Next time you fly, keep your boarding pass. Especially if you collect frequent flier miles. And especially if your airline is playing the codeshare game.
John Hamilton wishes he had. He’s a member of Flying Blue, the loyalty program operated by Air France and KLM. He recently flew on Delta Air Lines, an Air France codeshare partner, and expected to get Flying Blue credit.
He didn’t.
Hamilton explains:
It seems that Air France requires the original boarding passes to recognize my flights so they can give me credit (and protect the 101,000 miles I presently have in their program).
I don’t know anyone who saves their boarding passes, and certainly I haven’t. Delta has been no help as they insist they can’t even send Flying Blue records that show my having paid for and flown their flights.
Delta and Flying Blue insist they cannot communicate with each other to verify my flights and neither will go the extra mile to help me resolve this issue. Having read your columns, I not only mailed both airlines direct but also wrote each of them letters (and copied the US Dept. of Transportation and the Maryland States Attorney General).
Am I being unrealistic to expect the airlines to honor my flights even though I no longer have the original boarding passes?
I don’t think it’s unrealistic. In a moment, I’ll tell you why you should keep your boarding pass. But first, let’s consult the rules.
1.4.6 All claims for retroactive credit should be made within six (6) months of the flight or transaction in question. Retroclaims for Partners should be sent to the Customer Service Centre by regular mail or made on Partners websites in accordance with the procedures as set forth in the FB Communication.
Retroclaims for Airline Partners have to be supported with (i) a copy of the passenger receipt or, in the event of electronic tickets, a document called “journey memo” or Trip Summary and (ii) the original boarding pass. Retroclaims for Non-Airline Partners shall be supported with the original or a copy of contract or invoice.
Furthermore, the Company reserves the right to demand at any time all documentary evidence of the accrual of Miles. Retroclaims can only be made via the Internet for Air France and KLM operated flights showing the AF or KL designated code. No correspondence can be entered into about retroactive credits, and documents submitted to the Customer Service Centre cannot be returned; it is then advised to keep copies.
Confused? Me too.
I’m not entirely sure if Hamilton had a “retroclaim” or not. If he’s a Flying Blue member, he would have almost certainly given his number to Delta when he booked the ticket. Still, the rules say you have to provide “documentary” evidence of a flight operated by an airline partner.
Let’s take a step back and get a big-picture perspective. Here’s a loyal Air France customer, and the carrier should be doing everything it can to make him happy, not throwing the rulebook in his face. We know Delta has an electronic record of his flight somewhere. Why can’t they just fix this for him?
I thought it was worth asking Air France about it. So I did.
Air France credited him with his miles.
For future reference, it’s worth keeping your boarding passes, and not only for collecting miles. If you’ve ever been audited by the IRS, you know that receipts are a good thing.
I keep my passes — just in case.
(Photo: David_Turner/Flickr Creative Commons)
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Chris, that’s great advice.
I always save my boarding passes in case of problems. Today, with so many of us printing our own boarding passes long before we ever get to the airport, keeping a copy of your boarding pass is generally easy.
At the beginning of a trip when I print the boarding pass for my starting leg, I print an extra copy of the boarding pass and leave it at home.
When I’m at a hotel, while away from home, and print boarding passes during my trip, I do the same. I print an extra copy of the boarding pass and file it away with any other papers I keep for the duration of the trip (bills, receipts, fliers, brochures, etc.).
Sometimes it isn’t possible to print your boarding pass prior to getting to the airport. In that case I save my stub immediately after boarding in a zippered compartment of my personal bag I’ve brought on board with me so I don’t loose it.
Several years ago I had a similar problem. I flew with BMI between London and Edinburgh. US Air didn’t credit me for the flights, as of a month after I took them, which were not only important for the miles, but for my elite FF status level at US Air. I didn’t have my boarding passes (I didn’t know better then.) and asked US Air what I could do. They told me that if BMI would confirm I actually flew on their airline, they would properly credit me. I telephoned BMI and they told me mix-ups like this happen all the time. The sent me a letter confirming I flew on two of their flights, giving the dates, flight numbers, and class of seat. I forwarded the letter to US Air and within a week the flights were credited to my account.
Since I do web check-in for most of my flights, I will print two paper copies of the boarding passes and print one electronic copy (.PDF file format) of the boarding passes. If I do not receive flight credit within two days or one week for a code-share flight, I will file a ‘Flight Credit’ claim with the airline. I have a folder where I store the board passes and I will shred them once they are a year old.
What will those passengers who use their smart phones to board do when asked for a copy of their boarding passes?
I am always reminding clients to keep their boarding passes until the miles are posted. Frequent flyer numbers are a low priority message when 2 reservation systems need to share data. Smart phone boarding passes will leave no paper trail to prove flights on partner airlines!