OneWorld Awards: Total Segment Distance to be used in Calculations from Sept 1

[serfty]

oneworld® Award Ticket Routing Rules

Routing Restrictions
oneworld awards are based on actual miles flown. For tickets issued on or after September 1, 2008, all flights, including connections of less than 24 hours, are included in the mileage calculation. For tickets issued on or before August 31, 2008, connections of less than 24 hours are not included in the mileage calculation.

 

[futaris]

Thankfully this is only applied to Oneworld awards and not Partner awards, so going the long way around the world to somewhere is still possible.

 

[serfty]

I believe these guys travelled on OW120F's.

 

[drron]

OK.Another note to self.Book OW awards before September.Now where are all those other notes?

 

[futaris]

Yep, and they're probably also the reason why the rule is coming into effect.

 

[simongr]

Hmm - this basically for me reduces the number f available award seats - the points cost of the trip is not that important but being able to go around and about creates availability where before there was none...

Shame really...

 

[Dave Noble]

Yeah well; that is what happens when a number of people abuse the generous nature of the awards

a small handfull screw it up for many

Dave

 

[wandering_fred]

Mileage discomfort would be minimal IF AA would allow reasonably priced one way partner awards...

Wandering seems to be getting more expensive

Fred

 

[Dave Noble]

Mileage discomfort would be minimal IF AA would allow reasonably priced one way partner awards...

Wandering seems to be getting more expensive

Fred

This doesn't affect partner awards at all but I do hear that there may be 1-way awards likely in the future

For OW awards, currently they are excellent value ( and will still be decent value after the change ) but it's a shame that a small number of eejits can ruin the benefits for all.

Dave

 

[wandering_fred]

I understand that the current "ruling" does not affect partner awards. My point is that a combination of OW and partner awards (if one way was available) along with cheaper local flights (eg QF in Australia) might produce a more consumer friendly outcome under the post 01 Sep system.

Especially with a number of airlines having very restricted biz award availablity and the alternatives sometimes a rather more indirect routing. Using AY from western Europe to Asia doesn't add very many miles. Other substitutions may not be so benign.

Just a lot more variables to consider when trying to get from A to B to C to D

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[Platy]

Yeah well; that is what happens when a number of people abuse the generous nature of the awards

a small handfull screw it up for many

Dave

I must say, Dave, that it seems a little harsh to put the blame on others (in somewhat derogatory terms) when:

1. You personally don't know why the airlines have made this decision
2. People are well within the current T&Cs to make such bookings
3. QF has repeatedly de-valued effective value of awards through decreasing earn rates and increasing burn rates, hardly a generous aproach to its frequent flyers (loyal customers).

Come to think of it, I suppose people daring to redeem points at all is a bit of a nuisance to QF...

 

[straitman]

I must say, Dave, that it seems a little harsh to put the blame on others (in somewhat derogatory terms) when:

1. You personally don't know why the airlines have made this decision
2. People are well within the current T&Cs to make such bookings
3. QF has repeatedly de-valued effective value of awards through decreasing earn rates and increasing burn rates, hardly a generous aproach to its frequent flyers (loyal customers).

Come to think of it, I suppose people daring to redeem points at all is a bit of a nuisance to QF...

Platy,

I'm glad someone else wrote this as I really didn't want to have another head to head with Dave at the moment.

All I can say is that I agree entirely with your sentiments as people (who should not be called names) only used the system provided.

 

[alect]

As simongr says, the most important use of the OW awards was to be able to create an itinerary with a longer routing but one which had availability when standard region-region availbility didn't exist.

Taking transpac as an example, AA has now effectively raised the cost of US-Aust awards because direct flights are extremely difficult to find availbility for in premium cabins, and so many would take circuituous routings tog et to Australia in order to be able to fly in premium cabins. This will now cost more miles (and we know QF won't be providing any more award availability on the direct flights).

I think very few people understood the "value" in the OW awards. And only a small portion of those would actually want to fly through many transit points for the heck of flying more - most do it because it's the only way to get to their destination.

 

[Platy]

As simongr says, the most important use of the OW awards was to be able to create an itinerary with a longer routing but one which had availability when standard region-region availbility didn't exist.

..so we are back to the fact that the QF and partners are disinclined to make seats available for redemption (at least without imposing an ever increasing premium on the trusty customer)...

..aren't these partner awards also harder to locate and book with the new online booking system forcing people into the furtehr additional cost of a telephone booking fee...

 

[Dave Noble]

..so we are back to the fact that the QF and partners are disinclined to make seats available for redemption (at least without imposing an ever increasing premium on the trusty customer)...

..aren't these partner awards also harder to locate and book with the new online booking system forcing people into the furtehr additional cost of a telephone booking fee...

The availability of regular award inventory is the same for AA member as for QF members

If, say, travelling from Australia-USA, the regular awards require that you travel directly from South Pacific - North America whilst the OW awards allow you to take any routing that has availability ( e.g. SYD-HKG-LAX or SYD-LHR-LAX )

The partner J award for SYD-LAX is 125k return; the SYD-LAX OW r/t award is currently 130k ... with new rules this will now be dependant on routing; eg SYD-HKG-LAX and back will be 150k

Partner awards for AA for travel on non AA flights has to be done by phone however AA does not charge a telephone booking fee in Australia for these award

Dave

 

[drron]

Theoretically award availability on one OW airline is available to all but not in practise.I have posted before on my experience gettin an award ticket in J BNE-JFK for late June.Not easy as school holidays begin last week of June.Obviously no direct to the USA awards in J.QF had 2-3 days availability BNE-NRT each way.AA had offpeak milesAAver awards each day NRT-JFK.As I reported QF could not access these(online or by phone) and none were available on JL.However I did before booking 2 separate awards ring AA for a OW 130000 award and they had no availability BNE-NRT on JL or QF for the days I subsequently booked.I could have made her fly BNE-SYD-HKG-NRT-JFK but that is not her idea of fun.

 

[flyingzzzds]

As simongr says, the most important use of the OW awards was to be able to create an itinerary with a longer routing but one which had availability when standard region-region availbility didn't exist.

As one of "those people" that have flown around the World on an AA issued OW award just to get from Oz to USA, I can assure you that, even in F, the food and wine are not that good that I would have done this just for the joy of flying further. I searched for months to get our BNE-OGG-BNE itinerary to work and this was put together based on the ONLY flight we could get out of Australia in a premium cabin and the ONLY flight back into Australia in a premium cabin within a month window. We turned the "creative itinerary" into a positive and made the most of it but would have jumped at a direct SYD-LAX flight if given the option. As it was we had to fly to LHR on Christmas Day to get an F award seat out of Oz at all and had to fly back from NRT on JL - something that I will never chose to do again!

Ironically it was one very helpful AA Plat Desk agent that highlighted the fact to me that she could get availability out of Oz and into OGG if we were prepared to "keeping flying for five days". Granted she probably didn't expect me to say "ok".

This has been one of those "legal loopholes" that we share knowledge of here and I always expected to be brought in line with the other OW airlines at some stage. Surely every person that books a A/DONEx from a "creative" country of origin/ticketing is not seen as "abusing" the system.

Time to start working on our next trip. Somehow I doubt there will be a direct routing available, so I better get this booked before September!