Beware booking QR Flights on CX

[jordyp123]

I am trying to book one way flights for 2 x Pax (CDG-MEL) Nov 9 2023

The website is showing availability but when I go to book I get the following error message.

We are unable to confirm the fare for the flights you have selected. Please choose a different fare or flights and resubmit your request. (15012 - 104)

I called them up and they said they know about this issue and they are working on it but it doesn't help that I have transferred my AMEX points in to Asia Miles because of this reason.

Please be careful when you transfer miles to them.

 

[RealtimeY]

I fell into the exact same trap with my Amex points

It's because of this:

Have Cathay been locked out of QR J awards?

Having a look at FlyerTalk forums it seems no one is able to book a QR J award from 2023, even when the online tool shows available awards. You can get through the details page then the site errors when going to the payment page. Anyone with greater insight have any idea if this is a permanent...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[asdf1234]

Booked QR flights on BKK - DOH first class, DOH - ADL business class (same ticket) with Cathay Miles. The online booking system was terrible as always and refused to book it. Call center did manage to book the flight just fine. Also try contacting them on WhatsApp.

Surcharges hit like a truck though.

 

[jordyp123]

Booked QR flights on BKK - DOH first class, DOH - ADL business class (same ticket) with Cathay Miles. The online booking system was terrible as always and refused to book it. Call center did manage to book the flight just fine. Also try contacting them on WhatsApp.

Surcharges hit like a truck though.

If you don’t mind me asking, what dates did you book?

 

[asdf1234]

If you don’t mind me asking, what dates did you book?

January 2023

 

[Jstr]

I am trying to book one way flights for 2 x Pax (CDG-MEL) Nov 9 2023

The website is showing availability but when I go to book I get the following error message.

We are unable to confirm the fare for the flights you have selected. Please choose a different fare or flights and resubmit your request. (15012 - 104)

I called them up and they said they know about this issue and they are working on it but it doesn't help that I have transferred my AMEX points in to Asia Miles because of this reason.

Please be careful when you transfer miles to them.

This happened to many people, myself included. It didn't help that the CX call centre staff I spoke to behaved like a recorded message repeater. I ended up with 360k points siloed in CX as a result.

But I did manage to book a QR flight for March 2023 later. So it would seem 3 to 4 months is the time limit for advanced booking.

Beware two other things:

1. QR charges a tone of fuel surcharge for redemption via CX - around $1k per one-way ticket MEL to Europe.

2. QR redemption flights do NOT let you choose a seat, even if you are traveling as a couple - you may end up sitting separately. It becomes a lucky dip situation. Forget double-bed Qsuites.

I will NOT be booking QR redemption flights in the future for these reasons - creating a two tier business class product is infuriating and very much anti-goodwill.

 

[djkelly69]

2. QR redemption flights do NOT let you choose a seat, even if you are traveling as a couple - you may end up sitting separately. It becomes a lucky dip situation. Forget double-bed Qsuites.

Not sure if this is only for CX redemptions, but we were able to pick seats for our QF redemption on QR. I think it was either through the RJ or QR website from memory.

 

[tmav]

Can anyone confirm how long Cathay take to issue an actual ticket for a QR redemption? I made a booking yesterday (points debited & credit card charged) & received a PNR number, but nearly 24hrs later still no actual ticket.. I had the same issue with Qantas doing a similar thing a few months ago, and they auto-cancelled the booking (without telling me) after 14days.. so am hoping this doesn't go down that path again!
How long should I wait before contacting Cathay?

 

[kkl]

Can anyone confirm how long Cathay take to issue an actual ticket for a QR redemption? I made a booking yesterday (points debited & credit card charged) & received a PNR number, but nearly 24hrs later still no actual ticket.. I had the same issue with Qantas doing a similar thing a few months ago, and they auto-cancelled the booking (without telling me) after 14days.. so am hoping this doesn't go down that path again!
How long should I wait before contacting Cathay?

within 24 hours - try adding your trip to - Checkmytrip and see if there is an e-ticket number?

 

[tmav]

within 24 hours - try adding your trip to - Checkmytrip and see if there is an e-ticket number?

Thanks for that, I wasn't aware of Checkmytrip. The ticket didn't appear on there, but eventually after going through the call centre someone has finally issued the e-ticket..

So yes, I can confirm that booking QR is still possible via CX, but not without many hassles along the way (ghost flights, large surcharges, rejected credit card payments, and long delays in issuing tickets!)