Adding leg to classic reward booking

[ScoobyDoo!]

I currently have a rewards booking from HKG to HEL Dec 29 on AY.

I’m trying to change the flight routing to HKG-HEL-GOT also departing on Dec 29, as there were available business classic reward seats on the HEL-GOT leg.

The call agent said system could not allow her to change the routing, because she had to enter HKG-GOT into the system, and the system would say there are no available seats. She said it was something related to my existing booking from HKG to HEL or about married segment logic.

I obviously don’t want to cancel and rebook, and after emailing the Qantas rewards escalations explaining the situation, ( probably the wrong email address) I got this response:

“The consultant you spoke to was correct in advising that when you have your existing booking displayed, the system show no seats available for the HEL-GOT flights. However as a new and separate booking it does. This is because availability can vary depending on whether making a new booking or changing an existing booking, and also depending on the origin and destination as to whether you are searching for a through-flight or a single flight.

I did try waitlisting your preferred flight to see if Finnair would confirm it in your existing booking, but we did not get a confirmed seat response returned to us from Finnair.

So yes, your choices are to 1) buy a separate ticket from HEL-GOT, or 2) cancel and refund the original booking and make a new booking for HKG-HEL-GOT. Keep in mind that refund fees and would apply, and you risk the original flight HKG-HEL not being available as a Reward seat again.

If you wish to make any changes to your existing booking, please phone in on the below contact.“

Any way around this? Sorry for the wordy question

 

[oz_boater]

You should be able to just book HEL-GOT as a separate booking

Expect you would need to collect your bags in HEL then, and check in again for the next flight
Also the airline would no longer be responsible for getting you to GOT should you flight from HEL be so delayed that you missed the onward leg.

 

[Cessna 180]

I had the exact same situation but in reverse. IE starting at Prague thence connecting HEL HKG.
I wished to change the departure to WAW. Multiple agents told me it could not be done only for new bookings etc.

Eventually I got through to Hobart and it was done in about five minutes.

So it can be done but your luck depends on getting an agent who know how.

It is dependent on married segments etc. I think if the long haul route is no longer available to book, then there is some kind of problem with changing the connection.