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I am planning to use a ZED Fare to and from Europe next month. I know that listing is very important, but how do you do this if you don't get on one flight and next one you want to try is a different carrier and you have less than an hour until it departs? I will have a zone 5 at medium fare and can use it on American,KLM and British Air.
1 American Rev
Listing is indeed important for several reasons and can be done by calling in, sometimes also through a dedicated website, or in any case by passing by at a ticketing desk of the airline you want to fly on. For all contact data, simply ask your pass office: they should have a full list with direct phone numbers and/or websites (with a login and password) to conduct a correct listing with each of the airlines they issue ZED tickets on.
What I do before I present myself at check-in on the day of departure, is go by the airport ticketing desk to check the final load of the flight once more, especially if I have multiple options which will all leave within just a short time frame as you will not be able to jump carrier at the very last minute when you'd be bumped at the gate (well, YOU might, but your LUGGAGE won't), so what I'd do in your case is list on all 3 airlines you're entitled to fly the route of choice with and then on the day of departure simply pass by the airport ticket desks of each 3 to ask how many open seats they still have on their flight of the day, only to check in for the flight of your best chance then.
If you have time left and want to be kind to the other airlines, you may then want to cancel your unused listings with them.
That's basically it: it is your best guarantee for not getting disappointed last minute and in any case it should avoid missing out on a wide open flight just because you've made a wrong choice at check-in.
Listing is important but is not an absolute must.
Example:
I was flying FCO-ORD on AZ a few years ago and the flight cancelled.
I took my ZED over to AA and was put on their JFK flight without any problems!
Have fun!
There are some airlines where listing is a must:
if you want to fly on BA and you are not listed, they send you to a computer to list yourself and then come back to check-in. It seems that their check-in system doesnt allow to check a passenger if it is not on the passenger list display and it inhibits to create a reservation at their position. Qantas told me exactly the same last december when I flew over Sydney. i had to call to a reservation number to list me and right next to that the agent in front of me put me on the list.
There are other airlines that it is not a requirement, for example Iberia, Air france, Alitalia... On Iberia, the company I work for, there if an option which is to check someone not on the Passenger displays, and any agent can do it.
It happened to me once that I showed up on a Delta flight without listing, and the check-in agent listed me before being able to check me in. I guess their system lets you to create a reservation and at the same time lets you to be checked in only if the reservation is created previously. she asked me my employee number, and when I gave it to her she asked me if I was a delta employee. She told me that if I wasnt, she had to use a generic number to be able to list me (don't know really why she needed my employee number, but I guess that the Delta database extracts the data from the employee number).
Note too that listing be more often demanded as carriers implement more interline eTicketing for ZED travel.
As mentioned above most of the time your pass burea will have a list of which airlines require a listing and which airlines do not. Some airlines are also very specific as to how far in advance you have to list if you are an OAL employee. Enjoy your European adventure.
Regards,
Chepos
Listing on AZ (Alitalia) is required from 1st April.