One world becoming less relevant

[SYD]

Out of interest, how might one change this after booking?

For instance if you had a BA redemption and no status with BA but were WP with QF (and PC ).

How would you have your booking changed to reflect your QF status?

Asking for a friend.

Usually at checkin (in person) or at the gate (if you can’t online).

I recently had a VA award flight on SQ but was able to get my A*G number in to access lounge etc. PSA: the SQ checkin kiosks at SIN also let you do this I discovered.

Where it goes pear shape (potentially) is changing to a lower status FF for earn (ie want to build up status on another program) prior to boarding. So no priority boarding etc.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Where it goes pear shape (potentially) is changing to a lower status FF for earn (ie want to build up status on another program) prior to boarding. So no priority boarding etc.

And this is exactly what happened with the original post here.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Assuming you had the non preferred frequent flyer credentials placed into the booking at the time?

Yes. It was a BA redemption and the BA credentials populated automatically.

My friend was able to change the FF number for his two companions, but not his own.

 

[serfty]

Yes. It was a BA redemption and the BA credentials populated automatically.

My friend was able to change the FF number for his two companions, but not his own.

There may be ways around that, see here for example:

How to attach non-BA frequent flyer number to Avios bookings

Out of interest, how might one change this after booking?

Royal Air Maroc?

 

[Captain Halliday]

Royal Air Maroc?

It appears this has been enhanced.

 

[madrooster]

For instance if you had a BA redemption and no status with BA but were WP with QF (and PC ).

How would you have your booking changed to reflect your QF status?

Book yourself as another passenger rather than yourself. That is, make a booking for "another passenger" and put your own name in.

The other alternate is ask your friendly travel agent if you have a good relationship with one.

 

[NM]

Book yourself as another passenger rather than yourself. That is, make a booking for "another passenger" and put your own name in.

That is exactly what I did for AAdvantage award bookings and wanting to travel using my QFF Gold status for benefits. Was very simple to achieve when making the on-line bookings.

And for programs like QFF where you need to identify the family relationship, I have either entered "Self" if it is an option, or "Father" because I am a father and obviously have the same surname as the FF membership account (and same first name by coincidence).

 

[LDN via BNE]

Out of interest, how might one change this after booking?

For instance if you had a BA redemption and no status with BA but were WP with QF (and PC ).

How would you have your booking changed to reflect your QF status?

Asking for a friend.

BA live chat through the BA website.

Have successfully changed FFNs multiple times via this route, and it usually takes less than 10 minutes.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Book yourself as another passenger rather than yourself. That is, make a booking for "another passenger" and put your own name in.

The other alternate is ask your friendly travel agent if you have a good relationship with one.

Thanks. Will let my friend know to book BA redemptions via that method in future.

Know any friendly TAs?

 

[SydneySwan]

Out of interest, how might one change this after booking?

For instance if you had a BA redemption and no status with BA but were WP with QF (and PC ).

How would you have your booking changed to reflect your QF status?

Asking for a friend.

Last year I booked an AY reward using AA miles. I switched from my AA number to my QF number on the AY website. I didn’t expect it to work but it held.

 

[sudoer]

Last year I booked an AY reward using AA miles. I switched from my AA number to my QF number on the AY website. I didn’t expect it to work but it held.

AY was great for this, sadly now they'll only allow loading a PNR if it contains an AY flight

 

[jase05]

AY was great for this, sadly now they'll only allow loading a PNR if it contains an AY flight

MH was another who was good for this but that has gone by the wayside too

 

[SYD]

AY was great for this, sadly now they'll only allow loading a PNR if it contains an AY flight

They don’t open a QR booking with an AY codeshare…

MH was another who was good for this but that has gone by the wayside too

Pretty much all the OW websites / apps are locked down now.

 

[justinbrett]

Pretty much all the OW websites / apps are locked down now.

Not that you could do much on it, but I've been banned from loading PNRs on the BA website by my TA - apparently it actively makes changes to the booking and messes things up, even just looking at it.

On a similar note, AS told me just viewing your booking in their app or website will freeze the booking for a short period which means they can't make changes to it while you're on the phone (ie, if you call them, don't fiddle while they're working). That said AS has to be the absolute worst of oneworld carriers to deal with. Here's hoping they ditch Sabre and move to Amadeus which HA had just switched to.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Having been a mid-tier member of the frequent flyer programs across all major airline alliances (OneWorld with Qantas Gold, SkyTeam with Delta Gold Medallion and Star Alliance with United Premier Gold), I have found OneWorld to consistently provide the best value of all the alliance programs. For starters even low tier status with OneWorld (i.e. Ruby which in the case of Qantas is Silver status) actually confers some decent perks like business class check-in, priority seat selection and priority waitlist. Compare that to Star Alliance where you only get priority wait listing and SkyTeam which offers extra baggage allowance, priority boarding and check-in. Then when we move over to Sapphire things get even more interesting. You get lounge access on OneWorld flights irrespective of fare type and whether it is domestic or international which isn't true for SkyTeam. You also get lounge access on arrival with certain partner operated lounges like American which you don't get with SkyTeam or Star Alliance.

So in sum, I wouldn't say OneWorld is becoming less relevant, if anything it is becoming more relevant as ever as more airlines join the alliance. Where an argument could be made against OneWorld is their connectivity in certain regions (i.e. Europe and Asia) that are dominated by Star Alliance. This can make booking travel and status runs a bit more challenging.

-RooFlyer88

 

[madrooster]

They don’t open a QR booking with an AY codeshare…

If it's a QR blockspace codeshare operated by AY, AY has a different record locator.

On a similar note, AS told me just viewing your booking in their app or website will freeze the booking for a short period which means they can't make changes to it while you're on the phone (ie, if you call them, don't fiddle while they're working). That said AS has to be the absolute worst of oneworld carriers to deal with. Here's hoping they ditch Sabre and move to Amadeus which HA had just switched to.

That's a Sabre "feature" and affects all Sabre carriers. Sabre does not deal with simultaneous changes very well hence this lockout exists.

 

[Hampton Mike]

That said AS has to be the absolute worst of oneworld carriers to deal with. Here's hoping they ditch Sabre and move to Amadeus which HA had just switched to.

I recently traveled on a OWCFR with the non-QF carriers being AA and AS. I only took an AS flight because I needed a second non-QF carrier to meet the requirements of the ticket type. The ticket was issued by QF

When I got to Dallas, the lounge person said my QF number (and therefore my P1 entitlement to access the Flagship Lounge) was not included in the booking. She made a few taps on the computer and it was added (for the AA flights). When I arrived in Seattle for my flight to LAX, same thing. This time the lounge denied entry (as I think they must be contracted by AS and can’t amend bookings). They told me to go to AS customer service, who added my FF number, printed me a new boarding pass and then o was ok to enter the lounge.

It seems strange that my QF number was not included for all sectors of the booking seeing QF issued the ticket.

 

[ChrisMars]

Speaking of boarding,

I recently traveled on a OWCFR with the non-QF carriers being AA and AS. I only took an AS flight because I needed a second non-QF carrier to meet the requirements of the ticket type. The ticket was issued by QF

When I got to Dallas, the lounge person said my QF number (and therefore my P1 entitlement to access the Flagship Lounge) was not included in the booking. She made a few taps on the computer and it was added (for the AA flights). When I arrived in Seattle for my flight to LAX, same thing. This time the lounge denied entry (as I think they must be contracted by AS and can’t amend bookings). They told me to go to AS customer service, who added my FF number, printed me a new boarding pass and then o was ok to enter the lounge.

It seems strange that my QF number was not included for all sectors of the booking seeing QF issued the ticket.

Your ticket, was it done via online booking or call center?

 

[Hampton Mike]

Speaking of boarding,
Your ticket, was it done via online booking or call center?

VIP team call centre

 

[serfty]

VIP team call centre

Makes sense. Last month i made changes to a Qantas Classic oneworld award and at the end i could hear the agent verbalising a process where the revised booking was sent, one at a time, to each of the carriers in the booking.

It was like they were reading from a KB.

I suspect your P1 agent failed to do similar.