Asking Qantas for a break after booking a rewards flight

[Steve Melzer]

We want to travel to London and Paris from Melbourne.

I have the points to do that via Classic Rewards, and many of the reward flights travel to Paris via London anyway.

Does anyone have any experience of initially booking a continuous flight, and then later asking to delay to the London-Paris leg by (say) a week?

Thanks

 

[samh004]

Wouldn't it depend what the fare conditions are?

 

[serfty]

You'd be able to have the break but at the cost of a change fee [-], more points as it world become two "trips"[/-] and more $$$ as the transit is changed to a stopover.

 

[Steve Melzer]

Yes - assuming the fare conditions allow it of course.

I'd assume if it was allowed there would be a change fee - just wondering if anyone had tried it and succeeded.

 

[Anna]

I've been able to change reward flights in the past, but I've always had to pay the change fee and also, the change depends on reward availability. They won't let you change to a particular flight if there aren't actually any reward seats left on that flight.

 

[dajop]

The good news is that all it will cost you is a change fee (6000 pts).

If you are unsure, it may be worth waiting and having a separate booking anyway ... iIf you travel to London on Qantas or Emirates and then add on a separate BA sector from Paris to London, even if connecting without stopover, you will be charged the sum of points for the QF/EK sectors and for BA sector. So basically travelling Melbourne-London-Paris will add an extra 10,000 points (in economy, 20,000 in business) and $85 to a MEL-London QF/EK itinerary. Booking it on its own London-Paris = 10000 points + $83. Also, if stopping over, depending on fare, you may even consider catching the Eurostar straight to Paris. It should be quicker from centre to centre of each city.

 

[dajop]

You'd be able to have the break but at the cost of a change fee, more points as it world become two "trips" and more $$$ as the transit is changed to a stopover.

serfty, once the BA JV expired and rules were changed, it treats QF->BA as two trips anyway, even if connecting and sums the points for MEL-LHR and LHR-PAR. This routing makes a return to CDG more expensive than a oneworld award! The only way around this from Australia is departing from SYD on BA.

 

[serfty]

serfty, once the BA JV expired and rules were changed, it treats QF->BA as two trips anyway, even if connecting and sums the points for MEL-LHR and LHR-PAR. ...

yep ... that is correct ... my bad ...

Still, there would be additional $$$ to pay, including the UK to EU APD.

 

[dajop]

yep ... that is correct ... my bad ...

Still, there would be additional $$$ to pay, including the UK to EU APD.

Surprisingly not, a through itinerary MEL-LHR(QF)-CDG (BA) is$447 AUD in ++'s and MEL-LHR(QF) as $362 AUD ($85 difference). Whilst LHR-CDG was 43 GBP ... ($83 AUD right now).

 

[Steve Melzer]

Thanks all - much appreciated wisdom, even if you do speak airline much more fluently than me.

@Dajop, I may understand the process correctly, but if I attempt to book multi-city, its 30,000 points LHR - CDG.

 

[dajop]

Thanks all - much appreciated wisdom, even if you do speak airline much more fluently than me.

@Dajop, I may understand the process correctly, but if I attempt to book multi-city, its 30,000 points LHR - CDG.

Which class of travel, and for how many people? Per passenger in economy it should be 64,000 MEL-LHR (if trip entirely on QF and/or EK ) and another 10,000 LHR-CDG (BA), or 128K+18K in business.

 

[Steve Melzer]

When I book multi-city it appears to require 30,000 points return, but only 20,000 if booked stand-alone. You live and learn...