Booking Delta Award Tickets? Use callback to skip the queue -- on your terms.

Delta has a cool feature that will call you back during periods of long hold times instead of making you wait on hold.  Since I don't have status with Delta and often book award tickets in the evening, I'm typically faced with 1 hour (or greater) hold times.

So what happens when they call you back and you don't have your partially-booked-online international business class award ticket ready to modify? (you are using this trick to avoid telephone booking fees for complex international itineraries, r-i-i-ight?)  Turns out, you can actually avoid answering the call, and it will keep you at the front of the queue for 15 minutes or so.  Then you simply call back and they'll answer immediately.

So, my typical pattern:

1. Call Delta to get a place in line.  Set up callback.
2. Book as much of the ticket online as possible.
3. When the callback comes, punch the keys that say I'm not available (unless I am...  then I just take the call).
4. Get everything squared away and call back.  No line.

This is just a fun little trick I hope benefits someone else...