Booking connecting flights with multi-city trip

[Sutts]

My first post on the forum. We’re hoping to book a multi-city trip to the USA for Sept 2024 using lots of built-up QFF points. If I happen to fluke a classic reward ticket for one or more of the legs, are there any tips on how to book the other legs so that our luggage arrives safely at the final destination? ie. minimal but safe intervals.

Do you just follow the other legs suggested by the Qantas flight search? Is it possible to eventually obtain a single ticket for say the multi-step flights to NYC?

Thanks for your help.

 

[exceladdict]

My first post on the forum. We’re hoping to book a multi-city trip to the USA for Sept 2024 using lots of built-up QFF points. If I happen to fluke a classic reward ticket for one or more of the legs, are there any tips on how to book the other legs so that our luggage arrives safely at the final destination? ie. minimal but safe intervals.

Do you just follow the other legs suggested by the Qantas flight search? Is it possible to eventually obtain a single ticket for say the multi-step flights to NYC?

Thanks for your help.

Welcome and sounds like an exciting trip!

For security, and much more certainty that flights will connect & baggage will be through-checked, you'll want as much on one ticket as possible. That will be difficult if you want to do some on cash and some on points. Qantas say they will through check from an award to a cash ticket or vv, but AA baggage check in counters are more liable to 'computer says no' errors with staff having less ability to override.

It's not impossible, but for simplicity, keeping your award flights and revenue flights on different days reduces the chances of something going pear-shaped. eg. Book revenue syd/lax and returning jfk/akl/syd, stay a few days in LA, use awards to go lax to your next destination and through to NYC, revenue fare home.

The prior strategy was to book points flights as they were released, adding more flights as they became available, paying the change fee each time. However with the issues with qantas not re-ticketing partner awards correctly, this can be a risky strategy now. Though, at least to the US, Qantas can potentially open their own inventory if something goes pear shaped with a booking on CX or similar.

 

[Sutts]

That was the sort of strategy I was hoping to use - grab the classic rewards, then add the other legs when they pop-up.

So, I gather that getting on the phone to Qantas to ask for the multiple legs to be put on 1 ticket may not be foolproof. Very annoying. Thanks

 

[exceladdict]

That was the sort of strategy I was hoping to use - grab the classic rewards, then add the other legs when they pop-up.

So, I gather that getting on the phone to Qantas to ask for the multiple legs to be put on 1 ticket may not be foolproof. Very annoying. Thanks

Yep. If only it was as easy as adding more flights to an existing booking online...

 

[thrillho]

Going to jump on this thread as it seems closest to my query (at least with the last couple of posts). I've locked in one leg of a two-leg itinerary (one way to Europe in J) with a OW partner airline.

I called the QF call centre to ask but I'm not convinced by the conviction of the positive response I got - so if anyone can allay my fears, that'd be great.

If I've locked in one leg, will adding the second leg -- which, if booked together should total 159,000 points -- over the phone recalibrate to that 159,000 (plus over-the-phone change fee)?

If booked 'separately' it ends up being like 189,000 points. Also to note, we plan a few days stopover so could be three days between flights.

Plus taxes - will they recalibrate to the 'through fare' amount?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Going to jump on this thread as it seems closest to my query (at least with the last couple of posts). I've locked in one leg of a two-leg itinerary (one way to Europe in J) with a OW partner airline.

I called the QF call centre to ask but I'm not convinced by the conviction of the positive response I got - so if anyone can allay my fears, that'd be great.

If I've locked in one leg, will adding the second leg -- which, if booked together should total 159,000 points -- over the phone recalibrate to that 159,000 (plus over-the-phone change fee)?

If booked 'separately' it ends up being like 189,000 points. Also to note, we plan a few days stopover so could be three days between flights.

Plus taxes - will they recalibrate to the 'through fare' amount?

Provided you meet the award rules it will be recalibrated.

Note that a stopover will generally price the sectors by component anyway, unless you are on a oneworld award (318k in business). So AU-Asia-Eu straight through will reprice at the AU-EU award level, but if you have a stopover in Asia it will price as AU-Asia plus Asia-EU

 

[thrillho]

Provided you meet the award rules it will be recalibrated.

Note that a stopover will generally price the sectors by component anyway, unless you are on a oneworld award (318k in business). So AU-Asia-Eu straight through will reprice at the AU-EU award level, but if you have a stopover in Asia it will price as AU-Asia plus Asia-EU

Hmm, so we should be prepared to pay the 189,000 if we want three days, instead of the 159,000 for going 'same day' (itinerary can only be done with an 18-hour overnight stop).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hmm, so we should be prepared to pay the 189,000 if we want three days, instead of the 159,000 for going 'same day' (itinerary can only be done with an 18-hour overnight stop).

Correct. Anything up to 24 hours will price as the through fare… provided you don’t change airline award tables. You must stick with the one grouping. So if you switch between tables you’ll pay the component pricing anyway.

 

[thrillho]

Correct. Anything up to 24 hours will price as the through fare… provided you don’t change airline award tables. You must stick with the one grouping. So if you switch between tables you’ll pay the component pricing anyway.

Many thanks!

 

[aikman]

Many thanks!

Note that if the second leg is on a different airline to the first leg then you will still pay 189,000 even if you don't do a stopover.

In other words, the 159,000 will only apply if the entire journey is on a single airline with no stops greater than 24 hours.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Note that if the second leg is on a different airline to the first leg then you will still pay 189,000 even if you don't do a stopover.

In other words, the 159,000 will only apply if the entire journey is on a single airline with no stops greater than 24 hours.

Only if swapping between redemption tables. You can mix airlines on the same table for the through price… so cathay connecting to BA would be ok for example. Or cathay to JAL, or to Air France.

 

[aikman]

Only if swapping between redemption tables. You can mix airlines on the same table for the through price… so cathay connecting to BA would be ok for example. Or cathay to JAL, or to Air France.

Sadly this is not correct. Evidence below using your example of BA connecting to CX.

The sum of both flights is 5,982 miles which the table says costs 45,000 points but alas the actual cost is 47,800 points which is 37,800 points (5,773 miles on CX) plus 10,000 points (209 miles on BA).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Sadly this is not correct. Evidence below using your example of BA connecting to CX.

The sum of both flights is 5,982 miles which the table says costs 45,000 points but alas the actual cost is 47,800 points which is 37,800 points (5,773 miles on CX) plus 10,000 points (209 miles on BA).

View attachment 350381

Ok! Yes, my bad. Apologies.

The definition of ‘trip’ is worse than I thought

The definition actually is: ‘(c) not broken by a change to or from any airline included in the Partner Classic Flight Reward table (see qantas.com for the table).’

So it’s any change of airline as you correctly pointed out.

If using the QF award table you can swap between airlines.

 

[exceladdict]

Sadly this is not correct. Evidence below using your example of BA connecting to CX.

The sum of both flights is 5,982 miles which the table says costs 45,000 points but alas the actual cost is 47,800 points which is 37,800 points (5,773 miles on CX) plus 10,000 points (209 miles on BA).

View attachment 350381

Does it stay at 47,800 right through to the booking process? I had a conversation with @AFF Editor a few years ago where some legs were not pricing correctly on this tab, but dropped when you get to the checkout page.

 

[encryptededdy]

Does it stay at 47,800 right through to the booking process? I had a conversation with @AFF Editor a few years ago where some legs were not pricing correctly on this tab, but dropped when you get to the checkout page.

This. It'll re-price after you continue through the booking process. Same thing happens for mixing classes of travel too.

 

[aikman]

It does not re-price. The 47,800 quote stays right through to the payment screen.