Emirates/Qantas booking nightmare

[Cin Cin]

Long, horrible story short - I used webjet to book my return flight from Sydney to France rather than Qantas directly as every time I went to pay for the flight on the Qantas website I would receive the message that the booking couldn't be completed, yet Webjet could confirm the flights and they were actually cheaper. However, of course it's come back to bite me - Webjet booked the return flights directly with Emirates rather than with Qantas as codeshare so for my return flight in 2 days I'm flying with Emirates with zero status rather than booked thru Qantas as a platinum FF. I've flown many times with Emirates via Qantas codeshare and love the benefits/perks even when travelling in economy and obviously still being able to accrue Qantas points and status credits. I did provide my Qantas FF deets when I booked with webjet but when I look at my flight details on the Emirates app it states I have zero miles so obviously isn't recognising anything to do with my Qantas account. Is there anything I can do or will I have to resign myself to being stuck up the back of economy in a middle seat...lol

 

[opusman]

If you pick an EK flight code you won't earn status credits, but you will still get (some) points if your QFF number is in the booking.

Webjet would have shown you the flight numbers before you completed the booking so I don't think you can really blame Webjet in this case

 

[Cin Cin]

Yes I saw they were Emirates flights but just like choosing the EK flights when booking through Qantas I assumed it would all link back to my Qantas account.

 

[TomVexille]

Also EK should still recognize your QF status

 

[Cin Cin]

I hope so, looking at the seats they've assigned me it's not looking good lol...but hopefully I can sort it out at check in?

 

[TomVexille]

You should be able to select seats on the EK website. And make sure that your QFF # is in the booking

 

[Cin Cin]

The seat selection options on the website are horrid, whereas normally I am can choose from a 'better' economy seat when booked via Qantas...this has me worried and slightly freaking out!

 

[serfty]

Seats selected on Qantas.com don't seem to stick these days with EK operated flights.

Try selecting on emirates.com.

 

[Cin Cin]

All good! They gave me an exit row, assigned my QFF and I'm now in the lounge sipping champers...happy!!

 

[TomVexille]

Good result then

 

[wisewoman]

This happened to me too when I needed to fly urgently from London to Dubai to Perth last year. Qantas platinum line wouldn't answer and the Qantas website kept going down. In frustration I rang Emirates and was booked on a flight the next day. I told them when booking I was a Qantas WP and that I hadn't been able to get through to Qantas. I got no status credits even though I rang Qantas when I got back to Perth and told them what happened.

 

[mannej]

This happened to me too when I needed to fly urgently from London to Dubai to Perth last year. Qantas platinum line wouldn't answer and the Qantas website kept going down. In frustration I rang Emirates and was booked on a flight the next day. I told them when booking I was a Qantas WP and that I hadn't been able to get through to Qantas. I got no status credits even though I rang Qantas when I got back to Perth and told them what happened.

With all due respect I wouldn't expect SC's if booking on the EK code, even if pleading to QF like this.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Cincin, keep an eye out for your QFF account, and see what QFF points and QF SC (if you get any) are on it.
Also, Webjet has horrible fees. I had put in my email address onto their system a long time ago, but their flight booking fees puts me off booking with them.

 

[Dr Ralph]

'I used webjet to book my return flight from Sydney to France '

I think this was a significant mistake. I've used them a couple of times and always had huge problems.

 

[wisewoman]

With all due respect I wouldn't expect SC's if booking on the EK code, even if pleading to QF like thi

Why? I was in London and needed to travel urgently. The Qantas phone line kept dropping out after hanging on for long periods and it's website was 'experiencing difficulties' for several hours when I was trying to book online. A collleague in a different hotel had the same issue so it was definitely a Qantas problem.

Why should I be penalised for Qantas' problem? As a WP I would obviously prefer to have flown on a QF flight. As it was the EK flight cost me twice the cost of the Qantas flight. Why should I also be deprived of SC when it was hardly my fault? Just asking ...

 

[Dr Ralph]

With all due respect I wouldn't expect SC's if booking on the EK code, even if pleading to QF like thi

Completely agree.

Why? I was in London and needed to travel urgently. The Qantas phone line kept dropping out after hanging on for long periods and it's website was 'experiencing difficulties' for several hours when I was trying to book online. A collleague in a different hotel had the same issue so it was definitely a Qantas problem.

Why should I be penalised for Qantas' problem? As a WP I would obviously prefer to have flown on a QF flight. As it was the EK flight cost me twice the cost of the Qantas flight. Why should I also be deprived of SC when it was hardly my fault? Just asking ...

Try this scenario on as a comparison:

I want to buy a new TV today and I buy it from Bing Lee because Big W is not open that day or their website is not working and I can't wait. The next day I go to Big W and tell them I would have purchased the same TV from them if they had been open and because I have a Woolworths everyday rewards account with them and am a loyal shopper. I tell Big W that they should award me the everyday rewards points as if I had made the purchase with them as it's not my fault that they weren't open.

Really? I can't accept that this is reasonable.

 

[mannej]

Why? I was in London and needed to travel urgently. The Qantas phone line kept dropping out after hanging on for long periods and it's website was 'experiencing difficulties' for several hours when I was trying to book online. A collleague in a different hotel had the same issue so it was definitely a Qantas problem.

Why should I be penalised for Qantas' problem? As a WP I would obviously prefer to have flown on a QF flight. As it was the EK flight cost me twice the cost of the Qantas flight. Why should I also be deprived of SC when it was hardly my fault? Just asking ...

As the OP has demonstrated, there are other ways to book the QF code, you didn't attempt them.

 

[PaulST]

Might I recommend byojet* next time. Last month I purchased QF F (EK metal) on CAI-DXB-SYD and they had heaps of different EK/QF options, including QF flight numbers on both flights for a few extra $100 to get the QF SCs.

*I have no connection with byojet other than using them twice.

I don't like your chances of convincing QF to give you SCs because you wanted to book with them...

 

[RichardMEL]

Seems to me that the various "nightmares" in this thread have been more or less self inflicted due to picking EK flight numbers knowinly and/or possibly not putting one's QFF# in the booking.

Some OTA's are good, some are poor. I understand the frustration with not being able to book through QF direct, but if one wants to you can get the codeshare flights through an OTA. Of course EK won't sell you the QF codeshare on their metal as it's not in their interest to do so.

 

[CaptJCool]

Is there a thread for OTAs and how OPs have found using them ?
When I look at some of them I'm dubious as to whether they're fly by nighters or legit....