Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Aristotle9]

I was thinking of making one more change but given its 2.5 weeks to go and I have QR from JNB-LHR am worried. Anyone recently managed to get ticketed while on the call?

 

[Mr H]

But the bigger issue is that if the QR sector isn’t ticketed, what makes you think the rest of your flights are? They should all be on the one ticket to be a valid One World Classic Flight Award.

If you have an existing booking that is ticketed and they add a new flight in, CMT will show the old flights still there with ticket numbers and the new flight will not have a ticket number until the ticket is redone. I have assumed that the old flights remain ticketed throughout the process since CMT shows things in real time.

 

[jaseb]

If you have an existing booking that is ticketed and they add a new flight in, CMT will show the old flights still there with ticket numbers and the new flight will not have a ticket number until the ticket is redone. I have assumed that the old flights remain ticketed throughout the process since CMT shows things in real time.

Yes this is what's happened. Existing flights are ticketed, the new flight I tried to have added (which I now know isn't possible without canceling one of the other ticketed flights, which I'm not willing to do) remains attached to the booking in MMB and CMT albeit with no ticket number - whereas the existing flights still have ticket numbers showing

 

[vetrade]

I was thinking of making one more change but given its 2.5 weeks to go and I have QR from JNB-LHR am worried. Anyone recently managed to get ticketed while on the call?

Getting ticketed while on the call seems to be near impossible these days. Presumably it's the JNB-DOH-LHR sector you are considering changing, but I'd be wary of doing that because QR can be unpredictable when it comes to changes. They resheduled one of our flights 2 weeks ago and QF has been chasing them for us since then to make something workable available, but they (QF) tell me that QR won't even respond to their contacts.
Another point is that you may get hit with big increases in taxes which both QR and BA have imposed since the Ukraine war started.

 

[levelnine]

Another point is that you may get hit with big increases in taxes which both QR and BA have imposed since the Ukraine war started.

Is there any information on how much these surcharges have increased by? Is it as bad as EK?

 

[vetrade]

Is there any information on how much these surcharges have increased by? Is it as bad as EK?

I changed HEL - HND - SYD - MEL to BRU - DOH - KUL - MEL and the extra taxes were $1100 for 2 pax.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Is that how insurance companies actually work?

I think consumer law and maybe insurance law too operate to make it favourable to the consumer.

 

[flapper]

I was thinking of making one more change but given its 2.5 weeks to go and I have QR from JNB-LHR am worried. Anyone recently managed to get ticketed while on the call?

I think that will depend on your status and if you can get through to HBA or AKL call centre. I have had them reticket whilst I wait. I am NB and haven't got through to them for ages though. As QR flights get deleted if not ticketed in 24 hours I wouldn't take the risk. I have a J OWA in Aug. I could add a Euro flight but don't want to take the risk of losing my long haul flights. The last change I made took 5 calls all to Fiji and Cape Town to get reticketed.
Another story, last year I added a flight to a OWA that included QR flights. Cape Town told me it would be ticketed in an hour or 2. When that didn't happen I called back that night. After a 2 hour+ wait, I was told it had again gone to ticketing and would take 1 to 2 hours. I checked first thing in the morning, still no e-ticket. I called again. During my 8 hours on hold 24 hours ticked over and my QR flights disappeared. Luckily I got through to HBA, I nearly cried in relief when I heard the Aussie accent. The seats had gone back into rewards inventory and they added them back and reticketed while on the phone.

 

[NamarrgonFlyer]

I saw some absurd taxes and charges before trying to get an award seat from Kuala Lumpur to Amsterdam for late December with MH... they were quoting something like A$1100.00 extra on top of the 61,500 Qantas points.

So instead have gone with BA from Singapore.

 

[Aristotle9]

Getting ticketed while on the call seems to be near impossible these days. Presumably it's the JNB-DOH-LHR sector you are considering changing

Another point is that you may get hit with big increases in taxes which both QR and BA have imposed since the Ukraine war started.

Thanks, that's what I thought. I wasn't changing the JNB-DOH-LHR but MAD-JFK to ARN-JFK but have decided to hold off. Maybe after I get to London then might try it as QR would be done and over and only AA/QF to negotiate.

The last change I made took 5 calls all to Fiji and Cape Town to get reticketed

Yeah took me 8 calls and all Fiji / SA to change and it went through all sorts of trouble with taxes n then points etc.

 

[vetrade]

Thanks, that's what I thought. I wasn't changing the JNB-DOH-LHR but MAD-JFK to ARN-JFK but have decided to hold off. Maybe after I get to London then might try it as QR would be done and over and only AA/QF to negotiate.

After your trip has commenced you cannot change a route - can only change date or flight number

14.7.6 Subject to this clause 14.7, the following changes are permitted to a Classic Award flight before departure of that flight, provided the booking contains one or more Flight Segments that are not within Australia, and the Flight Segment(s) being changed do not include a partner airline that requires a ticket to be reissued for the change. Any such change will incur a Change Fee (see the Fee Schedule) per passenger:
(a) change to flight number; and
(b) change to date of travel.

 

[squid01]

I'm still planning my OWA currently. There is extremely limited availability on the return leg home (even being very flexible with dates). Only really one flight option feasible and has 2 award seats left. If they disappear then the itinery is done.

I was thinking of booking that flight now as a place holder. If I did that and then added on all my other flights (to complete the OWA) in say a months time, is there any chance that original booked flight can drop off? It is a QF flight if that makes any difference. Or is it pretty straight forward to just add on a bunch of flights to that original single ticket without much risk?

 

[cjd600]

I'm still planning my OWA currently. There is extremely limited availability on the return leg home (even being very flexible with dates). Only really one flight option feasible and has 2 award seats left. If they disappear then the itinery is done.

I was thinking of booking that flight now as a place holder. If I did that and then added on all my other flights (to complete the OWA) in say a months time, is there any chance that original booked flight can drop off? It is a QF flight if that makes any difference. Or is it pretty straight forward to just add on a bunch of flights to that original single ticket without much risk?

The whole idea is generally to add a bunch of flights to the original first booking. Unless you are lucky enough to have all flights available and released when you start your booking. Grab that last leg now, and add the earlier flights as you go. Makes no difference if your first booking is actually the final leg

 

[Mr H]

I'm still planning my OWA currently. There is extremely limited availability on the return leg home (even being very flexible with dates). Only really one flight option feasible and has 2 award seats left. If they disappear then the itinery is done.

I was thinking of booking that flight now as a place holder. If I did that and then added on all my other flights (to complete the OWA) in say a months time, is there any chance that original booked flight can drop off? It is a QF flight if that makes any difference. Or is it pretty straight forward to just add on a bunch of flights to that original single ticket without much risk?

You should book immediately and it is easy (at least in theory) to add flights onto the booking.

 

[squid01]

Thanks. And if I for some reason then want to cancel the booking, Qantas will refund the points pretty quick? Or are they slow on that front still? When I cancelled my OWA from 2020 it took ages to get the points back but thinking that has sorted out since COVID has dies down a little?

 

[Mr H]

Thanks. And if I for some reason then want to cancel the booking, Qantas will refund the points pretty quick? Or are they slow on that front still? When I cancelled my OWA from 2020 it took ages to get the points back but thinking that has sorted out since COVID has dies down a little?

In my experience the points refund quickly but the money is sloooow.

 

[cjd600]

Thanks. And if I for some reason then want to cancel the booking, Qantas will refund the points pretty quick? Or are they slow on that front still? When I cancelled my OWA from 2020 it took ages to get the points back but thinking that has sorted out since COVID has dies down a little?

I cancelled an award on QF 4 weeks ago, still waiting for the points (and $$). It can vary greatly, with the points, sometimes almost immediate, sometimes a wait. Points always quicker than the $$ though.

 

[squid01]

Thanks again!

I may also include in this initial booking the flight out from Australia to KUL as there is limited availability there too. But if say I then want to change that KUL flight down the line but keep the other flight I mentioned, is there a chance that the original flight could drop off as it then needs to be re-ticketed (ie- isnt just adding on more flights but removing another flight)?

Sorry for the dumb questions here!

 

[Mr H]

Thanks again!

I may also include in this initial booking the flight out from Australia to KUL as there is limited availability there too. But if say I then want to change that KUL flight down the line but keep the other flight I mentioned, is there a chance that the original flight could drop off as it then needs to be re-ticketed (ie- isnt just adding on more flights but removing another flight)?

Sorry for the dumb questions here!

Your big risk is if you book two flights on the same airline with a layover of less than 24 hours. The two flights may get 'married' so that if you scrap one of them, you have to scrap the other one too. More than 24 hours gap or different carriers and there should be no worry about booked flights dropping off if you make changes - although incompetent agents in the overseas call centres seem to be able to make the most surprising mistakes.

 

[squid01]

Your big risk is if you book two flights on the same airline with a layover of less than 24 hours. The two flights may get 'married' so that if you scrap one of them, you have to scrap the other one too. More than 24 hours gap or different carriers and there should be no worry about booked flights dropping off if you make changes - although incompetent agents in the overseas call centres seem to be able to make the most surprising mistakes.

Thanks for the advice.

One more annoying question. If I booked just the one flight to placehold then next week want to add on just one more flight to the booking, can that be done online easily? Or will I have to deal with the call centre to add or remove any flights?