Delta/Air France Buying SeatPlus?

We are Gold on Delta.

Just bought a Delta ticket that includes one leg (ATL-CDG) codeshare on Air France. The AF leg had the best times. After talking to an AF rep yesterday, my intent was to buy the ticket online through Delta and then buy the AF SeatPlus upgrade. AF online did show my ticket but would not allow me to modify it. After calling AF, the agent said I would have to nullify the booking and rebook in AF codes (flight prefix) and then I could buy the upgrade. I did not want to do that since I thought in order to get Delta miles, the flight numbers had to have the DL prefix.

Anybody have any experience with this?

I booked flights on KLM and Air France and am getting my Delta points on both. You should be able to confirm that with either AF or Delta but since they are both partner airlines I can't see why you can't. The issue seems to be AF not letting you upgrade on a Delta ticket (which seems odd). I'd ask Delta about that before switching anything.

 

Tickets were purchased on the KLM website and the KLM flights are identified as KL with the Air France flights AF.

Booked with Delta--3 out of 4 flights on DL. The exception: DL 8672/AF 689 ATL-CDG. The AF agent wanted to rebook the whole flight under AF. ???

I did not want to do that since I thought in order to get Delta miles, the flight numbers had to have the DL prefix.

Air France and Delta are both members of SkyTeam. Most tickets bearing the flight number of a SkyTeam member will earn frequent flyer miles in most other SkyTeam frequent flyer schemes. But you would have to check the SkyMiles information carefully to see whether the Air France ticket that you'd be rebooked onto would qualify to earn in SkyMiles (and if so, how much).

 

Other CCers (FlyerTalker in particular, I think) may have more insight into whether the particular upgrade you wanted is possible if you hold a ticket with a DL flight number, or whether you must have an AF flight number on your ticket.

Thank you. Yes, I understand the SkyTeam concept. What I want to do is buy the SeatPlus upgrade on AF--kinda like Delta's Economy Comfort. Since SeatPlus is a set price based on flight time, I would think they would be happy to take my money...Somewhere, I think Skymiles states that you have to have DL in front of the flight number to get miles. Since were are Gold, miles will be double--don't want to give them away. Presently that leg has both flight numbers on it, not sure how the total outcome on all flights will be with a rebook.

Edited July 26, 2014 by cluso
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Last month we booked and flew on AF. We entered our DL ff numbers on the AF website. Shortly after our return, our mileage was credited to our DL ff accounts. No DL flight numbers involved. I can't comment on purchasing the upgrade as we booked Premium Economy.

Most likely you will get miles for that AF flight. Problem however, despite AF, DL and KLM are all in Skyteam somehow their systems donot work well when trying to get/upgrade seats like comfortclass.

I know that when e.g. you have a DL ticket on a flight operated by KLM you can only get/buy an upgrade to KLM comfortclass at the airport, not before.

The same the other way around. So it looks like your problem is more or less the same.

Somewhere, I think Skymiles states that you have to have DL in front of the flight number to get miles.

I would be very surprised if that were generally the case, except for marginal exceptions like the lowest fares.

 

In the main, the allliance concetps works on the basis that if you fly on a member airline's flight, sold by that airline or another member airline, you earn both miles and status in any member airline's frequent flyer scheme of your choice.

 

So you may want to look into this in more detail to see what the implications are of any of your courses of action (including the option of doing nothing).

What I want to do is buy the SeatPlus upgrade on AF--kinda like Delta's Economy Comfort. Since SeatPlus is a set price based on flight time, I would think they would be happy to take my money.

But AF might have a rule that SeatPlus can only be sold to those holding a ticket with an AF flight number on it.

 

So again, you need to find out exactly what the rules of SeatPlus upgrades are.

 

Where air travel is concerned, "I assume that" and "I would have thought that" are some of the most dangerous phrases that a passenger can use in their thinking.

We have flown on Air France and received Skymiles for Delta. Also, we have booked a flights from JAX to CDG to Singapore, then Dubai back to CDG and JAX for next March. When you book by phone with Air France in the USA, Delta handles the booking. Some of our flights are Delta flights (codeshare with AF), and others, AF flights.

 

Since our flights are in 2015, the new Skymiles rules apply. Miles are based more on the cost of the flight. We will receive miles on the Air France flights, but probably not as much as if we were on Delta.

 

We could have booked all Delta flights, but the fare difference would have been $1400 per person more.

Edited July 27, 2014 by 4774Papa
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At one time, SkyTeam elites could get preferred seating on AF for either free or at a reduced rate. Not anymore, to the best of my knowledge.

 

Full rules for special seating on AF and KL are found HERE.

 

I think that this may address the problem of the OP:

2.1.1 A Customer may reserve a Seat Option for certain Air France Long-Haul Flights:

• when purchasing a ticket online or by mobile phone,
  
• during the online check-in process (when a boarding pass is issued),
  
• at Self-Service Kiosks or check-in counters in certain airports.
  

AF wants to rebook the ticket to conform to condition #1 above. Otherwise, it's during OLCI or at the airport (#2 and #3).

 

IMO, SkyTeam is imploding from some heavy handedness from DL. AF has been making retaliatory moves, and overall reciprocal benefits in the alliance are on a downward spiral. The earning rates for SkyMiles was the big shot in the war, and I think it's only a matter of time before ST splinters. Into what, I'm not sure, but that's just my own two kopeks.

Yes FlyerTalker, I think you are right about the AF requirements for buying a reserved seat. The ATL-CDG flight is on a 747-400, not great seating options in economy (and overall, not that many SeatPlus seats available). I will be at the Montreal airport next week on another trip, I might check out the AF ticket counter and speak with a real person.

 

My reference to the flight prefix (DL) is to the "earning miles" section of the Skymiles program. It says to confirm your SkyTeam "marketing carrier" to understand which mileage accrual rules will be applicable to your flight. All carriers in the alliance do not have the same accrual rules.

 

Thanks to all for your inputs!

2.1.1 A Customer may reserve a Seat Option for certain Air France Long-Haul Flights:

• when purchasing a ticket online or by mobile phone,
  
• during the online check-in process (when a boarding pass is issued),
  
• at Self-Service Kiosks or check-in counters in certain airports.
  

I think that this may address the problem of the OP:

AF wants to rebook the ticket to conform to condition #1 above. Otherwise, it's during OLCI or at the airport (#2 and #3).

I wonder whether the the OP should be prepared for the possibility of the option not being available even during OLCI or at the airport.

 

The definition of "Long-Haul Flights" includes "a Long-Haul Flight with an AF flight number and provided by Air France", which could be understood to mean "sold by AF and operated by AF". If that's right, then a ticket sold by DL for a flight operated by AF might not qualify, and that might be consistent with the OP's report that:-

After calling AF, the agent said I would have to nullify the booking and rebook in AF codes (flight prefix) ...

I wonder whether the the OP should be prepared for the possibility of the option not being available even during OLCI or at the airport.

 

We do have seats in the back of the bus; two seats (J &K) where the body narrows and there are only two seats on the sides instead of three. I was just wishing I could have bought the SeatPlus after booking. There aren't too many of them, so yes, we might be out of luck when it comes time to fly. At least right now we won't have to bother a seatmate in order to get up. And, we won't be in a rush to get off at CDG since it is our final destination. Just hope they don't run out of wine by the time they serve us in the back of the bus. :eek:

Are you talking about Economy Plus? Because on an Air France plane the Economy Plus is miles ahead of the Delta Economy Plus on a transatlantic flight. When we were on AF it turned into a bed almost the same as Business. On Delta you have some extra room, that's it.

Are you talking about Economy Plus? Because on an Air France plane the Economy Plus is miles ahead of the Delta Economy Plus on a transatlantic flight. When we were on AF it turned into a bed almost the same as Business. On Delta you have some extra room, that's it.

Brrupp. Sorry, but you have a semantic issue here. (Sorry...carryover from another thread ;))

 

On DL, the product is "Economy Comfort" which is a product that provides some extra legroom, extra recline and some inflight benefits. On AF, the product is "Premium Economy", which is a whole different animal. Different style seating, greater width and other benefits above the "comfort/plus/etc" type of product.

 

One thing not mentioned is that the true "Premium Economy" is significantly higher priced than the "plus" product. Apples and oranges, so it's not just about AF and DL.

Are you talking about Economy Plus? Because on an Air France plane the Economy Plus is miles ahead of the Delta Economy Plus on a transatlantic flight. When we were on AF it turned into a bed almost the same as Business. On Delta you have some extra room, that's it.

 

No, the product I am referring to is called SeatPlus on AF long hauls. It basically gives you more legroom. 50 Euros/seat on flights less than 9 hours. It's a little more on flights over 9 hours.

IMO, SkyTeam is imploding from some heavy handedness from DL. AF has been making retaliatory moves, and overall reciprocal benefits in the alliance are on a downward spiral. The earning rates for SkyMiles was the big shot in the war, and I think it's only a matter of time before ST splinters. Into what, I'm not sure, but that's just my own two kopeks.

 

If only DL would get some humility. They are now calling themselves "The World's Most Trusted Airline". By whom? Definitely not the frequent flier community!

 

That being said, kudos to DL for improving the long-haul economy experience with bringing back amenity kits and having mid-flight ice cream service on most flights to Europe (with some exceptions out of JFK).

If only DL would get some humility. They are now calling themselves "The World's Most Trusted Airline". By whom? Definitely not the frequent flier community!

 

 

Guess it depends on who you talk to. I'm part of a private frequent flyer group on Facebook and the Delta Kool-aid is flowing freely amongst many in that group. There are US/AA and United loyalists there as well, to be sure, but many of them are hub captives or are just biding their time while they use up miles, as their disgust with their "preferred" carrier grows.