cancelled CX award booking made with QF points

[lukus g]

Hi All,

I had a 3 pax QF award booking with CX for SYD-HKG-LHR, CX sent me an email to say they have cancelled the HKG-LHR sector (no mention of the other flight) I can't see any rebooking options on CX manage my booking. what's the best angle with this, should I try to call QF or CX?

 

[Captain Halliday]

Hi All,

I had a 3 pax QF award booking with CX for SYD-HKG-LHR, CX sent me an email to say they have cancelled the HKG-LHR sector (no mention of the other flight) I can't see any rebooking options on CX manage my booking. what's the best angle with this, should I try to call QF or CX?

QF. If it’s a QF ticket, they will need to resolve it.

 

[lukus g]

Hi, CX cancelled my flights from SYD-HKG-LHR that I made with QF points. they have given me no rebooking options, to get a refund with the points and cash just magically reappear in my QF account or do I need to login to either QF or CX to undertake a process?

sorry for the stupid question its just without the QF miles back in my account I can't secure a rebooking option

 

[sudoer]

Your best option is to search the Qantas site for the replacement seat(s) you want, then call Qantas, provide your existing booking reference and ask them to amend the booking with the new flights. Apparently 1300 304 318 is the best number to skip the long queues at the moment according to this thread.

This will automatically apply the points and taxes already paid against the new flights. You'll either receive a partial refund or be asked to pay any difference in points/taxes depending on the cost of new v old flights.

If you go down the path of requesting a full refund you will be waiting months for both points and taxes to be refunded. I've had several awards cancelled over the last 6 months and in every single case it has taken me chasing after 8 weeks to request the refund be expedited. The reps will refuse to do anything until the 8 week mark.

 

[Scr77]

I could be wrong, but didn’t CX announce that AU pax can’t transit HKG anymore/at the moment?

edit: seems so. This could be why your flights been cancelled.

Hong Kong

Australian Government travel advice for Hong Kong. Learn more about local safety, laws and health risks.

www.smartraveller.gov.au

 

[sudoer]

didn’t CX announce that AU pax can’t transit HKG anymore

The Hong Kong government is expected to announce that travellers from ~150 countries cannot transit through HKG from 15 Jan to 14 Feb. Not a decision by CX and not limited to AU pax.

Edit: The HK government had also previously banned flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, UK, USA, the Philippines and Pakistan effective 8 Jan.

 

[Daver6]

I gather your booking is with QF since you used points. If you aren't too fussed about how you get to LHR, I'd call QF and tell them to get you to LHR on other carriers (QF or QR). You shouldn't need to pay a cent more IMHO and the onus is on QF to get you there.

 

[encryptededdy]

I gather your booking is with QF since you used points. If you aren't too fussed about how you get to LHR, I'd call QF and tell them to get you to LHR on other carriers (QF or QR). You shouldn't need to pay a cent more IMHO and the onus is on QF to get you there.

Do people have experience with this? If you had a partner award booking in J that was cancelled, I'm wondering if QF would usually just put you on a QF flight in economy (since there's usually award space there), or if they would open up J award space to accommodate you?

 

[lukus g]

Thanks for all your help everybody, I'm going to give QF a call, I will let you know how I get on. I suppose as the previous poster mentioned would QF just look to get me a Y seat rather than a replacement J ?

 

[sudoer]

I gather your booking is with QF since you used points. If you aren't too fussed about how you get to LHR, I'd call QF and tell them to get you to LHR on other carriers (QF or QR). You shouldn't need to pay a cent more IMHO and the onus is on QF to get you there.

Unfortunately I don't believe the fine print for partner classic awards is with you on this - the onus isn't on QF to get you there when a partner has cancelled their flight. If there are no award seats available, QF is within its rights to simply provide a full refund.

If there are seats available on either QF or another partner which incur additional points/taxes, they will absolutely hit you up for the difference also. (conversely they will also refund the difference if the new flights involve a downgrade, cheaper taxes, etc)

 

[Matt_01]

I gather your booking is with QF since you used points. If you aren't too fussed about how you get to LHR, I'd call QF and tell them to get you to LHR on other carriers (QF or QR). You shouldn't need to pay a cent more IMHO and the onus is on QF to get you there.

If it was a revenue QF codeshare sure it is QF problem to fix or offer an alternate option at no cost. Rewards not so sure, QF may choose to give up or make some rewards seats available on their metal. As for other carriers QF can only book based on what inventory is made available to them.

 

[lukus g]

well I got through sudoer within 15 mins using the 1300 304 318 number, currently on hold why they try alternative routings, so thanks for your assistance

 

[lukus g]

Unfortunately EK has some J class availability which was pulled to waitlist while the customer support staff member was trying to make the booking. Well guys I'm off to try using my KrisFlyer miles, don't expect I will have much luck!

 

[Matt_01]

Well guys I'm off to try using my KrisFlyer miles, don't expect I will have much luck!

You may be surprised SQ normally has some pretty good availability.

 

[Daver6]

I don't see why a fair paid with cash or paid for with points should be different. It's been paid for. If I book with QF to get me from A to B in J, how they achieve that should not be my problem. Now given QF metal can the the customer from A to B, they should open the seats and make it happen.

 

[lukus g]

Well I finally managed to secure EK J but the routing is SYD-PER-DXB-CDG, so it all hinges on Perth opening up next month for me to transit through. ummm

Got to say the QF service I received today was top notch, I got a call back, couldn't ask for more (apart from some decent award availability !)

 

[sudoer]

I don't see why a fair paid with cash or paid for with points should be different.

I don't believe you can book a CX-only itinerary through Qantas with cash, so there is no comparison.

The way I look at it, booking a partner award is just using QFF's currency to purchase a product delivered by a 3rd party. Outside of facilitating the initial transaction, Qantas has no say in whether that 3rd party delivers the product or not, and it's reasonable for them to opt for a full refund instead of opening their own space.

When a classic award is booked on QF metal and that flight is cancelled, Qantas will generally try to accommodate and depending on route/loading/status will convert revenue seats. The key distinction being that Qantas cancelled the flight in those cases, rather than a 3rd party.

 

[Daver6]

I don't believe you can book a CX-only itinerary through Qantas with cash, so there is no comparison.

The way I look at it, booking a partner award is just using QFF's currency to purchase a product delivered by a 3rd party. Outside of facilitating the initial transaction, Qantas has no say in whether that 3rd party delivers the product or not, and it's reasonable for them to opt for a full refund instead of opening their own space.

When a classic award is booked on QF metal and that flight is cancelled, Qantas will generally try to accommodate and depending on route/loading/status will convert revenue seats. The key distinction being that Qantas cancelled the flight in those cases, rather than a 3rd party.

Prior to Covid you could. You could book PER-HKG return on CX with QF flight numbers. So if CX canned the route or flight and I had paid, would it be ok for QF to just wash their hands of it? I don't think so. I'd expect they still get me to and from HKG.

So in my mind, it's exactly the same, whether paid for in cash or points.

 

[Matt_01]

Prior to Covid you could. You could book PER-HKG return on CX with QF flight numbers. So if CX canned the route or flight and I had paid, would it be ok for QF to just wash their hands of it? I don't think so. I'd expect they still get me to and from HKG.

So in my mind, it's exactly the same, whether paid for in cash or points.

In your example you are flying revenue on a QF Flight number operated by CX so as I mentioned above it is QF problem to fix. If travelling on rewards you travel under the carriers code not QF.

 

[sudoer]

So if CX canned the route or flight and I had paid, would it be ok for QF to just wash their hands of it?

In that example no, because it's QF marketed. When I say CX-only I mean CX operated and marketed, the same way partner awards are marketed.