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So I booked a couple of SkyTeam partner flights using my VS miles – with Vietnam and Korean.
I’ve receive the confirmation, all looks good and I can see it on the Virgin site but can’t select seats – fair enough as it’s a partner airline.
But I can’t seem to retireve the booking on the partner website either – I’ve tried using the 6 character booking ref and the ticket number – does anyone know how I can add this to select seats?
And then come check-in, which site should I use for this – Virgin or Vietnam/Korean?
Btw, Korean created me a Skypass ID when I setup my account with them, should I try to join my Virgin account with them somehow?
Think I’ve managed to answer my own question – the booking reference that Virgin supply is a Virgin reference. You need a different reference for ghe partner airline.
This isnn’t supplied at booking or on any of the comms sent by Virgin it needs to be requested individually for each partner flught.
Fortunately their Twitter account were very quick to help with this but neither of us could understand why it’s not send out with the booking details.
I appreciate that you need to call to book, but how did you find the availability please?
Would also be good to know what the taxes were. I’m currently in Vietnam so excited for other ways to get out here. We are here for en extended stopover en route to Australia on a BA multi carrier redemption.I appreciate that you need to call to book, but how did you find the availability please?
Would also be good to know what the taxes were. I’m currently in Vietnam so excited for other ways to get out here. We are here for en extended stopover en route to Australia on a BA multi carrier redemption.Yes I’d love to know this too! I’m in Cambodia and hoping to use my (admittedly small) amount of miles on some Vietnam airlines flights but no idea how to find availability.
I appreciate that you need to call to book, but how did you find the availability please?
Would also be good to know what the taxes were. I’m currently in Vietnam so excited for other ways to get out here. We are here for en extended stopover en route to Australia on a BA multi carrier redemption.For availability, Korean Airlines reward seats can be booked on the virgin website, so availability can be checked on this too.
Vietnam Airlines is only bookable on the phone, so I used Delta to search availability on this – it’s easy on Delta as can be done from their homepage without even logging on. However, Delta told me there were 3 reward seats available, but Virgin told me I could only book one, so be prepared for some discrepancies!
Also, it appears booking via Virgin uses less miles than booking with Delta miles. But booking on Delta is incredibly easy (and free) for cancellations.
On the VS confirmation, there should be a ticket number. Take that to the operating airline’s website and see if they let you find your trip by ticket number. That will then give you the operating airline’s PNR. If that doesn’t work, try dropping it in to Delta.com – click My Trips, search by ticket number. Failing that, take the VS PNR and drop it in to https://pnr.sh/delta. Failing all of that, call Flying Club and get them to dig it out.
neither of us could understand why it’s not send out with the booking details.
A lovely quirk of GDS systems. The ticketing airline – VS, in this case, if the ticket begins 932 – owns the itinerary, so gets a PNR associated to that itinerary. Behind the scenes, a related itinerary often exists, with a different PNR owned by the operating airline. The two are usually joined through a note on each reflecting the other, but it needs digging out. VS’ uses DL’s IT (the name of the system escapes me right now), but without all of the bells and whistles.
Seats will need to be book on the operating airline’s website – VS’ website doesn’t allow for seat selection on non-VS coded flights (and even when the partner flight is VS-coded, it’s advisable to check that the request has hit the operating airline, so you may as well go straight to operating airline).
When OLCI opens, VS website will get you part of the way, but then tell you that your first flight is operated by another airline and not let you continue. To save time, check in on the operating airline’s website.
On the VS confirmation, there should be a ticket number. Take that to the operating airline’s website and see if they let you find your trip by ticket number. That will then give you the operating airline’s PNR. If that doesn’t work, try dropping it in to Delta.com – click My Trips, search by ticket number. Failing that, take the VS PNR and drop it in to https://pnr.sh/delta. Failing all of that, call Flying Club and get them to dig it out.
neither of us could understand why it’s not send out with the booking details.
A lovely quirk of GDS systems. The ticketing airline – VS, in this case, if the ticket begins 932 – owns the itinerary, so gets a PNR associated to that itinerary. Behind the scenes, a related itinerary often exists, with a different PNR owned by the operating airline. The two are usually joined through a note on each reflecting the other, but it needs digging out. VS’ uses DL’s IT (the name of the system escapes me right now), but without all of the bells and whistles.
Seats will need to be book on the operating airline’s website – VS’ website doesn’t allow for seat selection on non-VS coded flights (and even when the partner flight is VS-coded, it’s advisable to check that the request has hit the operating airline, so you may as well go straight to operating airline).
When OLCI opens, VS website will get you part of the way, but then tell you that your first flight is operated by another airline and not let you continue. To save time, check in on the operating airline’s website.
Thanks, that’s really interesting and useful.
Virgin did tweet both my external booking refs (ie those used by the partner airlines). This worked fine on my Korean Airlines flight and I was able to select seat, add API and even setup auto-checkin (nice touch). Although strangely it doesn’t allow me to EDIT anything after initial selection as it wants me to login – there seems to be a mismatch between my Korean account and the details supplied by Virgin, I’m presuming this is lack of middle name as Virgin don’t store this?
For my Vietnam Airlines flight, I can’t find anyway of retrieving the booking on their website at all! I’ve tried both booking refs, all combinations of my name etc. Thier Live Chat was useless and just suggested I speak to them at the airport when I arrive fo rmy flight!
I’d prefer to Manage my Booking before this, any other ideas on how to access on Vietnam Airlines website? Is there just a delay between Virgin sending it to Vietnam and it being available to view?
there seems to be a mismatch between my Korean account and the details supplied by Virgin, I’m presuming this is lack of middle name as Virgin don’t store this?
There’s a difference between storing and displaying. Technically, IATA ask airlines to only store information that is of actual use (pursuant to things like aviation security, faster border processing and the like), and since many people don’t have a middle name, you’ll find the field usually marked as optional. But, if you give it, they probably store it. In my own experience, VS only displays a part of it – they have my full middle name, but only display the first character on boarding passes etc.
For my Vietnam Airlines flight, I can’t find anyway of retrieving the booking on their website at all! I’ve tried both booking refs, all combinations of my name etc. Thier Live Chat was useless and just suggested I speak to them at the airport when I arrive fo rmy flight!
Go to vietnamairlines.com, and click Manage Booking along the top – it’s hidden away a bit, but appears in the blue bar above the flight search box. I would link to it, but it appears that the website doesn’t actually change the URL when it loads!
I’d prefer to Manage my Booking before this, any other ideas on how to access on Vietnam Airlines website? Is there just a delay between Virgin sending it to Vietnam and it being available to view?
There shouldn’t be. But, airline IT is… interesting.
For my Vietnam Airlines flight, I can’t find anyway of retrieving the booking on their website at all! I’ve tried both booking refs, all combinations of my name etc. Thier Live Chat was useless and just suggested I speak to them at the airport when I arrive fo rmy flight!
Go to vietnamairlines.com, and click Manage Booking along the top – it’s hidden away a bit, but appears in the blue bar above the flight search box. I would link to it, but it appears that the website doesn’t actually change the URL when it loads!
Thanks, tried that but unfortunately it tells me Confirmation Code, Last Name and Emnail (it didn’t even ask for this) are incorrect and I need to call their office. So I guess I will give them a call a bit nearer the time and hopefully they’ll be able to add it somehow?
Thanks, tried that but unfortunately it tells me Confirmation Code, Last Name and Emnail (it didn’t even ask for this) are incorrect and I need to call their office. So I guess I will give them a call a bit nearer the time and hopefully they’ll be able to add it somehow?
They should be able to. Worst comes to worst, you’ll have to make do with what they have at the airport when you get there. As a final effort, try dropping the confirmation in to Delta.com if you haven’t already and see if it can work it out.
Still no luck online so I called their call centre in Vietnam – they answered almost instantly (good start!) and also assigned me a seat free of charge (it’s chargeable online).
They also confirmed it’s not possible to my manage my booking or check-in online, as the ticket is issued by a partner airline.
But they did email me with my ticket, which was useful 🙂
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