Victory! TexasAggie FINALLY able to use AA FF miles for Greece!!!
 

I post this as encouragement to other travelers to keep on trying even if you get a "no" numerous times.

I've been trying to book roundtrip Denver-Athens for 4/29/06 - 5/13/06 for several weeks now. I have made numerous calls and spoken with numerous agents.

I called again today and as luck would have it, I got a fabulous AA rep who kept me on the phone for 45 minutes while she searched and searched for open routes.

We got: Denver-Dallas-Zurich-Athens and Athens-Zurich-Dallas-Denver. Since we live in Denver (not an international hub), we are already used to one or two stops.

The fee per person was $100.35. We got assessed a $5 for booking on the phone even though the rep admitted we couldn't possibly have booked this route online. Oh well, I'm not worried about $5. Just thrilled to have the tickets!

For those interested, because our trip occurs before May 15th it only "cost" 40,000 miles per person.

Hope this encourages someone to keep trying... apparently you really can just get lucky with random openings in their system.

Hey, congratulations! Never give up hope...

Now go learn Greek Dances :)

Hi Faina,

LOL! What I am really thrilled about is 10 months of "practicing" eating Greek food... YUM!

Great job! Greece is on our list, too, but for sometime when we don't have to travel in the summer (that might be awhile).

Speaking of random openings in their system...I just booked a trip with Aadvantage miles, myelf, and we weren't even planning to go anywhere! After I got my e-statement last night, I started playing around on the website on the odd chance that I could find something interesting for the Columbus day weekend in October. When it returned three reduced-mileage award tickets to Montreal we decided, what the heck? So for 45,000 miles total and $90 in taxes (for all three tickets), we're off....

Congrats to you!

My husband will know in the first few seconds of a discussion with an airline agent if they will be helpful or not. Sometimes it takes a while to find the right person who is willing to help you. He will always end the conversation and wait and call back at another time. It has worked for us and you, Texas Aggie.

Happy travels!

Hi Texas Aggie, congratulations!!!! You must be dancing around the house!

I have an Italian friend that always says "it cost nothing to ask, and to ask, and to ask," LOL, and obviously he is correct. Good for you.

Wonder if they had a comment on their computer stating "the next time this customer calls FIND her a flight or we will never get rid of her", LOL.

Best wishes to you and know your weekend will be wonderful.

Hey, LoveItaly, did you ever try that PBJ sandwich made like French toast?

Hi Marianna, no I haven't as shortly after you told us about it I came down with a really yucking virus/flu. I have sort of been "living" on water, some juices, cracker and broth. Finally feeling up to maybe some scrambled eggs tonight. Am better but not feeling perfect.

BTW Marianne, I told my neighbor about your receipe the night after I read it and I wish you could have seen the expression on her face. Horrified wouldn't even begin to describe it. Too funny.

I can hardly wait to try it. Maybe by Sunday morning?? Take care and have a good weekend.

Sorry for hijacking your thread TA.

Hope you are feeling better soon, LoveItaly! Water, juice, crackers! No wine? How awful!

TA, you have a wonderful weekend as you plan for this fabulous trip!

Hi everyone, thank you for the lovely comments :-)

ms_go, that sounds like a fabulous trip for Columbus Day weekend... especially at about $30 per ticket ;-) I will be sure to take and post many photos of Greece that hopefully could be helpful to your family whenever you guys can make it. We will be there 4/30 - 5/13... hopefully not too hot!

And LoveItaly, I LOVE your Italian friend's saying. Quite true!! I am still at the office (tax season) but I confess to letting out a (loud) high pitched squeal when the rep told me she could get me tickets ;-)

Thanks again for the sweet comments everyone. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

P.S. LoveItaly, I hope you feel better soon!! Sorry to hear you are sick. Summer bugs are the worst :-(

Hmmm ! I have to come to Fodors to see what my family is doing. Ain't cyberspace great?

Hi Bob, you are right! It is like going to see how your family is doing!

Texas Aggie YOU ROCK! Way to go! That is so true about agents. You can tell in the first few minutes if they will be helpful or not.

TexasAggie, being a native Texan myself, I saw this thread and just had to post.....

"GO TEXASAGGIE!!!!"

:D

Well, I am a native Texan as well, and although I can never root for the Aggies, as I am a former Longhorn,(unless of course, they are playing OU), I can applaud TexasAggie for her victory with AA!

Ahhh, Bob, I just booked that trip at 10pm last night, after about 15 minutes of consideration. Nothing like a little serendipity...

I'm with wren. As a long-time Austinite, I rarely applaud Aggies for any reason, but well done, TexasAggie!! =D> I have been to Greece twice and I hope you love it as much as I did. Hook 'em Horns!!

Being a born and bread Boilermaker I have to say I don't get the Texas Ag thing. Jeez at least go to a school that has a drink named after it! :-D

But TxAg what a great job! That's an incredible deal. I've a friend who has been a United mega-flyer since the 80's. With his super status he has for years now flat-out hung up on uncooperative United mega-status agents. He'll call again and again until someone helps him.

I was in Greece last October. What a great destination. I hope you have blue skies, calm winds and an incredible trip.

Way to go Aggie! I did the bit about calling at midnight the night they opened flights for next spring. Called every two weeks to extend until they opened for our return date. Believe it or not, the part they couldn't book at all was Huntsville to Atlanta...about a 15 minute flight! Just couldn't do it at all! So Pat will fly Southwest to New Orleans a day ahead of time and fly with me from NO to Atlanta to JFK to Athens! No direct flights from NO to anywhere, so we are used to several connections as well. 7 more months to go...can't wait!!!

Anne

Well, I was going to congratulate TA with a hearty "hook 'em horns," too, but y'all beat me to it :)