esm

I am having trouble using my travel certificate from Continental. I'm trying to get tickets for travel to Toulouse but not all options show on continental.com.

I have called Continental several times and have received different answers. One rep told me I could use NW or KLM; another told me it had to be Continental only; another version was that only C published fares were allowed (am not sure if there's a difference); last version was that codeshares were acceptable too.

I now have a flight on hold (via C agent, KLM via ams) which she said I should have been able to book directly. Well it doesn't show on Continental website as something I can book and I get a message to call the airline for booking help. I don't mind paying $15 extra if I have to but I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong. Also, this itinerary originates from ORD but if I fly NW I can start from CMI and go via DTW for the same price.

clevelandbrown

I don't know what a "travel certificate" is, but I know there are are a number of certificates/vouchers/whatever, and most of them have varied circumstances under which they can be used.

When I have had one of these from Continental, it has always contained the small print telling just what the extent of eligibility is. They have always insisted on sending me a printed copy, also, even when I have asked them to just credit the amount into my account. So, if you have a printed document, have you read it carefully to see what the conditions are.

I know a common restriction is that flights have to be on Continental metal (which could, I suppose, include a CO flight that is codeshared with other airlines, but not include another airline's plane that is codeshared with CO). From my experience, an airline is much more willing to give away a seat on its own planes, than to provide a seat on someone else's plane (perhaps they would have to pay for that seat?)

I think their phone agents are generally good, but I'm sure mistakes are made, perhaps when the caller calls a voucher a certificate, etc. I once danced with them for months when I bought two tickets to Europe on Expedia, or some such site, and they credited miles only for my wife's ticket. Apparently the site had given me two tickets, but only one qualified for miles. The phone agents patiently explained, sometimes, that my ticket didn't qualify for miles, but other times they seemed sympathetic and promised to check into it. I kept calling back asking why my wife got miles and I didn't. After months of calls and letters, they apparently concluded I was hopelessly dense, but wasn't going to go away, so they had mercy on me and gave me the miles. It wasn't a case of them now knowing their business; just that they couldn't explain the intricacies.

So, its been a couple of days since you had your flight on hold. How did it work out?

esm

I just bought my ticket and while waiting for the email confirmation I checked here and saw your reply. Thanks for taking the time.

I'd posted before about having this certificate due to canceling a flight. It gives a "promotion" code and a pin plus the value. The terms and conditions are simple and eligible flights are defined as Continental and selected "code-share" flights. The code-share created confusion and Continental reps (who were quite nice) all had trouble figuring out what flight they could book. I lost track of how many people I talked to. Finally one of them got a supervisor on the phone and she made the reservation. Good job I wrote her name! I called twice to inquire about possible changes in departure/return and each time I was told this itinerary was not allowed. So I gave them her name and told them to check with her.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they don't call me back to tell me it was all a mistake! This is a much better itinerary (all on KLM) than what I could get on Continental alone (would force me to go via EWR)and I'm happier to connect in AMS instead of CDG. BTW, I paid the $15 fee happily. I was a bit grumpy in my original post because they kept saying I should have been able to pull up the same flights which I now know was the wrong information.

clevelandbrown

I'm glad to hear it worked out.

"selected" is a weasel-word if ever I've heard one, and it certainly leaves you at their mercy.

I'm no expert, but I think continental.com has never shown many if any code-share flights, and you have to call to get the true picture. From talking with their agents, it appears that they call up something on their screens that gives a more complete picture, and don't have any experience using continental.com, so they assume that what they see is what you see. I think continental.com is fairly new, and it seems to go through major revisions fairly often as they try to get it where it should, ideally, be. There is a continental frequent flyer forum on flyertalk.com and the company participates actively and often they will correct a problem that is brought up there.

rkkwan

Some KL, NW, AF and AZ codeshare flights show on continental.com, but not all. Many times one do need to call.

It may be getting off-topic, but if CO EQM is important to you, and you need to buy deep discount CO tickets on their website for 100% EQM with codeshare or other flights that don't show, here's how you do it:

1. Find the CO flights in deep discount coach you need to book.

2. Use the "Pay Later" option to "purchase the ticket" - that will hold the reservations.

3. Call the continental.com website support desk, <b>NOT general reservations</b>, to book other flights you want to tag on to the itinerary.

4. Go back to the website and complete your purchase by using alternate method of payments, unless you still want to &quot;Pay Later&quot;.

In fact, this option may even work for the OP. Or not.

esm

Thanks Cleveland, I have checked flyertalk a few times but those guys seem a tougher lot so I've never posted there!

rkkwan, I don't mind whose flights I'd be using. My problem is/was due to not knowing what was a qualified &quot;selected code-share&quot;.

I did call web support first and even though the rep was very nice (over an hour on the phone!) she had no idea how to put together a reasonable itinerary. Some of the options she suggested would have an overnight on outbound as well as return.

I don't travel as much as some of the folk who post here and have limited experience with Continental. I still think their website is not user-friendly, say in comparison to AA. For example, I couldn't avoid going via EWR no matter how I tried. Also, your method doesn't really work with a certificate since you have to purchase right away assuming this information relayed by the rep is accurate.

BTW, I can no longer view my itinerary on Continental (don't know why, web services say I should be able) but I received my confirmation email and was able to call KLM/NW to get seats for ORD/AMS. It took awhile to get this ticket but as I've learned, if at first you don't like the answer, say thanks, hang up and call again. Continental reps were all nice; but I always try to be nice when I call.

rkkwan

esm - I absolutely agree with you that there are a lot of things one can't do on continental.com. It's a very common complains among CO flyers.

And I don't have enough knowledge to answer your original questions anyways, so I didn't post anything initially.

esm

Thanks rk. I was surprised not to hear from you at all because you seem to know all about Continental. Just kidding; I know my situation was unusual. BTW, nice write up in the paper.

esm

Yikes; they are no telling me it was a mistake and I'm back to square one.