Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[DC3]

I don’t rely on what’s in MMB. It’s the re-issue of the e-ticket that I’m after.

 

[DC3]

… they can't escalate it and can only put in a follow up to the request via email. Think I will just change that flight to economy …

I take what seats I can get at the time, even if that means Y, so at least I have a seat. Then monitor for U availability. My only experience with AA releasing seats (business) was due to a QF ‘glitch’ with the booking. The seats were re-instated by AA in two days after Hobart submitted a request.

 

[squid01]

I take what seats I can get at the time, even if that means Y, so at least I have a seat. Then monitor for U availability. My only experience with AA releasing seats (business) was due to a QF ‘glitch’ with the booking. The seats were re-instated by AA in two days after Hobart submitted a request.

Yes but the request for release is due to AA cancelling the original flight I was on. They put me on a 6am flight (change) but I can't make that flight so requested they release an award seat for the flight later in the night. It really shouldn't be this hard to just get an answer from them :/

 

[Mr H]

It really shouldn't be this hard to just get an answer from them :/

I suspect the silence is your answer.

 

[PointsTraveller!]

It starts as a normal Classic Award, and automatically "turns into" a OWA when the conditions are met.
yes, book the first available leg (or legs if multiple are available already) online as a Classic award.
Then call to add further legs.
And the points will cap at 318k (for J), if the OWA conditions are met.
Keep it simple on the phone, "make a change to an Award booking".
Start mentioning OWA etc you'll confuse the hell out of them and start the slippery slope to despair

What if this is done via the Qantas website, will it automatically be recognised as a OWA if all the conditions are met and be capped at 318k points? Thanks

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

What if this is done via the Qantas website, will it automatically be recognised as a OWA if all the conditions are met and be capped at 318k points? Thanks

It *should* be recognised automatically, but this is the Qantas website that we're dealing with...

 

[ozflier]

What if this is done via the Qantas website, will it automatically be recognised as a OWA if all the conditions are met and be capped at 318k points? Thanks

That has been my experience.

 

[am0985]

Pretty good availability SYD/MEL - HND/NRT then HND/NRT - JFK for (just under) 12 months time, if anyone is looking for a feasible first two legs to their OWA in the midst of northern hemisphere summer (which often has coughpy award space)

 

[PointsTraveller!]

Another query I have in which I've tried to get an answer off Qantas unsuccessfully, is whether Qantas call centre can only book reward flights shown as available on the Qantas website or do they also have access to book reward flights shown available through AA, JAL, BA etc?

 

[Mr H]

Another query I have in which I've tried to get an answer off Qantas unsuccessfully, is whether Qantas call centre can only book reward flights shown as available on the Qantas website or do they also have access to book reward flights shown available through AA, JAL, BA etc?

They will say that their access is not quite the same as you see on the QF website as their access is real time and the QF website may not be up to the minute (i.e. if a flight has just been added by an airline or booked by someone else). The availability of awards for other airlines - as shown on their websites - can be quite different. Al Qataria, for example, make fewer award seats available for QF than for some other OW airlines.

 

[jkcfc]

On my call today I was told it appears the system is having issues and my changes have to be manually reticketed ... was AKL and seemed competent. Now monitoring MMB to ensure no flights drop off.

 

[Mr H]

On my call today I was told it appears the system is having issues and my changes have to be manually reticketed ... was AKL and seemed competent. Now monitoring MMB to ensure no flights drop off.

MMB is probably the worst place to monitor this because it is not updated in real time and will show the last ticketed booking for long after it has dropped off. Although in any case, monitoring will only tell you when there's a problem to be fixed and won't stop the problem occurring in the first place.

I am currently using CMT and checking ticket numbers on a daily basis in the hope that if a ticket number drops off, it will be possible to reticket before the booking is cancelled. I should not have to do that.

 

[jkcfc]

MMB is probably the worst place to monitor this because it is not updated in real time and will show the last ticketed booking for long after it has dropped off. Although in any case, monitoring will only tell you when there's a problem to be fixed and won't stop the problem occurring in the first place.

I am currently using CMT and checking ticket numbers on a daily basis in the hope that if a ticket number drops off, it will be possible to reticket before the booking is cancelled. I should not have to do that.

So on CMT i now have 'Fictitious Point' QF9098 where my MEL-SYD flight that I was removing used to be. Was told that he added notes to the system just wanting that flight removed but all other flights to remain however the manual exchange system would work. So this is now with the team for manual re-ticketing.

Has anyone had this before?

 

[tooten69]

Hi all, I am about 3.5 weeks away from attemping the start of my first multi trip award booking. 4 people... I have read over a lot of the comments but had two questions I wanted to confirm with the community.

1) if I start a booking with 4 people on a single booking to lets say KUL and then wish to book the next leg with 2 people in J and 2 in W or Y is this possible? Or is it recommended to split the booking into two accounts (from the start) and have 2 separate bookings to allow separated tickets/classes?

2) If I start a booking in SYD and later on wish to add a domestic leg (MEL-SYD) to the start of the booking is this possible? I know you can add onto the end just not sure if you can add flights at the beginning?

Thank you,
Robert

 

[levelnine]

1) if I start a booking with 4 people on a single booking to lets say KUL and then wish to book the next leg with 2 people in J and 2 in W or Y is this possible? Or is it recommended to split the booking into two accounts (from the start) and have 2 separate bookings to allow separated tickets/classes?

2) If I start a booking in SYD and later on wish to add a domestic leg (MEL-SYD) to the start of the booking is this possible? I know you can add onto the end just not sure if you can add flights at the beginning?

1) No. You'll need to split.

2) You can, but you may have great difficulties doing so. Lots of phone agents struggle to add domestic legs to international legs — they'll say there is no reward availability for existing bookings, only new bookings. So you may need to be persistent and patient.

 

[tooten69]

1) No. You'll need to split.

2) You can, but you may have great difficulties doing so. Lots of phone agents struggle to add domestic legs to international legs — they'll say there is no reward availability for existing bookings, only new bookings. So you may need to be persistent and patient.

Thank you for the reply Levelnine I did expect both answers to be the case!

I am very nervous about the whole process! But will be very excited if I manage to get flights that are suitable!

 

[blu]

We now have our first flight cancellation. The replacement flight arrives four hours after our next flight departs. Not looking forward to contacting QF agents again and with no OW J availability showing for other alternatives, could be offered Y ?

 

[Mr H]

We now have our first flight cancellation. The replacement flight arrives four hours after our next flight departs. Not looking forward to contacting QF agents again and with no OW J availability showing for other alternatives, could be offered Y ?

I feel your pain. Based on my experience, you will have to identify solutions yourself, however unpalatable they may be. And when you have done that, you will need to make sure the new ticket is issued before the whole booking goes down the swanny. Learning point - build in as much time as possible between flights on OWAs, right up to the 24 hour limit.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Interesting, it seems AKL & I guess HBA have ticketing on tap yet the OS call centres have to wait in a queue which is usually over an hour.
She also said AKL operates 24 hours and HBA finishes at 1:00am.

I reckon they ‘trust’ AKL and HBA to do the right thing, but need to double and triple check CT and Fiji to make sure the agent hasn’t given away anything to benefit the passenger. Hence the failure to ticket in a timely manner.

I don’t know of another airline in the world where ticketing isn’t instant, or within 30 mins. Only Qantas.

 

[blu]

There's no DFW-SYD J availability (as expected for my dates) however there is availability for DFW-SYD-CGK. Married segments? Tempted to try booking it. Then cancel final sector later/or no show (tagging bags could be a problem).