Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[jewles]

I'm in the planning stages of an award and I'm encountering errors on the QF website. Can anyone see an issue with this:

NRT-HNL stop
HNLxKIXxSYD-BNE stop
BNExMELxADLxHKG-HEL STOP
OSLxHEL-SIN

Including miles back to NRT GC Mapper says I'm 1500 under.
I'm one stop short of the maximum.
I'm well below the allowed number of transits.
The only think I can think of is that they're considering KIX to be in Tokyo for the city of first departure rule. The QF error appears when I try to add KIX.

Perhaps I'm missing something obvious because I've been working on it for hours. The itinerary cross checks fine on both BA & Awardnexus.

Can anyone spot something I'm missing?

EDIT: Within minutes of posting it dawned on me... can't depart twice from country of origin.

Back to the drawing board.

As soon as you return to the country you left from the award booking ends. If you are starting in Japan you can't have a stop or transit through there again.

Rule 14.3.5 A Classic Flight Reward Itinerary must contain no more than one departure from the city or country of first departure on that Itinerary.

 

[Captain Halliday]

After my memory lapse on the rules yesterday, I have now managed to book a two part trip for which I’ll position to SIN:

Sept:
SIN-NRT (JL)
NRT-HNL (JL)
HNLxKIXxSYD-BNE (JL, QF, QF)

Dec:
BNExSYDxPEK-HEL (QF, QF, AY)
Revenue far to CPH
CPHxHEL-SIN (AY, AY)

With a whopping 83 miles to spare.

Surprised by the taxes with so many QF sectors: SGD2,000 for 2A, 1C = ~AUD670 per person.

I was also surprised to get HNL with only 4 months to go and AU-HEL between Christmas and New Year.

 

[rock86]

After my memory lapse on the rules yesterday, I have now managed to book a two part trip for which I’ll position to SIN:

Sept:
SIN-NRT (JL)
NRT-HNL (JL)
HNLxKIXxSYD-BNE (JL, QF, QF)

Dec:
BNExSYDxPEK-HEL (QF, QF, AY)
Revenue far to CPH
CPHxHEL-SIN (AY, AY)

With a whopping 83 miles to spare.

Surprised by the taxes with so many QF sectors: SGD2,000 for 2A, 1C = ~AUD670 per person.

I was also surprised to get HNL with only 4 months to go and AU-HEL between Christmas and New Year.

Your QF fares are pretty all domestic apart from one but aren't they? The domestic fares don't cost bugger all, AY would be costing you more then QF in that OWE I reckon.

 

[ellen10]

After my memory lapse on the rules yesterday, I have now managed to book a two part trip for which I’ll position to SIN:

Sept:
SIN-NRT (JL)
NRT-HNL (JL)
HNLxKIXxSYD-BNE (JL, QF, QF)

Dec:
BNExSYDxPEK-HEL (QF, QF, AY)
Revenue far to CPH
CPHxHEL-SIN (AY, AY)

I was also surprised to get HNL with only 4 months to go and AU-HEL between Christmas and New Year.

Thats a great booking, do you have status? I am hoping to book for 2 of us later in the year for the following year. I don't know whether to wait until all flights are available or book as the seats are released. I am silver.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Thats a great booking, do you have status? I am hoping to book for 2 of us later in the year for the following year. I don't know whether to wait until all flights are available or book as the seats are released. I am silver.

I recently moved up to WP. But I don’t think that makes any difference to award availability, except in the occasional case of asking for a QF award seat being released.

I suspect I just got lucky as I only started scoping this one out about ten days ago.

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

—Snip —
I don't know whether to wait until all flights are available or book as the seats are released. I am silver.

I think the general consensus is that you should book as soon as seats are released and pay the change fee (6,000 points) each time. If you wait until you can see everything you want, then you run the (very large) risk of the earlier flights evaporating...

 

[Captain Halliday]

I think the general consensus is that you should book as soon as seats are released and pay the change fee (6,000 points) each time. If you wait until you can see everything you want, then you run the (very large) risk of the earlier flights evaporating...

While I was lucky to get my itinerary at ~150 days out, it did take all weekend and several attempts.

On Friday night I had it ready to go and while waiting for Mrs H to agree, the preferred HNL dates disappeared.

Then on Saturday I had a new plan with a CX ADL-HKG sector. Mrs H then wanted to add CPH and once I’d found CPH flights the CX option had gone.

So the itinerary I posted above was my third attempt.

I agree with @There’sOnlyOneJimmy that you should take what you can get when available and be flexible.

 

[ellen10]

Thank you for your comments and suggestions. I tried my preferred dummy itinerary late last year and was surprised that it gelled. But my dates will be different a little earlier and I fear harder to get (early September). I will need two J seats to Europe departing from Aus, preferably via Sydney. So I am thinking that maybe going via Helsinki on AY will be easier, but I will of course look at QF as they release their seats earlier? I think? So everytime I add a sector I pay 6000 points x 2 each time? Hmm could become costly!

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

So everytime I add a sector I pay 6000 points x 2 each time? Hmm could become costly!

Yes, but...
1. Rather than booking sector by sector, I try to book in groups of sectors if there are a few with similar booking windows;
2. The 6,000 point fee covers ANY changes that you make during the one phone call. I have once rung up to change an intinerary with 8 existing booked sectors by cancelling 7 of them and adding 9 new ones - all for the one 6,000 point fee;
3. It’s not the cost of the 6,000 fee that you need to be concerned about... it’s the size of the hole that forms in your soul while you try to get through to the Call Centre...

 

[ellen10]

Yes, but...
1. Rather than booking sector by sector, I try to book in groups of sectors if there are a few with similar booking windows;
2. The 6,000 point fee covers ANY changes that you make during the one phone call. I have once rung up to change an intinerary with 8 existing booked sectors by cancelling 7 of them and adding 9 new ones - all for the one 6,000 point fee;
3. It’s not the cost of the 6,000 fee that you need to be concerned about... it’s the size of the hole that forms in your soul while you try to get through to the Call Centre...

Ok thanks for that advice. I didn't realise that. I think my first objective will be getting out of Aus on our preferred dates. Yes those hold phone calls are soul destroying sometimes!

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

- snip -
I think my first objective will be getting out of Aus on our preferred dates.
- snip -

Another tactic to consider: take a discount fare on a LCC to S-E Asia, and then start your OW itinerary from there.
Three potential benefits of this method (and there may be others...):
1. Often there is more availability & flexibility of award seats from non-Australian ports;
2. Often the Fuel Fees & Taxes are lower (often to the extent of saving you more than the cost of the discounted LCC fare); and
3. Often the mileage saved will give you enough leeway to add a second leg to the itinerary.

By which I mean as an example:

Paid LCC SYD-KUL

OW Award begins
First Leg -
KUL-DOH-MXP Stop
MXP-DOH-SYD Stop

Second Leg -
SYD-HKG-NRT Stop
NRT-PEK Stop
PEK-HKG Stop
HKG-KUL
OW Award ends

Paid LCC KUL-SYD

[NB: I’ve just made up this itinerary for illustration purposes...]

 

[geoffshaw]

I just changed MEL-SYD-LAX (QF-AA) to MEL-LAX on QF and got a $78 refund. I'm convinced they make the taxes up as they go.

 

[leer30]

In the planning stages for our first 280k booking.
Can you have a stopover in a city (ie more than 24 hours)
then have two tranfers (ie. less than 24 hours) through that same city (from the below quoted rule it seems you can, or does the stopover reduce your transit allowance to only 1?

• up to five free Stopovers are permitted;
• additional Stopovers are not permitted;
• only one Stopover is permitted in any one city in the Itinerary; and
• only two Transfers may be taken at any one city in the Itinerary.

 

[geoffshaw]

In the planning stages for our first 280k booking.
Can you have a stopover in a city (ie more than 24 hours)
then have two tranfers (ie. less than 24 hours) through that same city (from the below quoted rule it seems you can, or does the stopover reduce your transit allowance to only 1?

Yes you can, I'm doing that in my booking.

 

[soh]

I'm part way through a J booking and will be making some initial changes today. Tried the webchat last night and the additional fees and charges for my proposed changes seemed a little high. I don't have sufficient QF points to make a dummy booking so could someone run the numbers for me please? I have checked ITA matrix and have a rough idea what it should be but would really appreciate some confirmation.

Current booking (2 adults and 1 child in J) - $943 total for 3.

SYD-HKG (CX) x
HKG-LAX (CX) x
SFO-HND (JL) x
NRT-MEL (JL) x

Wish to remove SYD-HKGxLAX and change to:

SFO-HND (JL) x
NRT-MEL-SYD (JL-QF) x
SYD-ADL-HKG (QF-CX)x
HKG-LGW (CX) x

QF are looking for an additional $1014 so bringing it close to $2k.

 

[rock86]

I'm part way through a J booking and will be making some initial changes today. Tried the webchat last night and the additional fees and charges for my proposed changes seemed a little high. I don't have sufficient QF points to make a dummy booking so could someone run the numbers for me please? I have checked ITA matrix and have a rough idea what it should be but would really appreciate some confirmation.

Current booking (2 adults and 1 child in J) - $943 total for 3.

SYD-HKG (CX) x
HKG-LAX (CX) x
SFO-HND (JL) x
NRT-MEL (JL) x

Wish to remove SYD-HKGxLAX and change to:

SFO-HND (JL) x
NRT-MEL-SYD (JL-QF) x
SYD-ADL-HKG (QF-CX)x
HKG-LGW (CX) x

QF are looking for an additional $1014 so bringing it close to $2k.

It looks as though you are changing your first flight from departing the US now?

If so, that will increase taxes a fair bit on your QF legs as they charge a much higher surcharge (don't know why) on their flights from travel originating from the US.

 

[madrooster]

QF are looking for an additional $1014 so bringing it close to $2k.

Your entire ticket gets repriced as a US origin (that means none of the fuel fines listed in this thread's wiki apply). I can tell you JL and QF charge some quite steep fuel fines for originating in the US.

 

[soh]

Your entire ticket gets repriced as a US origin (that means none of the fuel fines listed in this thread's wiki apply). I can tell you JL and QF charge some quite steep fuel fines for originating in the US.

I feared that may be the case. Things are only going to get worse as I still need to add on the final Europe to US segment. Not sure if the INV-LHR-JFK (BA/AA) trick to avoid APD is going to help much. Any tips on reducing fines on US originators?

 

[Scarlett]

It's time to start the 280K process again and I suspect I'm writing this down just to get it clearer in my head. Have done a few different RTW and RTW-style bookings (CIRC-fares) in the past and I do still consider this the fun stage where everything is still possible...

As I've done in the past I'm planning to create a mixed booking for my family with different tickets using award (280K) J and DONE3. To clarify, 2 x 280K tickets and 1 x DONE3 ticket. In the past I've been able to get the itineraries very close (all but one flight together) but preliminary investigation shows a little more variation might be needed for 2019.

Planned flights:
TYO-DFW(or other entry to USA with long but <24hrs transit)-DCA (stop)
ABQ-ORD-LAX(overnight but again <24h transit)-MAD-ZRH (stop)
NCE-DOH-MCT (stop)
DOH-LHR(long transit again)-CMB (stop)
CMB-SIN-HKG (stop)
HKG-TYO (finish)

Valid in the oneworld tool for DONE3 and under 35K miles so now to keep an eye on likely seat availability and start the booking process when the first award seats open.

As I've already received lifetime SG, going to try and use this trip to get my wife to WP, as her membership year will tick over close to the end of the trip.

Anyone care to recommend annual Travel Insurance which will cover for ~75 day single trip within the year? Pretty certain my current provider only covers up to 45 days.

There will also be a few other positioning flights booked separately and to enable the 'land segments'. Plus visits around the listed countries to: Sth Korea, Monaco, China and Macau. By end 2019 my tally of countries I've played golf in should be in the mid-60's (so only about 125 others to go then!).

Happy for any comments, especially as fresh eyes generally see the problems that I may not have considered. Or for 'must sees' or other recommendations on the places we'll hopefully be heading to.

 

[geoffshaw]

Planned flights:
TYO-DFW(or other entry to USA with long but <24hrs transit)-DCA (stop)
ABQ-ORD-LAX(overnight but again <24h transit)-MAD-ZRH (stop)
NCE-DOH-MCT (stop)
DOH-LHR(long transit again)-CMB (stop)
CMB-SIN-HKG (stop)
HKG-TYO (finish)

Great Circle Mapper gives me 36497 miles when I put that in?