New Fare Decrease Rule?
Aug 5, 2007 | 4:01 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Land of 10,000 Upgrades
Posts: 9,459
New Fare Decrease Rule?
Holding two tickets on same record at $289 each.
Fare drops to $246 for same flights.
Call Platinum line to request re-fare. CSR agrees the fare has dropped but is seeing an add/collect instead of a roughly $36 credit and can't figure out why. Puts me on hold for five minutes and returns with the following explanation which he admitted made no sense:
According to the CSR the fee for a fare decrease re-fare remains $25, but in addition, NW will no longer issue an MCO/ECV for less than $25, which, he agreed, effectively makes the minimum decrease needed for a re-fare $50. He also claimed this was the first time he had encountered this "rule."
Has anyone else run into this before?
Fare drops to $246 for same flights.
Call Platinum line to request re-fare. CSR agrees the fare has dropped but is seeing an add/collect instead of a roughly $36 credit and can't figure out why. Puts me on hold for five minutes and returns with the following explanation which he admitted made no sense:
According to the CSR the fee for a fare decrease re-fare remains $25, but in addition, NW will no longer issue an MCO/ECV for less than $25, which, he agreed, effectively makes the minimum decrease needed for a re-fare $50. He also claimed this was the first time he had encountered this "rule."
Has anyone else run into this before?
Aug 5, 2007 | 4:47 pm
#2
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Portland, OR
Programs: DL MM Plat, PC&HH Gold
Posts: 2,602
Won't issue refunds less than $25.00? If anyone else runs into this it's time for a massive letter writing campaign.
Aug 5, 2007 | 4:49 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: HH Diamond, Marriott, IHG, Hyatt something
Posts: 34,516
I changed a flight last week, and was issued a $9 ECV. This wasn't a fare decrease, and did pay a $100 change fee, but it still gave me $9 back, which was better than I expected.
Aug 5, 2007 | 5:07 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: KARB
Programs: DL 2MM
Posts: 26,977
Are you sure the fare rules say the fee is $25?
Did you check your fare rules to make sure the fee is $25? I just checked the fare rules for an upcoming flight and it says the administrative fee is $50 when issuing an MCO for a fare decrease.
Aug 5, 2007 | 5:09 pm
#5
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,884
*sigh...
If only our master of searches would have bothered to take their own advice...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...=fare+decrease
If only our master of searches would have bothered to take their own advice...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...=fare+decrease
Aug 5, 2007 | 6:25 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Land of 10,000 Upgrades
Posts: 9,459
Aug 5, 2007 | 6:41 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 8,884
b) Your elite line agent was incorrect. It's a 50 USD admin fee, not $25+25 or something like that. The minimum difference must be $10.
http://www.nwa.com/features/bestfare2.html
Aug 5, 2007 | 7:40 pm
#8
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Anywhere but home
Programs: AA EXP, UA Gold/MM, DL Plat/2MM, HH Dia, PC Plat, MR Gold, ALL Sil
Posts: 4,679
That's correct. Several months ago, the admin fee increased from $25 to $50. I think there was a thread on that. So, if the fare difference is <$50, there is no rationale for re-ticketing.
Aug 5, 2007 | 9:59 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Floating around
Programs: UA Plat (1MM), DL Gold (1MM), Marriott LTT
Posts: 11,218
Slowly and slowly NW is creeping up to Continental's level.
Continental doesn't issue any MCO/ECV's for fare drops. Rather, they charge you the change fee for the ticket and then re-price the itinerary. So for most tickets, if the change results in less than $100, there's no point in re-pricing the itinerary (assuming a $100 change fee). Yes, some change fees on CO are $35 while others are $200, but you get the point.
NW will be there within 2 years, I'd almost guarantee it.
-RM
Continental doesn't issue any MCO/ECV's for fare drops. Rather, they charge you the change fee for the ticket and then re-price the itinerary. So for most tickets, if the change results in less than $100, there's no point in re-pricing the itinerary (assuming a $100 change fee). Yes, some change fees on CO are $35 while others are $200, but you get the point.
NW will be there within 2 years, I'd almost guarantee it.
-RM
Aug 6, 2007 | 5:55 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Land of 10,000 Upgrades
Posts: 9,459
The minimum difference must be $10.
http://www.nwa.com/features/bestfare2.html
http://www.nwa.com/features/bestfare2.html
Aug 6, 2007 | 7:30 am
#12
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Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: Bryn Mawr PA & Wailea HI
Posts: 15,726
MisterNice
Aug 6, 2007 | 8:24 am
#13
Join Date: May 2003
Location: MSP - NW Gold - PC Plat - Hertz Presidents Circle
Posts: 2,478
Talk about paying for customer service 
Aug 6, 2007 | 9:06 am
#14
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: MN
Programs: Lots of programs, dirt on all of them!
Posts: 11,943
OK boys, let's grow up