"oneworld" award (132.4K/249.6K/318K/455K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

[lukelegend]

Hi All,

Is there a link or guide etc that lists "Qantas OneWorld Classic Award" itineraries of what people have done?

I read somewhere that you can also do 2 trips with a big gap in the middle if you start from Asia.

Trying to find more info,

Thanks

 

[motef]

Hi All,

Is there a link or guide etc that lists RTW itineraries of what people have done?

I read somewhere that you can also do 2 trips with a big gap in the middle if you start from Asia.

Trying to find more info,

Thanks

This is not a RTW award. It is a Qantas OneWorld Classic Award is a 'capped' award redemption that can be booked with your Qantas points. It covers a maximum of 35,000 miles of travel in Economy, Premium Economy, Business or First Class. It allows for up to 16 segments of travel with Qantas and OneWorld partner airlines. Two of which must be other than Qantas. In fact Qantas doesn't have to be included at all.

You do not have to go around the world. You must start and end in the same place. Noting in my intinerary I am starting NTL and finishing SYD (that is allowed but the distance between SYD and NTL is included in the 35K miles calculations), also note any surface sectors are included in the 35k miles. There are also restrictions on stopovers.

This is all very well covered in this thread, welcome to the fun.

I am planning

NTL-BNE -SIN
SIN-CMB-MLE
MLE-DOH-CDG
CDG-LHR
LHR -EDI (surface sector)
EDI-HEL-KTT
KTT-HEL-DOH-SYD

 

[jeza]

Hi All,

Is there a link or guide etc that lists "Qantas OneWorld Classic Award" itineraries of what people have done?

I read somewhere that you can also do 2 trips with a big gap in the middle if you start from Asia.

Trying to find more info,

Thanks

Welcome @lukelegend if I've done this right there should be a direct link below to a post on my OWA which does just this. If not you'll have to go back through the thread to last Sunday....

OWA 2 trips to Europe

 

[exceladdict]

I think that after literal years of following this thread, I have finally got my itinerary booked, though as posted here I'm still waiting for an e-ticket after booking last night and entering APIS info. Is this usual?

 

[ellen10]

I think that after literal years of following this thread, I have finally got my itinerary booked, though as posted here I'm still waiting for an e-ticket after booking last night and entering APIS info. Is this usual?

Congratulations @exceladdict on finally booking your itinerary, I know the relief feeling. I booked my trip late last year and my e-ticket came through within minutes. But lately everyone seems to be reporting delays. Good luck!

 

[flapper]

I think that after literal years of following this thread, I have finally got my itinerary booked, though as posted here I'm still waiting for an e-ticket after booking last night and entering APIS info. Is this usual?

They tell you the e-ticket will issue within 24 hours. Sometimes it takes minutes, sometimes an hour or two and other times a day or two. If you are concerned call/SMS when the 24 hours is up.

 

[motef]

I think that after literal years of following this thread, I have finally got my itinerary booked, though as posted here I'm still waiting for an e-ticket after booking last night and entering APIS info. Is this usual?

Whats your itinerary?

 

[adenda]

After also accumulating for years we've bitten the bullet and booked the following business class itinerary for May/June next year:

MEL-ADL-DOH-ZRH (14.5 hours in Q Suites!)
ZRH-MAD-LIM
LIM-MIA (Surface for now - waiting for AA to release seats)
MIA-LHR-BCN
BCN-DOH-KUL
KUL-MEL




After making some availability enquiries via phone ended up making the booking via SMS - which was straightforward but very slow. It's seemed quite likely that the agent I conversed with was carrying on simultaneous conversations with other customers - which is probably the most efficient way to get through several calls. The main advantage of the SMS system is that the wait time to make initial contact is only a few minutes vs. 3 hours as once quoted by the voice response system.
Anyway did lots of availability checks (mostly using BA website) before calling so already knew all sectors (except LIM-MIA) were available. Found I couldn't check availabilty on several sectors using the QF website until I worked out I need to use the multi-sector option with the sector of interest buried in the middle of the multi-sector query. Otherwise one-way searches wouldn't recognise most origins and destinations.

So very relieved to have it all booked and ticketed - e-ticket arrived within an hour or two. Had some fun with seat selection with QF website unable to do it for some other carriers. Two flights are with Iberai and whilst I could seemingly make selections for those flights they wouldn't stick reverting to the random selection already provided. I eventually got them all secured (except BA legs as they cost money) using the Finnair Manage Your Booking site.

Now just hoping I don't get any emails about cancelled/changed flights between now and next year!

 

[ellen10]

Well done @adenda looks like a great itinerary! I bet you feel very relieved.
I have an Iberia flight and I have not been able to select seats. You mentioned The Finnair site, did you have any flights with them?

 

[adenda]

No - just went to Finnair website clicked Manage entered family name (as they call it) and 6 character booking reference and Voila! - entire itinerary is presented in a very clear format. There is a Select your Seat button that will allow you to perform seat selection on SOME of your flights - if using several airlines. Fortunately it allowed seat selection on Iberia that stays put - or has so far (couple of weeks)

 

[flyingchicken]

Hey guys,

I have a fair chunk of my flights booked (just waiting on AA to open up for my dates).

Can someone just confirm for me - If I can see availability for a flight on AA website, but not on QF site (due to Bronze status) are they going to tell me they can't see these flights when I ring up to book? Has anyone had a similar conversation whilst booking? I'm looking for any kind of QF or AA business direct from US to SYD. I've got flexibility for where I leave from (LAX/DFW/JFK). I can see clear J availability for LAX-SYD on the 29th June. Hypothetically if I were to ring up and ask for that flight - what does the group think the response would be from Qantas staff?

I didn't think about how my Bronze status would affect my ability to get back to aus until now.

The puzzle continues. Thank you for your continued help!

 

[flapper]

Hey guys,

I have a fair chunk of my flights booked (just waiting on AA to open up for my dates).

Can someone just confirm for me - If I can see availability for a flight on AA website, but not on QF site (due to Bronze status) are they going to tell me they can't see these flights when I ring up to book? Has anyone had a similar conversation whilst booking? I'm looking for any kind of QF or AA business direct from US to SYD. I've got flexibility for where I leave from (LAX/DFW/JFK). I can see clear J availability for LAX-SYD on the 29th June. Hypothetically if I were to ring up and ask for that flight - what does the group think the response would be from Qantas staff?

I didn't think about how my Bronze status would affect my ability to get back to aus until now.

The puzzle continues. Thank you for your continued help!

I've had the same thing happen with IB flights showing on BA website and not QF. There is no harm in calling or SMSing and asking. I even had luck on an IB flight that wasn't showing on BA. They can only say no.

 

[ellen10]

No - just went to Finnair website clicked Manage entered family name (as they call it) and 6 character booking reference and Voila! - entire itinerary is presented in a very clear format. There is a Select your Seat button that will allow you to perform seat selection on SOME of your flights - if using several airlines. Fortunately it allowed seat selection on Iberia that stays put - or has so far (couple of weeks)

@adenda I logged in to the Finnair site. But when I select the "seat selection" button it goes now where, I've tried it several times but doesn't work unfortunately. I guess we will have to wait until flights.

 

[flapper]

@adenda I logged in to the Finnair site. But when I select the "seat selection" button it goes now where, I've tried it several times but doesn't work unfortunately. I guess we will have to wait until flights.

I tried the AY website too. I could only get seat selection on my longhaul AY flight and not the shorthaul one. I could not select seats on any other airline including IB and QR.
My AY flight is to the US on an A330. Has anyone flown on this aircraft? I am travelling alone. Is it better to have a "throne seat" or a single seat on the other side. I know you get all the extra storage with a throne seat but some reviews say the footwell is smaller on the throne seats as it is squeezed between the two seats in front and can be a tight fit. Any opinions appreciated.

 

[exceladdict]

They tell you the e-ticket will issue within 24 hours. Sometimes it takes minutes, sometimes an hour or two and other times a day or two. If you are concerned call/SMS when the 24 hours is up.

Almost 24 hours to the minute, I received an email "Confirmation and E-Ticket", though there's no e-ticket number anywhere in the PDF. However, on the JAL site it now says 'ticketed' against the itinerary; the 'resend tax invoice' button now works on QF MMB, and the e-ticket number appears on MH manage my booking.

Whats your itinerary?

I'm very excited about this. Skip this next bit if you want to be surprised when I write the Trip Review(s)

2x J seats for all except the domestic Japan and SIN-KUL route.
First Chunk:
MNL-NRT/HND-KIX(JL)| HND-HKG-PER (CX)
Second Chunk:
PER-SIN-KUL-NRT (QF/MH)| NRT-SEA (JL)| SFO-MEL-PER (QF)

Excited to be flying JL J for the first time, and to try long haul QF J for the first time as well.

Taxes approx $600pp thanks to the MNL point of origin. Interestingly I was originally looking at QF options to the US, which was pricing probably $150pp lower in total than going via Asia, but this is where I encountered all the phantom availability (eg SYD/BNE/SFO showing but not BNE/SFO; and it errors out before reaching credit card payment page). This was the most frustrating part of the whole experience.

All of the above to show that even as a lowly NB, it's still possible to get 2x in J in busy periods if you're willing to invest the hours in researching and booking it.

 

[flapper]

Today I used the call back to make a change to my OWA and the operator wanted to charge a 4,000 pts "administration fee"on top of the 5,000 change fee. I thought she meant the 8,000 pts service fee they always try to incorrectly charge on my J booking. She said no this is different. I asked why I had never been charged it before and she said they probably waived it. So she said she would waive it too. Has anyone else had this 4,000 pts "administration fee" and knows what it is for? It was the SA call centre but she made the changes without much fuss and knew about the OWA. A first for me with the SA call centre.
I used the call back as I had the SMS and call back on the go. Luckily call back was only 2 hours. The SMS took 5 hours, yes 5 hours to respond after yesterday taking 5 mins.
The ticket resissued after a few minutes but the extra points haven't come out yet.

 

[rmcmahon]

Is anybody else having issues adding legs with partner airlines that are more than 353 days in the future?

I’ve now had 2 customer service representatives tell me that it’s not possible (even though the JAL seats are available, and I added legs in this manner earlier in the booking process). When it was just one I thought it was a case of a misinformed rep. Now I’m hoping there’s nothing more to it!

 

[flapper]

Is anybody else having issues adding legs with partner airlines that are more than 353 days in the future?

I’ve now had 2 customer service representatives tell me that it’s not possible (even though the JAL seats are available, and I added legs in this manner earlier in the booking process). When it was just one I thought it was a case of a misinformed rep. Now I’m hoping there’s nothing more to it!

I bet it was the SA call centre. I’ve had them tell me that too. It’s wrong, wrong, wrong. Try SMS service they are generally more knowledgeable or ask to be put through to the premium call centre. Last time I tried that though they claimed it wasn’t open at that time.

 

[rmcmahon]

I bet it was the SA call centre. I’ve had them tell me that too. It wrong, wrong, wrong. Try SMS service they are generally more knowledgeable or ask to be put through to the premium call centre. Last time I tried that though they claimed it wasn’t open at that time.

They’ve now agreed to put it through as a ‘one-time courtesy’. So clearly they can see that it’s possible...

Sadly this is the SMS line - if only you could add legs online!!!

 

[flyingchicken]

They’ve now agreed to put it through as a ‘one-time courtesy’. So clearly they can see that it’s possible...

Sadly this is the SMS line - if only you could add legs online!!!

I get why they make it hard, but I still wish that changes were able to be made via the online method. I like to be in control of my own bookings