Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[knobbs]

While I agree with your post, the call centre agents will have many different interpretations.

Earlier this year I was told that the reason the online tool wouldn't price my itinerary was that my surface sector from DEL-CCU was two stopovers and I now had 6 (which of course is one too many).

Utter BS but when I argued the agent checked with his supervisor and insisted it was two stopovers.

When I called back the following day and spoke to a different agent he told me the supervisor had added a note to my file that my surface sector was to be counted as two stopovers.

There wasn't much I could do. I thought about lodging some form of official complaint but that would most likely result in QF changing the t&c's to make it formal.

As this "rule" is being applied inconsistently at present, I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and changed my itinerary.

No wonder many of us prefer KrisFlyer.

I think you and I had the same agent. I got them to save the flight to my itinerary but not book it in. Got onto online chat the next day and an Aussie agent, confirmed that I actually could do that and booked it in for me.

 

[leer30]

Oct 12: NRT to FCO (Cathay, less than 24-hour stopover in Hong Kong ... if not possible, Qatar via Doha)

I spent weeks looking for FCO to HKG or NRT/HND in J. Qatar looked like it would be the one, but only released seats once in a 7 week period.

Cathay direct to HKG didn't release any J class.

Ended up re jigging our trip and flying Frankfurt to Narita with Japan Airlines (direct).

This is why when booking a 280k award, one must be quite flexible (in saying that we got most of what we wanted)

 

[leer30]

I had Qantas web support send me some rules and one of them was this,

• A surface sector - ARNK - (disembarking at one city and embarking at a different city) is considered one stop, however both cities will be treated as stopover cities and both should be considered when checking stopover restrictions.

Doesn't that mean DFW will be counted as a stopover? Unless the is meant to read both count as layovers, but only one stopver is counted?

That is not correct, unless it has been changed in the last 2-3 months. My 280k upcoming trip has five stopovers and includes two land segments.

I specifically asked a Premium team call centre member this question and she said only one stopover, but must include the distance between both cities in the overal mileage.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Don’t believe what’s been cut & pasted from the call centre manual.

The published rules of the award are very clear: (my bolding)

• The following Stopover conditions apply to oneworld Classic Flight Rewards:
  • up to five free Stopovers are permitted;
  • additional Stopovers are not permitted;
  • only one Stopover is permitted in any one city in the Itinerary; and
  • only two Transfers may be taken at any one city in the Itinerary.
• Surface Segments are permitted as part of oneworld Classic Flight Reward Itineraries, but the distance between the disembarkation point and the next embarkation point will be included in the Reward Point zone calculation for that Itinerary.

Sorry for the donkey question.
Does this mean I can fly into LHR, make my own way to DUB and depart from there and that counts as one stopover ?
Obviously the LHR-DUB distance being added to my total travelled.

 

[cjd600]

Sorry for the donkey question.
Does this mean I can fly into LHR, make my own way to DUB and depart from there and that counts as one stopover ?
Obviously the LHR-DUB distance being added to my total travelled.

Yes, exactly that

 

[Jacques Vert]

Sorry for the donkey question.
Does this mean I can fly into LHR, make my own way to DUB and depart from there and that counts as one stopover ?
Obviously the LHR-DUB distance being added to my total travelled.

As cjd600 said, that is what is supposed to happen and how the online multi-city tool will price it (assuming it can price it).

Unfortunately the online tool cannot handle the more complex itineraries and if you have to call, you could receive any number of interpretations; most of which will be incorrect.

 

[Danger]

As cjd600 said, that is what is supposed to happen and how the online multi-city tool will price it (assuming it can price it).

Unfortunately the online tool cannot handle the more complex itineraries and if you have to call, you could receive any number of interpretations; most of which will be incorrect.

It would also seem some QF supervisors can't handle the more 'complex' itineraries. Your experience with the supervisor annotating your PNR with incorrect information is disgraceful.

 

[bobcat]

Thanks everybody. Decided to pounce on available CX flights a few days earlier.
Very excited to have started the process. Will now keep an eye out on SYD-NRT on JL.
There's no requirement that at least one of the legs is QF is there (this is another element of RTW redemption I've seen mixed reprorts on)?

Really appreciate your help with this, quite daunting for a first-timer haha.

 

[cjd600]

Thanks everybody. Decided to pounce on available CX flights a few days earlier.
Very excited to have started the process. Will now keep an eye out on SYD-NRT on JL.
There's no requirement that at least one of the legs is QF is there (this is another element of RTW redemption I've seen mixed reprorts on)?

Really appreciate your help with this, quite daunting for a first-timer haha.

Good one, best to get them in the pocket when you can.
No QF needed at all, just 2 other OW.
JL seems pretty consistent release SYD-NRT, also QF release about 5 weeks after.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Another question regarding complex itineraries.
Can I add in a flight later and swap out a surface sector providing it doesn’t go over the 5 stop over threshold?
Eg LHR-JFK surface to LAX
LAX-NRT-SYD.
Add JFK-LAX in as a flight when it becomes available?
Reason I’m asking is that I’m keen not to lose out on the long haul sectors available by waiting until AA release Awards at 331 days which is much later than I can reasonably book the long hauls ex-USA.

 

[cjd600]

Another question regarding complex itineraries.
Can I add in a flight later and swap out a surface sector providing it doesn’t go over the 5 stop over threshold?
Eg LHR-JFK surface to LAX
LAX-NRT-SYD.
Add JFK-LAX in as a flight when it becomes available?
Reason I’m asking is that I’m keen not to lose out on the long haul sectors available by waiting until AA release Awards at 331 days which is much later than I can reasonably book the long hauls ex-USA.

Do what you like as long as there’s availability on replacement obviously.....as long as you haven’t commenced your first leg. They’ll just recalc points (will stay 280 pp) and surcharges = extra/refund

 

[cjd600]

(And pay the change fee 5k pp, of course)

 

[Princess Fiona]

Do what you like as long as there’s availability on replacement obviously.....as long as you haven’t commenced your first leg. They’ll just recalc points (will stay 280 pp) and surcharges = extra/refund

I’m planning on doing this entire trip over 4 weeks or thereabouts so I definitely won’t have started it as I’m planning to have the bare bones locked in about 11 months out and will tweak accordingly. It will be a true round the world in F for two.
Have previously booked a few J OW Awards for myself and family which weren’t quite what I want to score here.

 

[cjd600]

It will be a true round the world in F for two.
Have previously booked a few J OW Awards for myself and family which weren’t quite what I want to score here.

Oh, nice!
Sorry, get conditioned to assume 280J’s in this thread, not 420F’s!
Interested to hear what you end up booking and fine tuning

 

[Aus ATC]

So - I was most of the way through booking our 280k OWA. Flights out of Europe, either to Asia, or all the way home have been quite limited in early October, so we had locked in Qatar through to Singapore. Little to no improvement in that situation in the couple of weeks since making that booking, so now I turn my mind to getting home to BNE from SIN. Absolutely no J or PE availability on QF - a couple of F seats on QF36 popped up today for 6th October, but not looking for the 420k OWA.

I can get Y seats on QF52 SIN-BNE most days (but who wants to finish a J OWA in Y?). So I call QFF and the delightful Gus is most helpful (not withstanding providing an almost convincing spin on the lack of J availability and the nature of fuel fines...). So he found us J class SIN-HKG-PER with CX connecting to PER-BNE (QF). Slightly longer than the direct SIN-BNE (22hrs vs 8), but J all the way. I have taken this routing almost as a matter of principle, but having said that, will burn another 2 x 5000 points change fee if a better J option opens up.

So our final itinerary now is:

Depart 22nd August 2019.
BNE-HKG (QF) -LHR (BA). Stopover.
LGW-GOA (BA). Stopover. Cinqueterre, Florence, Cruise ex Venice.
VCE-MAD-GVA (IB). Stopover. Independent travel around France.
CDG-DOH-SIN(QR). Stopover.
SIN-HKG-PER (CX) -BNE (QF). Home 6th October.

10 flights, 5 airlines, 4 stopovers, 2 passengers, 2 itinerary changes, 600k points, $3156.00 taxes and charges.

I do find it annoying that Qantas will not provide a breakdown of the taxes and charges. We were stung pretty hard ($1700ish) for IB and QR legs and I would like to see the breakdown there but they will not make it available - the other legs were not too bad (in the scheme of things these days).

 

[mrsterryn]

Have to say getting rather excited to start planning a points trips. So many things to be aware of.
This is a great resource

 

[ellen10]

So - I was most of the way through booking our 280k OWA. Flights out of Europe, either to Asia, or all the way home have been quite limited in early October, so we had locked in Qatar through to Singapore. Little to no improvement in that situation in the couple of weeks since making that booking, so now I turn my mind to getting home to BNE from SIN. Absolutely no J or PE availability on QF - a couple of F seats on QF36 popped up today for 6th October, but not looking for the 420k OWA.

I can get Y seats on QF52 SIN-BNE most days (but who wants to finish a J OWA in Y?). So I call QFF and the delightful Gus is most helpful (not withstanding providing an almost convincing spin on the lack of J availability and the nature of fuel fines...). So he found us J class SIN-HKG-PER with CX connecting to PER-BNE (QF). Slightly longer than the direct SIN-BNE (22hrs vs 8), but J all the way. I have taken this routing almost as a matter of principle, but having said that, will burn another 2 x 5000 points change fee if a better J option opens up.

So our final itinerary now is:

Depart 22nd August 2019.
BNE-HKG (QF) -LHR (BA). Stopover.
LGW-GOA (BA). Stopover. Cinqueterre, Florence, Cruise ex Venice.
VCE-MAD-GVA (IB). Stopover. Independent travel around France.
CDG-DOH-SIN(QR). Stopover.
SIN-HKG-PER (CX) -BNE (QF). Home 6th October.

10 flights, 5 airlines, 4 stopovers, 2 passengers, 2 itinerary changes, 600k points, $3156.00 taxes and charges.

I do find it annoying that Qantas will not provide a breakdown of the taxes and charges. We were stung pretty hard ($1700ish) for IB and QR legs and I would like to see the breakdown there but they will not make it available - the other legs were not too bad (in the scheme of things these days).

Well done I have been watching you booking experience with interest. I am yet to book my final legs as (it will be in about one weeks time. I am hopeful that I may achieve the planned results. I am quite sure it won't be my first choice but maybe with some creative routing and a helpful operator.
Well done!

 

[Aus ATC]

I am yet to book my final legs as (it will be in about one weeks time. I am hopeful that I may achieve the planned results. I am quite sure it won't be my first choice but maybe with some creative routing and a helpful operator.

Good luck ellen10. Maybe being later in October you may see better availability. I think I am in the middle of school holidays for my return.

 

[ellen10]

Good luck ellen10. Maybe being later in October you may see better availability. I think I am in the middle of school holidays for my return.

Fingers crossed!!

 

[ellen10]

A question for the wise.
If I book a multi flight from Barcelona to Doha (QR) and it arrives at 4pm. And then the next flight departs the next day from Doha to Hong Kong (QR) at 7.55am and then a through flight on CX to Sydney, is this permitted or does it have to be a stop over of more than 24 hours?