Oneworld booking but not all Oneworld!

[roomer]

Recently I booked a return trip to Houston from Adelaide using the Qantas site and accepted the various alternatives offered for my dates chosen.

Turns out on the return journey the IAH - LAX flight was with United Airways which had mechanical issues such that we missed our connecting evening flight home. ( a 5am departure from IAH the next morning for a 11pm departure in LAX)

I had assumed as that I made the booking with Qantas all the benefits associated with doing so would flow on. But no! Not quite. Whilst our luggage eventually arrived at our final destination along with us , we parted company the night of the aborted flight. ( never been so glad to pack spare underwear / top in my carry on). Moreover we discovered because U A is not part of oneworld, we had no boarding pass for LAX - ADL, meaning we couldnt get that until 6pm the next evening in LAX ( no access to lounge without it!)

Adding insult to injury was that because we were flying with United, we missed out on earning status and frequent flyer points ! I had assumed that because I’d booked with Qantas I’d be getting QFF points for all of the flights ( as had happened many times before)

So moral of the story don’t assume !

PS Qantas were great in compensating us for the inconvenience ( though don’t bother speaking with them over the phone, a polite registered letter to them gets you in contact with the right people)

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Adding insult to injury was that because we were flying with United, we missed out on earning status and frequent flyer points ! I had assumed that because I’d booked with Qantas I’d be getting QFF points for all of the flights ( as had happened many times before)

Were the points you received in the past from oneworld or partner airlines or codeshare flights?

 

[GoldCanyon340]

So moral of the story don’t assume !

I apply that to everything in life, not just travel

 

[roomer]

Were the points you received in the past from oneworld or partner airlines or codeshare flights?

They must have been oneworld. I’d never given it much thought before. I thought if I booked via Qantas, the flights they would offer up would earn points. I didn’t know that was possible, I thought that what they were proffering would all be one world partners. Hence my post to others who may have assumed the same

 

[AIRwin]

I just did a dummy booking on the Qantas website for IAH to ADL and if you click on the fare, it expands with details of Qantas points/status credits, change/cancellation fees, baggage allowance, etc. Where one of the segments includes a United Airlines (not Airways) flight, the Qantas points/status credits show "-" separately under the UA icon...

 

[roomer]

I just did a dummy booking on the Qantas website for IAH to ADL and if you click on the fare, it expands with details of Qantas points/status credits, change/cancellation fees, baggage allowance, etc. Where one of the segments includes a United Airlines (not Airways) flight, the Qantas points/status credits show "-" separately under the UA icon...

Good to know! Thanks

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Good to know! Thanks

And remember some oneworld fares will not accrue QF points or status credits. If you know the selling class of your fare (F, J, Y, W, K, N, O, Q etc.) you can check here Frequent Flyer - Flying Qantas and Partner Airlines - Flying with Qantas & Jetstar - Earning Qantas Points

 

[Himeno]

I'm confused how anyone could not know when they aren't on a oneworld aircraft.
All oneworld aircraft have the oneworld logo next to the boarding doors.

and UA would have star alliance logos all over the place.

 

[roomer]

I'm confused how anyone could not know when they aren't on a oneworld aircraft.
All oneworld aircraft have the oneworld logo next to the boarding doors.

and UA would have star alliance logos all over the place.

I’m talkng about when I made the booking! I’d previously booked used the Qantas site and had chosen what was offered up with no problems and had taken it for granted that it would be a given that the flight options would be with the one world family. Thought there may be others thinking the same.

 

[roomer]

And remember some oneworld fares will not accrue QF points or status credits. If you know the selling class of your fare (F, J, Y, W, K, N, O, Q etc.) you can check here Frequent Flyer - Flying Qantas and Partner Airlines - Flying with Qantas & Jetstar - Earning Qantas Points

Cheers thanks for that

 

[Austman]

Moreover we discovered because U A is not part of oneworld, we had no boarding pass for LAX - ADL, meaning we couldnt get that until 6pm the next evening in LAX ( no access to lounge without it!)

I'm curious about this. Did you actually ask the lounge staff in LAX? What did you do in LAX all day? Did UA give you a hotel room in IAH?

 

[roomer]

I'm curious about this. Did you actually ask the lounge staff in LAX? What did you do in LAX all day?

Well that’s another story, having begun our journey with the SYD-DFW returning back to Sydney and starting all over again the next day, we thought bugger hanging about LAX all day and evening.

Teamed up with a like minded Aussie, booked a hotel room nearby, dumped our bags and took an Uber to Santa Monica pier and sampled the bars along the beach. Returned, showered , got boarding passes, and thence to the lounge. Made lemonade from lemons you might say.

Oh yes and waited 2 hrs on the tarmac because some cough had to be escorted off because he apparently wouldn’t return to his seat after sneaking into business.

 

[Austman]

And I did wonder - and added later. Did UA give you a hotel in IAH?

If so, I would have asked for a later flight to LAX the next day.

 

[roomer]

And I did wonder - and added later. Did UA give you a hotel in IAH?

Yes they did , got to bed at 2 am and had to get a shuttle at 5.30am!
And re the LAX lounge , as we had no boarding pass the couldnt let us in, hence our decision to be adventurous. ( in Sydney there was no problems as it was a Qantas flight)

 

[Austman]

Yes they did , got to bed at 2 am and had to get a shuttle at 5.30am!

I would have asked for a later alternative flight to LA - considering the now 5:30am start followed by a long transit time due to UA's mechanical issues. And stayed longer in the hotel at UA's expense. Airlines have obliged me this in the past although they usually think they are doing you a favour by putting you on the next available flight.

 

[roomer]

I would have asked for a later alternative flight to LA - considering the now 5:30am start followed by a long transit time due to UA's mechanical issues. And stayed longer in the hotel at UA's expense. Airlines have obliged me this in the past although they usually think they are doing you a favour by putting you on the next available flight.

Totally agree but who / how do make contact at that time of the night? People everywhere, staff are busying you to get hotel voucher, you’re tired after 3 hrs sitting in the plane, hotels out in the sticks. You queue yet again for your room get the wifi and read about approaching hurricanes etc and think best make sure we get on the booked plane now.

 

[Austman]

Totally agree but who / how do make contact at that time of the night?

I done it many times. It's the staff making the arrangements you have to talk to. It's of course another wait to get your arrangements re-booked. But up to you if you think it's worth it or not. And that of course can depend on a lot of things...

 

[oz_mark]

Qantas, like a lot of legacy airlines, have a wide range of agreements with a wide range of airlines. They sell fares on a bunch of airlines that have nothing to do with oneworld. But that is sales. The Frequent Flyer scheme is something different again

 

[Austman]

And re the LAX lounge , as we had no boarding pass the couldnt let us in, hence our decision to be adventurous. ( in Sydney there was no problems as it was a Qantas flight)

Too late now but I would have tried the Qantas First Class lounge in LAX as it is actually operated by Qantas. They probably wouldn't have let you in if you didn't qualify for F-lounge access but the service desk might have been able to issue a boarding pass as your luggage was already through-checked.

Lounge Locations | North America | Los Angeles International Airport Tom Bradley Terminal | International First