Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[pjm99au]

Thank you .
Problem is that I am flying from Milan MXP and need to get MEL-BNE. So routing MXP/LIN-LHR-DEL-MEL-BNE
I am on the line to QFF with an expected wait time of 60 minutes and will see if I can get them to accept that routing .
I'll get back once I have a response!
Thank you for your suggestion.

Post automatically merged: Feb 6, 2023

Thank you - I am flying from Milan and going to Brisbane but thanks for trying .

Your original question was mentioning lhr to CMB to MEL to BNE and how QF won’t allow that award flight routing.

Thank you for that .I should have indicated that I was looking at award travel .
QFF "routing" rules don't allow an award sector booking LHR-CMB-MEL-BNE!
I have tried.
Just to explain more , I am flying out of Milan late May 2023 ( a bit flexible with timings)
I have found that you can't just find individual "U" sectors and join them together and expect QFF to accept the routing. ( I am not talking about issues like inadequate connection times etc )
If I am requesting say Milan Malpensa to Brisbane as a business award, then the only allowable routing is what the QF computer says is OK . When I originally booked , MXP- HEL-SIN-BNE was available as separate segments in business but was not an allowed routing! It would have been allowed if I stopovered in HEL for over 24 hours and the same in Colombo.
When I checked last November that there were plenty of reward seats LHR-CMB and individual "U" class availability CMB-MEL-BNE but that was not allowed ! ( UL do not fly direct to BNE )
You would think Qantas would give its frequent fliers a break !

Although my dummy booking wasn’t for your date in late May the point of my post is it is possible online via the multi city tool. For your itinerary to work just add a sector from Milan to lhr and change syd to BNE. Note also the times each flight leaves. The departure time from CMB can throw up an error if you try the day after leaving LHR rather than two days after leaving LHR due to the 00:20 departure time from CMB. The system had no problem giving me a UL to QF connection from MEL to SYD so I don’t see why BNE should be any different.

 

[gda380]

Hi Brains-trust, I have a Qantas OWCA booked in Dec 2022. I was checking Qantas bookings page yesterday and noticed that UL563 (Colombo to Paris) has been cancelled and the booking system proposed UL501 instead for travel in September 2023. I accepted the change on the Qantas website, but I have not been issued with e-tickets for this sector. Strangely I did not receive any notification from Qantas or CMT for this (previously I received notifications for schedule changes but this one is a replacement). I had three J seats on UL563 (Sep 2023).

UL563 had plenty of availability but it seems like the new UL501 only has at best 1 x J seat on some flights. Can Qantas request UL to provide 3 J seats as per how it was booked on the previous flight. I am concerned as the other option is to fly Qatar between Colombo and Paris via Doha but as I know they only release 2 seats per fight and I need 3.

I have written to the newly formed [email protected] support email and hoping for a resolution. Wish me luck

 

[Mr H]

Hi Brains-trust, I have a Qantas OWCA booked in Dec 2022. I was checking Qantas bookings page yesterday and noticed that UL563 (Colombo to Paris) has been cancelled and the booking system proposed UL501 instead for travel in September 2023. I accepted the change on the Qantas website, but I have not been issued with e-tickets for this sector. Strangely I did not receive any notification from Qantas or CMT for this (previously I received notifications for schedule changes but this one is a replacement). I had three J seats on UL563 (Sep 2023).

UL563 had plenty of availability but it seems like the new UL501 only has at best 1 x J seat on some flights. Can Qantas request UL to provide 3 J seats as per how it was booked on the previous flight. I am concerned as the other option is to fly Qatar between Colombo and Paris via Doha but as I know they only release 2 seats per fight and I need 3.

I have written to the newly formed [email protected] support email and hoping for a resolution. Wish me luck

Phone and ask for it to be ticketed immediately. Keep trying until someone agrees to do it.

 

[ozflier]

Your original question was mentioning lhr to CMB to MEL to BNE and how QF won’t allow that award flight routing.
I originally referred to getting back from Europe not specifically London.

Just spent 15 minutes with a Hobart agent - the same issue as before - the QF routing MXP-BNE does not include travel via CMB or DEL - simple as that - I gave examples that the earlier posters gave - and thank you for that .No go!

He commented that multicity searches are not an indicator that the routing is legal and acceptable. He says they are only useful if stopovers for more than 24 hours are involved.

He was very apologetic and understood my concern - but to no avail.

Interesting he did mention that award bookings from CMB to BNE is usually particularly problematic - even if CMB-MEL is available - connection onto BNE only allowed if >24 hours spent in Melbourne!

I imagine that commercial considerations are in play with a lot of QF's decisions but I can remember the days when virtually anywhere in Europe was only one stop from any of our Capital Cities via Cathay Pacific.

Thank you for everyone's feedback and please let me know if you see a way thru this issue - ie if multicity search finds award seats in the required sectors - why cant that be simply accepted as legal routing ?

 

[Guvner]

Can't imagine why the email isn't working when people are spamming them multiple times about the same issue

This is why we can't have nice things.

Supply an auto case number and at least people know their email(s) have actually been received. That'd be a start. Can hardly blame "customers" when they get no response at all.

 

[Mr H]

Just spent 15 minutes with a Hobart agent - the same issue as before - the QF routing MXP-BNE does not include travel via CMB or DEL - simple as that - I gave examples that the earlier posters gave - and thank you for that .No go!

You just say that you are wanting to add flights to an existing booking - then list off the flights you found in the Multi City Tool. There is no question about valid routes between point to point - as long as it fits within the mileage and rules of a OWA you will be fine.

 

[ozflier]

You just say that you are wanting to add flights to an existing booking - then list off the flights you found in the Multi City Tool. There is no question about valid routes between point to point - as long as it fits within the mileage and rules of a OWA you will be fine.

Maybe I am being misled by the various agents I have spoken to - has anyone else had the same experience as mine ? or is it just me?

 

[Mr H]

Maybe I am being misled by the various agents I have spoken to - has anyone else had the same experience as mine ? or is it just me?

Is it possible that you are not doing a OWA so you are talking at cross purposes to the rest of us?

 

[Phoenix-1]

You just say that you are wanting to add flights to an existing booking - then list off the flights you found in the Multi City Tool. There is no question about valid routes between point to point - as long as it fits within the mileage and rules of a OWA you will be fine.

Unless it's a married segment issue...

@ozflier Did you ask the agent to add MXP-LHR, LHR-CMB and then CMB-MEL? I'm curious at what point the booking failed.

 

[Mr H]

Unless it's a married segment issue...

@ozflier Did you ask the agent to add MXP-LHR, LHR-CMB and then CMB-MEL? I'm curious at what point the booking failed.

Married segment issues go... "yes, I can see availability but the computer is not letting me book it...". This sounds like Ozflier is talking to the agents about a redemption between Milan and Brisbane and hoping the agent will fill in the blanks. When I book, I just say that I want to book multiple flights, list them off and let the computer do the work on pricing it up. Discussing type of award or mentioning the end point just leads to confusion. As long as two non-QF OW airlines are being used (so BA+UL) then this should price as a OWA even if there are very few flights and no stopovers.

 

[Phoenix-1]

He commented that multicity searches are not an indicator that the routing is legal and acceptable. He says they are only useful if stopovers for more than 24 hours are involved.

Interesting he did mention that award bookings from CMB to BNE is usually particularly problematic - even if CMB-MEL is available - connection onto BNE only allowed if >24 hours spent in Melbourne!

I don't disagree with you. However the agent is definitely referring to married segment issues with the above. Whether it was the cause of the issue @ozflier ran into, perhaps not, but that's for them to tell us.

 

[pjm99au]

The problem does seem to be in the MEL - BNE flight. I did a dummy booking for 29 May from Milan through to BNE and it crashed at the payment step but dropping the BNE leg and finishing at MEL went through to payment.

 

[adenda]

When you make changes to an OWA, all the fees, taxes and carrier charges are recalculated.

So, if since your initial booking, any of those have gone up, you will be paying more.

Additionally, QF is at the higher end of the spectrum in terms of carrier charges.

You could check the breakdown of charges by putting your same routing into ITA matrix. It won’t be extact but should give you some indication.

Edit: if this is the same enquiry you have made in the fees/taxes check thread then you need to be aware it’s not an OWA with MU on the itinerary as MU is not a oneworld airline.

I think this may be my situation. Started a conversation on Twitter to convert a current surface sector in my OWA to an award flight thanks to new availability on AA recently appearing. After waiting several hours for a response I was advised that flight could be added to my itinerary for the 5000 points change fee and additional taxes of $1,777.85 per person!!
I asked them to double check and they came back with the same response so I decided to not proceed. (I actually booked a separate partner award flight for the same sector some months ago so am covered anyway)
I decided to do a dummy booking on the AA website for the same flight and the taxes came to a total of US$48.94 (approx. $70) per person. Furthermore to pay full price for a business class seat on the same AA flight would have cost US$991 (AU$1432 or $345 less than the additional taxes)

I seems therefore that Qantas has recalculated taxes for my entire 10 flight itinerary - which was ticketed some months ago - and it appears some operator fees have significantly increased.
What confuses me though is that about a week ago I managed to get one flight in our itinerary changed to exactly 1 hour later to meet MCT requirements and I wasn't charged any change fee or additional taxes yet the itinerary was reticketed.

By the way it appears that the staff who respond to Twitter messages (and I assume Facebook Messenger) appear to be quite competent as compared to O/S based staff - just very slow to respond.

 

[Captain Halliday]

I think this may be my situation. Started a conversation on Twitter to convert a current surface sector in my OWA to an award flight thanks to new availability on AA recently appearing. After waiting several hours for a response I was advised that flight could be added to my itinerary for the 5000 points change fee and additional taxes of $1,777.85 per person!!
I asked them to double check and they came back with the same response so I decided to not proceed. (I actually booked a separate partner award flight for the same sector some months ago so am covered anyway)
I decided to do a dummy booking on the AA website for the same flight and the taxes came to a total of US$48.94 (approx. $70) per person. Furthermore to pay full price for a business class seat on the same AA flight would have cost US$991 (AU$1432 or $345 less than the additional taxes)

I seems therefore that Qantas has recalculated taxes for my entire 10 flight itinerary - which was ticketed some months ago - and it appears some operator fees have significantly increased.
What confuses me though is that about a week ago I managed to get one flight in our itinerary changed to exactly 1 hour later to meet MCT requirements and I wasn't charged any change fee or additional taxes yet the itinerary was reticketed.

By the way it appears that the staff who respond to Twitter messages (and I assume Facebook Messenger) appear to be quite competent as compared to O/S based staff - just very slow to respond.

The dark arts of award pricing. Almost as opaque as yield management.

I added NRT-KUL and KUL-HKT to an OWA last week and was refunded ~AUD36 pp.

 

[Mr H]

What confuses me though is that about a week ago I managed to get one flight in our itinerary changed to exactly 1 hour later to meet MCT requirements and I wasn't charged any change fee or additional taxes yet the itinerary was reticketed.

If a change becomes necessary due to schedule changes, the change fee and difference in taxes and fees are waived.

 

[adenda]

The dark arts of award pricing. Almost as opaque as yield management.

I added NRT-KUL and KUL-HKT to an OWA last week and was refunded ~AUD36 pp.

I guess what I was getting at - but neglected to say it - was is this an error and should l persist or indeed the result of a whole-itinerary recalculation of taxes and fees?

Post automatically merged: Feb 6, 2023

If a change becomes necessary due to schedule changes, the change fee and difference in taxes and fees are waived.

Change was at my instigation

 

[ozflier]

Is it possible that you are not doing a OWA so you are talking at cross purposes to the rest of us?

Its a OWA.

Post automatically merged: Feb 6, 2023

The problem does seem to be in the MEL - BNE flight. I did a dummy booking for 29 May from Milan through to BNE and it crashed at the payment step but dropping the BNE leg and finishing at MEL went through to payment.

View attachment 315895

I'll try another agent tomorrow and let you know what happens.

 

[Captain Halliday]

was is this an error and should l persist or indeed the result of a whole-itinerary recalculation of taxes and fees?

I have no way of knowing.

You could put your itinerary into something like ITA Matrix which will breakdown the fees.

You’d have to then add them up manually and compare to what you’ve paid so far.

 

[adenda]

I have no way of knowing.

You could put your itinerary into something like ITA Matrix which will breakdown the fees.

You’d have to then add them up manually and compare to what you’ve paid so far.

Post automatically merged: Feb 6, 2023

Yes I’ll do that - if only to satisfy my curiosity

 

[MelbFlyer]

So on my latest Classic Reward itinerary as per below, I've been able to choose seats for some, and some I cannot.

Below is the breakdown:

Melbourne to Hong Kong - CX Economy - Unable to choose seats at all
Hong Kong to Paris via Helsinki - AY Business - Seats chosen
Paris to Barcelona - AF Business - Seats chosen
Barcelona to London - BA Business - Unable to choose seats without a ridiculous charge
London to Singapore - BA Premium Economy - As per above
Singapore to Melbourne - JQ Economy (out of all options, this was the only available flight, sigh) - Unable to choose seats at all

Just wondering for the legs that I am unable to choose seats for now, if that's normal?

I remember booking a rewards flight from Melbourne to HK (economy) and then HK to New York (business) on CX a few years ago, that I was able to choose seats well in advance (and not just a few days prior to the flights themselves).