Viking Air - misleading and unhelpful

[Selion]

@Lemondrops  I don't think are many, if any, travel agents or agencies who are willing to touch FF miles/points redemptions.  That aside, disregarding the carriers' rules & policies may end up costing more money.  It's in our best interest to have at least a rudimentary understanding of them.

[Mike07]

2 hours ago, Lemondrops said:

Hate to break it to you but FlyTalker actually doesn't know his stuff as well has he would like us all to believe.  A Delta supervisor called me today and told me exactly how I can upgrade my seats with them.  KLM is only the operating airline so as the KLM person told me yesterday, I do need to do this through Delta even though I will be flying on KLM.  KLM was correct after all.  FlyTalker, not so much.   Meanwhile, my original post still stands.  Don't book your air through Viking unless you really don't care about your flights or seating. They are of little help.  And for the record, the average consumer shouldn't have to "study" airline policies and rules or hire an attorney to figure out the best way to book a flight and use airline miles. We use travel agents for that.  In this case, my travel agent, Viking Cruises, failed miserably.  I asked the right questions in advance and was given an inaccurate answer. I certainly could have managed this myself by calling the airline directly and telling them exactly what I wanted to do.  I've done this successfully for years with American and have always been able to use my miles to fly from Los Angeles to the Caribbean in first class. It's really not rocket science but in this case, it certainly felt like it.  Again, lesson learned. Viking excels in the water but still needs some lessons in flying.  Take care everyone and happy travels!

 

 

I can't wait for the thread when you get bumped to economy because a non rev is deadheading.

[Lemondrops]

22 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

I can't wait for the thread when you get bumped to economy because a non rev is deadheading.

Now that's funny and probably my luck!

[Escaper]

I think, at least in the US, that the flying demographic is getting older and wealthier in general.  I have not researched this, but that have been my anecdotal experience.

 

I have multiple couples as friends that are over 60, comfortable financially, and ALWAYS fly 1st class, no matter how short the flight.  That is simply what they do.

I was looking at the cost of upgrading a flight for a cruise a couple years ago and was informed by Viking Air Plus that the upgrade fee for RT flight to Norway in 1st class would exceed the cost of the 15 day cruise!!!!!  I then asked, how many Viking customers do that?  She said, "over 80%"

 

I was blown away.

 

The only flight I would pay the premium for would be when and if we go to Australia.  That is a marathon flight, and I would rather just splurge for the 1st class for that length of flight.

[photopro2]

On 10/26/2023 at 1:23 AM, Lemondrops said:

When I called the airline, Delta, they told me they were not the "operating carrier" and I would have to call KLM Airlines.

I've been sorry to read about the trouble that you've been put to which started with the Delta agent you mention above giving you the wrong information.

On 10/27/2023 at 1:38 AM, Lemondrops said:

I do need to do this through Delta even though I will be flying on KLM.  KLM was correct after all.

I have always had good experiences with KLM, so I'm pleased to hear that they gave you the correct information right away.

 

On 10/26/2023 at 1:23 AM, Lemondrops said:

Viking told me I had to upgrade directly with the airline.

Despite what you have said about Viking not helping, they did give you that correct information right at the very start when you originally spoke to them.  It seems now that a Delta supervisor has confirmed that you do need to upgrade your seats directly with them, and how to do so. It was only inaccurate information provided by Delta agent(s) that prevented you from doing so previously.

 

On 10/26/2023 at 1:23 AM, Lemondrops said:

 Viking called me back and said Delta told them the reason I cant use my miles is because KLM is the operating carrier.  

The above indicates that, not only did Delta misinform you, but they also gave the same inaccurate information to Viking.

 

On 10/26/2023 at 1:23 AM, Lemondrops said:

The Viking supervisor that I spoke to was very little help and took no responsibility for giving out incorrect information.

Hopefully you will now understand that Viking was not the source of the incorrect information you were given. As you've discovered, you should have been able to upgrade simply by contacting Delta directly yourselves, as Viking said was the case. Any incorrect information came from Delta and Viking only passed it on in good faith, as far as I can see. 

 

On 10/27/2023 at 1:38 AM, Lemondrops said:

A Delta supervisor called me today and told me exactly how I can upgrade my seats with them.

It would be helpful if you could post details of this correct process to upgrade Viking booked flights on Delta, so that others might be able to avoid the trouble that you have had to go through.

[Mike07]

8 hours ago, Escaper said:

I think, at least in the US, that the flying demographic is getting older and wealthier in general.  I have not researched this, but that have been my anecdotal experience.

 

I have multiple couples as friends that are over 60, comfortable financially, and ALWAYS fly 1st class, no matter how short the flight.  That is simply what they do.

I was looking at the cost of upgrading a flight for a cruise a couple years ago and was informed by Viking Air Plus that the upgrade fee for RT flight to Norway in 1st class would exceed the cost of the 15 day cruise!!!!!  I then asked, how many Viking customers do that?  She said, "over 80%"

 

I was blown away.

 

The only flight I would pay the premium for would be when and if we go to Australia.  That is a marathon flight, and I would rather just splurge for the 1st class for that length of flight.

 

 

I made a similar comment a few weeks ago --- that I'm surprised at how many people demand premium seats on this sub since generally, airlines have great(er) difficulty moving premium seats on their planes... and people jumped on me for saying I shouldn't judge how others spend money and Carnival provides the same transportation as Viking, so why not go with Carnival?

 

I could perhaps be moved by some of the internal fares or special fares the majors can pass along to TAs or high volume sellers through their contracted rates, but generally the published book rates or upgrade rates are unappealing.

[HUNKY]

Lemondrops - Please let us know how many Sky Miles you used to upgrade and to what cabin?

 

I'm very curious, maybe even nosy...

[vslparis]

On 10/26/2023 at 10:11 PM, Mike07 said:

 

 

I can't wait for the thread when you get bumped to economy because a non rev is deadheading.

Just put that deadheading non rev in a jump seat 🤣

[Mike07]

4 hours ago, vslparis said:

Just put that deadheading non rev in a jump seat 🤣

 

 

Right now the pilots are feeling uppity, though I'm hoping with cargo shipments down and a general pullback in the economy, the pilot shortage will turn into a surplus and we'll see some normalization of pricing and attitudes within airline staff.

 

[SamSherman]

15 hours ago, HUNKY said:

Lemondrops - Please let us know how many Sky Miles you used to upgrade and to what cabin?

 

I'm very curious, maybe even nosy...

Just noticed that you're in Durham, NC and I am in Raleigh.  Am an avid cruiser and would like any suggestions that you might have.