Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Jacques Vert]

Just to confirm could I book HKG-LHR online and add MEL-HKG over the phone when it's available? (I.e. add a trip to the start of a booking?)

Yes you can.

 

[DC3]

Just to confirm could I book HKG-LHR online and add MEL-HKG over the phone when it's available? (I.e. add a trip to the start of a booking?)

Flights may be added in any order.

 

[madrooster]

Just to confirm could I book HKG-LHR online and add MEL-HKG over the phone when it's available? (I.e. add a trip to the start of a booking?)

Yes you can.

Flights may be added in any order.

This causes some level of grief from a ticketing perspective as booking HKG-LHR online will mean the ticket is issued in HKD currency and it will require someone at QF who knows how to manually convert everything to AUD or knows how to keep the ticket in HKD even though the ticket starts in Australia.

The better answer is to book the HKG-LHR over the phone in AUD. Ask for the booking fee to be waived since you cannot book HKG-LHR online in AUD.

 

[Jacques Vert]

This causes some level of grief from a ticketing perspective as booking HKG-LHR online will mean the ticket is issued in HKD currency and it will require someone at QF who knows how to manually convert everything to AUD or knows how to keep the ticket in HKD even though the ticket starts in Australia.

The better answer is to book the HKG-LHR over the phone in AUD. Ask for the booking fee to be waived since you cannot book HKG-LHR online in AUD.

I defer to the master... @tooten69, I suggest you take Madrooster's advice.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Given the T&Cs around oneworld awards. Can I ask how people booking are feeling if testing positive to COVID mid-trip?

I have just enough points and am tempted to book a J RTW toward the end of next year. But also scared of the prospect of such limited changes to be made after the first flight is taken?

Hope the above makes sense...hic....

 

[tooten69]

I defer to the master... @tooten69, I suggest you take Madrooster's advice.

Great will do!

Thank u Jacques and Madrooster

 

[DC3]

Great will do!

Thank u Jacques and Madrooster

Cape Town should be able to assist.

 

[Mr H]

Given the T&Cs around oneworld awards. Can I ask how people booking are feeling if testing positive to COVID mid-trip?

I have just enough points and am tempted to book a J RTW toward the end of next year. But also scared of the prospect of such limited changes to be made after the first flight is taken?

Hope the above makes sense...hic....

I have booked such a trip. If Covid testing is still a thing by then, I will cancel my booking.

 

[GaryLG]

Given the T&Cs around oneworld awards. Can I ask how people booking are feeling if testing positive to COVID mid-trip?

I guess I am hoping that doesn't happen and I am careful enough to minimise the risk.

Taking insurance of course.

Post automatically merged: Nov 14, 2021

I have booked such a trip. If Covid testing is still a thing by then, I will cancel my booking.

Decided I can live with that but hoping it isn't needed.

 

[Mr H]

I guess I am hoping that doesn't happen and I am careful enough to minimise the risk.

Taking insurance of course.

This is an extremely contagious virus and I don't believe being careful is any guarantee that you won't get infected. And if this testing thing is still going on, a positive test would send you into lengthy and expensive quarantine while your itinerary evaporates into thin air.

Is there really insurance that covers this - and if so, who sells it?

 

[11sjw]

To those of you actively booking OWA's are you perturbed at all by the potential to have to take a PCR (or other) COVID test for entry into each country you visit?

 

[GaryLG]

This is an extremely contagious virus and I don't believe being careful is any guarantee that you won't get infected. And if this testing thing is still going on, a positive test would send you into lengthy and expensive quarantine while your itinerary evaporates into thin air.

Is there really insurance that covers this - and if so, who sells it?

Of course it isn't a guarantee but just like here you can try and minimise the chances through your behaviour, etc and yes there is insurance that will cover the costs involved. Have a look at this topic
for some examples.

Post automatically merged: Nov 14, 2021

To those of you actively booking OWA's are you perturbed at all by the potential to have to take a PCR (or other) COVID test for entry into each country you visit?

A bit annoyed and hoping it won't be the case by the time of my trip but realising it is part of the new normal and may well be so for the foreseeable future.

 

[gilldo]

Today I commenced a booking for a Classic Oneworld RTW Business ticket, which I expect to finalise in coming weeks as later flights become available.

Every time I attempted the booking online, I was thwarted with an error message like this:

“We are unable to confirm your selected flights. Select ‘Start over’ and choose alternative flights.”, followed by an error message number 15079-421.

A quick look online suggested that this was because of issues with the Qantas booking site and certain flights, but that Service Centre staff would need to address it.

The end result was a 50 min wait (they estimated 30-60, so on target) for QF staff to assist, followed by 140 mins of assistance - over three hours on the phone.

I described the problem and the agent tried booking the same QF rewards (starting ADL via US West Coast). He diligently looked at all the options, and one-by-one, found that they weren't available for me (despite appearing as being available). He did admit that this was his first OneWorld RTW ticket he'd ever booked!

The upshot was that of the 4-5 different options (showing as AVAILABLE Classic Business rewards) for QF flights from BNE/SYD/MEL to either LAX/SFO/DFW in the middle week in September 2022, NONE could actually be booked. Despite me asking a number of times, no real explanation was offered as to why.

In the end, the only option I could book was a flight via NRT with JL. It's not my preferred solution, but it's one I accepted until a better option becomes available.

I've had a look at my statement since, and I've been charged two International Assistance fees - 15400 pts.

Given the booking I wanted to make I couldn't make through no fault of my own (along with options 2, 3, 4,& 5), I feel that it's a bit rough that I get charged for choosing my only option #6. I was also not informed that I would be charged this fee either.

This raises a few questions:
- why do Classic Rewards flights that are supposedly not available appear as available (and still do after the event)?
- how do I tell if a flight that is listed is actually available for booking (without calling the Service Centre)? how do we have confidence in what we're dealing with?
- anyone had any experience getting refunds on service fee pts after the event? This would only seem fair

 

[motef]

Today I commenced a booking for a Classic Oneworld RTW Business ticket, which I expect to finalise in coming weeks as later flights become available.

Every time I attempted the booking online, I was thwarted with an error message like this:

“We are unable to confirm your selected flights. Select ‘Start over’ and choose alternative flights.”, followed by an error message number 15079-421.

A quick look online suggested that this was because of issues with the Qantas booking site and certain flights, but that Service Centre staff would need to address it.

The end result was a 50 min wait (they estimated 30-60, so on target) for QF staff to assist, followed by 140 mins of assistance - over three hours on the phone.

I described the problem and the agent tried booking the same QF rewards (starting ADL via US West Coast). He diligently looked at all the options, and one-by-one, found that they weren't available for me (despite appearing as being available). He did admit that this was his first OneWorld RTW ticket he'd ever booked!

The upshot was that of the 4-5 different options (showing as AVAILABLE Classic Business rewards) for QF flights from BNE/SYD/MEL to either LAX/SFO/DFW in the middle week in September 2022, NONE could actually be booked. Despite me asking a number of times, no real explanation was offered as to why.

In the end, the only option I could book was a flight via NRT with JL. It's not my preferred solution, but it's one I accepted until a better option becomes available.

I've had a look at my statement since, and I've been charged two International Assistance fees - 15400 pts.

Given the booking I wanted to make I couldn't make through no fault of my own (along with options 2, 3, 4,& 5), I feel that it's a bit rough that I get charged for choosing my only option #6. I was also not informed that I would be charged this fee either.

This raises a few questions:
- why do Classic Rewards flights that are supposedly not available appear as available (and still do after the event)?
- how do I tell if a flight that is listed is actually available for booking (without calling the Service Centre)? how do we have confidence in what we're dealing with?
- anyone had any experience getting refunds on service fee pts after the event? This would only seem fair

Did you specifically say to the customer service agent (CSA) that you wanted to book a "Oneworld RTW" if so that's a problem. That is a different product https://www.qantas.com/au/en/book-a-trip/flights/round-the-world.html

What you are booking is a Qantas Oneworld Classic Flight Award or in the forum here it is commonly abbreviated to OWA.

There is nothing special any CSA needs to do to book this, to them it's just a collection of flights that are booked the same as booking any other flight and there is no need for you to mention anything special

It is up to you to do the research and make sure your collection of flights fits the rules and if so the points required for Business (J) will top out at 318K pts per pax

Also if you need to add flights or change flights again no need to mention anything other than " i want to add some flights to my existing booking"

The charging of the assistance fee is incorrect and you need to call back to get that removed

What is your routing , number of pax and dates you are looking at and people here in the forum are always happy to help out with double checking or advice

 

[gilldo]

Did you specifically say to the customer service agent (CSA) that you wanted to book a "Oneworld RTW" if so that's a problem. That is a different product https://www.qantas.com/au/en/book-a-trip/flights/round-the-world.html

I made it clear that I was booking a Oneworld Classic Business Flight Award. He made it clear (nearer the end of the call) that this was his first booking of this type, so someone has to be his first.

It is up to you to do the research and make sure your collection of flights fits the rules and if so the points required for Business (J) will top out at 318K pts per pax

I did my research, and this is part of my problem. I found at least 5 trans-Pacific QF flights (an example below) in mid-September listing as available Business Classic Rewards on the Qantas website. Neither I or the agent was able to book them. I could not find any QF flights to USA in this week that were bookable.

The flights all fitted the rules (airlines, legs, stopovers, etc), although the agent didn't seem to know the rules and was suggesting a third transit at the same airport when I had to redirect him.

The charging of the assistance fee is incorrect and you need to call back to get that removed

Thanks - will do in the next few days.

What is your routing , number of pax and dates you are looking at and people here in the forum are always happy to help out with double checking or advice

ADL-Anchorage-Calgary-Boston-Seattle-Phoenix-ADL (5 stopovers, 14-16 legs in the end)

I've only booked as far as Calgary at this stage, and while Boston legs were showing available, they too were not bookable by the agent.

 

[Noah Count]

I did my research, and this is part of my problem. I found at least 5 trans-Pacific QF flights (an example below) in mid-September listing as available Business Classic Rewards on the Qantas website. Neither I or the agent was able to book them. I could not find any QF flights to USA in this week that were bookable.

I think you are seeing phantom availability and looking at the date you posted above on EF shows zero availability on QF. The 3 days either side of 14 Sep also have zero availability. It is annoying but happens.

 

[motef]

Were you trying to book ADL-DFW or just SYD-DFW?

Interestingly when i search ADL-DFW there is no availability but when i search just SYD-DFW i get availability like you see above.

When i seperate the legs using the multi-city booking tool it is succesful.

Why dont you try to book these first legs yourself online?

 

[gilldo]

I think you are seeing phantom availability and looking at the date you posted above on EF shows zero availability on QF. The 3 days either side of 14 Sep also have zero availability. It is annoying but happens.
View attachment 265031

Annoying is an understatement.

Can you provide me details for the above EF website please? Looks extremely informative!

 

[11sjw]

Annoying is an understatement.

Can you provide me details for the above EF website please? Looks extremely informative!

Expert Flyer Website

 

[gilldo]

Expert Flyer Website

Thanks heaps.

I gather you have to have one of the paid subscriptions to see award seats?