Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[geoffshaw]

I've changed JFK-LHR on BA to LGA-ORD-LHR with AA. Refund amount was $483.84 each. Total taxes for the trip ended up at $695.41, which I am beyond happy with. Might have taken countless hours of research and time on the phone but you get bloody good value out of your points for it!

 

[glasszon]

Am I the only one who have bad luck with JL flights? I had to change my booking due to personal reasons and two of the segments are with JL, I spent 90 minutes with the first agent while she repeatedly calls Qantas helpline with the booking, and just before she could take payment the call was cut off.

Now I am calling back again and I don't like the chance of being reconnected to the current agent, wish me luck....

 

[glasszon]

Just to provide an update, looks like my prayer was answered as my second call I was connected to the Qantas Premium team and they really know what they are doing. There was dramas as my call was disconnected again (don't know why, I never had call disconnections before today) but he went ahead and processed the changes despite the disconnection and I just received the e-ticket, hurray!

 

[geoffshaw]

I've changed JFK-LHR on BA to LGA-ORD-LHR with AA. Refund amount was $483.84 each. Total taxes for the trip ended up at $695.41, which I am beyond happy with. Might have taken countless hours of research and time on the phone but you get bloody good value out of your points for it!

Guess I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. I've been refunded $89.24 each, despite the e-ticket clearly saying Total Amount Payable -967.68. Three phones calls and no fix yet. I was told yesterday I'd get a call back from a supervisor (as if that would ever happen) because they have to listen to the phone call to see what the operator told me. What does it matter what the operator told me? It's written on the ticket!

 

[Longtoo]

Hi all,

I am trying to book 2 x 280000 QFF RTW tickets. Starting point = Sydney. Preferred destinations are Johannesburg, Santiago de Chile, North America, Europe, and HongKong. Very flexible with date, but I just could not get any sensible flights to either Johannesburg or Santiago in J. I would have to fly with EK (thus won't get the OW RTW rate) or crisscross between Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, then Santiago. Once I get out of Australia, there are good availability from other OW partners.

here is my question: is availability from QF really this bad compared to other OW partners? As an QF WP, what is my chance to request 2 award J ticket directly to Santiago or Johanesburg (happy to plan as far ahead as necessary)? TIA.

 

[madrooster]

here is my question: is availability from QF really this bad compared to other OW partners? As an QF WP, what is my chance to request 2 award J ticket directly to Santiago or Johanesburg (happy to plan as far ahead as necessary)? TIA.

JNB is fairly easy. SCL is a lot harder relative to JNB as there's only 4 flights per week.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Hi all,

I am trying to book 2 x 280000 QFF RTW tickets. Starting point = Sydney. Preferred destinations are Johannesburg, Santiago de Chile, North America, Europe, and HongKong. Very flexible with date, but I just could not get any sensible flights to either Johannesburg or Santiago in J. I would have to fly with EK (thus won't get the OW RTW rate) or crisscross between Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, then Santiago. Once I get out of Australia, there are good availability from other OW partners.

here is my question: is availability from QF really this bad compared to other OW partners? As an QF WP, what is my chance to request 2 award J ticket directly to Santiago or Johanesburg (happy to plan as far ahead as necessary)? TIA.

When are you hoping to travel?

 

[Longtoo]

When are you hoping to travel?

Around Oct/Nov 2018. I tried Syd-JNB, there are absolutely no award J on QF63, plenty of J with EK though!

 

[Longtoo]

One more question if I may: what do I get when booking a business seat on AA? They only have main cabin, extra main cabin, and first.

 

[Daver6]

Around Oct/Nov 2018. I tried Syd-JNB, there are absolutely no award J on QF63, plenty of J with EK though!

Have you looked at QR for SYD - JNB?

 

[Longtoo]

Have you looked at QR for SYD - JNB?

Not if i check on QF website for SYD-JNB. when i try to force the flight through Doha (via the multicity tool), it pops up but via Bali and thus there will be significant time penalty!

 

[Danger]

Hi all,

I am trying to book 2 x 280000 QFF RTW tickets. Starting point = Sydney. Preferred destinations are Johannesburg, Santiago de Chile, North America, Europe, and HongKong. Very flexible with date, but I just could not get any sensible flights to either Johannesburg or Santiago in J. I would have to fly with EK (thus won't get the OW RTW rate) or crisscross between Sydney, Brisbane, Auckland, then Santiago. Once I get out of Australia, there are good availability from other OW partners.

here is my question: is availability from QF really this bad compared to other OW partners? As an QF WP, what is my chance to request 2 award J ticket directly to Santiago or Johanesburg (happy to plan as far ahead as necessary)? TIA.

Without knowing specifics you may have an issue keeping within the 35k mileage limit, particularly as you're likely going to have to take indirect flights.

Consider SYD-HKG-JNB-Europe-North America-SCL-SYD or SYD-HKG-Europe-JNB-GRU-SCL-North America-Australia.

 

[Mumanddad]

Thanks to all the info put up on here, I've completed our 280K booking, all Business. It took five days to get our e-tickets through. We got our cancelled Open Skies flight MIA-CDG changed to FLL-LGW (Gatwick) with no extra taxes, which suited us fine.

Going to move the final CNS-HKG leg out to 2019 when the flights open, and we have enough miles and a spare stopover to add Singapore on the way to HKG. Our Aus to HKG leg (QF Y) was paid in for with our free AMEX flights as will the return trip back from HKG.


HKG-YVR CX STOP //
Surface YVR-PHX. PHX-ORD-BOS AA STOP //
Surface BOS-FLL. FLL-LGW AA STOP //
Surface LGW-CDG. CDG-HEL AY HEL-NRT-SYD JL SYD-CNS QF STOP //
CNS- HKG CX (END)

12Segments. 4 stops. ~31,414 miles (Qantas confirmed) Great Circle Mapper Miles=31,354

Around $850 each in taxes.

 

[Longtoo]

Congrat Mumanddad! I will try to replicate your success. This is not easy, no free lunch of course. Considering the amount of time we put into the research for this, it is less of a bargain. I think about this as a hobby so it is fine though.

 

[melbkate]

Hi all - I have a question re taxes and fuel charges.

Have booked this 280k trip for next year Business Class for 2. Yay.

MEL-NRT-HEL-FCO STOP surface to Naples JL, JL, AY
NAP-MAD-EAS STOP surface to Biarritz IB, IB
BIQ-HEL STOP AY
HEL-SIN STOP AY
SIN-MEL QF

I finally received e-ticket today after a flight time changed and taxes / charges are $961pp - seems like a lot and there's no breakdown on the e-ticket . Can anyone advise if that seems correct or how I even check they have it right? I've read people having amounts changed after HUACA situations

And as a side note e-ticket sent and addressed to my male travel partner's email (I'm not even in the Hello... personalised greeting!) despite fact I (female) booked it with my QFF points and paid for it with my credit card. How do they even do that? It's like their mailing system defaults to male of the couple. Slightly annoying as male travel partner wouldn't even know what a One World Award is!

thanks any advice re charges welcome

 

[Longtoo]

less than 1 K pp in tax for this much J flying is a bargain. if you flight with QF, your tax will be much more. You can call QFF to request the breakdown. As to why the email goes to your male travel partner, no idea.

 

[Mumanddad]

Congrat Mumanddad! I will try to replicate your success. This is not easy, no free lunch of course. Considering the amount of time we put into the research for this, it is less of a bargain. I think about this as a hobby so it is fine though.

Thanks Longtoo. It certainly has become an all encompassing hobby, from first acquiring enough points then doing the actual planning and booking. It's good that it's done now, at least I can have a normal life back for a while (although we are out of points, so time to start the process again LOL).

 

[ozflier]

Hi,

I have made a couple of OWAs including internal South American flights in the last 18 months.

I am trying again and, of course, there is the usual dread - not just being able to find business award seats but ,apart from that , please read on-

Many domestic LATAM services now have premium economy instead of business. If you want to book just one flight eg SCL-EZE , the system will allow you to do the booking online to get a classic premium economy award seat using QFF points .

But the minute that sector becomes part of a business class multi city itinerary eg SYD-SCL-AEP, it will only book you into economy for SCL-EZE!

So you call QFF service centre - they rarely understand that just because there is no availability for a J class award seat , there may be premium econ seats available .(Award booking classes are different). Example screenprint from QFF booking site below with reference to LA455 0925 SCL - EZE 1130 .

So they say it can't happen or they aren't available, finally they ring their supervisor(s) who fixes it up.

Then of course it costs me an extra 2x5000 points now for 2 pax to do this .

I have managed to have this waived on one occasion but

surely there is some way this hassle can be avoided.

As I said, it is hard enough to find business or equivalent seats, but it is really frustrating to have to spend hours on the phone to include premium econ in our itinerary and then have to argue over why we should be slugged for not using the online booking process.

Am I the only one or is there some obvious solution that I am missing out on?

 

[blu]

Currently mid itinerary 280k award & encountering problems with codeshared checkins. Seems similar to, "no eTicket raised" for codeshared flights. MMB shows booking/seats confirmed. Online checkin results in a "go to airport" error. Airport staff then take significant time to fix.
Rang QF SIN who could see no problems. Still have JL & CX flights and expect similar.

 

[jetpack]

Has anybody come across these issues on QR before

1. J availability is showing on the BA website but it is not showing on the QF website

2. I want to book a long transit in Doha to see the city but the booking system will not let me book the individual flights resulting in the long transit. From what I can gather this happens if a shorter connection is available for the city pair, even though there may not actually be any award availability on the shorter connection. The only workaround I can come up with is to fly to/from a destination with only one flight a day which then forces a longer transit.