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The more I think about this the madder I get! This is a nightmare scenario for members in a group wanting to accrue mileage on Delta …

Let’s say I need an air only Delta contract for a group of 50 people 20Oct / ORD LAX with a return 25 Oct/ LAX ORD. The best fare is in U class. However, on Delta I see ..

On 20OCT/ ORD LAX there are only 25 seats in U, but another 15 seats in K.
On 25OCT/ LAX ORD there are only 42 seats in K, but another 8 seats in H.

It is common not to have all the seats you want in the class you need.

Ever look at a price based on 1 seat but later go in to add your family of 4 and get a much higher price? The fare shifts to class where all four seats are found. (Your travel agent should book as many seats in the lowest fare possible…some savings better than no savings.)

However, if you are asking for a group price the agent would give you all 1 price for all 50 people . They would take all the prices in all of the fares classes, get an average price and quote you that price. In reality though everyone has different prices in different classes of service. Nightmare part: I know René wants to accrue all the possible miles he can get. Since he has provided me with his SkyMiles number, I add his name to the segments getting the most miles. Meanwhile, René encourages one of the people on the trip to sign up for mileage, but he provides his number after tickets are issued. René and his new friend could earn different miles on the same trip.

Also as an agent, even though Delta Vacations is a great tour company, not all tour companies have the same price on the same products and availability even if they both use Delta air. I’ve had clients who book multi- family vacations and depending on the availability, I had to use two companies to accommodate their requests. Now the Delta Vacations reservations would get more mileage than the other company for the same flights…UGH!

Now I will know, even if the fare code is the same, if I am booking in the reduced earnings levels. But, my feeling is this is something Delta is going to regret! It is not fair to the consumer or the travel agent. I know travel agents will direct clients with mileage concerns back to Delta and I hope when Delta’s lines are tied up and flooded with complaints from unhappy fliers they will change the policy. – Tamara

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Thanks Tamara for your thoughts on this one. I thought I had a good handle on this, but now I may have to re-think. What do Delta Points readers think about this topic and what Tamara has told us? – René

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