Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[renatts]

So things have gotten weird. I should have left it, but stressed about getting from Amsterdam to Helsinki if the flight was cancelled. In hindsight we should have just adjusted our internal itinerary and finished in Helsinki.

I spoke to a nice guy in, I'm assuming, the Fiji call centre.
He completely misunderstood me and completely changed my entire route home.

Instead of Finnair - AMS - HEL - SIN he booked me on a cash fare from AMS - SIN on KLM.

I toyed with the idea of leaving it for about 15 minutes, but then realised he also removed my QF Award from SIN - BNE and booked me in C class.

I know that all seems like a win, but I'm still concerned QF may flag it at some point, so trying to get it back to my original routing so I can at least look like I did everything possible to keep it a Oneworld Award if something goes wrong.

Also, KLM 777 Business is trash.

That all said, looks like calling the Fiji call centre at the moment means you can pick whatever flight you want in whatever class you want, and they push it through for full fare ticketing without a care in the world...

This was also ticketed 10 minutes after the call, I only just checked my e-mail.

The lady I'm on the phone with now says oldmate booked the KLM flight because they can't see the Finnair ones on their system - but she's trying something now to get them for me.

I must say, they've been lovely to deal with - even if they sometimes don't understand what I'm asking for.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

12/18/21 March QF classic J awards are available to LAX from either SYD or MEL (depending on the day). These are also available via Alaska Airlines, so be quick if you need seats! (seems to be more than one for those dates)

 

[Stusipad]

So my flights are beginning to change:

Trip beginning: MEL-HND-HEL-FCO now being changed to MEL-HND ?? NRT-HEL-FCO (including a 15hr layover in Japan, annoying)
And my return home: LAX-HND-SYD-MEL being changed to LAX-NRT ?? HND-SYD-MEL (luckily no extreme layover)

Do l now somehow need to find my way between Haneda and Narita on my own? Wouldn't that now require me to go land-side and face the current COVID requirements for Japan entry?

Ideas?

 

[DC3]

So my flights are beginning to change:

Trip beginning: MEL-HND-HEL-FCO now being changed to MEL-HND ?? NRT-HEL-FCO (including a 15hr layover in Japan, annoying)
And my return home: LAX-HND-SYD-MEL being changed to LAX-NRT ?? HND-SYD-MEL (luckily no extreme layover)

Do l now somehow need to find my way between Haneda and Narita on my own? Wouldn't that now require me to go land-side and face the current COVID requirements for Japan entry?

Ideas?

Tourists are prevented from going landslide in Japan, currently. Airport transit only, so you would need to fly in/out of the same airport. There is no indication of when this will change.

Edited

 

[Stusipad]

Tourists are prevented from going landslide in Japan, currently. Airport transit only. There is no indication of when this will change.

Hence my concern. I don't understand what l am expected to do, or how l should handle this..

 

[DC3]

Hence my concern. I don't understand what l am expected to do, or how l should handle this..

You would need to find flight availability into and out of the same airport. How far away is your trip?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hence my concern. I don't understand what l am expected to do, or how l should handle this..

Depends how soo the flights are, and whether you think the situation might change by the time you fly?

If soon, you should prolly contact qantas and ask what they can do for you. It seems at least in some cases QF is opening up seats on their own flights. The might put on the no stop to FCO and back from LAX.

(as an aside, transferring between the airports in tokyo is really easy, get your bags, get on the coach waiting by the exit, get dropped off at the door at the other end)

 

[Stusipad]

You would need to find flight availability into and out of the same airport. How far away is your trip?

Departure date is April 5th. Eeek!

 

[Ktan89]

Japan rules at the moment: you can't transfer between Narita - Haneda and you can't stay overnight in Narita.
I commented earlier.. JAL did a coughpy job doing their "covid schedule" Not many flights match up making it useless to transit through Japan

 

[Mr H]

Japan rules at the moment: you can't transfer between Narita - Haneda and you can't stay overnight in Narita.
I commented earlier.. JAL did a coughpy job doing their "covid schedule" Not many flights match up making it useless to transit through Japan

This is true for now and I would be nervous about flights in early April but these rules are not for ever.

 

[DC3]

Unfortunately for tourists, there’s no political will to allow entry into Japan. The population is reported to be about 75% in favour of keeping tourists out.

Short-term change is probably not happening.

 

[GaryLG]

Foolishly or not, I'm still hoping that might change by mid-May which at least is a bit further away.

 

[Mr H]

Foolishly or not, I'm still hoping that might change by mid-May which at least is a bit further away.

And I am hoping things change by October (although my first flight on my itinerary is late August).

 

[EestiTiger]

Foolishly or not, I'm still hoping that might change by mid-May which at least is a bit further away.

Same situation here but mid-June! Need to work out a plan B I think but have all my toes and fingers crossed!

 

[GaryLG]

I still need a Plan B but I'll wait till the end of the month to decide with fingers crossed!!

 

[Mr H]

I still need a Plan B but I'll wait till the end of the month to decide with fingers crossed!!

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.

 

[GaryLG]

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.

I know what you mean about the Plan A/B though the first part of my trip a couple of stops in Europe that so I don't plan to cancel in toto but we'll see.

 

[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.