Booking EK F Flights- General Questions

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SOPOOR

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hey everyone, apologies for the basic questions, but I couldnt find the question asked before,

Looking at F from Melb To Athens about July 2020, very flexible with dates, still building my itinerary

As Ive mentioned on another thread Taxes/surcharges are high if I do it from MEL,
so if I do it from HKG,
I looked at some random date
on the qantas website, there is literally 1 x flight available the whole month and its 108k points+1020 HKD ($200 AUD)
I also have emirates and qantas points that I would prefer to use emirates points as they will expire in 2022 which seems ages away but I may not fly EK again due to availability

on the emirates HP, if I look at availability there seems to be availability every day, however its 131k points +1020HKD
since ratios for EK points are a lot higher, it seems that its almost 200k Amex points (pre deval) for the same flight

is this how it is? are there any better ways?
I notice that the emirates website says free cancellation/change which would help since my itinerary isnt 100% confirmed
 
I looked at some random date
on the qantas website, there is literally 1 x flight available the whole month and its 108k points+1020 HKD ($200 AUD)
I also have emirates and qantas points that I would prefer to use emirates points as they will expire in 2022 which seems ages away but I may not fly EK again due to availability

on the emirates HP, if I look at availability there seems to be availability every day, however its 131k points +1020HKD
since ratios for EK points are a lot higher, it seems that its almost 200k Amex points (pre deval) for the same flight

is this how it is? are there any better ways?
I notice that the emirates website says free cancellation/change which would help since my itinerary isnt 100% confirmed

Are you looking HKG-ATH on the QF site or HKG-DXB and DXB-ATH? Qantas isn't good at offering connections if it's something they actually have to pay for :(

QF would be a change/cancellation of 5000/6000 points.
 
Are you looking HKG-ATH on the QF site or HKG-DXB and DXB-ATH? Qantas isn't good at offering connections if it's something they actually have to pay for :(

QF would be a change/cancellation of 5000/6000 points.
oh, I was looking at HKG to ATH on the qantas site, so are you saying the availability is the same as the emirates website, i just have to book it separately?
I do prefer to use emirates miles instead to be honest, but did notice the signficiant difference in points required
 
oh, I was looking at HKG to ATH on the qantas site, so are you saying the availability is the same as the emirates website, i just have to book it separately?
I do prefer to use emirates miles instead to be honest, but did notice the signficiant difference in points required

it *may* be the case that availability opens up if you search sector by sector. Why QF does this I don'tknow, but it might be that they don't want people finding and redeeming awards too easily. Awards on partner airlines cost QFFF money. Book on Qantas operated flights and it costs nothing.

The only way to find out is to have a look. Easiest way is to use the multi-city tool.

Difference in points... nothing that can be done about that. All programs charge their own currency.
 
it *may* be the case that availability opens up if you search sector by sector. Why QF does this I don'tknow, but it might be that they don't want people finding and redeeming awards too easily. Awards on partner airlines cost QFFF money. Book on Qantas operated flights and it costs nothing.

The only way to find out is to have a look. Easiest way is to use the multi-city tool.

Difference in points... nothing that can be done about that. All programs charge their own currency.
i thought since cancellation was free, id just go book the flight, however ive come across a few questions

multi city tool on QFF didnt work, it only showed economy , and I couldnt choose which class (no biggie)

so off I went to Emirates website
the high navigability that was there has gone down a lot

one option was a stop over of 4 hr, or 17hrs,
I do want to visit dubai one day, but not just for 17 hours, as I want to ideally do 3 days minimum so im happy to stay in the lounge, however 17hrs is too long, so I can give Dubai a miss in terms of visiting the city

unforuatnely, the 4hr stop over flight is a 777 from DXB to ATH, much much prefer the A380

any tips folks?
 
it may be there was no F available on the day you looked? if you select flexible dates you’ll get the calendar view, the same as for regular bookings. then hit ‘first’ and ‘business’ and they should all show, by sector.
 
it may be there was no F available on the day you looked? if you select flexible dates you’ll get the calendar view, the same as for regular bookings. then hit ‘first’ and ‘business’ and they should all show, by sector.
thanks you might be right

I just did a multi from HKG to DXB to ATH
only 1 flight avail via QFF website, and thats a 777 for HKG to DXB
and DXB to ATH only 1 J flight on British air with a stop over in LHR

not what I was remotely looking for :( will try emirates website
 
thanks you might be right

I just did a multi from HKG to DXB to ATH
only 1 flight avail via QFF website, and thats a 777 for HKG to DXB
and DXB to ATH only 1 J flight on British air with a stop over in LHR

not what I was remotely looking for :( will try emirates website

If you must travel on a specific date it is possible the EK website will have more seats availabe for its members. If you are flexible, the QF website may have options.
 
If you must travel on a specific date it is possible the EK website will have more seats availabe for its members. If you are flexible, the QF website may have options.
for my education, the furtherst flight I can see on the calendar right now is july 7th (emirates website)
which according to google is 328 days,

however on the qantas site, Ican see further than that

is this how its supposed to be?

1565789169356.png

it seems the shortest stop over flight of 17hr flight time is a 777, whilst a380 is only for the 12 hour/17hour stop over which amkes it 24/30 hours
on all the days that are available, is this the only way for me, if I want to do A380 x2
 
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for my education, the furtherst flight I can see on the calendar right now is july 7th (emirates website)
which according to google is 328 days,

however on the qantas site, Ican see further than that

is this how its supposed to be?

View attachment 182236

it seems the shortest stop over flight of 17hr flight time is a 777, whilst a380 is only for the 12 hour/17hour stop over which amkes it 24/30 hours
on all the days that are available, is this the only way for me, if I want to do A380 x2

I don't know the window when QF shows EK flights. I never book that far in advance. But there have been problems recently with QF showing flights beyond the booking wondow, although I don't know if also affects EK (it was affecting MU flights). Someone with knowledge on the booking window will be able to advise.

Short of changing your departure point (choosing Singapore or Tokyo for example), or the destination, the connections showing on the EK website will be those offered. You won't do any better.

Note that if you stop for longer than 24 hours in Dubai the award will be priced as two separate sectors if you book through QF. (I don't know how EK handles stopovers.)
 
I don't know the window when QF shows EK flights. I never book that far in advance. But there have been problems recently with QF showing flights beyond the booking wondow, although I don't know if also affects EK (it was affecting MU flights). Someone with knowledge on the booking window will be able to advise.

Short of changing your departure point (choosing Singapore or Tokyo for example), or the destination, the connections showing on the EK website will be those offered. You won't do any better.

Note that if you stop for longer than 24 hours in Dubai the award will be priced as two separate sectors if you book through QF. (I don't know how EK handles stopovers.)
thanks mel, appreciate it
ive chosen HK because the taxes/surcharges were like $200 one way as opposed from melbourne where it was $700
im also happy to go from singapore, but I would assume taxes/surcharges would be high, (EDIT Just checked, $600 SGD one way)
im assuming HK or philipines is my only option for lower taxes
 
One more question,

I spent 30 mins on the phone to customer service,

wow, they were great, despite the accent

they said the 3 flights aviailable on one same day had 1-2 seats left, and normally its max 2 per flight avaiiable,
and I asked realisticially how long will these be aviaiable for?

she wasnt sure, but she said new tickets wont be released

theflights im looking at are 328 days ahead, is there a guide as to when these seats willl all go?
 
theflights im looking at are 328 days ahead, is there a guide as to when these seats willl all go?

They could go in the next ten minutes. Could take six months. Just depends if someone is looking at the same origin you are.

The QF cancellation fee is 6000 points, and change fee 5000 points. you should lock the seats in as soon as possible. Change or cancel later if you need to.
 
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They could go in the next ten minutes. Could take six months. Just depends if someone is looking at the same origin you are.

The QF cancellation fee is 600 points, and change fee 5000 points. you should lock the seats in as soon as possible. Change or cancel later if you need to.
yes good advice,

I have now booked it via the emirates call centre, and there is no cancellation fee! or change fee!

I just booked an hour ago!! :)
 
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another question please

the ticket I booked says no charge for cancelling ,full refund,

ive changed my mind and booked another one and just applied for a refund,

the refund form asked a lot of questions, is cancelling tickets considered bad or inconvenient or bad form?

im definitely expecting, points and fees refunded in full, but hope im not getting into a mess
 
...is cancelling tickets considered bad or inconvenient or bad form?

Not by the airlines. Although many airlines will make a quick buck by charging for the option.

Booking multiple seats, only one of which you might really want to take, might be considered 'poor form' by your fellow FFers looking to redeem awards. Every award you take is one less that's available for someone else.

Changes and cancellations happen to us all. That's perfectly fine. But depending on the program - especially those with really low cancellation fees - some people will book 2, 3 or 4 flights and only decide much closer to the day which one they are going to take. That's within their rights, but perhaps a bit unfair.

Lifemiles was a good exmaple of this with just a $50 cancellation fee. Now the cancellation fee is $200, i suspect a few less 'speculative' bookings are bing made.
 
Not by the airlines. Although many airlines will make a quick buck by charging for the option.

Booking multiple seats, only one of which you might really want to take, might be considered 'poor form' by your fellow FFers looking to redeem awards. Every award you take is one less that's available for someone else.

Changes and cancellations happen to us all. That's perfectly fine. But depending on the program - especially those with really low cancellation fees - some people will book 2, 3 or 4 flights and only decide much closer to the day which one they are going to take. That's within their rights, but perhaps a bit unfair.

Lifemiles was a good exmaple of this with just a $50 cancellation fee. Now the cancellation fee is $200, i suspect a few less 'speculative' bookings are bing made.
awesome, thanks for the clarification,
admittedly, I did book one flight last week thinking it was most likely the one I wanted, with the knoweldge cancellations were free

today I have booked another flight after consideration that works better for me now,
and I have cancelled the original one

hopefully that will wont inconvenience too much others :)
 
awesome, thanks for the clarification,
admittedly, I did book one flight last week thinking it was most likely the one I wanted, with the knoweldge cancellations were free

today I have booked another flight after consideration that works better for me now,
and I have cancelled the original one

hopefully that will wont inconvenience too much others :)

It's not the cancelling or changing of one ticket. Some people actually book 3 or 4 seats on different flight, knowing they can cancel whichever ones they don't need. And they can cancel them close to departure, when those seats may not even go back into award inventory.

Nothing illegal about it, it just makes finding award seats that much harder for others.
 
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