Domestic flights within USA

[anakin]

Hi all,

Planning some travel within USA - I know which dates I want to travel to/from USA - but haven't finalised dates for my internal domestic segments yet and I'm a bit confused by the myriad of earn tables and conditions for booking domestic segments within USA.

e.g. say I want to travel from Dallas then on to Orlando and then to New York, to receive maximum SC's & points, do I (or can I?) book:

• directly via the Qantas site, separately to my international return flights (so I don't have to commit to dates and muck around with the multi-city booking engine) so I get a QF flight number?
• via AA web site and supply my QFF number?
• or must I book all flights at once on the Qantas site using multi-city booking?

I read that Qantas have recently changed earn rates for some flights with AA which is confusing things even more.

Could someone help clarify?

Thanks

 

[RichardMEL]

Any QF codeshares offered within the USA can only be booked in conjuction with a QF intermational ticket - you can't just go and book say DFW-LAX or JFK-LAX as a QF flight by itself. You'd need a TA to organise a international booking with QF say to/from DFW, then they can add in codeshare sectors to the PNR (though it may require revalidation etc depending on the fare used etc).

Your best bet would probably be to book direct via AA's USA site for AA sectors, or wait till you have your dates firmed up and create a single booking with the international sectors

IMHO

 

[Jack_OC]

This is one of the few remaining situations where I believe it is well worth booking through a travel agent. As Richard said, a TA can book QF codeshares within the US in conjunction with the international ticket. Also, they can typically hold seats while you work everything out - often for several days. In fact, the last time I did something along these lines, on two occasions I reached the deadline for confirming the seats on hold, but still hadn't finalised my schedule, and the TA was able to simply cancel the existing provisional bookings and hold seats on the same flights for a few more days. Overall, I think I managed to get the relevant seats held for about 2 weeks before I was ready to book.

 

[kermatu]

If it is purely within US travel as you say, and you aren't specifically after QF SCs (only relevant for P1 status I think) then I would say just book on the AA site (US site, as Richard says). Has always been the cheapest and best SC earn for me (but I haven't been to the US for a couple of years and this is all before AA's own 'enhancements' to earning rates).

Certainly no harm going to a TA though.

 

[JessicaTam]

If it is purely within US travel as you say, and you aren't specifically after QF SCs (only relevant for P1 status I think) then I would say just book on the AA site (US site, as Richard says). Has always been the cheapest and best SC earn for me (but I haven't been to the US for a couple of years and this is all before AA's own 'enhancements' to earning rates).

Certainly no harm going to a TA though.

I believe that a TA will be able to link the internal flights to the transpac booking and cut down on the taxes.

Paging serfty to the white courtesy phone.

 

[Jack_OC]

If it is purely within US travel as you say, and you aren't specifically after QF SCs (only relevant for P1 status I think) then I would say just book on the AA site (US site, as Richard says). Has always been the cheapest and best SC earn for me (but I haven't been to the US for a couple of years and this is all before AA's own 'enhancements' to earning rates).

Certainly no harm going to a TA though.

One other thing to be aware of - if you are planning to connect from another US destination to your transpac flight on the way home, I believe there is some risk if you miss the connection and you are on two separate bookings (even if both are with OW carriers). The same applies if you are planning to connect to a domestic flight on the way out, although the consequences of it going wrong are probably not so great in that scenario.

This was the situation on my recent trip - I had to get from SAN to DFW for the transpac home on the final day of my trip. The TA was able to book the QF code and include it on the same PNR.

 

[serfty]

Avoid DFW and IAH connections between the east and West coasts.

Connecting via DEN and ORD can earn significantly more SC's.

My TA based savings have been due to the AA ticket being issued as a "conjunction ticket" to existing transpacific award bookings.

 

[RichardMEL]

Agreed If I am doing domestic sectors on separate PNR's I allow a LOT of time or best case the next day "just in case"

AA are pretty good, specially with OW Elites to help out, but definitely try to plan to minimise the risk with such things.

Say I was flying MEL-SEA and then internally SEA-DFW-MSY (or whatever) I'd make my international ticket be MEL-SEA-MEL (bonus QF codes included on AA/AS between LAX and SEA) and then plan other flights to depart SEA say at least the next day and arrive back the evening before the next flights back home. Both for minimising risk due to delays and so on (even more so if doing SC runs or other things like that) but also just for comfort and a good rest before heading home.

My last US trip I would have been up by Ship Creek if I'd had 2 PNR's - I went SFO-LAX-MEL AA/QF, the AA flight wound up being delayed by about 3 hours and got into LAX at the Eagles Nest as QF94 was boarding. If I had to collect bags, go to TBIT and get to the flight no way.. However due to same PNR connection I was met at AA by an agent, given the gate number and pointed to the connector (which I knew about, but the assistance was appreciated) and even had time for a massively quick stop in the F lounge (I was in F on QF so did not need to rush to the gate as much as I would if in another CoS).

So be mindful of such things if booking separately.

 

[dajop]

Agreed If I am doing domestic sectors on separate PNR's I allow a LOT of time or best case the next day "just in case"

Even then it can be difficult, believe it or not. Recently had a YYZ-ORD flight booked at 8pm FRI cancelled due to weather where the aircraft was originating. My "connecting" flight was on a separate AA ticket booked about 22.5 hrs after arrival of my previous flight. They wanted to put me on 5pm Saturday flight, and if so would have missed the connection, especially as they won't through check bag. I argued and got onto the 10am.... but still it's perilous!

 

[anakin]

Thanks for all the help & suggestions. In the end I booked a multi-city ticket for the start and end of the journey, and have only 1 other internal flight half-way through the trip which I will book separately directly via AA.

Just to confirm, if I book "First class" on AA (flight from Orlando -> Austin via DFW), then status credits & points will be awarded at the QF business rate? The fare basis code that I am presented with on the booking engine (KVAUPNIF) doesn't seem to match up with typical examples given where the first letter is the booking class.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks for all the help & suggestions. In the end I booked a multi-city ticket for the start and end of the journey, and have only 1 other internal flight half-way through the trip which I will book separately directly via AA.

Just to confirm, if I book "First class" on AA (flight from Orlando -> Austin via DFW), then status credits & points will be awarded at the QF business rate? The fare basis code that I am presented with on the booking engine (KVAUPNIF) doesn't seem to match up with typical examples given where the first letter is the booking class.

A 'K' fare is - I think - an instant upgrade fare (unless this has changed recently?). It books into economy (K) but instantly upgrades to business (First class cabin on a two-class plane). These credit as business class to Qantas for the purposes of SCs etc.

The only downside to instant upgrade fares comes with delays/cancellations... AA will try and rearrange your travel on the next flight in first, but if no first is available you fly coach. However you do have the option to wait until the next flight with available first class... which may be a few hours later.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I believe AA currently have a promo fare to the US that offers 4 free stopovers in the US with additional stops at AUD70.00.

It's only available through selected TA's though.

 

[serfty]

AA don't have "Instant Upgrade" fares any more.

What they do have is discounted/nonrefundable "First Class" fares that conditional on a specific economy and business fare buckets being available.

In the case mentioned, K class needs to be available as well as I (and/or D) depending on the fare's criteria.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

AA don't have "Instant Upgrade" fares any more.

What they do have is discounted/nonrefundable "First Class" fares that conditional on a specific economy and business fare buckets being available.

In the case mentioned, K class needs to be available as well as I (and/or D) depending on the fare's criteria.

thanks - I thought the nomenclature had changed... but sounds for all intents and purposes the same as an instant upgrade given K class must be available before the 'upgrade' can be processed.

I ran in to a problem a few years ago where seats in the first cabin were available, in the correct fare bucket, but the coach cabin was full and no 'K' available.

 

[RichardMEL]

I reckon it's a semantic difference in naming than anything else. You basically have a Y fare basis that books into the most discount premium cabin seat on those 2 class flights (what was P, now is I)

either way what they laughingly call First Class credits as Business for QFF SC earn.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I reckon it's a semantic difference in naming than anything else. You basically have a Y fare basis that books into the most discount premium cabin seat on those 2 class flights (what was P, now is I)

either way what they laughingly call First Class credits as Business for QFF SC earn.

Yes but - it's saved me very nicely on redeeming awards intra-USA! Now booked at business class levels. Wonder how long it will take QF before they increase the award levels?