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

[Mr H]

So I am doing a lot of dummy searchs in preparation for when seats open in a couple of months. Even if I wanted to fly in March 2024 there is no way I can find any availabilty. I've read about these services where somone books your flight and wondering if anyone has done that and what it costs? Or direct me to a thread..

However, I'm happy to keep looking myself but the search engines Qantas / JL / BA etc are so slow to search day by day etc is there a better site or method?

For J flights out of Australia, you pretty much have to book them the day they are released, so no need to search multiple days unless you really want to. The QF multi-city search engine is the one to go for as that is most likely to show what is available for Qantas OWAs. You are correct that it is not easy to plan award itineraries. This works to our advantage - if it were easier then more people would be competing for the scarce availability.

 

[PaulyB]

if it were easier then more people would be competing for the scarce availability.

Blimey! Never thought of it that way before! Thank you QANTAS!!

 

[melbkate]

For J flights out of Australia, you pretty much have to book them the day they are released, so no need to search multiple days unless you really want to. The QF multi-city search engine is the one to go for as that is most likely to show what is available for Qantas OWAs. You are correct that it is not easy to plan award itineraries. This works to our advantage - if it were easier then more people would be competing for the scarce availability.

Yes that is what I did previously but even doing dummy searches now on day of release I can't find anything so am not feeling hopeful once the time comes I will be able to

 

[melbkate]

Hi… AFF has an associated company that searches and books flights for you! Award Flight Assist - Frequent Flyer Solutions

Yes I took a look is there a thread with experiences using this?

 

[Rich]

Hello all I am seeking tactical advice for how to book a J OWA for June 2024 Melbourne to Italy or France via Helsinki ok.

The last one I had booked for this year I lost my QR flights and they could not be reinstated so now we are only going as far as Japan.

So I am doing a lot of dummy searchs in preparation for when seats open in a couple of months. Even if I wanted to fly in March 2024 there is no way I can find any availabilty. I've read about these services where somone books your flight and wondering if anyone has done that and what it costs? Or direct me to a thread..

However, I'm happy to keep looking myself but the search engines Qantas / JL / BA etc are so slow to search day by day etc is there a better site or method?

thanks

The other thing you can try if doing yourself is to use multi city search. Tick flexible with all dates and it will bring up a calendar view. Unfortunately it will include options you don't want and can't filter out, but it is better than a day at a time.

 

[PaulyB]

Hello. Is there a high chance success method to have an award seat and paying passenger seated together on a QF flight? They can select their seats of course but there is still the potential they would be separated as it is a separate booking. Thnks!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yes I took a look is there a thread with experiences using this?

Don’t have direct experience, but given it’s linked directly to AFF I’d be happy to give them a go!

Post automatically merged: Mar 25, 2023

Hello. Is there a high chance success method to have an award seat and paying passenger seated together on a QF flight? They can select their seats of course but there is still the potential they would be separated as it is a separate booking. Thnks!

I think you’d have a pretty good chance, barring any operational issues, that the seats will stick together. No reason for them not to.

 

[PaulyB]

I think you’d have a pretty good chance, barring any operational issues, that the seats will stick together. No reason for them not to.

Ahh - thanks. Good to know

 

[flapper]

That is not something I have heard before, but it is understandable since it ties up an operator for literally hours on hold waiting for ticketing. Inevitably this will lead to more cancelled bookings that will require Award Escalations intervention to retrieve. It would be far easier and more cost effective to set up a ticketing system that worked. Other airlines manage to do it.

A major problem is the ticketing, HBA and AKL can get through to ticketing in 15mins for the OS CC it's 2 hours+. Many don't want to wait and fob you off with the standard 24-48 hours or if they do wait the call more often than not drops out and they don't call back. I recently made 15 calls over 2 days after a minor time change by an airline. One agent even made me pay more taxes, I tried to argue it was an involuntary change but I really just wanted it tickted. I believe it only got ticketed after I emailed Markus Svensson.

 

[Bolt]

The 5 stopover part - Does that mean 5 stopovers plus your return stop for a total of 6, or is the return stop included in that count.

I've been really stuck with this part, as I know the return to point of origin is counted in the miles tally regardless, but I'm not so sure about how the return to point of origin is counted in terms of stopovers. This is important for itineraries where you don't intent to return to the point of origin.

 

[Mr H]

The 5 stopover part - Does that mean 5 stopovers plus your return stop for a total of 6, or is the return stop included in that count.

I've been really stuck with this part, as I know the return to point of origin is counted in the miles tally regardless, but I'm not so sure about how the return to point of origin is counted in terms of stopovers. This is important for itineraries where you don't intent to return to the point of origin.

I was told on here that it was five stops plus your final port, even if you are not returning to your point of origin.

 

[Bolt]

Can the QANTAS platinum reward availability request be made for fare class QTIA buckets on OneWorld Award tickets?

Not sure if it's been answered here before, but I couldn't find it on any of the FAQs

 

[Danger]

Can the QANTAS platinum reward availability request be made for fare class QTIA buckets on OneWorld Award tickets?

Not sure if it's been answered here before, but I couldn't find it on any of the FAQs

I'm not sure where you're getting "QTIA" from but the QF Platinum reward seat release benefit only applies to Qantas flights.

 

[DC3]

The 5 stopover part - Does that mean 5 stopovers plus your return stop for a total of 6, or is the return stop included in that count

The final destination is not a stop-over. It’s the end of the itinerary.

So, up-to five stop-overs are permitted (prior to the end of the itinerary)

 

[Bolt]

I'm not sure where you're getting "QTIA" from but the QF Platinum reward seat release benefit only applies to Qantas flights.

Q - International economy
T - International premium
I - International business
A - International first

Yes, it only applies to QANTAS flights.

My question is, can we use the QF Platinum reward seat release benefit for QANTAS flights as part of a OneWorld Award itinerary when using QANTAS points to do so?

 

[levelnine]

can we use the QF Platinum reward seat release benefit for QANTAS flights as part of a OneWorld Award itinerary when using QANTAS points to do so?

Yes.

 

[Danger]

Q - International economy
T - International premium
I - International business
A - International first

Yes, it only applies to QANTAS flights.

My question is, can we use the QF Platinum reward seat release benefit for QANTAS flights as part of a OneWorld Award itinerary when using QANTAS points to do so?

Buckets Q and I are also used domestically.

 

[lovedbymarylane]

Hi all, does anyone know whether flights booked in and out of different airports in the same city would count as a 'leg' or not?

We have a stopover in New York City, flying into JFK, but the only available OW award flights out to our next destination are out of Newark airport. Just wondering whether this would count as a surface sector as we are 'travelling' from JFK to EWR or whether it's all just considered to be "New York City".

 

[Mr H]

Hi all, does anyone know whether flights booked in and out of different airports in the same city would count as a 'leg' or not?

We have a stopover in New York City, flying into JFK, but the only available OW award flights out to our next destination are out of Newark airport. Just wondering whether this would count as a surface sector as we are 'travelling' from JFK to EWR or whether it's all just considered to be "New York City".

You are fine if the airports are deemed to be in the same city - that is not a surface sector. I don't know whether Newark still counts as NYC - I think I read it was being removed from the list of NYC airports and given its own city status.

 

[lovedbymarylane]

You are fine if the airports are deemed to be in the same city - that is not a surface sector. I don't know whether Newark still counts as NYC - I think I read it was being removed from the list of NYC airports and given its own city status.

Thank you - I'd totally missed the IATA change. Just looking into this now and Qantas still seems to deem it a NYC airport but it doesn't come up when you search for New York on the OW website - darn.