Recent content by cowombat

We use AAdvantage mileage for our redemptions. Over the last month I have booked 2 x biz MEL-BAR, MAD-MEL for May-June '24 and had choice of Qatar flights for most days. I was tracking day by day and could see QR usually releases 2 seats per flight to AA. Advice to all is drop using QFF and...

Note that QF uses the Plaza Premium Lounge at FCO for J passengers. We used it a couple of weeks ago and it proved to be very underwhelming. Arriving at the entrance there was a queue of unhappy priortiy pass members being refused entry because it was full. As OneWorld Emerald we were allowed...

As Matt mentions, no problem booking 2 x Q-Suites from MEL - AMS using Aadvantage points. It's QF that's the perennial problem. And even if QF offered the seats on QR, it would be at twice the points and 8 times the fees......

It is a problem paying AA with an AU located credit card. The issue is that our postcodes have 4 digits, while AAdvantage expects the US 5 or 6 digits. You have to call AA and ask the agent to add a leading zero to your address zip code. But a hint. No need to persevere with all the "push 1 for...

Hmmmm. I've just redeemed 85K AAdvantage miles on Etihad for Brussels to Melbourne in J in October. The only seats on offer were on Etihad. None on BA, QR or AY who also are OneWorld partners out of BRU. Seems these other carriers are filling their seats while EY are grasping at straws. At least...

Using AAdvantage miles have happily booked a multi trip MEL-ZAG and return AMS-MEL in September/October for a holiday. Got the return leg this morning. It "cost" 85,000 miles and US$54 taxes in business class flying a fast 22 hour trip on Etihad. As an exercise in futility, I cross-checked...

LP for a long time. For more than a decade I have just done bare minimum to maintain Plat. Then apply most subsequent OW mileage to AAdvantage. Sadly that program was belted over the head last year. Getting harder to find a caring carrier!! And QFF; Holy Cow. At exactly 355 days out I attempted...

Hi All for many years I was QFF Platinum. For the last two years was in a job with little travel so have dropped to lifetime Gold status. Now starting a new job with very large travel to Asia requirement, starting immediately. I think it worth asking QF if they want to attract my business with...

Absolutely concur. I've done it often. Even if there is some arcane 'rule' in the fine print, the airline staff at most airports, including HKG are too busy to do something as daft as try to find such luggage. Go and enjoy the Island or TST!! By the way, I was in HKG last week.. What a relief...

Hi All, a long time since I last posted. Just now I was checking my QFF status credits because a loyalty bonus is due, having hit 500 credits today. I noticed in the "fine print" that ..."from 1 July 2013, only Status credits earned from flights with a QF flight number (including partner airline...

Dear All, next month with the family we are off to Honolulu. Having happily gone through LAX and JFK recently with my APEC card on my own, I'm interested to know if anyone has had success getting through HNL airport with 3 family members in tow...... HNL is one of the worst airports in the world...

Hi All I came in through JFK last week (off Cathay Pacific) all ready to try the card, but ended up numero uno in the regular lane (unusual experience) so didn't get to try it out. A couple of days earlier I tried my luck at Vancouver. The queue was huge, so I asked an officer if my card...

Hi Dave, always appreciate your platinum help! I almost always fly in J (thanks boss!) and don't know all the issues relating to economy travel. A work buddy wants to take a holiday MEL-LHR-MEL in mid year, probably flying CX on an L class economy ticket. If she takes on the Plat Challenge, does...

Don't worry Coyote, they won't call. After I swung to AAdvantage for all my flights I instantly dropped from a 2500 SC per year customer to zero. QF doesn't seem to have noticed / cared.....

Slightly off-topic is the parallel to airport lounges - hotel lounges. Wanted to mention to all FF'ers traveling to Japan that most Japanese hotel chains offer 'club lounges' to guests. Always free, it is just necessary to sign up, just once for each chain. Access is available irrespective of...