Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[BrettVale1]

In my experience they will try and re-route you using other OW carriers. They will ask those airlines to accommodate you even if there are no awards seats on those flights. I would be pro-active and try to find flights on other OW carriers that suit you.
VRY is a heliport in Norway so I'm not surprised that CX don't fly that route anymore.

Yes, you are right, not VRY, its YVR

 

[flapper]

I am about to book my OWE trip. The availability for all the flights haven't opened up yet. However, in the multi-city took on the QF website, when I put MEL - LAX - SFO - HND, NRT - HKG, it changes the Narita to HKG flight to HND to HKG.

Should I just call QF and ask to book? I was hoping to avoid the fee for the initial booking and just pay the 5000 point change fee when I call up to book the other flights when available.

Does CX or JL fly to HKG from NRT or do all those flights depart from HND? Does such a flight come up when you do a one way flight search?

 

[AL10]

Does CX or JL fly to HKG from NRT or do all those flights depart from HND? Does such a flight come up when you do a one way flight search?

Flights do depart from NRT, they appear in the search when I do a one-way, not multi-city.

 

[exceladdict]

I am about to book my OWE trip. The availability for all the flights haven't opened up yet. However, in the multi-city took on the QF website, when I put MEL - LAX - SFO - HND, NRT - HKG, it changes the Narita to HKG flight to HND to HKG.

Should I just call QF and ask to book? I was hoping to avoid the fee for the initial booking and just pay the 5000 point change fee when I call up to book the other flights when available.

Flights do depart from NRT, they appear in the search when I do a one-way, not multi-city.

If you are stopping in tokyo, is there a problem with flying in and out of haneda?

 

[AL10]

If you are stopping in tokyo, is there a problem with flying in and out of haneda?

Just a matter of timing.

I'll book the initial legs online and then call QF to add the flight.

 

[DC3]

CX announced this week that YVR-JFK-YVR (of HKG-YVR-JFK, and return) will cease from March 2020. It seems that it has not been profitable for some years.

I was planning on booking that flight for later in 2020, but not to be, unfortunately.

 

[flapper]

CX announced this week that YVR-JFK-YVR (of HKG-YVR-JFK, and return) will cease from March 2020. It seems that it has not been profitable for some years.

I was planning on booking that flight for later in 2020, but not to be, unfortunately.

I guess 888 wasn't so lucky for cx after all.

 

[p--and--t]

I guess 888 wasn't so lucky for cx after all.

A bit longer lasting than AN888...

 

[soarer]

Does any member have any experience of flying QF127 Sydney - HKG and 1 hour later flying from HKG - SFO on CX892 and has anyone missed their connecting flight because of only 1 hour in transit? I am feeling uneasy with the 1 hour transit even though it is allowed.

For a 2 person One World award booking, if 1 person missed a flight, does it mean that remaining flights of both persons are lost or is it only remaining flights of the person who missed the flight?

I am finding it almost impossible to look for YVR - YUL flights, even via US cities. Spoke to agent who suggested YVR - LHR then LHR - YUL with taxes of around CAD$1000 per person IIRC.

 

[p--and--t]

Does any member have any experience of flying QF127 Sydney - HKG and 1 hour later flying from HKG - SFO on CX892 and has anyone missed their connecting flight because of only 1 hour in transit? I am feeling uneasy with the 1 hour transit even though it is allowed.

For a 2 person One World award booking, if 1 person missed a flight, does it mean that remaining flights of both persons are lost or is it only remaining flights of the person who missed the flight?

I am finding it almost impossible to look for YVR - YUL flights, even via US cities. Spoke to agent who suggested YVR - LHR then LHR - YUL with taxes of around CAD$1000 per person IIRC.

1. HKG airport is very good at short transits, of course nothing is guaranteed.

2. No idea

3. Have you thought about YVR-ORD-YUL

 

[soarer]

1. HKG airport is very good at short transits, of course nothing is guaranteed.

2. No idea

3. Have you thought about YVR-ORD-YUL

Yes. No availability from ORD, JFK, LAX, SFO, PHL to YUL around the dates of 25th May 2020. At least no AA flights, all Westjet. Also explored YUL-ORD-YVR with no success.
No problem with YUL - MIA/FLL or MIA - MVD.

 

[p--and--t]

Yes. No availability from ORD, JFK, LAX, SFO, PHL to YUL around the dates of 25th May 2020. At least no AA flights, all Westjet. Also explored YUL-ORD-YVR with no success.
No problem with YUL - MIA/FLL or MIA - MVD.

From your research above and a quick look on google just now, the options seem to be buy a direct flight in whY for around CAD220 or going all the way to LHR and back and forking out CAD1000.

I know which one I'd go for.

 

[soarer]

From your research above and a quick look on google just now, the options seem to be buy a direct flight in whY for around CAD220 or going all the way to LHR and back and forking out CAD1000.

I know which one I'd go for.

So do I. Will be going for YVR - YUL flight in Y on our own. Lucky it's only a short trip. And count that as a surface segment.

 

[p--and--t]

So do I. Will be going for YVR - YUL flight in Y on our own. Lucky it's only a short trip. And count that as a surface segment.

I have no real experience with American having only flown a handful of times with them.

Only hope for you might be AA release seats as it gets closer to the day. Someone else on here is more likely to provide more helpful advise.

I remember a few years back I had trouble getting an award seat out of Calgary heading east and ended up buying a separate ticket YYC-ORD, but readily found heaps of seats over multiple days from ORD to YYZ.

 

[ozflier]

I’ve tried to get an answer on this by email from [email protected]. However, they have fobbed me of, suggesting that I " … send us a Text to 0477 726 827, call us on 13 13 13 or visit www.qantas.com to be connected to our Webchat team …"

As I'm after something in print, rather than verbal, this will mean text or webchat. Whereas over the past few weeks when looking for award availability on-line, I found the webchat pop-up to be quite annoying, but now it never shows up, just when I need it.

Not sure how the text feature works in reality but may have to try that.

Are you using a VPN?
The webchat box only works for Australian addresses.

 

[ozflier]

Ah ok. Glad it's not just me. What a farce.

Certain status levels on QFF will allow you to reserve BA seats for free - from memory , you need to be platinum and above.

 

[ozflier]

Just

Having this battle right now (over SMS). Trying to change:

bne-syd-hkg-amm-ams [stop] mad-ord-dca [stop] lga-phl-sea [stop] sea-hkg [stop] hkg-bne

to:

bne-syd-hkg-amm-ams [stop] mad-ord-dca [stop] ewr-clt-sea [stop] sea-hkg-kul [stop] sin-mel-bne

At 2AM I had a marvellous agent called Salina who did it all up, quoted the new taxes and added the new sectors to my booking, but then I realised I needed to check a date with my travelling companion so deferred final confirmation. Mistake!! In trying to finalise the changes now, I've been given the following reasons why this new itinerary won't work:

"We tried to booked the flight for you but the system did not allow us. They've provided that will reinstate your flight and if you wish to proceed with the booking you wanted. You have to booked it separately as the system detects that took many segment on your trip booking."

"Yes, the segment on your flight was too many that is why the system we're not able to price this for you. I apologise, as the previous agent a quoted for you use the manual quoting which is unable to do it when you made changes online. It should be exchange in the system to provide you the right points and tax quotes. I already raised this so that the agent will be getting coached by the supervisor."

"We are unable to add another flights to on your existing booking as the system will not allow as to process it due to having too many flights on it. If you wish, you can book these flights on a separate booking"

"We are unable to add this flights and I highly suggest to book it in a separate booking"

So four times denied. A am exhausted, close to tears and about to give up, especially now that some of the newly added flights are no longer showing up on the QF website. Is there a legitimate issue with my itinerary, or is it IB (MAD-ORD) that's buggering everything up?

Just be careful with the HKG-AMM sector as the RG flight actually stops at BKK - ie not non stop.
(Of course you may be going via Doha.)
But if the former , the extra distance will add to your mileage if you are going close to the limit.

 

[fresherbill]

Just be careful with the HKG-AMM sector as the RG flight actually stops at BKK - ie not non stop.
(Of course you may be going via Doha.)
But if the former , the extra distance will add to your mileage if you are going close to the limit.

Yeah turns out it was all good in the end. In the worst case scenario (counting BKK as a stop) we still ended up within the sector count and mileage limits and the changes were done without drama over the phone. 99% of it is getting an agent who knows what they're doing, and that's what saved me here.

 

[ozflier]

Yeah turns out it was all good in the end. In the worst case scenario (counting BKK as a stop) we still ended up within the sector count and mileage limits and the changes were done without drama over the phone. 99% of it is getting an agent who knows what they're doing, and that's what saved me here.

Good news.

 

[soarer]

Just got off the phone after speaking to an agent who insisted that the system calculating my one world classic award flights took me over the 35000 miles, and therefore could not cap the points at 280K for business class.
Schedule 1 ver 1.
------------------------
BNE-HKG, 3742
HKG-SFO(s/o), 6019
SFO-YUL(surface), 2206
YUL-PHL 342
PHL-FLL(s/o) 862
FLL-MIA(surface) 18
MIA-MVD 3878
MVD-GIG(s/o) 984
GIG-MAD 4387
MAD-NRT(s/o) 5828
NRT-BNE 3843
total: 32109 miles

I was told that the system automatically calculated that to be 37205 miles compared to 32109 from Great Circle Mapper(GCM). On asking for a breakdown of individual sectors,
one eg was BNE-HKG their calculation 4316 compared to 3742(calc by GCM)
Another eg. SFO-YUL surface segment, their calculation 5429 compared to 2206 (from GCM).
I probed more and she said the system calculates the distance from A to B not by the straight line distance but by the flight distance of flights getting from A to B. So if there was no direct flight between A and B then it just adds up all the miles racked up by all available connecting flights getting from A to B. One glaring example was FLL - MIA which is almost next to each other. Their calculation of over 1000 miles vs 18(from GCM).

I was then offered to remove YUL-PHL,PHL-FLL,MIA-MVD,MVD-GIG OR purchase the last leg(NRT-BNE) as a separate standalone fare which would bring me under the 35000miles and the cap at 280K points per person. I refused and said that I would reschedule flights myself.
I was told that they could not hold onto the flights for this long without ticketing and I replied that I will work overnight and call them back.

Working feverishly overnight to reduce the mileage, I changed Schedule 1 ver 1 to Schedule 1 Ver 2. Removed surface segment SFO-YUL by replacing YUL-PHL with SFO-DFW and PHL-FLL with DFW-FLL,effectively making SFO a s/o.

Schedule 1 ver 2.
------------------------
BNE-HKG, 3742
HKG-SFO(s/o), 6019
SFO-DFW 1273
DFW-FLL(s/o) 972
FLL-MIA(surface) 18
MIA-MVD 3878
MVD-GIG(s/o) 984
GIG-MAD 4387
MAD-NRT(s/o) 5828
NRT-BNE 3843
total: 29960 miles

Rang them up again(luckily reservations is 24hours and practically no queue at 4am).
Got them to make the changes and recalculate. This time their calculation 35660 miles vs 29960(from GCM as well as a points requirement of 439,200 points each person in my 2 person trip.
He did try to tell me that it was also because I had mixed class bus/prem/eco. I told him that it should not affect the calculations except that the points requirements would be decided by the highest class in the mix. While waiting for them to answer this call, I found the Qantas award conditions esp clause 14.5.5 which states "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". I insisted that something is wrong with the mileage calculations done by the system, citing them the example of FLL-MIA and also reciting clause 14.5.5.
I suppose one could say that the distance calculation is not explicitly defined.

I think he could not resolve the issue at hand and asked me to ring back on Monday morning.

I did remind him that I have a deadline to pay for the tickets before 18 Sept before the points go up and now wait with fingers crossed.

Any comments would be welcome before I ring them back on Monday or even earlier as I dont want to lose the flights. (E & OE) Now to get some sleep. Good night.
1st flight 20May2020 and last flight 16June2020.