Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[exceladdict]

Thanks Jacques - this is nuts. I feel like i've stepped into a low-rent version of 1984. I'll try it with a flight different to the Iberia one and report back...

I just can't get my head around how bad a system this is. It's taken years to save these points up and I feel like a chronic beggar.

My Understanding is that calling just after the Australian call centre opens (6am est?) May get you a local operator. You could start the call by claiming that you have received inconsistency from their side, as opposed to blaming the denial of the rule directly. Ultimately you want it escalated to a manager. I think playing dumb being like "oh why isn't it working?!" As opposed to "this should work make it work" will get you more points.

That's how I got a flight home from JFK to PER via HEL, LHR, DOH and HKG back in USDM days... "It looks like the fastest way home..."

 

[bookworm]

Good Day,

I'm curious about opinions on AA & Latam. Which should I choose if I have the option? Thanking you all.

 

[JohnM]

Good Day,

I'm curious about opinions on AA & Latam. Which should I choose if I have the option? Thanking you all.

Which route(s), what class?

As a general rule in J, I don’t much like AA and I find LA pretty good.

 

[Economy_Gold]

Which route(s), what class?

As a general rule in J, I don’t much like AA and I find LA pretty good.

And to provide a perfect example of different tasts: I actually prefer AA in J over LA in J. Service can be hit and miss with both, but in my experience it happens much more often that staff on LA just deliver the minimum service and are rarely seen in the cabin except for the meal service.

 

[JohnM]

And to provide a perfect example of different tasts: I actually prefer AA in J over LA in J. Service can be hit and miss with both, but in my experience it happens much more often that staff on LA just deliver the minimum service and are rarely seen in the cabin except for the meal service.

Indeed. But IME, LA staff are never surly, which is a perennial risk on AA.

 

[bookworm]

Thank you so much.
I was looking at Economy from Las Vegas to Santiago (via DFW or MIA ).
Most likely last week of October 2020.

 

[Mactiho]

Awesome trips, where are your stop overs?

Hi mate,

All my surface sectors are below, just included them for counting miles.

DPS before RTW starts, TXL - DUB, YYZ - MIA, LIM - SCL, MEL (Live there), NRT, then a cheap flight back from DPS - MEL.

 

[Guvner]

Thanks for the replies, just finished the call with Qantas, successfully booked all tickets(that keeps giving me error 4002) over the phone. no phone service fee.

Still, don't know what error 4002 is, but who cares, I'm over the moon about this trip next year.

Well done! What were the "taxes" out of interest?

 

[rosstqz]

My Understanding is that calling just after the Australian call centre opens (6am est?) May get you a local operator. You could start the call by claiming that you have received inconsistency from their side, as opposed to blaming the denial of the rule directly. Ultimately you want it escalated to a manager. I think playing dumb being like "oh why isn't it working?!" As opposed to "this should work make it work" will get you more points.

That's how I got a flight home from JFK to PER via HEL, LHR, DOH and HKG back in USDM days... "It looks like the fastest way home..."

AHAHAA this made me laugh. Good on you.

I'm dealing with them primarily on FB because I don't have a lot of time to call. I get passed around from shift to shift and it seems I finally got handed to someone with capacity for some independent thought. She tells me they are "looking into the rules", it might take "a while" and they will get back to me.

They really ought to just have a rep in this forum!

But then again, they don't make money from redemptions......

THanks again, will update later. Researching different routes to try and just DIY, but damn what a time sink!

 

[DC3]

... They really ought to just have a rep in this forum! ...

Unfortunately, the horse has long since bolted on that one ….

 

[Azusa]

Hi,
Complete newbie here and have read quite a few pages on this thread already but unfortunately I am still very confused and overwhelmed by all the processes to plan for a OWA trip...

Like a lot of you husband and I now saved up enough points for a business class trip, our intention is to fly late August 2020 and the trip will span over 6 weeks.

What i gathered is that Qantas is raising their points for a business class fare on OWA in Sept which is not an issue for us (but obviously if there is savings to be had we would love that too)

Our plan is something like the below
MEL-ICN-PRG-MXP-MCO-DAD-MEL

So i am trying to use Qantas MultiCity booking tool for rewards bookings just to make sure the destinations followed the rules (based on Great Circle Mapper we are well within the miles) to say with the 280/314k points

Where i am stumped is, it appears that there are no OW flights available from Seoul to Prague, we are not hell bent on going to Seoul and attempted to change to Tokyo and the same thing happen where only Emirates is the only available airline.

the two asian cities in the start and at the end (Danang in Vietnam) are not cities we must visit but rather to go somewhere in asia to relax at a resort for a week at the end of the trip before returning home.

So my questions are:
1. Do you know which asian cities would have OW airlines flying to europe which business award flights are available?
2. I can see business class on single award flights are available from Orlando to Danang then Danang back to melbourne but when i try to put it in multi cities search it won't let me, do you know why?
3. Should we wait until all flights are available then book? or should we booked the first flights as soon as they became available and keep calling to add the later flights on with a charge of 5k pp each time we add? (if we do that and there are 4 additional flights that would mean an additional of 20k points pp I presume?)
4. Our intention is to fly out to an asian city, then spend sometime in europe (possibly make our way around different places ourselves) and then relax in a resort before returning home, how would you suggest to improve our itinerary if it doesn't look good to you?

thank you so much for your help, i also tried to call their call centre and its always a 4+ hours wait time, and their sms team does not seem to really care either...

 

[Captain Halliday]

Hi,
Complete newbie here and have read quite a few pages on this thread already but unfortunately I am still very confused and overwhelmed by all the processes to plan for a OWA trip...

Like a lot of you husband and I now saved up enough points for a business class trip, our intention is to fly late August 2020 and the trip will span over 6 weeks.

What i gathered is that Qantas is raising their points for a business class fare on OWA in Sept which is not an issue for us (but obviously if there is savings to be had we would love that too)

Our plan is something like the below
MEL-ICN-PRG-MXP-MCO-DAD-MEL

So i am trying to use Qantas MultiCity booking tool for rewards bookings just to make sure the destinations followed the rules (based on Great Circle Mapper we are well within the miles) to say with the 280/314k points

Where i am stumped is, it appears that there are no OW flights available from Seoul to Prague, we are not hell bent on going to Seoul and attempted to change to Tokyo and the same thing happen where only Emirates is the only available airline.

the two asian cities in the start and at the end (Danang in Vietnam) are not cities we must visit but rather to go somewhere in asia to relax at a resort for a week at the end of the trip before returning home.

So my questions are:
1. Do you know which asian cities would have OW airlines flying to europe which business award flights are available?
2. I can see business class on single award flights are available from Orlando to Danang then Danang back to melbourne but when i try to put it in multi cities search it won't let me, do you know why?
3. Should we wait until all flights are available then book? or should we booked the first flights as soon as they became available and keep calling to add the later flights on with a charge of 5k pp each time we add? (if we do that and there are 4 additional flights that would mean an additional of 20k points pp I presume?)
4. Our intention is to fly out to an asian city, then spend sometime in europe (possibly make our way around different places ourselves) and then relax in a resort before returning home, how would you suggest to improve our itinerary if it doesn't look good to you?

thank you so much for your help, i also tried to call their call centre and its always a 4+ hours wait time, and their sms team does not seem to really care either...

This OW map will help with question 1.

oneworld Online Timetable

I can’t help with 2. Sorry.

3. Yes, book when they become available.

4. Refer to the map. I find it really helpful to plan sectors in combination.

 

[ms1]

That's how I got a flight home from JFK to PER via HEL, LHR, DOH and HKG back in USDM days... "It looks like the fastest way home..."

Miss those days

 

[JohnM]

Thank you so much.
I was looking at Economy from Las Vegas to Santiago (via DFW or MIA ).
Most likely last week of October 2020.

I can’t comment on hiw they compare in whY but there may not be much in it.

 

[bookworm]

I can’t comment on hiw they compare in whY but there may not be much in it.

Thank you for your assistance.
No sooner had I reached 600K points, Qantas announced the increase for J. I'm not sure I can reach 656,000 by the time I book, which I figure is the minimum I need for 2 people, including 2 changes.Hence I've decided to book in Y.

Dummy booking during May & June 2020 indicate availability LAS-SCL in Y.
Guess will have to wait and see for (late October?) when the awards become available. ( I am QFF bronze)

I can't abide surliness, so might go with LA if the option is there.

Could not find anything out of EZE to PER.
Tried via LAX/JFK/HKG/AKL.
Managed to find availability to the US but kept getting error message to get to Perth.
Q1. Would greatly appreciate suggestions on this.

My plan is:
PER-SFO (CX)
LAS- SCL (AA/LA)
EZE-PER (???)

Q2. Can anyone kindly confirm that LAS is regarded as a stopover? ( I will be doing a surface sector SFO-LAS)

Travel from last week of Sept to 3rd week Nov 2020. Flexible with this though.

I would ideally like to add a few days in YVR if possible at the beginning of the trip. This will depend on CX availability to YVR & then AA to SFO. ( the latter proved problematic in dummy bookings)
Q3. Any suggestions for this?

Thank you all for your time; efforts and kind assistance.

 

[DC3]

… I can't abide surliness, so might go with LA if the option is there ...

AA has some great FA's by the way, as do many airlines.

 

[Danger]

Hi,
Complete newbie here and have read quite a few pages on this thread already but unfortunately I am still very confused and overwhelmed by all the processes to plan for a OWA trip...

. . .

1. Do you know which asian cities would have OW airlines flying to europe which business award flights are available?
2. I can see business class on single award flights are available from Orlando to Danang then Danang back to melbourne but when i try to put it in multi cities search it won't let me, do you know why?
3. Should we wait until all flights are available then book? or should we booked the first flights as soon as they became available and keep calling to add the later flights on with a charge of 5k pp each time we add? (if we do that and there are 4 additional flights that would mean an additional of 20k points pp I presume?)
4. Our intention is to fly out to an asian city, then spend sometime in europe (possibly make our way around different places ourselves) and then relax in a resort before returning home, how would you suggest to improve our itinerary if it doesn't look good to you?

thank you so much for your help, i also tried to call their call centre and its always a 4+ hours wait time, and their sms team does not seem to really care either...

Welcome to AFF, Azusa.

Captain Halliday's suggestion to use the route map is a great one. Remember that you don't have to fly direct between two cities. In fact, because you're travelling in Business, you'll ideally want to connect as many times as possible, just to get your money's worth. You won't be able to get to PRG out of Asia directly. Consider routing via DOH or travelling into MAD, HEL or LHR and connecting from there.

I think DAD is only served by KA which may make finding flights difficult. You may need to consider flying into SGN or SIN and taking separate flights as those ports are better served and, therefore, you stand a better chance of getting seats.

As mentioned, booked as soon as seats become available. The downside is you will be up for the change fee of 5K per person, per occurrence (not per change, just each time you make a change or changes). And as you are looking at departing in late August 2020 for six weeks, you won't be able to book everything before the cost of the award goes up. Expect to ultimately pay the new, higher price, in addition to the change fees.

. . .

Q2. Can anyone kindly confirm that LAS is regarded as a stopover? ( I will be doing a surface sector SFO-LAS)

This is increasingly becoming a YMMV. Until Qantas better educates its staff, you just have to hope that logic prevails and SFO/LAS is viewed as one single stopover.

 

[cjd600]

And as you are looking at departing in late August 2020 for six weeks, you won't be able to book everything before the cost of the award goes up. Expect to ultimately pay the new, higher price, in addition to the change fees.

I thought bookings "created up to 17 September" would retain the 280k cost, even if changed/added to/finalised post this date?

 

[DC3]

I thought bookings "created up to 17 September" would retain the 280k cost, even if changed/added to/finalised post this date?

Not that I'm aware of ... 318,000 points from 18th September for Business award. New bookings or changes will trigger the new rate.

Anyway, still a month left for ticketing.

 

[JohnM]

AA has some great FA's by the way, as do many airlines.

I certainly wasn’t suggesting all AA FAs are surly - merely that IME, the risk of encountering it is greater on AA.