I Earned DL Miles on a BA/AA Award Ticket!

On Sunday, I ran the Rock N Roll Raleigh Marathon.  Later that afternoon, while crowded in a car with 5 friends all heading to Raleigh Durham Airport for our respective flights home, I heard my phone ring. I feared it was about my flight to LGA, but was too squished to answer it

As feared, when I arrived at RDU I learned that my 6:55 p.m. flight home to LGA on American Airlines (which I’d purchased using British Airways Avios), was cancelled.  (I should mention that my award ticket was in First Class, using 12,500 Avios.  This hardly is worth it for an hour flight on a regional jet, but that was all that was available).

Anyway, I checked my phone message, and the recorded voice told me that I had been “covered” on a 7:30 p.m. US Airways flight, connecting through DCA, and that I would be arriving at LGA in the vicinity of 11:30 p.m.  Oh nooooooooooooooooooo!

I waited on the line to speak to an AA agent.  The agent, who was really helpful, made some calls and found out that there was room on a Delta flight going to JFK that was scheduled to depart at 5:38 p.m. (it didn’t).  There was one seat left in first, and she asked if I’d like that. She also said AA would pay for a car service for my trip to Manhattan from JFK.  I said fine.

I went to the lounge floor of Terminal 2 and went to the right, into the Sky Team Lounge rather than to the left, to the Admiral’s Club.  I checked in and asked the agent to add my Delta Platinum Medallion number to the reservation, which she did. I had a glass of wine and one of the “new” wrap sandwiches, which was good.

After Air Traffic Control delays, and waiting for the car service, I eventually got home.

Today, I looked at my Delta statement and saw to my delight that I received Delta miles for the flight (which began as an award ticket).

Lesson: whenever there’s a change of carrier, or even if you book an award ticket on one carrier using miles from another, make sure to add your frequent flyer number for the airline you are actually flying with.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

HT: The Free-quent Flyer and Ryan Gaines for their advice