Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[MEL_Traveller]

OWAs don't really lend themselves to Plan Bs. You kinda have to stick with Plan A unless/until you have to overwrite it with another Plan A.

My own thinking is that if Japan has not opened up by the time I want to travel, the whole world will still be shaky enough that I would not want to risk travel anyway and will cancel in toto.

The best ‘plan B’ during covid seems to have been to allow a full day (or 24 hours on a OWA) to allow for repeated schedule changes. Most of my flights now it doesn’t matter if the airline changes or cancels, any alternatives within 24 hours are suitable. An airport hotel is the only remaining expense if that happens, but I’d prefer that than the alternative.

 

[Spacetravel]

The best ‘plan B’ during covid seems to have been to allow a full day (or 24 hours on a OWA) to allow for repeated schedule changes. Most of my flights now it doesn’t matter if the airline changes or cancels, any alternatives within 24 hours are suitable. An airport hotel is the only remaining expense if that happens, but I’d prefer that than the alternative.

Exactly, between every transfer I have at least a 24 hour stop to allow for schedule changes/ cancellations/ testing. I usually hate traveling at such a slow pace but it's helped so much with the existing schedule changes

 

[Mr H]

The best ‘plan B’ during covid seems to have been to allow a full day (or 24 hours on a OWA) to allow for repeated schedule changes. Most of my flights now it doesn’t matter if the airline changes or cancels, any alternatives within 24 hours are suitable. An airport hotel is the only remaining expense if that happens, but I’d prefer that than the alternative.

Although the intervals between flights are causing headaches for Covid test requirements and/or restrictions on entering countries. Covid and OWAs are not great friends.

 

[adamk8]

Hi all. I am wanting to book 4 business class oneworld RTW tickets and looking for some advice.

The two big challenges:

• Need 4 tickets in business class!
• Looking to book during peak season Dec 2022 -> Jan 2023. We have some flexibility with the dates (can leave early'ish Dec to beat the absolute peak and come back late in Jan)

The requirements:

• Need to start/finish in MEL
• The main destination is Europe but happy to fly in/out of anywhere and then take some internal flights/trains as needed.
• No other strict requirements really - wherever the availability is

What do you think the best way is to scope this out? Should I start by finding availability in and out of AU which typically seem to be the hardest flights to find availability? Any tips/suggestions on routes that may have more Y seats?

Thank you!

Following up on this. I have something booked right now, it's not ideal but it's workable. For those interested. The itinerary starts in early Dec and finishes in late Jan:

• MEL-HND
• NRT-HEL
• HEL-FCO
• MAD-DOH
• DOH-BKK
• SIN-PER
• PER-MEL (last one booked separately as I reached max 5 stops for 318k J)

Managed 4 J tickets for all segments.

The hardest part is getting back in AU basically any time in January. There was barely even a single Y award ticket from anywhere in Asia. Best they could do was book later in Jan with SIN-PER (still nothing to SYD or MEL).

I'm hoping more inventory will open up so I will have to monitor. Perhaps DOH-MEL will come back.

What is the best way to monitor for seats opening up? Manually checking? Or best to use expertflyer or a similar service to set alerts? (will that work?).

 

[Mr H]

Following up on this. I have something booked right now, it's not ideal but it's workable. For those interested. The itinerary starts in early Dec and finishes in late Jan:

• MEL-HND
• NRT-HEL
• HEL-FCO
• MAD-DOH
• DOH-BKK
• SIN-PER
• PER-MEL (last one booked separately as I reached max 5 stops for 318k J)

Managed 4 J tickets for all segments.

The hardest part is getting back in AU basically any time in January. There was barely even a single Y award ticket from anywhere in Asia. Best they could do was book later in Jan with SIN-PER (still nothing to SYD or MEL).

I'm hoping more inventory will open up so I will have to monitor. Perhaps DOH-MEL will come back.

What is the best way to monitor for seats opening up? Manually checking? Or best to use expertflyer or a similar service to set alerts? (will that work?).

The five stop limit does not mean only six flights. Provided a connection is under 24 hours it does not count as a stop. So could you find PER-MEL within a day of arriving in PER and do it on the same itinerary?

 

[adamk8]

The five stop limit does not mean only six flights. Provided a connection is under 24 hours it does not count as a stop. So could you find PER-MEL within a day of arriving in PER and do it on the same itinerary?

Yes they said we could continue on to MEL within 24 hours and it would be included. But it's not a great connection. Land just after midnight and then 7am flight out. Plus we haven't visited PER before so figured we'd spend a few days there.

I'm hoping to revise the itinerary again if more inventory opens up so can maybe get the last leg as part of it then.

 

[AL10]

The best ‘plan B’ during covid seems to have been to allow a full day (or 24 hours on a OWA) to allow for repeated schedule changes. Most of my flights now it doesn’t matter if the airline changes or cancels, any alternatives within 24 hours are suitable. An airport hotel is the only remaining expense if that happens, but I’d prefer that than the alternative.

That's a good point, hadn't thought of looking at it that way. Ended up booking a one-way award flight to Europe and a return flight from the US and will use some random miles/points to get from Europe to the US. Was too scared to wreck a OWA in case something went wrong, so went the more expensive option of separate flights.

 

[djkelly69]

Does anyone know why I wouldn't be able to book DOH-HKG on QR then HKG-MEL on QF? This is in J/U, and is about a 5 hour transit in HKG in Jan next year if it matters.

I can see availability in multi-city, but the SA call centre only seems to be able to see availability for the following day (ie. if I stopover in HKG rather than transit). That tends to indicate to me there is some sort of married/divorced segment or through fare issue, but I can't work out what it would be given the separate airlines.

 

[Stusipad]

OK, so things got real weird on the phone with Qantas yesterday, trying to accomodate Finnar pulling out of Haneda.

My original booking heading to Rome looked like this:
MEL-HND (Qantas) ->HND-HEL-FCO (Finnair)

And now it looks like this:
MEL-BNE (Qantas) -> BNE-DXB-FCO (Emirates)

When the Qantas rep mentioned Emirates l gently mentioned that Emirates couldn't be chosen in a OWA, but she replied that 'Yes, we can do this' and booked it. I was expecting a light bulb moment when her system would reject the booking, but she seemed to complete it and looking at checkmyticket seems to indicate that it's all booked OK..

I'm kind of expecting this to all fall over at some point, but so far it looks ok?? Was spending 4hrs 30min on the phone with Qantas worth it after all?

 

[cjd600]

OK, so things got real weird on the phone with Qantas yesterday, trying to accomodate Finnar pulling out of Haneda.

My original booking heading to Rome looked like this:
MEL-HND (Qantas) ->HND-HEL-FCO (Finnair)

And now it looks like this:
MEL-BNE (Qantas) -> BNE-DOH-FCO (Emirates)

When the Qantas rep mentioned Emirates l gently mentioned that Emirates couldn't be chosen in a OWA, but she replied that 'Yes, we can do this' and booked it. I was expecting a light bulb moment when her system would reject the booking, but she seemed to complete it and looking at checkmyticket seems to indicate that it's all booked OK..

I'm kind of expecting this to all fall over at some point, but so far it looks ok?? Was spending 4hrs 30min on the phone with Qantas worth it after all?

Emirates are flying to Doha?

 

[Stusipad]

Emirates are flying to Doha?

Apologies! DXB (edited post)

 

[Lynda2475]

Better double check that ticket, only Qatar flies via Doha from Aus afaik, and Qatar is eligibe for a OWA.

If it is indeed EK via DXB check that you werent charged extra points, you can have EK flights on a reward booking but not a OWA so likley the points needed will increase.

 

[renatts]

OK, so things got real weird on the phone with Qantas yesterday, trying to accomodate Finnar pulling out of Haneda.

My original booking heading to Rome looked like this:
MEL-HND (Qantas) ->HND-HEL-FCO (Finnair)

And now it looks like this:
MEL-BNE (Qantas) -> BNE-DOH-FCO (Emirates)

When the Qantas rep mentioned Emirates l gently mentioned that Emirates couldn't be chosen in a OWA, but she replied that 'Yes, we can do this' and booked it. I was expecting a light bulb moment when her system would reject the booking, but she seemed to complete it and looking at checkmyticket seems to indicate that it's all booked OK..

I'm kind of expecting this to all fall over at some point, but so far it looks ok?? Was spending 4hrs 30min on the phone with Qantas worth it after all?

Things got weird for me too

I have now been rebooked on every single flight as fully flexible cash business class (C and J)
I’m still waiting for the tickets, but I got a very similar response to you when I questioned if I was allowed on the flights I was being put on.
She said “yes yes sir, this is involuntary change, I can put you on any flight you want that gets you to your destination”

As I said in an earlier post, it was ticketed but with the wrong flights due to a misunderstanding, so I’m actually thinking it may go through now that I’ve had all the flights fixed up.

Looks like we’ll both be gold by the end of the trip

 

[Stusipad]

Better double check that ticket, only Qatar flies via Doha from Aus afaik, and Qatar is eligibe for a OWA.

If it is indeed EK via DXB check that you werent charged extra points, you can have EK flights on a reward booking but not a OWA so likley the points needed will increase.

Yes, that was my thought as well, but my point total hasn't been touched (so far, and l am watching it like a hawk).

And yes, as pointed out, it's EK via DXB.

 

[Captain Halliday]

I was avoiding CX in the OWA I’m trying to construct.

Based on the above reports, perhaps keeping them in might work in my favour.

Would certainly be a gamble.

 

[Lynda2475]

I took CX and HKG out of my OWA, IMO no certainty that HKG situation will relax anytime soon.

 

[aikman]

Is it possible that airlines will avoid Russian airspace after they invade Ukraine? Could stuff up AY flights?

 

[flapper]

I was avoiding CX in the OWA I’m trying to construct.

Based on the above reports, perhaps keeping them in might work in my favour.

Would certainly be a gamble.

I changed my CX flights this week when an alternative in J became available. I didn't want to take the risk.

 

[Mr H]

Is it possible that airlines will avoid Russian airspace after they invade Ukraine? Could stuff up AY flights?

Anything is possible but many airlines fly over countries that are at war. Finland has a long history of living next door to a more powerful neighbour and reportedly changed their international vehicle designator from SF in case people thought it stood for Soviet Finland.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Is it possible that airlines will avoid Russian airspace after they invade Ukraine? Could stuff up AY flights?

Do you know something that the rest of us don't?

In any case if you are worried about scenarios like that before they happen, the only route for you to get to Europe "safely" would be via the US. Probably wouldn't ever want to overfly the Middle East