Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[yld200]

All those flights are listed in the wiki with costs.

Hi,

can someone please advise if I have been charged correctly for the taxes on a RTW business redemption.

I did a redemption via the phone because I got a "5685 UI" error message when I tried to do it online.

the route that I redeemed as per below:-

London (Heathrow) to Tokyo (Narita) on British Airways
Tokyo (Haneda) to Sydney on Qantas
Canberra to Melbourne on Qantas
Melbourne to Santiago on LATAM
Santiago to London (Heathrow) on Iberia transit in Madrid

when I priced this itinerary using the matrix airfare search (business class), the taxes came to around A$1100+

[TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]United Kingdom Air Passenger Duty APD (GB)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$251.30[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]United Kingdom Passenger Service Charge Departures (UB)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$69.50[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]BA YQ surcharge (YQ)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$292.40[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Japan Passenger Service Facilities Charge International (SW)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$29.20[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Australia Passenger Services Charge Arrival International (WY)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$30.51[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]QF YQ surcharge (YQ)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$259.70[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Japan Passenger Security Service Charge (OI)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$1.20[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Australia Passenger Service Charge Domestic Departure (QR)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$22.47[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Australia Passenger Service Charge Domestic Arrival (QR)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$4.40[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Australia Safety And Security Charge Departure (WG)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$9.48[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Australia Passenger Movement Charge PMC (AU)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$60.00[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Australia Passenger Services Charge Departure International (WY)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$21.00[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Chile Airport Facility Charge International (ZQ)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$38.40[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Spain Security Tax (QV)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$3.20[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Spain Aviation Safety And Security Fee (OG)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$0.90[/TD] [TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-g"]Spain Departure Charge (JD)[/TD][TD="class: IR6M2QD-l-f"]A$14.20[/TD]

however I was charged A$1799+ by Qantas and the supervisor had to work this out manually due to the error message.

does this sound right??

can someone please shed some light?

many thanks in advance.

 

[Aggashi]

after adding up all those costs from wiki here, what I was charged seem to be excessive .....

All those flights are listed in the wiki with costs.

 

[DjSap]

Booked and ticketed for mid next year for 280k and around $870 in taxes:


BNE>SIN - QF Y
SIN>DOH - QR J
DOH>JRO - QR Y (Stop)
JRO>DOH - QR J
DOH>ROM - QR J (Stop)
ROM>MAD - IB J
MAD>UIO - IB J (Stop)
UIO>LIM - LATAM Y
LIM>CUZ - LATAM Y (Stop)
CUZ>LIM - LATAM Y
LIM>SCL - LATAM J (Stop)
SCL>AKL - LATAM J
AKL>BNE - QF J

LATAM cancelled two legs within 48 hours while waiting to get it ticketed so called and insisted that it get ticketed while I was on hold so that they didn't completely disappear, so worked out in the end after being pushy.


Will keep eye out for J seats on the BNE-SIN and DOH-JRO legs since it's still almost a year out, but think JRO legs have almost no J seats in general so was lucky enough to find one on the return. Also hoping some space opens up to Galapagos but seems availability is poor and sporadic which doesn't fit with our quite tight schedule. Will probably have to book that separately on United Miles as it's only 20k return in Economy from Quito.

 

[Captain Halliday]

My first OW 280k award starts at 2155 tonight and I'm really looking forward to it.

I'd like to thank all the contributors to this thread who patiently answered questions and contributed to the knowledge now contained here. :thumbsup

And a special shout out to madrooster who ran some additional number for me using his special powers. It helped me squeeze it to 34,996 miles and fit in three extra sectors for which I would otherwise have had to pay cash.

 

[RoseD]

Lots of planning is a must. I picked up pointers here on how to build 1w itinerary, so here goes.
The plan is to do trip in 2 stages, in J

Stage 1 -2018
SIN-DOH-BUD QR (stop)
surface
TXL-___ -AMS BA or AY (stop) (or cheap revenue ticket to have a direct flight, not fuss)
AMS-DOH-ADL QR (stop)

Stage 2 - 2019 (within 12 months)
ADL-HKG-ICN CX (stop)
ICN-NRT JL (stop)
NRT-SYD-ADL JL & QF

Miles -32792 (incl the ADL-SIN to validate). From T&C above, I don't really need to complete this segment, just need to add in the miles calculation.

My questions
1. Did this break any rules?
2. I know this is subject to award availability and I have to be flexible. In your experience, which segments are reasonably avail, difficult or next to impossible?
3. When using Qantas search tool, do I use the Multi-city or the Round the world. RTW leads me to rtw.oneworld.com. This one tells me that DOH-ADL is invalid - back tracking is not permitted. is this correct or am I using the incorrect website?

Appreciate your feedback.

 

[Danger]

Lots of planning is a must. I picked up pointers here on how to build 1w itinerary, so here goes.
The plan is to do trip in 2 stages, in J

Stage 1 -2018
SIN-DOH-BUD QR (stop)
surface
TXL-___ -AMS BA or AY (stop) (or cheap revenue ticket to have a direct flight, not fuss)
AMS-DOH-ADL QR (stop)

Stage 2 - 2019 (within 12 months)
ADL-HKG-ICN CX (stop)
ICN-NRT JL (stop)
NRT-SYD-ADL JL & QF

Miles -32792 (incl the ADL-SIN to validate). From T&C above, I don't really need to complete this segment, just need to add in the miles calculation.

My questions
1. Did this break any rules?
2. I know this is subject to award availability and I have to be flexible. In your experience, which segments are reasonably avail, difficult or next to impossible?
3. When using Qantas search tool, do I use the Multi-city or the Round the world. RTW leads me to rtw.oneworld.com. This one tells me that DOH-ADL is invalid - back tracking is not permitted. is this correct or am I using the incorrect website?

Appreciate your feedback.

Have a look at s. 14.5 of the Qantas T&Cs that are included in the Wiki above. Surface sectors must be included against the 35k limit which I see you have for ADL-SIN but may not have for the other surface segments. If you have included them then you've got a bit of mileage to play with so I'd consider changing things up slightly, like maybe ADL-SYD/MEL-HKG-ICN for a far superior lounge if nothing else.

I suspect you could probably get direct from TXL to AMS on AB. Avoiding BA will help with the surcharges.

Qatar has good availability. The hardest ones to get in your planned itinerary will likely be on QF.

Don't use the RTW booking tool. You're not going around the world, nor does this oneworld award necessitate doing so. You simply use the multi-city function of the Qantas award booking tool. Be prepared for some pain and suffering as these types of booking are almost invariably difficult to piece together.

 

[RoseD]

Thanks Danger. I have included the miles between BUD- AMS. But if the actual surface sector is train transport from Bud-Vie-Prg-Ber, do I include this distance or the BUD-AMS is alright?
Also, am I required to have booked all the segments in Stage 2, before I even start the Stage 1?

 

[madrooster]

Thanks Danger. I have included the miles between BUD- AMS. But if the actual surface sector is train transport from Bud-Vie-Prg-Ber, do I include this distance or the BUD-AMS is alright?
Also, am I required to have booked all the segments in Stage 2, before I even start the Stage 1?

The BUD/AMS straight distance is the distance to use. You must ticket stage 2 before you fly any coupons on the ticket, yes.

 

[RoseD]

Thanks madrooster.
ok I did a dummy search using qantas multi city, trial run just to have a feel.
based on choices avail, Here is the result, all J except Jq in Y
sin-doh Qr945
doh-bud Qr201
txl-hel Ay914
hel-ams Ay845
ams-lgw Ba2759
lgw-hkg Cx344
hkg-Mel Qf30
Mel-Adl Jq772

Total points 285,400. why did points go beyond 280k?

When I do the stage 2, more points would be tacked on. So when does it know to stop at 280k pts?

 

[FrankC]

Thanks madrooster.
ok I did a dummy search using qantas multi city, trial run just to have a feel.
based on choices avail, Here is the result, all J except Jq in Y
sin-doh Qr945
doh-bud Qr201
txl-hel Ay914
hel-ams Ay845
ams-lgw Ba2759
lgw-hkg Cx344
hkg-Mel Qf30
Mel-Adl Jq772

Total points 285,400. why did points go beyond 280k?

When I do the stage 2, more points would be tacked on. So when does it know to stop at 280k pts?

Sadly, JQ is not OneWorld

 

[Danger]

Thanks madrooster.
ok I did a dummy search using qantas multi city, trial run just to have a feel.
based on choices avail, Here is the result, all J except Jq in Y
sin-doh Qr945
doh-bud Qr201
txl-hel Ay914
hel-ams Ay845
ams-lgw Ba2759
lgw-hkg Cx344
hkg-Mel Qf30
Mel-Adl Jq772

Total points 285,400. why did points go beyond 280k?

When I do the stage 2, more points would be tacked on. So when does it know to stop at 280k pts?

As FrankC alluded to, the inclusion of JQ maybe what's causing the issue. Try choosing a QF flight for that sector and see how it goes. Once you've met the conditions of the award (eg maximum five stops, maximum 35k miles etc.) it will top out at 280k, provided you stay within the rules. What you've shown just here is quit different from what you suggested your itinerary would be earlier so I'm a bit confused where and what stage two is.

 

[RoseD]

oops, I forgot Jq. ok back to drawing board.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Thanks madrooster.
ok I did a dummy search using qantas multi city, trial run just to have a feel.
based on choices avail, Here is the result, all J except Jq in Y
sin-doh Qr945
doh-bud Qr201
txl-hel Ay914
hel-ams Ay845
ams-lgw Ba2759
lgw-hkg Cx344
hkg-Mel Qf30
Mel-Adl Jq772

Total points 285,400. why did points go beyond 280k?

When I do the stage 2, more points would be tacked on. So when does it know to stop at 280k pts?

As well as swapping QF for JQ, where are your 5 stops? That is, anywhere you leave 24 hours or more after arriving.

 

[RoseD]

I did a dummy run again. Experimented on other routings and quite excited to see that as long as I broke no rules (like what you said – watch the airlines, stops, mileage, etc) the points top at 280k.

Say, I’m now happy with the routing and airlines provided by Qantas multi-city search, except for one segment say NRT-SYD, where QF was provided, but I prefer JL. I go to BA and I could see JL is available.

My next question is the execution. Do I go ahead and book all the segments bookable online except the QF flight I don’t like, then call Qantas to book the JL. OR do I bypass the online booking and just call? Which way is better?
Thanks again for your feedback.

 

[Danger]

I did a dummy run again. Experimented on other routings and quite excited to see that as long as I broke no rules (like what you said – watch the airlines, stops, mileage, etc) the points top at 280k.

Say, I’m now happy with the routing and airlines provided by Qantas multi-city search, except for one segment say NRT-SYD, where QF was provided, but I prefer JL. I go to BA and I could see JL is available.

My next question is the execution. Do I go ahead and book all the segments bookable online except the QF flight I don’t like, then call Qantas to book the JL. OR do I bypass the online booking and just call? Which way is better?
Thanks again for your feedback.

If you can book it all online then go for it. Booking over the phone will incur a fee.

With respect to the NRT-SYD flight, some disagree with me but I'm certain not all oneworld airlines always offer the same award seats to all members. This may be an example where JL has released seats to BA but not QF. Or it may be that BA is showing phantom availability. Or it may similar be a bug in the QF system in which case try calling QF first and ask if the agent can see availability. If so, tell the agent what you're trying to do and you may get lucky and have the fee waived. If the agent can't find the seat then it's not bookable (at least not at the moment) and I would advise securing what you can immediately. I think it's fair to say that often with these awards it's not possible to book everything in one hit due to varied releases of award seats. This means that people often incur the 5k change fee. So if you can otherwise get what you're chasing, grab it now.

 

[leer30]

If you can book it all online then go for it. Booking over the phone will incur a fee.

With respect to the NRT-SYD flight, some disagree with me but I'm certain not all oneworld airlines always offer the same award seats to all members. This may be an example where JL has released seats to BA but not QF. Or it may be that BA is showing phantom availability. Or it may similar be a bug in the QF system in which case try calling QF first and ask if the agent can see availability. If so, tell the agent what you're trying to do and you may get lucky and have the fee waived. If the agent can't find the seat then it's not bookable (at least not at the moment) and I would advise securing what you can immediately. I think it's fair to say that often with these awards it's not possible to book everything in one hit due to varied releases of award seats. This means that people often incur the 5k change fee. So if you can otherwise get what you're chasing, grab it now.

IIRC, JL and MH flights are not yet bookable online with Qantas multi city booking engine. I believe they will become available to be booked online in the next few months.

 

[exceladdict]

I believe they will become available to be booked online in the next few months.

That would be great news (although would also result in more seats being taken) - do you have a source?

 

[Guvner]

That would be great news (although would also result in more seats being taken) - do you have a source?

https://www.ausbt.com.au/qantas-plans-online-reward-bookings-for-malaysia-airlines-jal

 

[RoseD]

If you can book it all online then go for it. Booking over the phone will incur a fee.

With respect to the NRT-SYD flight, some disagree with me but I'm certain not all oneworld airlines always offer the same award seats to all members. This may be an example where JL has released seats to BA but not QF. Or it may be that BA is showing phantom availability. Or it may similar be a bug in the QF system in which case try calling QF first and ask if the agent can see availability. If so, tell the agent what you're trying to do and you may get lucky and have the fee waived. If the agent can't find the seat then it's not bookable (at least not at the moment) and I would advise securing what you can immediately. I think it's fair to say that often with these awards it's not possible to book everything in one hit due to varied releases of award seats. This means that people often incur the 5k change fee. So if you can otherwise get what you're chasing, grab it now.

Further to the execution process, say I got lucky and managed to book all segments online.
Do I then call Qantas for ticketing or ticketing happens automatically and sent to me via email?

Sometime later (trip hasn’t started yet) I found a better routing for one segment which is also bookable online.
How do I cancel the old segment and book the replacement segment? Do I do that thru “Manage your Booking” or do I call?

 

[snabbu]

Further to the execution process, say I got lucky and managed to book all segments online.
Do I then call Qantas for ticketing or ticketing happens automatically and sent to me via email?

Happens automatically. Each time I've successfully booked online I call up the following day to check with QF that all is well and ask how long the e-ticket should take to be issued.

Sometime later (trip hasn’t started yet) I found a better routing for one segment which is also bookable online.
How do I cancel the old segment and book the replacement segment? Do I do that thru “Manage your Booking” or do I call?

I don't have any first hand experience with this scenario (have only ever changed a ticket booked originally through the call centre) but I think you will need to call and accept the change fee.