Delta Skymiles
Last fall I posted an experience we had on our flights to Portugal. We discovered during the first flight (the flight attendant alerted us to this) that our tickets did not reflect our Skymiles numbers. I was able to update Delta's computers using the app so we did get all our mileage accounted for.
This year we have flights for next month with Delta and KLM. For months our reservations had our Flying Blue numbers (KLM and AF system) and neither the Delta website or the app would allow me to correct it to show Skymiles. I was on the phone with Tauck air on a different issue and the agent couldn't figure it out why this was occurring as they have our Skymiles numbers. She finally deleted the Flying Blue info and updated the reservations. I checked it out on Delta's website and even printed out the reservation showing them.
Today I was looking at it and my husband and my Skymiles numbers were missing but our travel companions info was in the system though I could only see the last 4 digits of theirs. I updated and saved our info but the system deleted our companions numbers. I suspect if our friends reenter their info ours might disappear again.
Bottom line, stay on top of this. When we check in for our flights I'll be confirming with the agent that all the numbers are there.
Comments
I don't fly Delta, as they have a miniscule presence at my home airport, but mostly fly United. United has a feature on their website where you can add missing flights for FF mile credit after the fact. I've used this to get additional miles for some Tauck intra-tour flights (EgyptAir and Hawaiian, within the last year or so)
There are three things I always do when I check in at the ticket counter...
(1) Confirm my luggage has the appropriate final destination label and priority tags.
(2) Confirm my request for my husband's wheelchair assistance is booked to the final destination.
(3) Confirm my frequent flyer miles show in the system.
Should there be an oversight regarding (3), which occurred on my last domestic flight, I retain all boarding passes until I receive airline confirmation of my current miles. It helped the representative rectify my account quickly.
With Delta, if Tauck books your air, you will not get credited with the full amount of miles that you would have if you booked independently. Several years ago I noticed we got less miles than I expected so I called Delta. They, said the miles credited were correct and directed me to the fine print (really fine print), deep down on their website, that said certain special and discount fares for flights booked through a third party do not accrue full miles!!
What does seem to be new these past couple of tours is that we are getting separate correspondence from Tauck to the same email about anything we have booked with Tauck like our final documents. I wonder if that is why mile numbers keep not being recorded?
The frequent air reservation notices Tauck emails are actually coming from the airline (at least from Delta) and Tauck can't edit them. I asked a Tauck agent about them and why they would say there had been a change but not want it was - which I find annoying. So far it's been minor changes in times or flight numbers. I think the past year or so the airlines are changing things so much it's generating this.
The Delta software isn't great. I should have been able to delete the Flying Blue numbers and add our Skymiles but it would always error out.
Claudia I always check the miles right after I fly one segment, I always book flights myself but a long time ago Tauck booked a flight for me and like Alan said the miles awarded were less than if I booked on my own.
I always take a picture of the tag that is put on my luggage before it’s put on the conveyor to prove it was done correctly and a picture of the agent who does it. I also take pictures of each bag inside and out.
I am using Tauck less and less for booking flights. Their prices are frequently higher and they are limited in their offerings. They often neglect to add airline member numbers and the Global Entry numbers, even though they are on our records. So you need to check.
I was told by one of the reps that Tauck offering air reservations was a courtesy and they are not travel agents. I thought it was rather snarky as I was polite and merely asked if they had any flights that did not get to the destination in the middle of the night. Another rep was polite and encouraged me to look elsewhere due to their limited inventory of contract fares. On another occasion, I was disappointed when just prior to leaving our house for a flight, I discovered the flight they booked us was delayed so we could not make the connection. Tauck air offered another flight from the same airport that would get us to the destination a day late. I had found a flight with the same airline in a nearby city nearby that would get us there the original date! Dah! It was not even on their radar. Long story, lesson learned.
No real benefit to using Tauck to book airfare, especially since the insurance covers you regardless.
We always follow up on Delta's website when flights are not credited - this happens most often with partner airlines. We found during COVID we needed to go back several times on the same submission. Finally after one of the flights, we got a live person on the phone. She could not figure out why the credit was not made but said sometimes partners had different rules. Anyway she ended giving us a partial e-credit and some bonus miles! I was satisfied.
I gave up trying to get credit with United on flights on its partner Lufthansa.
I always print a list of different flights even with different airlines to my destination and coming home if I were to miss a flight. I have that information readily available if I were to need it in a pinch. I can’t rely on doing all this just from my iPhone if I were stuck in a situation.
Alas if only having Frequent Flyer number in record guaranteed you'll get the miles. I just spent 3 months with Jet Blue and Hawaiian (I used them only on return) passing me back and forth like a hot potato, each claiming the other was responsible. In the end I had to join Hawaiian, but it still took two attempts. Still have no idea why miles did not accrue initially. For RTs, great tip Gladys, to doublecheck after first leg. Interestingly, I had no trouble getting credit for the short, inter-island flights booked by Tauck.
Unfortunately, Tauck can be rather snarky but the tours are really good. Just my experiences after six tours.
More fun with Delta Skymiles. I just got my Jun report expecting our flights to/from Glasgow on our Week in Scotland tour to show up but no there was nothing listed. Went into my Delta acct and the computer told me no I wasn't going to get credit because the tickets had been refunded which was news to me.
After much going back and forth with all the paperwork I had from Tauck and Delta - including thank god my boarding passes - and about half an hour using their chat help mode I think I finally have the resolution in the works. Weirdly, my husband's miles were credited just fine. Go figure.
Somewhere along the way the eticket number changed 3 times. Having the correct eticket number appears to be the only way to claim miles and battle this.
Bottom line - save your boarding passes. That was the only place I could find the correct eticket number.