Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Rynosaurus]

Hi All, new member here, apologies in advance if I'm using the forum in the wrong way (and if the questions have been asked before). I'm starting to plan my RTW flight commencing December 2024. I have a couple of questions and would greatly appreciate if someone here can assist:

1. I know that you can only use full oneworld member airlines. However, if the flight is showing as 'Operated by Fiji Airways' when looking at the multi-city search on Qantas Frequent Flyer site - does that mean is a code share and is ok?
2. Can I book the first 1-2 legs of the journey now and add the other legs as flights become available? I know that changes can be made for 5000 points per person - but I just wasnt sure if I had to book the entire journey first up or if you can partially book it.

Thanks

 

[Warragul]

1. Travel, not just the flight number, has to be on Oneworld carriers, so FJ is out.
2. Yes that is an option. The problem is getting on to an agent that is across the ins and outs of this type of booking. This can be an ardous task. If you can book them in one go, do it.

 

[MelbFlyer]

1. I know that you can only use full oneworld member airlines. However, if the flight is showing as 'Operated by Fiji Airways' when looking at the multi-city search on Qantas Frequent Flyer site - does that mean is a code share and is ok?
2. Can I book the first 1-2 legs of the journey now and add the other legs as flights become available? I know that changes can be made for 5000 points per person - but I just wasnt sure if I had to book the entire journey first up or if you can partially book it.

1. Using FJ within your itinerary will mean that your total trip wont be capped under the Oneworld Award - the thresholds are :

132k pts for Economy
249k pts for Premium Economy
318k pts for Business
455k pts for First

2. Get as much as possible done in your booking online, as it WILL be a difficult task to get onto a consultant that can :

Firstly - See the award seats you can see online and want to add,
and depending on meeting the first condition
Secondly - Add the award seats to your booking

If you call up and get a consultant who says that you can't add award seats / they can't see any available reward flights on the dates you're looking at, despite award seats clearly showing online - end the call immediately and re-call back until you can get someone who can.

Example -
My existing awards booking had a leg on Jetstar economy (was the only option at the time of my initial booking) and I kept searching over a period of a few weeks / months to try to find something other than Jetstar. One day I finally saw some new (or cancelled) business reward seats on the day I wanted - so I called Qantas to attempt to take it.

It took me around 15-20 calls over a few days just to get someone who could see the QF business seats I wanted to add to my existing itinerary to replace my existing Jetstar economy seat.

In the end, I eventually got there and redeemed the QF business reward seat to replace the JQ economy one.

If the consultants you're getting are giving you no answers, don't take no for an answer - you just will have to persevere / callback and at times, make a bit of noise.

 

[BriarFlyer]

So does gold/platinum not make a difference for other Oneworld airlines on flights outside Australia? Turns out the family member is gold - but I also wonder about implications when/if needing to call to finish or amend the OWA they'd want to talk to said family member, not me.

Status makes no difference with the release date of other Oneworld airline award seats. And, yes, you should consider the implications in case you need to call to finish or amend your OWA. I wouldn't using this strategy unless it's a close family member.

 

[Rynosaurus]

Thanks @Warragul and @MelbFlyer

 

[Jacques Vert]

Hi ya'll, I'm in the process of trying to book my first OWA, I just need one more sector added to my itinerary, but when I called CS they were unable to add it and said they would get IT to help and call me back (surprise, they did not). The flight has now disappeared, and my itinerary is starting next week.

It's now next week; did you manage to sort out your itinerary?

 

[Mr H]

Get as much as possible done in your booking online, as it WILL be a difficult task to get onto a consultant that can :

Firstly - See the award seats you can see online and want to add,
and depending on meeting the first condition
Secondly - Add the award seats to your booking

I am not sure this is great advice. Having followed this thread for some time, it seems the agent issues are worst when trying to amend an existing booking. Setting up a new booking by phone is usually trouble free. Booking partly on line and then using an agent to add to it - rather than doing it all through an agent - means you will have an extra change fee and you are in the twilight world of amendments when you could have been in the sunny uplands of doing a new booking.

 

[DC3]

I know that you can only use full oneworld member airlines. However, if the flight is showing as 'Operated by Fiji Airways' when looking at the multi-city search on Qantas Frequent Flyer site - does that mean is a code share and is ok?

You need pick a oneworld airline. FJ is not one of them.

Regarding booking, I make as many on-line as possible on the day. After that we are are the mercy of the Call Centres for changes/add-ons, etc

 

[MelbFlyer]

I am not sure this is great advice. Having followed this thread for some time, it seems the agent issues are worst when trying to amend an existing booking. Setting up a new booking by phone is usually trouble free. Booking partly on line and then using an agent to add to it - rather than doing it all through an agent - means you will have an extra change fee and you are in the twilight world of amendments when you could have been in the sunny uplands of doing a new booking.

What do you mean?

My post was heavily implying that one should do as much as they can online, at the time of the booking to avoid having to contact Qantas in the future should they wish to make a change.

I know that it is difficult to amend existing rewards bookings due to the amount of times I had to HUACA just to get a simple change done.

Long story short - the less contact you have with Qantas call centre agents, the better.

 

[timmytime]

Wondering if it is possible select seats on reward flights?

Currently building a RTW itinerary. We currently have flights for 2 from SYD-HND-LHR with JAL

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Wondering if it is possible select seats on reward flights?

Currently building a RTW itinerary. We currently have flights for 2 from SYD-HND-LHR with JAL

Yes of course!

The exact same rules and eligibility apply to reward seats as paid ones. So depending on you class of service and status with the airlines, various seats may be open to you for pre-allocation.

All other benefits also apply, such as lounge access, depending on your class or service and status.

 

[timmytime]

Yes of course!

The exact same rules and eligibility apply to reward seats as paid ones. So depending on you class of service and status with the airlines, various seats may be open to you for pre-allocation.

All other benefits also apply, such as lounge access, depending on your class or service and status.

Fantastic! Do you know how I might choose these seats now? As the flights until late next year

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Fantastic! Do you know how I might choose these seats now? As the flights until late next year

As soon as you have made your booking. You can select seats using our 6-digit booking reference.

Some times you need a unique reference for different airlines in the same itinerary, but start with the Qantas one v

Go to the JAL site, manage booking, then select seats.

You can also go to the royal jordanian airlines website and enter your booking reference there and it often gives you seat maps for other airlines.

 

[saddy]

My first OW award trip is in 3 months time. Apart from early issues with booking, it's been fairly uneventful (other than airlines making minor changes to flight times). Just based on the combined expert experience on here, how confident should I be nothing messes up between now and then? I know things can always happen and don't think I'll be fully confident or relaxed until I'm on the last leg back home!

 

[elanshin]

My first OW award trip is in 3 months time. Apart from early issues with booking, it's been fairly uneventful (other than airlines making minor changes to flight times). Just based on the combined expert experience on here, how confident should I be nothing messes up between now and then? I know things can always happen and don't think I'll be fully confident or relaxed until I'm on the last leg back home!

Realistically as confident as any other bookings you make.

It ultimately depends a lot on which airlines are involved, but outside of operational issues on the day, generally speaking most of the big airlines don't make any major changes within 3 months.

 

[DC3]

… how confident should I be nothing messes up between now and then? …

There’s also plenty of good information upthread, including personal experiences when things don’t go as planned

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Realistically as confident as any other bookings you make.

It ultimately depends a lot on which airlines are involved, but outside of operational issues on the day, generally speaking most of the big airlines don't make any major changes within 3 months.

The only real exception are US domestic operations… there can be some pretty substantial changes every time they go between their winter and summer schedules. Mostly affects secondary cities in terms of major service re-timings or discontinuance of service. Major trunks usually limited to timing changes rather than frequency changes.

 

[FlyingFiona]

How safe/wise is it, do you think, to include an UL leg in a OWA for Sept 24?

(I recall some talk a while back about how tentative the airline is and am not really across it.)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

How safe/wise is it, do you think, to include an UL leg in a OWA for Sept 24?

(I recall some talk a while back about how tentative the airline is and am not really across it.)

If you can find an alternative I’d take it. For peace of mind, if nothing else! 9 months is a long time to be worried.

 

[ozflier]

I can vouch for that.
I had , as part of a OWA, a connecting flight from Los Angeles to Seattle on American Airlines. in 2 months time.
It departed at 1400 hrs ( I arrived in LAX at 0850 ) It connected with a Seattle to Fairbanks flight on Alaskan at 1930 . Nice "chest pain" free connection.
AA has cancelled 1400 departure and put us on the 1800 one - misconnect!
I rang the QFF number and nil options could be found - on the day before or the day after.
The very competent lady rang the One World Help Desk - Alaskan , even though it flies close to hourly LAX-SEA, refused to make reward seats available because the cancellation is by AA and not them.
Yes, I have tried other connections on AA LAX- SEA eg via ONT,SNA and even landing in PAE ( near Seattle ) and say flying on AA via DEN and DFW - all available misconnect badly ! I even requested release of award seats leaving SYD the day before but nil available .
I'm going to ring after 1 january in case another Alaskan agent is more amenable - from what the QFF agent said , AA is usually reasonable with this kind of thing vs Alaskan.
Very frustrating but that's life !
Cheers for 2024.