"oneworld" award inspiration

[Stevo.1702]

Hi all,

I have spent a long time digesting the vast amounts of information on booking Oneworld award tickets. My partner and I are planning an RTW award trip for our honeymoon in early 2023. I believe I have a grasp on the rules and common challenges when booking but the biggest issue we are facing is decision paralysis on what to do.

We are hoping that we may be able to source some inspiration & recommendations of where to go and how to get there.

A little about what we like:

• Would prefer to avoid locations that are destination cities in their own right. e.g. New York would be a feature destination in the future so we avoid it this time.
• We want to see places we may not otherwise visit in the future on specific trips/holidays.
• We have flow QF J but no other OW long haul J/F. Definitely want to try others that are recommended.
• We have enough leave for four stopover locations (close to a week in each destination - but flexible)
• One destination we would like is a beach resort-style. Do nothing but sleep, swim and eat.
• One destination somewhere continental Europe.
• One destination somewhere in US/CAN.

We have enough pts to book 2xF awards with a little leftover. Is this good value over J or even possible for 2 pax? We are in our late 20's so happy with high-paced locations and quick turnarounds. We love nature but are also very apt at foreign language city subways. I am an av geek so the airports and flights are half the experience for me.

What are your favourite destinations that work well with a Oneworld itinerary? Recommendations for airline/airport/route/aircraft/itineraries/stopover/surface segments are all fantastic. What have you loved?

We are also hopeful for any hidden gem accommodation suggestions. Slight preference for Marriot as I will hopefully have a soft landing to Platinum and 300k pts to use. I also hold a good amount of cancelled Qantas Hotel vouchers for stays anywhere else.



I know I've been super vague but I will continue to share how this trip shapes up and of course, share a Trip Report when the time comes. My attitude is: we have the time, the excuse, the points and the opportunity. We want to do it all but we just can't commit to one plan. I thought about saving it for a future date but who knows what value the points will be down the line and if we will be able to justify such a trip when life gets in the way.

Happy Friday!
Stevo

 

[RichardMEL]

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials!

some vague response thoughts from this peanut gallery:

1. You would definitely want to try QR and CX J (or F) and probably avoiding if possible BA if possible. AY J is decent enough and HEL is a great transit point imo.
2. For USA/Canada if you don't want "Destinations" that knocks out obvious places like NYC, Vegas, SF/LA and maybe Chicago and say Toronto/Vancouver but you could definitely use these bigger places as stepping off points. eg Toronto or NYC to go to Niagra, Vancouver to head up to the Canadian rockies (maybe Canadian Mountaineer? Banff ?) if early 2023, that will be the winter in the north, so factor that in.
3. Continental Europe - again you could base at a hub/large place you can get seats to like FRA/MAD/CDG etc and potentially go anywhere pretty easily via rail. Perhaps looking to the Zermat(?) rail journey in Switzerland is quite beautiful as an option, or checking out smaller cities in europe. AGain noting season it will be winter season for them so less touristy, but places like Prague, Berlin or wherever may also be rather chilly

I've got no other initial thoughts except to say that how exciting to have such a potentially broad palette to start off your married life with. Lovely!

 

[Stevo.1702]

Is 2xQR seats possible. Reading recent commentary it seems this is difficult?

Is AA from NZ a commonly used route? The Rockies we have definitely talked about and think if we stay west coast then we don't need to do RTW and maybe CX from Vancouver over to Europe?

 

[jase05]

Is 2xQR seats possible. Reading recent commentary it seems this is difficult?

Is AA from NZ a commonly used route? The Rockies we have definitely talked about and think if we stay west coast then we don't need to do RTW and maybe CX from Vancouver over to Europe?

QR is definitely possible from everywhere except to and from Australia it seems. Tons of availability from Asian ports especially.

 

[andye]

BA has high surcharges but their new long-haul J product is supposed to be decent. They often have reasonable availability too

 

[Stevo.1702]

BA has high surcharges but their new long-haul J product is supposed to be decent. They often have reasonable availability too

I think I recall reading if you avoid starting or stopping in LHR it's ok. Continental Europe to elsewhere would avoid this?

We have been to Singapore and loved it.

 

[andye]

I think I recall reading if you avoid starting or stopping in LHR it's ok. Continental Europe to elsewhere would avoid this?

We have been to Singapore and loved it.

There are two components
One is the UK Departure Tax which is for all airlines with trips starting in UK (except a few regional airports like Inverness) which is hefty for premium long-haul
The other is the'fuel surcharges' which are quite high on BA

 

[Doctore1003]

JAL F is a great experience and you can either have Japan as a stopover (skiing? cherry blossoms?) or use the airline to fly to the USA or Europe.

 

[ozflier]

Hi all,

I have spent a long time digesting the vast amounts of information on booking Oneworld award tickets. My partner and I are planning an RTW award trip for our honeymoon in early 2023. I believe I have a grasp on the rules and common challenges when booking but the biggest issue we are facing is decision paralysis on what to do.

We are hoping that we may be able to source some inspiration & recommendations of where to go and how to get there.

A little about what we like:

• Would prefer to avoid locations that are destination cities in their own right. e.g. New York would be a feature destination in the future so we avoid it this time.
• We want to see places we may not otherwise visit in the future on specific trips/holidays.
• We have flow QF J but no other OW long haul J/F. Definitely want to try others that are recommended.
• We have enough leave for four stopover locations (close to a week in each destination - but flexible)
• One destination we would like is a beach resort-style. Do nothing but sleep, swim and eat.
• One destination somewhere continental Europe.
• One destination somewhere in US/CAN.

We have enough pts to book 2xF awards with a little leftover. Is this good value over J or even possible for 2 pax? We are in our late 20's so happy with high-paced locations and quick turnarounds. We love nature but are also very apt at foreign language city subways. I am an av geek so the airports and flights are half the experience for me.

What are your favourite destinations that work well with a Oneworld itinerary? Recommendations for airline/airport/route/aircraft/itineraries/stopover/surface segments are all fantastic. What have you loved?

We are also hopeful for any hidden gem accommodation suggestions. Slight preference for Marriot as I will hopefully have a soft landing to Platinum and 300k pts to use. I also hold a good amount of cancelled Qantas Hotel vouchers for stays anywhere else.



I know I've been super vague but I will continue to share how this trip shapes up and of course, share a Trip Report when the time comes. My attitude is: we have the time, the excuse, the points and the opportunity. We want to do it all but we just can't commit to one plan. I thought about saving it for a future date but who knows what value the points will be down the line and if we will be able to justify such a trip when life gets in the way.

Happy Friday!
Stevo

Stevo,
Excellent subject - I will be able to throw in some thoughts from the older aspect.
The OWA opens up travel and destination options that are not easily achieved from revenue fares or point to point trips .Great to hear other suggestions .
Sure there is a OW RTW paid fare that covers many of the same if not more destinations but it is at least $10K if i remember correctly.

 

[ozflier]

I think I recall reading if you avoid starting or stopping in LHR it's ok. Continental Europe to elsewhere would avoid this?

We have been to Singapore and loved it.

Arriving in UK not an issue with the British APD nor is a transit ( ie < 24 hours). Destinations less than 2,000 miles much cheaper than those above that figure .
Inverness was mentioned before as a potential UK departure point that is exempt from the APD -this is correct I believe lots of Scots start their longer journeys after a direct connection with Amsterdam!

 

[RichardMEL]

Another random thought I had for the US... I would look for some transcon routes like MIA-LAX to include which usually operate in 777/787 on some flights so should have both better availability and a much nicer product than a domestic 32x/737. Further in the US winter FL, as feral as it can be, can offer some interest - eg going to the Keys. At the least using one of these transcons may be an option. DFW-LAX can also be an option on a widebody as a connection (all on AA).

Depending on your(both of you) interests perhaps a place like New Orleans might be interesting/fun for the Jazz scene, atmosphere etc.

just some random ideas I had while going for a walk

 

[Matt_01]

If you decide to go in F, I would be maximising the sectors you can get in and I usually look for 4 or better and booking for 2 is possible. As for the av geek side try to get F flights from the carriers home port as the F lounges are normally better. If QF have the a380s going back through SIN by the time you travel you may be able to get F to SIN. You could use MH to one of the Asian countries for the beach resort. Fly to Japan which is also a great place to visit or just connect to the JL F to CDG. The F lounge in HND was rebuilt in late 2019. From Europe you could look at BA F to get to the US, we prefer the NE side and it is normally relatively easy to get a couple of F seats to BOS. As others mentioned BA taxes are high and if you start from the EU you will avoid the London Tax and get to visit the Concord Room. You could either base in BOS for the week or as @RichardMEL suggested head up to Niagra. When we were last in this neck of the woods we flew BOF-BUF used a driver service to take us to Niagra (cheap and easy) then another driver to YYZ (also cheep) and flew to YQB. Quebec is a nice spot and depending of the dates the Quebec Winter Carnival my be open it is normally held mid Jan to mid Feb. You can get back to JFK and either overnight in the TWA hotel and then catch F back HND of HKG (if you can get 2 seats with CX). From their one of these places either fly back to AU or if avail go back through SIN to connect to QF F. You should be able to get all the flights with OW carriers with the exception of the Canada flights.

Also if you book a rewards flight prior to 28 Feb 22 you can change it for international flights through to 31 Dec 21 without paying the points change fees. Simply Book "an international Classic Flight Reward before 28 February 2022 and you can change or cancel free of charge until 31 December 2022."

All the best.

 

[Stevo.1702]

Another random thought I had for the US... I would look for some transcon routes like MIA-LAX to include which usually operate in 777/787 on some flights so should have both better availability and a much nicer product than a domestic 32x/737.

Depending on your(both of you) interests perhaps a place like New Orleans might be interesting/fun for the Jazz scene, atmosphere etc.

Thank you for these. We'll add them to the mind map.

 

[Stevo.1702]

If you decide to go in F, I would be maximising the sectors you can get in and I usually look for 4 or better and booking for 2 is possible. As for the av geek side try to get F flights from the carriers home port as the F lounges are normally better. If QF have the a380s going back through SIN by the time you travel you may be able to get F to SIN. You could use MH to one of the Asian countries for the beach resort. Fly to Japan which is also a great place to visit or just connect to the JL F to CDG. The F lounge in HND was rebuilt in late 2019. From Europe you could look at BA F to get to the US, we prefer the NE side and it is normally relatively easy to get a couple of F seats to BOS. As others mentioned BA taxes are high but you will avoid the London Tax and get to visit the Concord Room. You could either base in BOS for the week or as @RichardMEL suggested head up to Niagra. When we were last in this neck of the woods we flew BOF-BUF used a driver service to take us to Niagra (cheap and easy) then another driver to YYZ (also cheep) and flew to YQB. Quebec is a nice spot and depending of the dates the Quebec Winter Carnival my be open it is normally held mid Jan to mid Feb. You can get back to JFK and either overnight in the TWA hotel and then catch F back HND of HKG (if you can get 2 seats with CX). From their one of these places either fly back to AU or if avail go back through SIN to connect to QF F. You should be able to get all the flights with OW carriers with the exception of the Canada flights.

Also if you book a rewards flight prior to 28 Feb 22 you can change it for international flights through to 31 Dec 21 without paying the points change fees. Simply Book "an international Classic Flight Reward before 28 February 2022 and you can change or cancel free of charge until 31 December 2022."

All the best.

Concord room would definitely be a highlight for me.

Do the JL/BA flights traditionally have access to 2xF? I feel quite pessimistic that I'll be able to find many options with 2 seats.

I really appreciate the JL/CX idea from US. I'll have a search on where there F products may fly onwards to Asia. Hopefully results available today will be somewhat indicative of what travel will be like 12+months from now.

 

[Doctore1003]

Just be careful about phantom JAL F availability shown on the QF website. I was having problems with this a few weeks ago. Use the AA site to confirm availability.

 

[Stevo.1702]

Just be careful about phantom JAL F availability shown on the QF website. I was having problems with this a few weeks ago. Use the AA site to confirm availability.

I did spot you mentioning that on the 'master' thread.

Ill be sure to check availability and call pretty much as soon as I see them released and available

 

[Matt_01]

Concord room would definitely be a highlight for me.

Do the JL/BA flights traditionally have access to 2xF? I feel quite pessimistic that I'll be able to find many options with 2 seats.

I really appreciate the JL/CX idea from US. I'll have a search on where there F products may fly onwards to Asia. Hopefully results available today will be somewhat indicative of what travel will be like 12+months from now.

I have found x2 F with JL and BA with regularity and have been able to book so not phantom availability. From what I have seen when planning it appears to be easier to get JL F to CDG or LHR than the other way. JL F to or from JFK is pretty much the same is either direction. BA to the US may take some working, if you have a subscription to EF that may be your friend. From my searching BA release F seats on certain flights and sometimes on certain days of the week so a search on a single day may show no availability were as a day or 2 earlier or later may have availability and the pattern seemed to be pretty consistent. BA also seem to occasionally release flights that you may not expect, when I was booking for Sep 22 I noticed SYD-SIN in F on BA16 at first I thought this was phantom availability but after calling QF they said it was available so I booked it, I guess I was just lucky. CX is problematic it is often easy to find 1 F seat but not 2, CX award seats dried up a few years back and there were threads discussing this at the time.

Booking OWA in F was always tricky but could be done. I have done them before for 2 PAX, the last one that did not go ahead was for Apr 20, I had booked for Apr 22 but since canceled and now have bookings for Sep/Oct 22. It is getting harder than it used to be.

 

[Stevo.1702]

I have signed up for EF today. I have read a lot of good things when used right and it seems it will be worth the investment for me.

It looks though the BA system is having some issues at the moment. EF is saying they can't show much until BA has their back end sorted.

How would you recommend getting to HND/NRT most comfortably? Not sure if we will have time for both Singapore and Japan visits but I'm open to staying in Tokyo and getting there via SIN (or elsewhere) if it means an additional F leg. A quick look shows only J class between the two?

 

[Matt_01]

I have signed up for EF today. I have read a lot of good things when used right and it seems it will be worth the investment for me.

If you have just signed up to EF take some time during the free period to explore and ensure it will met your needs. When I was travelling all the time EF was very handy but if just subscribing to find awards seats it has some limitations. I am mainly a OW traveler, straight off the bat JL and CX are not displayed on EF, other OW carriers reward inventory may show as available but may not be available on QFF, sometimes QF agents know how to find them others do not. From memory EF can only search to around 330 days in advance which is another limitation however the alerts are quite helpful as carriers may release award inventory at any time closer to travel. As for the BA issue this may be new as it used to work, also EK searches were broken for a while but now seems to show J award inventory but not F. I am assuming this has something to do with EK changes that cut off F award inventory to most partners but not QF. I have had a subscription for years and have come to learn EF's limitations, it still works for what I am after so will continue my subscription.

 

[andye]

I'm guessing the BA problem is due to their whole Avios IT system being offline for a few days recently for an upgrade (enhancement?)