Status credit earning on Delta

[MadFairlane]

So I've been looking at my flight options to the US and have found the following.

The flights would book as BNE - MCO, MCO - LAS, SFO - BNE

The routing though is as below.

BNE - SYD
SYD - LAX
LAX - MCO
MCO - ATL
ATL - LAS
SFO - LAX
LAX - BNE

All booked through Delta, with Delta flight numbers (using VA metal to/from LAX)

My question is, when claiming status credits and velocity points from Delta to Velocity do they credit the status/miles as the seperate legs? or the main booking (i.e BNE- MCO)??

Also being Velocity Gold, but flying on DL flight numbers I assume I won't get the extra perks of Gold status on the VA legs (i.e extra baggage, priority check in etc)

Thanks in advance.

 

[notzac]

Having not flown on DL-coded flights, I don't know whether you will get perks being a Velocity premium pax - however each sector should credit separately. It's only DJ-coded flights where formal connections are considered a single flight for the purposes of status/points earn.

 

[MadFairlane]

Right... I've changed my mind on how to book this trip.

Now going as follows:

BNE - MEL (VA)
MEL - LAX (VA)
LAX - MCO (VA codeshare with VA flight number - Delta)
MCO - CLT (US Airways)
CLT - LAS (US Airways)
SFO - LAX (VA codeshare with VA flight number - Delta)
LAX - BNE (VA)

All in Y (fingers crossed for gold velocity op-up lol)

$2030 ea inc all taxes, except for checked baggage on the US airways legs

Main question is, and I have heard differing opinions, as a VA Gold I get an extra baggage allowance on the VAust long haul flights. I've heard that because of my status, and the fact that it is booked with VA flight numbers
the baggage allowances apply to the all the sectors/legs... Also the bags should be checked all the way from BNE to MCO and SFO to BNE on the way back?

I've realised that I won't make anywhere near the same amount of SCs due to the VA coding, but the baggage and other benefits outweigh the SC earn through Delta.

Should be a good trip fingers crossed.

Cheers,

Terrence

 

[cove]

You do have to pick up your luggage at LAX and do your immigration there.

 

[MadFairlane]

You do have to pick up your luggage at LAX and do your immigration there.

Yep, realise that due to customs/immigration as stated.

But the bags should still be tagged all the way through? I'd just have to drop them off somewhere again I assume?

Apologies for all the questions, but its my first trip there, and my first trip anywhere with some decent status finally.

 

[straitman]

But the bags should still be tagged all the way through? I'd just have to drop them off somewhere again I assume?

Apologies for all the questions, but its my first trip there, and my first trip anywhere with some decent status finally.

The drop off is just after you finish with Immigration and Customs.

 

[The Rok]

I am doing pretty much the same trip next year but in J/F. Would people recommend Delta or Virgin American for LAX-MCO in First? They are both around the same price.

 

[MadFairlane]

What are peoples thoughts on a 2 hour connection in LAX??

VAust to Delta, so it is in the same terminal.
I "should" have priority bags, being VA Gold...

Is this connection to tight? What happens if the VAust plane is late, and the connection is missed?

Thanks,

Terrence

 

[cove]

Terrence I would go longer than 2 hours just in case you get behind 10 jumbos of passengers and the immigration folks may be working at half pace or half the correct number at their cubicles.

 

[MadFairlane]

Terrence I would go longer than 2 hours just in case you get behind 10 jumbos of passengers and the immigration folks may be working at half pace or half the correct number at their cubicles.

Yeah I was thinking that, however this flight is what works the absolute best for us... we are on a limited time frame in the US, and losing another day to travel would be frustrating.

Anyway, what sort of holiday would it be, without a bit of fun, and mad dashing through the airport terminals!

 

[clarkkent]

What are peoples thoughts on a 2 hour connection in LAX??

I had a 2 hr connection at LAX flying QF and was given an AA boarding pass and an express card on arrival, so customs and immigration were a breeze. Even with the slowish security queue at T4 still had plenty of time. So if VA/Delta have a similar procedure in place it should work pretty smoothly.

 

[jazzamcc]

I flew Delta LAX-ATL-MSP-YUL in August and earnt points for each individual flight. No SC's of course!! And I was flying First Class as well.

 

[MadFairlane]

So the flights have all been booked now...

BNE - MEL
MEL - LAX
LAX - MCO

That above routing uses VA numbers on the first two sectors, and a DL number on the last... All booked through Virgin.
Was trying to keep it all VA numbers but to put a VA number on the LAX-MCO sector was going to cost me another 400 bucks... Go figure.

Then:

MCO - ATL
ATL - LAS

Booked through Delta, on Delta flight numbers

Finally

SFO - LAX
LAX - BNE

Booked on VA numbers, with the SFO - LAX section operated by DL.


The way I figure it for status credits is as follows.

BNE - MCO - as its all booked through Virgin, I will get just the VA allowance ( I think its either 40 or 50sc's) However, this could change by +20SC depending on how they credit the DL flight
MCO- LAS - booked with delta, will earn SCs on each leg - Total of 30sc
SFO - BNE - Same as flight over, just the VA allowance, 40SCs (bonus to this flight is as its booked VA numbers, I should get all the extra baggage allowance given to VA Gold)

So all in all, with family pooling... I am looking at either 240 or 260 SCs for the journey... Not bad when its booked all in discount Y

Will help me keep gold for next year at least... and puts me only 250SC away from Plat...

now just to sort out all the other stuff... LOL

And cross everything for an op-up on the way out and/or back.

 

[MadFairlane]

And just got all our seats sorted out with a very helpful lady on the phone this morning.

A nice painless process...

Thanks Virgin...

 

[MadFairlane]

Hit the first snag of the trip today, and haven't even left yet!

Delta has cancelled the second leg of our MCO-ATL-LAS flight.

The ATL-LAS leg that we were booked on, has been cancelled... Deltas reservation system has put us on an earlier flight, but now only has a 26min connection...

Even I know that is starting to push the limit hahaha

Ah well, looks like a couple of calls to Deltas office in Sydney tomorrow to sort something else out.

 

[MadFairlane]

Spoke to Delta today, rang their freecall Australian number which put me in touch with their reservations staff in the USA.

Quite simple process really, just changed our first leg MCO - ATL to an earlier flight to give us nearly a 2 hour connection again in ATL.

Delta reservations were really helpful, even ackowledged I was VA Gold and seated me in the 3rd row of Y on the flights.

All in all a pleasant surprise...

 

[MadFairlane]

And now my mother and brother have decided to come with us as well..

Booked their flights last night, can't get them seated near us though... due to no status.

Best hope is at check in apparently.

 

[MadFairlane]

For noztac to give us a hand with the SC earn

I've got the flight numbers below, these were booked through a 3rd party so the best I can give you for the fair type on most is "economy restricted" Which I assume is just discount econ.

• VA308 - BNE to MEL
• VA11 - MEL to LAX
• DL1061 - LAX to MCO

• DL1518 - MCO to ATL (econ T)
• DL2203 - ATL to LAS (econ T)

• VA6530 - SFO to LAX
• VA8 - LAX to BNE

Hope you can make sense of it, I think It will work out at 155sc for the lot, but have no idea on points...

Cheers

 

[notzac]

OK, here's how I make it out. I'm assuming that you're booked in to fare class T all the way through; maybe a somewhat dangerous assumption but there you go. I also couldn't find a couple of your flight numbers, so I guessed (it shouldn't really change anything though). Will be curious to see how close I get it!

[b]Flight	Orig	Dest	Base	Bonus	SCs[/b]
===========================================
VA 308	BNE	MEL	437	656	15
VA 11	MEL	LAX	3972	5958	40
DL 1061	LAX	MCO	1109	0	20
DL 1518	MCO	ATL	202	0	10
DL 2203	ATL	LAS	874	0	20
VA 6530	SFO	LAX	169	253	10
VA 8	LAX	BNE	3585	5378	40
===========================================
[b]SUB TOTALS		10348	12245
GRAND TOTAL		22593		155[/b]

 

[MadFairlane]

Update:

Asked Delta for a status match challenge, and got given Gold Medallion status for 90 days... Right when we are travelling through the USA.

Now the problem comes of deciding which FF number to use... I am leaning towards the DL FF, and retro claiming my VA stuff when I return?

Well at least for my middle legs, MCO-ATL-LAS...