booking flights ($$$ or points/reward)

[Himeno]

I'm plotting out a trip to LA for July 4 weekend. There's an event that weekend that I've gone to for the last 3 years.

Need to arrive by noon Wed July 4, depart Sun night July 8.

The Qantas website is being... rather annoying. The changes they've made to the site since the last time I used it aren't helping.

Trying to get premium economy (upgradeable to business) or a business reward for CBR-LAX.
Not only does it keep changing the travel class on me during searches, it's also been changing the dates and changing CBR to SYD.
It's saying there are no award flights available for July 4, but won't even give me any other options such as via HKG or NRT on CX or JL (do partner rewards come up on the same screen as the QF rewards?)

For the return flight, I've been thinking about QF96, but the only option it gives me is LAX-MEL-ADL-CBR with no clear way to allow me to pick my own sectors.

Is there any way to force this new unhelpful booking site to show something useful?

 

[Mick1969]

Don't know if it helps but I can see reward flights, business CBR-BNE, and PE BNE-LAX on the 4th July for 88000 points.

 

[serfty]

I have had some success recently using multi city.

it helps to know where seats were available on sectors.

Can ypu handle extra point cost with travel via Asia?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm plotting out a trip to LA for July 4 weekend. There's an event that weekend that I've gone to for the last 3 years.

Need to arrive by noon Wed July 4, depart Sun night July 8.

The Qantas website is being... rather annoying. The changes they've made to the site since the last time I used it aren't helping.

Trying to get premium economy (upgradeable to business) or a business reward for CBR-LAX.
Not only does it keep changing the travel class on me during searches, it's also been changing the dates and changing CBR to SYD.
It's saying there are no award flights available for July 4, but won't even give me any other options such as via HKG or NRT on CX or JL (do partner rewards come up on the same screen as the QF rewards?)

For the return flight, I've been thinking about QF96, but the only option it gives me is LAX-MEL-ADL-CBR with no clear way to allow me to pick my own sectors.

Is there any way to force this new unhelpful booking site to show something useful?

As serfty says - multi city is good. Via HKG you should be able to get something. I'd only be searching from MEL/SYD/BNE. Add the CBR sector to one of those gateways later.

 

[RichardMEL]

Finding J space in July with just a couple of months to go would be a bit of a miracle, baring a Platinum request etc, but going via BNE could well be a good option given the 747 and generally lighter loads.

You could always go for a PE reward and upgrade that reward vs a paid fare, it depends on your finances, and of course availability again.

You could also search for reward space ex BNE/SYD/MEL for PE then call QF. I suspect the class issues are due to the lack of PE classses available out of CBR so it confuses the dumb booking system, even though it should just book into Y... in theory you could call QFF and ask to have the fees waived due to the website issues

just some thoughts. Good luck given the relatively short timeframe rewards wise.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

alternatively, waiting until close in - 2 weeks or less - would likely see CX open via HKG. including CX F

 

[blueythecat]

You could also search for reward space ex BNE/SYD/MEL for PE then call QF. I suspect the class issues are due to the lack of PE classses available out of CBR so it confuses the dumb booking system, even though it should just book into Y... in theory you could call QFF and ask to have the fees waived due to the website issues

just some thoughts. Good luck given the relatively short timeframe rewards wise.

The Y+ issue out of places like cbr is due to no Y+ departing the city. I’ve tried numerous times to call up and have them book in manually, but never successfully succeeded. Don’t let me put you off going that route as I might have been unlucky, and got poor agents each time.

 

[Himeno]

The first time I did this trip, I used a points+pay booking (had almost a million points at the time without having used any for a few years) to get a J return flight for $300 (which no one here believes).
The last 2 years, I've used points+pay to reduce the $$ fare of a W seat while saving enough points to get an upgrade to J. The upgrades cleared on all 4 of the long haul flights. (Yes, I know some people consider points+pay to be poor value. I wanted the point/SC earn such bookings give over normal reward flights and the ability to upgrade).

I'm currently poking around the booking engine, trying ex-MEL at the moment. Didn't give me anything useful for HKG, just QF/JQ to connect to QF117 in SYD. Trying via NRT at the moment. Rather then offer JL774, it's sending me to SYD for QF25 and connecting to JL6 to JFK then back to LAX on QF12.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm currently poking around the booking engine, trying ex-MEL at the moment. Didn't give me anything useful for HKG, just QF/JQ to connect to QF117 in SYD. Trying via NRT at the moment. Rather then offer JL774, it's sending me to SYD for QF25 and connecting to JL6 to JFK then back to LAX on QF12.

Is JL774 available? If so you could book it sector by sector (774->6) rather than the QF offering.

 

[Himeno]

Is JL774 available? If so you could book it sector by sector (774->6) rather than the QF offering.

JL6 is HND-JFK. Wouldn't get back to LAX in time for when I need to be there.
Would need JL62 or AA170 out of NRT.

JL774 is currently showing J9 C9 D9 I0 X6 W9 E0 Y6 B6 H5 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0 G0 in ExpertFlyer for July 4 (0005 departure), arrives in NRT at 0905 with the oneworld departures to LAX at 1725 and 1805, arriving LAX at 1140 and 1240 on July 4.
JL62 F6 A6 J9 C9 D9 I0 X6 W9 E0 Y6 B6 H5 K0 M0 L0 V0 S0 N0 Q0 O0 G0
AA170 J7 R7 D7 I3 W7 P4 Y7 B0 H7 K7 M7 L7 G0 V7 S7 N0 Q0 O0

Going via Asia on any of the day flights out of Aus (JL772, QF79, QF61, CX110, QF127, CX100, QF117, CX134, QF29, CX104, QF97) would mean I'd have to go on the Tuesday (3rd) and get another day off work.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Is this a paid or award flight? If paid, does googleflights show anything of interest?

Alternatively you could book an award now to at least get you a seat, then switch to CX when they open up close in.

 

[Himeno]

Is this a paid or award flight?

Either, looking for W (points upgradable preferred) paid flight or J award.

 

[Himeno]

Now that the QF site seems to be working again, and my week more locked in then before, I looked around the Qantas options again. Normal awards don't appear to be an option at the moment. Nothing desirable available on the needed dates.

I found some reasonable fares on JL, google and ita with JL774 or QF25 to Tokyo, half a day there, then JL62, AA170 or AA26 across the LAX, but then nothing gives me the option of QF12, 94 or 96 for the return. The 3 oneworld LAX-TYO options don't have good times for what I need and want to force overnights in Tokyo and Melbourne or Sydney on the way back.

Trying to work out point earn and upgrade cost, but the fare categories on the booking pages don't map to the fare categories on the earn/spend charts.
Do "Premium Economy Saver" and "Premium Economy Sale" = "Discount Premium Economy" or something else?

QF finally replied confirming the above.
So it should be 49,000 points each way to upgrade to Business on the long haul and CBR-SYD or MEL-LAX should earn 19,200 points (platinum "Premium Economy Saver" fare)? If so, why is the booking page saying CBR-MEL-LAX earns 12,450?

 

[Mattg]

Not sure if there helps, but there is J availability on JL from NRT to SAN on 2 July.

 

[Himeno]

Not sure if there helps, but there is J availability on JL from NRT to SAN on 2 July.

I booked the trip on sunday before the sales finished. ~$1000 less then a similar trip last year, got CBR-xMEL-LAX-xSYD-CBR (last year did CBR-xBNE-LAX-xSYD-CBR for same weekend)

The date/time window I have for this trip is a tight. I have to work on the 3rd, which means I'd have to get a Wed morning flight to LA from MEL/SYD/BNE or a Tues night via HKG/TYO. Needed to arrive in downtown LA by around noon 4th. The flights via TYO arrived 1040 and 1140.
If I booked outbound via TYO, everything was trying to force me back through TYO for the return. The LAX-TYO times didn't work for me (afternoon ex LAX, needed evening).
One of the return options the sites were giving was LAX-NRT, overnight, NRT-MEL, overnight, MEL-CBR with a Wednesday afternoon arrival from a Sunday departure (while the direct LAX-AU flights departing the 8th would arrive morning tues 10th)