Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[vetrade]

I can offer only a single data point.

In my case it was HND-SYD for 3 pax in J flying JL.

QF flights same day and the following day were showing I0 and they refused to convert revenue seats. The also refused to release seats into BNE which was my ultimate destination.

Needing three may have been a factor, but from a passenger point of view I though it was very unsatisfactory especially as it meant cancellation of the entire PNR and they held my money for a further eight weeks.

The possibility of that type of scenario where QF "hangs you out to dry" is that worries me.

 

[squid01]

Is our old friend "married segment" raising its ugly head again.
In short flights connecting A to C via B may allowed but not A-B or B-C.
Not uncommon on Qatar or Cathay.

Qatar is known or selectively releasing award seats to airlines ( particularly mean to QF) so what is offered to, and available on BA or JAL or AA websites is not what is necessarily available to QFF fliers. This happens regularly on Iberia and in particular Air Nostrum . Far more business class availability on BA website vs QFF one ( maybe that's because BA and Iberia are owned by the same company - International Airways Group )

Re "phantom availability " there are some rational explanations for this .
One I know of is this
An airline say BA has a Qatar award seat available on their FF site - it is available on. QFF .
The seat is taken by someone out there in the frequent flier universe but individual airlines request or are given award availability at different times eg 4 or 6 hourly dumps .
So I can understand that at one particular time ,
the QR seat is no longer available but BA may still be offering it and it no longer exists on QFF.
Of course , this is just guesswork on my behalf!

Thanks for the info.

Just thought it is odd that it only shows on JAL website but not one other of Qantas website or British airways website. I tried to phone Qantas to confirm (as ultimately I will be booking the OWA via phone with them) but for disconnected after 1.5 hours. Will try again tomorrow maybe if I can stomach it (flashbacks to March 2020 when I was on hold for 9 hours a day over multiple days about a OWA itenery).

If I could get that flight path it would be perfect, Q suites the whole way but I have my doubts as there is so little availability searching all the segments or other married segments and I tried searching for like six hours.

The other weird thing about this is that when I search MEL>FCO it has no J availability (the same flights as the whole Adelaide to Rome married segment tiniest). So why would adding on a QF flight from ADL>MEL first make the whole thing available in J?
Just trying not to get my hope up here before I get onto the Qantas call centre.

 

[Must...Fly!]

The other weird thing about this is that when I search MEL>FCO it has no J availability (the same flights as the whole Adelaide to Rome married segment tiniest). So why would adding on a QF flight from ADL>MEL first make the whole thing available in J?

Just part of the married segment magic I'm afraid.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Does anyone have info about this "flight re-assignment" process and how satisfactory and timely it is from a passenger's point of view?
Does QF routinely & proactively contact customers when some schedule change demands a change of flight/s or do customers need to take the initiative?
If a re-route is required, especially where one flight is replaced by 2, do they re-calculate the taxes for the whole itinerary and charge you more?

We have a re-schedule required for KUL - MEL in Sept because our DOH - KUL flight now arrives after the connecting flight has departed.
Received this 3 days ago: "We know you have a connecting flight MH129 from Kuala Lumpur at 9:20AM on 21 September 2022. We’re monitoring your booking and will send an update with your new flight details if we need to make changes"
Not impressed with the "if we need to make changes" bit.

Concerned that if QF sits on their hands too long, the scant J award availability of options through Tokyo etc might evaporate.
Any details of AFFers' experiences appreciated.

This worries me too and I am always proactive.

I think QF uses the waiting period to accommodate their ‘important’ passengers… platinums etc. If you are not platinum you could be left with any remaining options, which might be none.

always better to get in asap, take the best seats proactively.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

What happens if you miss a flight connection due to delays on an earlier flight on a OWA? My first leg is QF 1 SYD-SIN-LHR + LHR-EDI; if for what ever reason QF1 is late and I miss my LHR-EDI, I would expect BA to put me on a later flight.

I had assumed that because checked in all the way through to EDI and I would actually be flying, a missed connection would not cancel remainder of the OWA ticket - is this correct?

A missed flight on the day due to IRROPS will protect the rest of your itinerary as per vertrade’s advice.

HOWEVER… never take this for granted. Errors do happen, and sometimes agents get the new ticketing wrong at the airport. Always make sure through the usual channels that your ticket remains intact. The best way is probably going to be by calling… doing it on line is not always a guarantee that the flights still have valid ticket numbers against them (much the same as pre departure where there can be an error with ticketing but ‘manage vooking’ still shows everything is ok).

 

[jkcfc]

We have a dilemma. Currently have a fully ticketed OWA which at the start has:

MEL-DOH (QR*) J (14h35m)
DOH-CMB (QR) J (4h55m)
2h35m transit
CMB-MLE (UL) x (1h25m)

There is now 2x J seats available on DOH-MLE (4h55m) direct which was our original preference.

I don't know if its worth calling to change and then go through all the headaches of ticketing etc or just keep our current itinerary because it is locked in.

Think I'm leaning towards keeping current booking to avoid Qantas call centre at all costs.

 

[Mr H]

We have a dilemma. Currently have a fully ticketed OWA which at the start has:

MEL-DOH (QR*) J (14h35m)
DOH-CMB (QR) J (4h55m)
2h35m transit
CMB-MLE (UL) x (1h25m)

There is now 2x J seats available on DOH-MLE (4h55m) direct which was our original preference.

I don't know if its worth calling to change and then go through all the headaches of ticketing etc or just keep our current itinerary because it is locked in.

Think I'm leaning towards keeping current booking to avoid Qantas call centre at all costs.

Part of the answer may depend on times of the day. Do you connect in the middle of the night? Do you arrive when hotels are open for check in?

 

[jkcfc]

Part of the answer may depend on times of the day. Do you connect in the middle of the night? Do you arrive when hotels are open for check in?

We arrive in Doha at 5.55am.

Current departure from Doha is 8.55am arriving Male at 7.50pm.

Direct flight from Doha departs at 8.25am arriving Male at 3.50pm.

Either way we had to stay on Male before getting a seaplane to the honeymoon destination as we would miss the seaplane departure cut-off of 4pm.

For the sake of saving 4 hours and avoiding a 1hr25 economy flight, I'm thinking it will be more than 4 hours on the phone with Qantas and added stress of being ticketed correctly.

 

[cjd600]

We arrive in Doha at 5.55am.

Current departure from Doha is 8.55am arriving Male at 7.50pm.

Direct flight from Doha departs at 8.25am arriving Male at 3.50pm.

Either way we had to stay on Male before getting a seaplane to the honeymoon destination as we would miss the seaplane departure cut-off of 4pm.

For the sake of saving 4 hours and avoiding a 1hr25 economy flight, I'm thinking it will be more than 4 hours on the phone with Qantas and added stress of being ticketed correctly.

I'd grit my teeth, call QF, and make the change

 

[Mr H]

We arrive in Doha at 5.55am.

Current departure from Doha is 8.55am arriving Male at 7.50pm.

Direct flight from Doha departs at 8.25am arriving Male at 3.50pm.

Either way we had to stay on Male before getting a seaplane to the honeymoon destination as we would miss the seaplane departure cut-off of 4pm.

For the sake of saving 4 hours and avoiding a 1hr25 economy flight, I'm thinking it will be more than 4 hours on the phone with Qantas and added stress of being ticketed correctly.

I would definitely change if it is an economy flight after a 4.55 hour flight as I think you might not even get the lounge in CMB. Just have your phone on speaker and go about your normal day.

 

[vetrade]

I'd be on the phone to change to the direct DOH - MLE flight too, no question. A straightforward change like that shouldn't need to be re-ticketed especially because you are are just changing from one QR flight to another. Apart from avoiding the Y flight, you avoid arriving at your MLE accommodation after 9pm too.

 

[ozflier]

I'd be on the phone to change to the direct DOH - MLE flight too, no question. A straightforward change like that shouldn't need to be re-ticketed especially because you are are just changing from one QR flight to another. Apart from avoiding the Y flight, you avoid arriving at your MLE accommodation after 9pm too.

I would do the same !

 

[Must...Fly!]

I'd be on the phone to change to the direct DOH - MLE flight too, no question. A straightforward change like that shouldn't need to be re-ticketed especially because you are are just changing from one QR flight to another. Apart from avoiding the Y flight, you avoid arriving at your MLE accommodation after 9pm too.

Huh? The taxes need to be recalculated and ticket needs to be reissued after every change.

 

[levelnine]

There is now 2x J seats available on DOH-MLE (4h55m) direct which was our original preference.

Interesting. I'm looking for 2x J seats on the exact same flight in January. Currently booked in Y.

Do you think Qatar released more J seats as it got closer to the date? When is your flight?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Huh? The taxes need to be recalculated and ticket needs to be reissued after every change.

Agree. This is a ticket re-issue - not a revalidation. Changing the sectors on a ticket means it will have to be reisssued.

 

[DC3]

Re-issued tickets would be processed thousands of times a day. Quite straight-forward, unless handled with incompetence.

 

[Wolf creek]

Ok brains trust getting my feet wet on my first OWA award trip from Sydney to Doha, from first of April 2023 unti 20th April 2023 it seems they are releasing only economy award seats at this stage.any ideas when they release the business seats please.

 

[levelnine]

any ideas when they release the business seats please.

No one knows. Releases on Qatar (and many airlines) are completely random at the moment. They released a large batch of business seats into/out of Australia a few months ago, but nothing since.

 

[vetrade]

Huh? The taxes need to be recalculated and ticket needs to be reissued after every change.

Disagree. Tax changes do not automatically require a ticket re-issue. In fact, it is quite feasible that the change in taxes in this case would be so minor that the CSA may not bother doing a re-calculation. Plus, deleting the CMB - MLE leg may actually reduce the taxes a little. Both the DOH - CMB and DOH to MLE are 4hr 55min long and both are QR flights so I'd guess that the taxes are very similar. Some CSAs do proactively apply common sense and not create unnecessary work for themselves

Regarding ticketing, an amendment to the ticket does not always require the issuing of a new e-ticket number, which is the critical point referenced in this case. When problems arise it's usually because of a change in the e-ticket number. I've quite often made minor changes to OWA itineraries which have just been amended but have kept the original e-ticket number.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Disagree. Tax changes do not automatically require a ticket re-issue. In fact, it is quite feasible that the change in taxes in this case would be so minor that the CSA may not bother doing a re-calculation. Plus, deleting the CMB - MLE leg may actually reduce the taxes a little. Both the DOH - CMB and DOH to MLE are 4hr 55min long and both are QR flights so I'd guess that the taxes are very similar.

Regarding ticketing, an amendment to the ticket does not always require the issuing of a new e-ticket number, which is the critical point referenced in this case. When problems arise it's usually because of a change in the e-ticket number. I've quite often made minor changes to OWA itineraries which have just been amended but have kept the original e-ticket number.

That's right. Changes to things such as flight numbers, dates, or changing times aren't going to require a re-issue, just a revalidation: The sectors are all the same. But cancelling a whole sector - removing it from the ticket - will require a re-issue.

Once revalidated or reissued there may be a change in taxes. The agent may or may not waive those depending on the value, and whether or not the change was voluntary or involuntary.