serfty]

...

I'm not sure what the problem is with changing over the phone.

Some phone agents are much better than others.

With nearly twenty years of extremely frequent flying and well over 1000 flights I have leaned to avoid using a telephone agent if something can be done more easily, either online or at a service desk. Doing so is generally more reliable.

I would hardly contemplate calling in such a manner for the reason mentioned, let alone actually do it.

 

[Danger]

Some phone agents are much better than others.

With nearly twenty years of extremely frequent flying and well over 1000 flights I have leaned to avoid using a telephone agent if something can be done more easily, either online or at a service desk. Doing so is generally more reliable.

I would hardly contemplate calling in such a manner for the reason mentioned, let alone actually do it.

On more than one occasion when I have made the change in person, either in the lounge or at a service desk, the agent has left my QFF in the booking, alongside my AA number, despite a request that the QF number be removed completely. The flight consequently posted to QF. After this happened once too often I got in the habit of double-checking by phoning QF.

In my experience, the longer you leave it before boarding to make the change the more chance you've got of the shadow sticking. Obviously, this can be problematic if you're in the queue to board and the phone agent doesn't know what to do and you end up on hold. Yesterday, the lounge I was in had only one agent working and I didn't propose to occupy too much of their time. Apparently, it's worked to my detriment.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Time.

And there's nothing to say the same thing wouldn't have happened.

I'm not sure what the problem is with changing over the phone.

Agree with serfty. The last thing I would be doing is making a phone call to update the booking. At this point its under airport control and I would be wanting a boarding pass showing the FF program on it.... something that I could get from a service desk. It doesn't take much time.

 

[Kangol]

I had a dragon at LHR T3 Galleries First yesterday make a fuss of it (QF WP on boarding pass, wanted to change to AA PLT).
She was clearly not telling the truth about having to have the number with the relevant status to access the lounge in the booking...
I told her that there are no OW or specific FF program rules specifying what she said but again, it fell on deaf ears.
I then asked if I could change the number on the way out - that was no problem. Sigh.
That's what I did.

Checked my booking on the RJ website and it lists both numbers however my onward BP from LHR had my AA number and status on it...

 

[Danger]

I had a dragon at LHR T3 Galleries First yesterday make a fuss of it (QF WP on boarding pass, wanted to change to AA PLT).
She was clearly not telling the truth about having to have the number with the relevant status to access the lounge in the booking...
I told her that there are no OW or specific FF program rules specifying what she said but again, it fell on deaf ears.
I then asked if I could change the number on the way out - that was no problem. Sigh.
That's what I did.

Checked my booking on the RJ website and it lists both numbers however my onward BP from LHR had my AA number and status on it...

Interesting. At the Galleries F in T5 in July I had no problem flying under my AA Sapphire number but using my QF Platinum for access. In fact, I did it three times as I had a long layover and left the lounge a couple of times.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

Interesting all this talk about changing the FF#, I had a booking with both AF and QF on one ticket and was able to credit all AF flights to AF FlyingBlue and QF flights to QFF and have both numbers in the booking simultaneously. I wonder if this can be done on a sector basis or just operator basis?

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Interesting all this talk about changing the FF#, I had a booking with both AF and QF on one ticket and was able to credit all AF flights to AF FlyingBlue and QF flights to QFF and have both numbers in the booking simultaneously. I wonder if this can be done on a sector basis or just operator basis?

operator basis only.

 

[serfty]

operator basis only.

It can indeed be done on a sector basis - but since most Agents have little idea of how to do this is can be fraught with 'danger'.