If the search shows waitlist, but the chatbot says there are 0 people on the waitlist, what does that mean—does it mean there are no seats available? And if I try to book with VS points, does that mean the waitlist is basically hopeless? Thanks so much, experts!
I'd suggest first checking the award availability for the same flight using ANA's own tool. If it shows waitlist but no seats, that most likely means there's no availability. Also, before booking with VS, it's best to call and confirm whether the waitlist can actually clear—don't rely solely on the chatbot, provided you have the time to verify repeatedly.
A waitlist count of 0 doesn't necessarily mean seats are available—it may simply mean no one is queued, while seats still haven't been released. The closer you get to departure, the more likely seats are to open up, but the trade-off is that you have to keep watching constantly.
Is this information about the 0-person waitlist retrieved by the chatbot in real time, or could there be a delay?