Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[cjd600]

Is this rule not being applied correctly when booking online, or have I misunderstood? "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."

I've just gone through to stage just before payment with the following itinerary for 280k. Depart Sydney, stop in Melbourne... is this valid?
SYD-NRT (QF)
NRT-MEL (JL)
MEL-SIN-LHR (QF/BA)
LHR-FRA-HKG (BA/CX)
HKG-SYD (QF)

No good. You depart from AU twice.

 

[grant32]

No good. You depart from AU twice.

OK thanks. I guess the next stage (payment) would have failed then or booking cancelled at some point. Strange it let me price it up at 280K.

 

[cjd600]

Strange it has capped at the 280k....

 

[grant32]

Strange it has capped at the 280k....

And BOOM at the payment stage. "We are unable to confirm your selected flights. Select ‘Start over’ and choose alternative flights. (15079 - 421)"

 

[bobcat]

AY NRT to FCO on 12 Oct 2019 in J are available today if you want to lock in that segment.

Thanks for this. Is AY a superior J service than Cathay/Qatar, or do you think availability will be tough on either of those?
QF already showing no availability for Oct 3 SYD-NRT but I'm right to think JL hasn't released seats, yeah?

Is it possible to book the 2nd leg of RTW first (and then add the opening departure from Sydney at a later date)? Based on m limited dealings with QF call centre I'm a bit worried about anything that is even slightly unusual.

Does anybody see any red flags with the below?
Am I right to count DFW as a stopover, even though we're only flying out of there (will visit a few US cities between BOS and DFW)?

Oct 3: SYD to NRT (Qantas or Japan Air)
Oct 12: NRT to FCO (Cathay, less than 24-hour stopover in Hong Kong ... if not possible, Qatar via Doha)
Nov 3: FCO/MXP to LIS/OPO (Iberia)
Nov 12: OPO/LIS to BOS (Iberia or AA, less than 24-hour stopover in Madrid)
Dec 10: DFW to SYD (QF)
Stopovers (5): Tokyo, Rome, Lisbon/Porto, Boston, Dallas

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[cjd600]

What QF status do you have?
DFW wont count as a stopover. Distance BOS-DFW will count on your mileage total.

CX you'll need to search/find NRT-FCO, and not NRT-HKG, HKG-FCO, if <24 hrs HKG
Same for QR (NRT-FCO, not NRT-DOH,DOH-FCO)
The intercontinental legs I'd lock in as released,if you have the points buffer to pay the change fee each time

Edit - CX current release NRT-FCO is @ 9 Oct.
AY has already disappeared for 12/10, as it tends to on day of release for long haul routes
Can't see any QR, but their ++ surcharges are pretty hefty anyway

 

[knobbs]

What QF status do you have?
DFW wont count as a stopover. Distance BOS-DFW will count on your mileage total.

CX you'll need to search/find NRT-FCO, and not NRT-HKG, HKG-FCO, if <24 hrs HKG
Same for QR (NRT-FCO, not NRT-DOH,DOH-FCO)
The intercontinental legs I'd lock in as released,if you have the points buffer to pay the change fee each time

Edit - CX current release NRT-FCO is @ 9 Oct.
AY has already disappeared for 12/10, as it tends to on day of release for long haul routes
Can't see any QR, but their ++ surcharges are pretty hefty anyway

I had Qantas web support send me some rules and one of them was this,

• A surface sector - ARNK - (disembarking at one city and embarking at a different city) is considered one stop, however both cities will be treated as stopover cities and both should be considered when checking stopover restrictions.

Doesn't that mean DFW will be counted as a stopover? Unless the is meant to read both count as layovers, but only one stopver is counted?

 

[bobcat]

What QF status do you have?
DFW wont count as a stopover. Distance BOS-DFW will count on your mileage total.

CX you'll need to search/find NRT-FCO, and not NRT-HKG, HKG-FCO, if <24 hrs HKG
Same for QR (NRT-FCO, not NRT-DOH,DOH-FCO)
The intercontinental legs I'd lock in as released,if you have the points buffer to pay the change fee each time

Edit - CX current release NRT-FCO is @ 9 Oct.
AY has already disappeared for 12/10, as it tends to on day of release for long haul routes
Can't see any QR, but their ++ surcharges are pretty hefty anyway

Thanks for this.
No status. What would you recommend as best search tool? BA and QF websites both not letting me see results for 12/10.

 

[cjd600]

Thanks for this.
No status. What would you recommend as best search tool? BA and QF websites both not letting me see results for 12/10.

In 3 days you should be able to see CX 12 October on QF website (11am Syd time).
AY 12 October is gone already.
JL release about 330 days, you should be able to see SYD-NRT mid September now on QF. Or SYD to NRT via HKG for Oct.
No status just means you won’t see QF SYD-NRT until 297 days, if any remain, instead of 353 days for QF Gold and above

 

[flapper]

Thanks for this. Is AY a superior J service than Cathay/Qatar, or do you think availability will be tough on either of those?
QF already showing no availability for Oct 3 SYD-NRT but I'm right to think JL hasn't released seats, yeah?

Is it possible to book the 2nd leg of RTW first (and then add the opening departure from Sydney at a later date)? Based on m limited dealings with QF call centre I'm a bit worried about anything that is even slightly unusual.

Does anybody see any red flags with the below?
Am I right to count DFW as a stopover, even though we're only flying out of there (will visit a few US cities between BOS and DFW)?

Oct 3: SYD to NRT (Qantas or Japan Air)
Oct 12: NRT to FCO (Cathay, less than 24-hour stopover in Hong Kong ... if not possible, Qatar via Doha)
Nov 3: FCO/MXP to LIS/OPO (Iberia)
Nov 12: OPO/LIS to BOS (Iberia or AA, less than 24-hour stopover in Madrid)
Dec 10: DFW to SYD (QF)
Stopovers (5): Tokyo, Rome, Lisbon/Porto, Boston, Dallas

Thanks in advance for any advice.

JL release seats 330 days ahead. They usually have availability. If you are QF bronze or silver you won’t see availability until 297 days out.
You need to book any long haul flights as soon as they become available.
If you didn’t book the AY flights they have already gone.
CX have NRT to FCO J seats on 9 Oct no J on 10 Oct. Check tomorrow to see if they release J on 11 Oct.
You can change flights anytime until you depart on your 1st flight.
You need to make changes by phone. A big pain due to wait times and Sth African CC who often have no idea. Use call back service if you can. You usually get Aust CC or ask Sth African to transfer your call to Aust. Good luck!

 

[cjd600]

I had Qantas web support send me some rules and one of them was this,

• A surface sector - ARNK - (disembarking at one city and embarking at a different city) is considered one stop, however both cities will be treated as stopover cities and both should be considered when checking stopover restrictions.

Doesn't that mean DFW will be counted as a stopover? Unless the is meant to read both count as layovers, but only one stopver is counted?

That seems to be how it reads.....but doesn’t seem to be common experience that it’s applied in that manner

 

[knobbs]

JL release seats 330 days ahead. They usually have availability. If you are QF bronze or silver you won’t see availability until 297 days out.
You need to book any long haul flights as soon as they become available.
If you didn’t book the AY flights they have already gone.
CX have NRT to FCO J seats on 9 Oct no J on 10 Oct. Check tomorrow to see if they release J on 11 Oct.
You can change flights anytime until you depart on your 1st flight.
You need to make changes by phone. A big pain due to wait times and Sth African CC who often have no idea. Use call back service if you can. You usually get Aust CC or ask Sth African to transfer your call to Aust. Good luck!

I spent the last few months growing more and more hatred for that South African CC. I have never been hung up on so many times in my life when anything was more than straight forward. If I knew you could ask to be transferred to Aus I would have half my head of hair back.

That seems to be how it reads.....but doesn’t seem to be common experience that it’s applied in that manner

I think the wording on it is just out, stopover in that context = layover and stop in that context = stopover.

 

[flapper]

Thanks for this.
No status. What would you recommend as best search tool? BA and QF websites both not letting me see results for 12/10.

Use both BA and QF websites. BA doesn’t show availability greater than 354 days ahead even though seats are available. QF shows all availability.

 

[ellen10]

CX you'll need to search/find NRT-FCO, and not NRT-HKG, HKG-FCO, if <24 hrs HKG
Same for QR (NRT-FCO, not NRT-DOH,DOH-FCO)

So are you saying you can't book a multi flight with CX through HKG or
a multi flight with QR through Doha

 

[cjd600]

So are you saying you can't book a multi flight with CX through HKG or
a multi flight with QR through Doha

Not unless it comes up searching just from start to finish, not searched as two multi legs. That’s only for airlines that marry segments (which CX and QR do), not for all airlines. You can only pair multis on these with +24hr stopover in the middle.

 

[ellen10]

Not unless it comes up searching just from start to finish, not searched as two multi legs. That’s only for airlines that marry segments (which CX and QR do), not for all airlines. You can only pair multis on these with +24hr stopover in the middle.

Oh dear. I cannot see anything when I look direct, only multi. So I would have to stay over 1 night.
If a leg of a multi is with a different airline say BA and then QR, is this ok?

 

[cjd600]

Oh dear. I cannot see anything when I look direct, only multi. So I would have to stay over 1 night.
If a leg of a multi is with a different airline say BA and then QR, is this ok?

Yep, different airline is fine.

I have had luck with CX out of BNE/ADL and QR out of ADL as well, to EUR (for 4 seats)

 

[Captain Halliday]

I had Qantas web support send me some rules and one of them was this,

• A surface sector - ARNK - (disembarking at one city and embarking at a different city) is considered one stop, however both cities will be treated as stopover cities and both should be considered when checking stopover restrictions.

Doesn't that mean DFW will be counted as a stopover? Unless the is meant to read both count as layovers, but only one stopver is counted?

Don’t believe what’s been cut & pasted from the call centre manual.

The published rules of the award are very clear: (my bolding)

• The following Stopover conditions apply to oneworld Classic Flight Rewards:
  • 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.
• Surface Segments are permitted as part of oneworld Classic Flight Reward Itineraries, but the distance between the disembarkation point and the next embarkation point will be included in the Reward Point zone calculation for that Itinerary.

 

[ellen10]

Yep, different airline is fine.

I have had luck with CX out of BNE/ADL and QR out of ADL as well, to EUR (for 4 seats)

Ok thanks for that information. So many twist and turns in booking these awards.

I have my flights out of Sydney but soon will have to book the return from Europe. Not much on offer so far.

 

[cjd600]

Ok thanks for that information. So many twist and turns in booking these awards.

I have my flights out of Sydney but soon will have to book the return from Europe. Not much on offer so far.

I’m waiting for returns from USA which will be just as much fun. Keeping s stopover up our sleeve in case we need to route thru HKG from LAX and stay +24hrs.
Try your searches back to ADL/PER/BNE, then will need to add QF domestic to SYD when it’s released at 353, if no SYD direct is released