Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[hutch]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

I'd suggest the 2 BA legs would account for a fair share of those taxes.

 

[travelislife]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Geeze they are massive fees, by far the highest I have seen. I thought mine were high at around $1300.

 

[Jacques Vert]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

I'd suggest the 2 BA legs would account for a fair share of those taxes.

And QR are not cheap either. But it's still cheaper than paying for the tickets with hard currency.

 

[EestiTiger]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

The married segment issue with CX is well known, Daver6. Essentially because CX is based in HKG they try to discourage people using awards on many of their flights to just transit HKG. If you were to have a stopover (i.e. transit of > 24 hrs) you would be able to book the flights into and out of HKG you wanted. The same thing happens if you try to book YVR - HKG - SYD on CX - you can book YVR - HKG and HKG - SYD separately but can't book them together unless you have that stopover in HKG.

Strongly suggest you do not cancel your HKG - PER. The married segment problem will still preclude you from the KUL - PER combo. And QF can't help you because this is out of their control - it's entirely a CX issue.

Hi guys - just to be clear with this married segment issue...

If I wanted to fly for example JFK-HKG-BNE, I wouldn't need a stopover if I booked both segments individually? Understand that would mean two calls to QF call centre.

 

[travelislife]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Hi guys - just to be clear with this married segment issue...

If I wanted to fly for example JFK-HKG-BNE, I wouldn't need a stopover if I booked both segments individually? Understand that would mean two calls to QF call centre.

A stopover is any stop >=24 hours. Anything <24 hours is considered a transit.

At the end of the day it comes down to:
- Is CX filing an award fare for JFK-BNE? (Similar above they haven't opened an award fare for KUL-PER)
- Or have they only opened availability for the fares JFK-HKG and HKG-BNE?

It is possible to book the through fare JFK-BNE but they don't seem to make as many seats available.

Now if you are happy to pay more points you could 'transit', i.e. less than 24 hours and just have them as 2 separate bookings (redundant in the case of the OneWorld award).

 

[vetrade]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Hi guys - just to be clear with this married segment issue...

If I wanted to fly for example JFK-HKG-BNE, I wouldn't need a stopover if I booked both segments individually? Understand that would mean two calls to QF call centre.

No, you haven't got that right, ozmatt. You can only book JFK - HKG - BNE with a HKG transit (or any other CX "xx_ - HKG - ZZZ" type flight combination) if you explicitly search for (and find) awards for JFK - BNE (or, generically, xx_ - ZZZ). Sometimes CX does show award availability on some routes which transit through HKG but they are the exception especially if you want to fly into, or out of, Australia.

The whole conundrum with married segments is that while you may be able to find awards for each segment individually, as soon as you try to book them together CX will block it. Trying to book each segment in separate calls to the call centre just won't work.

 

[travelislife]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

No, you haven't got that right, ozmatt. You can only book JFK - HKG - BNE with a HKG transit (or any other CX "xx_ - HKG - ZZZ" type flight combination) if you explicitly search for (and find) awards for JFK - BNE (or, generically, xx_ - ZZZ). Sometimes CX does show award availability on some routes which transit through HKG but they are the exception especially if you want to fly into, or out of, Australia.

The whole conundrum with married segments is that while you may be able to find awards for each segment individually, as soon as you try to book them together CX will block it. Trying to book each segment in separate calls to the call centre just won't work.

At the end of the day it just means when searching for CX awards (using BA or QF tool most likely) you can't search segment by segment when a connection is involved in Hong Kong. Rather you always need to search origin to destination even if there is a HKG transit.

 

[hutch]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Well, landed up changing some other flights so in the end didn't need to worry about the changes to CX.

So the trip all flights in J commencing mid to late Sept.

PER - ADL (QF) - DOH (QR) - AMM - TLV (RJ) Stop
TLV - LHR (BA) Stop
ground travel to Paris and spend some time in a wine region TBD
ORY - LHR - IAD (BA) Stop
Will spend time in IAD, New Orleans and Boston. Still to book internal flights
BOS - DOH - SIN (QR) Stop
SIN - HKG - PER (CX)

Taxes and surcharges came in at roughly $2200 per pax. Ouch! Not sure where I've been stung exactly. I know the RJ flight from AMM to TLV last time I looked was a good few hundred in taxes. At some future point I might investigate each sector out of interest.

Finding most flights wasn't too difficult. The real struggle was just getting home and am incredibly lucky to have snagged that CX flight to Perth.

Thanks to all those who have helped in the last few days. Greatly appreciated.

I actually went through a dummy booking process and booked these flights to see what it was costing... this is not an exact science as taxes/currency change and this was done as single one-way flights.

PER - ADL (QF) - DOH (QR) - AMM - TLV (RJ) Stop -$669 (the RJ flights being the real killer here)
TLV - LHR (BA) Stop - $86
ORY - LHR - IAD (BA) Stop - $468
BOS - DOH - SIN (QR) Stop - $331
SIN - HKG - PER (CX) - $57
Total $1611

Whilst I would expect some variation on the above, my feeling is $600 variation is too much. When I booked my 280J, the taxes were significantly higher than my calculations so I ended up getting a QF supervisor to review the booking. Took a few days, but the taxes were reduced. I then made another change and the taxes went back up and I went through the process again... needless to say, I made no more changes

 

[vetrade]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Yes taxes can be a strange beast to understand because they re-calculate them for all flights on your itinerary if you make even just one change or addition. I recall the taxes on our last 280K actually dropped by $350 pp when I added a single flight with no other changes. Go figure!

 

[yld200]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

I've starting to do some planning my J OW trip with the Mrs next year due to kick off around September. The plan is to have the best J experience that we can since we've never flown in anything more than Y before.

This is what I've got planned at this stage:

• MEL > SYD > NRT with JL - Stop in Tokyo. Really would like to try and stick with JL for this SYD > NRT leg to try out the suites. It will require an overnight stay for us due to the early departure. We also have the option of QF for these flights.

• NRT > JFK AA or JL or NRT > ORD > JFK with AA - Stop in NYC for a few days.
• JFK > LHR on AA - again would like to go direct and stay away from BA due to high taxes (~$600 /pax) compared to AA (~$20 /pax). We can also consider going via MAD or another - any suggestions?
• Plan is to start in LHR (Mrs request) then make our way to France / Spain to explore southern France, Madrid and Barcelona either via OW flights or train and some driving.
• Then MAD > FCO - explore parts of Italy then make our way to Bosnia - will most likely do this as a drive leg.
• Then make our way to IST
• Then IST > DOH > DXB - Stop in DXB for a few days
• DXB > DOH> MEL - possibly try to do this via Syd to try the A380 experience. Could also do DXB > MEL on QF A380, but have heard nothing but good things about QR J.

Any feedback would be appreciated - The Europe segment is really fluid at this stage so I'll continue to work through the details of where we will be flying while keeping in mind I already have 4 stopovers in NRT, JFK, LHR and DXB.

Does anybody know what the taxes will be for a SYD > NRT and NRT > JFK on JL?

 

[Daver6]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

I actually went through a dummy booking process and booked these flights to see what it was costing... this is not an exact science as taxes/currency change and this was done as single one-way flights.

PER - ADL (QF) - DOH (QR) - AMM - TLV (RJ) Stop -$669 (the RJ flights being the real killer here)
TLV - LHR (BA) Stop - $86
ORY - LHR - IAD (BA) Stop - $468
BOS - DOH - SIN (QR) Stop - $331
SIN - HKG - PER (CX) - $57
Total $1611

Whilst I would expect some variation on the above, my feeling is $600 variation is too much. When I booked my 280J, the taxes were significantly higher than my calculations so I ended up getting a QF supervisor to review the booking. Took a few days, but the taxes were reduced. I then made another change and the taxes went back up and I went through the process again... needless to say, I made no more changes

I will certainly put the effort into review it then. What tool did you use to get the taxes calculated?

 

[zdb97]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Hi,

After reading some of the CX married segment/HKG transit posts, I have done a dummy search on QF engine as part of my 280K/J itinerary to be:

SYD-ADL-HKG-WUH
WUH-HKG-DUS

I have managed to proceed to the below screen, my question is: if it's available online, will I be be able to book by calling QF agent with this exact itinerary?

 

[travelislife]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Hi,

After reading some of the CX married segment/HKG transit posts, I have done a dummy search on QF engine as part of my 280K/J itinerary to be:

SYD-ADL-HKG-WUH
WUH-HKG-DUS

I have managed to proceed to the below screen, my question is: if it's available online, will I be be able to book by calling QF agent with this exact itinerary?

View attachment 73721

I would think that should be fine. You haven't actually got any CX-CX segments in there. Also if you can view it online why not book it online? Or won't it price?

 

[hutch]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

I will certainly put the effort into review it then. What tool did you use to get the taxes calculated?

Where possible, I just searched each leg as a one way online with QF, found the flights you took and then added up the taxes.

 

[zdb97]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

it's CX-KA, as CX is the parent of KA, I would assume CX will have the same control as CX-CX. Reason for not book online is I would like to the complete the whole itinerary (will have JL flights, which is not possible on QF search engine) first, then call QF.

 

[travelislife]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

it's CX-KA, as CX is the parent of KA, I would assume CX will have the same control as CX-CX. Reason for not book online is I would like to the complete the whole itinerary (will have JL flights, which is not possible on QF search engine) first, then call QF.

That isn't exactly how it works. At the end of the day if you just do an individual search Adelaide to Wuhan and it comes up you should be fine. And similar for Wuhan to Dussledorf.

 

[madrooster]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

it's CX-KA, as CX is the parent of KA, I would assume CX will have the same control as CX-CX. Reason for not book online is I would like to the complete the whole itinerary (will have JL flights, which is not possible on QF search engine) first, then call QF.

I can confirm that CX-KA do married segment control between themselves.

 

[Inuniform]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

I have been researching / planning a 280k RTW trip for quite sometime now and posted a proposed itinerary up here a couple weeks ago. We are hoping the first leg of our proposed trip in July next year to be from SYD - JRO on QR. When researching in the past, this leg has had reasonable availability. Recently though, availability has reduced considerably and in the past week looks like it has disappeared altogether. This is quite worrying considering we're only a few weeks away from booking our first leg. Is there any reason to believe that there is more availability than what I can see on the BA booking site or should I start making contingencies?

 

[vetrade]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

I have been researching / planning a 280k RTW trip for quite sometime now and posted a proposed itinerary up here a couple weeks ago. We are hoping the first leg of our proposed trip in July next year to be from SYD - JRO on QR. When researching in the past, this leg has had reasonable availability. Recently though, availability has reduced considerably and in the past week looks like it has disappeared altogether. This is quite worrying considering we're only a few weeks away from booking our first leg. Is there any reason to believe that there is more availability than what I can see on the BA booking site or should I start making contingencies?

Always have contingencies but keep checking each day to try and get a handle on what pattern there may be to seat releases. Have you checked for Y availability between DOH and JRO because you might have to resort to this and hope J seats become available later on? Or are you not seeing awards on SYD - DOH too?
BA site is probably showing current availability so it's very risky to just wait and hope seats will be released that suit your plans. If you can't get DOH - JRO flights maybe look for DOH - DAR; it shouldn't be too expensive to get a separate paid fare from DAR - JRO.
Maybe check availability to DOH via MEL, ADE or even PER. Depends on whether you can't see availability both or only one of the flights through DOH.

 

[Inuniform]

re: "oneworld" award (140K/280K/420K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Thanks for the tips. I'm not having much luck when trying the variations though. As much as I would have liked to ring Qantas with my first leg visible on an award search engine, is it still a viable option to call up with a particular destination in mind (in this case JRO) and see if the CSR can find a way to get there?