Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Danger]

I'm now back in the game for another oneworld award for my parents.

In booking over the phone this morning, I had an exceptionally polite and helpful agent insist that surface sectors count against the stops (not just against sectors). I pushed back, of course and he reviewed the rules to discover he was confused with something else.

I was also reminded at the extortion racket that is BA's surcharges. Madrid to Dallas with a transit in London added GBP555 for two passengers. Madrid to Dallas via Helsinki added EUR112. I do acknowledge there's a full pounds imposed on BA by the government, but the difference is still extraordinary.

 

[Warragul]

Royal Air Maroc do not have a direct service but I've used them/ RJ to get from CMN to AMM via Tunis with at least 2 business class award availability. You may also want to look at connections via Cairo and Madrid .

On the 5th call, a helpful guy in Capetown booked our seats CMN-AMM (via BCN). I asked about reticketing and the risk to the previous flights on the booking. He said essentially nothing to worry about its in a queue and wouldn't request a manual reticket. How long should I wait before following up? The previous flights are on QF and AT.

 

[Danger]

On the 5th call, a helpful guy in Capetown booked our seats CMN-AMM (via BCN). I asked about reticketing and the risk to the previous flights on the booking. He said essentially nothing to worry about its in a queue and wouldn't request a manual reticket. How long should I wait before following up? The previous flights are on QF and AT.

Earlier this year, AT waited six days before cancelling my ticket that Qantas failed to reticket. It ended up costing Qantas over $700 to buy me a revenue seat. I wouldn't wait longer than three days at the most, unless you want to potentially argue with Qantas about buying you a revenue seat.

 

[Warragul]

This thread is showing no new replies since September 25, is this right or is something amiss with my browser/account?

 

[jeza]

This thread is showing no new replies since September 25, is this right or is something amiss with my browser/account?

Nothing amiss with your account more likely lack of flight availability, difficulty in booking &/or keeping a booked itinerary alive when changes occur have resulted in a slow down in posts.

 

[ChrisMars]

Based an all the report of ticketing issue and lost tickets, I personally think booking OWA is pure madness at the moment, even as WP (or above). I am sticking with classic award booking.

Wondering what other think, maybe I missed something.

 

[levelnine]

Wondering what other think, maybe I missed something.

My guess is there was a flurry of booking activity after the borders opened, especially for the northern hemisphere summer while fly flexible policies were in place, but that enthusiasm is rapidly diminishing due to: (1) the plethora of ticketing issues rightly scaring people off QF, (2) the need to now pay for changes on a complex itinerary such as a OWA, (3) sky rocketing inflation and interest rates eating into discretionary items such as round the world travel, and (4) a lack of award availability making it all too hard.

 

[squid01]

New auto e-ticket came through this afternoon, 48hrs after I accepted the change. All flights in CMT now all have tickets number, and it’s a new number. So looks like I’m all set.

Way too stressful all this stuff. Almost lost the whole itinery couple weeks ago when it went unticketed due to a change and flights started dropping off. Leaving Monday with a QF domestic flight hopefully the strikes don’t effect my flight :/

Am currently three weeks into my 15 week OWCA.

The first leg from ADL to LHR consisted of five flights lol. One in the middle was cancelled by MH with no other OW option, if you recall from my complaining in this thread. So I had to purchase flights on Malindo from KUL to HKT. All five flights pretty well on time except that mail do one which was an hour late. All worked out ok. Got to sample MH and QR business seats. Got to Doha and asked if they could upgrade on the next leg to first, lady said they only had one seat did we want it. Stupidly didn’t as wanted to share the experience with my partner, we both kind of kicking ourselves now hah.

Currently in the Finnair lounge in Helsinki about to go to NYC for the middle leg of the trip.

Overall, dealing with the cancellations and with the call centre over months to get this fixed, I will never book an itinery like this again. Only if they fix their customer service quality. Until then I will enjoy all the free champagne and business class seats I can, having only ever paid for one Qantas fare in my life haha.

 

[N860CR]

It would be super hard work at the moment to put one of these together in any class! I'm trying to book just an economy JNB-SYD and it seems Qantas aren't releasing any award availability on this flight for the next year (even down the back!).

 

[Paul McClafferty]

I am looking to book up the below Qantas RTW itinerary, can you see any issues I will find?

SYD-HND-EDI-ground-GLA-NAP-ground-FCO-MEX-SFO-SYD

All business class except the SFO-SYD which will have to be economy. All returning flights to Syd from any North/South American seem to be economy only unfortunately!

 

[sqrt()]

I am looking to book up the below Qantas RTW itinerary, can you see any issues I will find?

SYD-HND-EDI-ground-GLA-NAP-ground-FCO-MEX-SFO-SYD

All business class except the SFO-SYD which will have to be economy. All returning flights to Syd from any North/South American seem to be economy only unfortunately!

How are you getting from HND-EDI, GLA-NAP, FCO-MEX, and MEX-SFO? No OW service between those. 14 segments right?

 

[Paul McClafferty]

How are you getting from HND-EDI, GLA-NAP, FCO-MEX, and MEX-SFO? No OW service between those. 14 segments right?

HND-EDI transit via Helsinki, Japan airlines then Finnair
GLA-NAP transit via Heathrow, British airways
FCO-MEX transit via Madrid, Iberia
MEX-SFO transit via Dallas, American Arilines

Detailed flight list:

SYD-OOL-HND Stop
HND-HEL-EDI Stop
GLA-LHR-NAP Stop
FCO-MAD-MEX Stop
MEX-DFW-SFO Stop
SFO-LAX-SYD

This is 12 x flights with 2 x surface sectors, Edinburgh to Glasgow and Naples to Rome.

 

[sqrt()]

HND-EDI transit via Helsinki, Japan airlines then Finnair
GLA-NAP transit via Heathrow, British airways
FCO-MEX transit via Madrid, Iberia
MEX-SFO transit via Dallas, American Arilines

Detailed flight list:

SYD-OOL-HND Stop
HND-HEL-EDI Stop
GLA-LHR-NAP Stop
FCO-MAD-MEX Stop
MEX-DFW-SFO Stop
SFO-LAX-SYD

This is 12 x flights with 2 x surface sectors, Edinburgh to Glasgow and Naples to Rome.

Cool. Might be a pain to book but hopefully you can do online. QF site won't let me search awards at the moment but I think this is all in the rules.

I didn't know OOL-HND was a thing?

 

[Paul McClafferty]

Cool. Might be a pain to book but hopefully you can do online. QF site won't let me search awards at the moment but I think this is all in the rules.

I didn't know OOL-HND was a thing?

Thank you! I tried to book online but it'll need to be a call to book due to tax calculations.

SYD-OOL-HND is a Jetstar flight. Does this mean the plan is ineligible as no QF flights?

 

[sqrt()]

Thank you! I tried to book online but it'll need to be a call to book due to tax calculations.

SYD-OOL-HND is a Jetstar flight. Does this mean the plan is ineligible as no QF flights?

No Jetstar flights allowed I believe. It will break the fare. Jetstar is not a Oneworld airline (even if it is owned by QF). Same with Aer Lingus (EI) flights, even though EI is owned by IAG (who own BA and IB), it is not a Oneworld airline, so you can't use EI flights in an OWA.

You don't need any QF flights as long as you have two or more OW carriers

i.e. you could do all AA and AS, stay in the Americas, and still book a QF ticketed OWA for SEA-SFO-LAX-MEX-DFW-EZE-MIA-JFK-SEA. You could do similar with BA and IB in Europe/Africa, or JL and CX in Asia.

FYI that JQ flight from OOL is to NRT, not HND.

 

[Paul McClafferty]

Okay good to know thank you.

Will need to decide between a longer business flight via jakarta or a premium econ direct.

 

[brideshead]

Probably, if they can! Or at least they’d tell you the actual reason why they can’t book it, without and of the made up stuff.

I have had a similar experience today - I have an existing J booking that I wanted to change due to cancellation of one of the legs. I did quite a bit of searching on the Qantas classic rewards search tool and came up with 6 new flight segments, all showing availability, but the call centre person told me those flights are "only for new bookings" and what she could change my booking over to was showing zero availability for all flights Australia to Europe Jul-Sep next year. Therefore she advised me to cancel the booking and do a new booking if I wanted to take those flights on the website.

Is this just a way of QF getting people to cancel their bookings, take the cancellation fees and churn us, hoping we will go away and find something else to use these points for? Honestly, though if you never get to use these points they are practically worthless.

 

[teleri]

Okay good to know thank you.

Will need to decide between a longer business flight via jakarta or a premium econ direct.

If you can get it to route via MNL, so that you start RTW from MNL (i.e. MNL->HND->HEL->EDI) it may offer a better deal on the fuel surcharges. More info 2/3rds down: Perks of starting your Qantas oneworld Classic Reward overseas

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I have had a similar experience today - I have an existing J booking that I wanted to change due to cancellation of one of the legs. I did quite a bit of searching on the Qantas classic rewards search tool and came up with 6 new flight segments, all showing availability, but the call centre person told me those flights are "only for new bookings" and what she could change my booking over to was showing zero availability for all flights Australia to Europe Jul-Sep next year. Therefore she advised me to cancel the booking and do a new booking if I wanted to take those flights on the website.

Is this just a way of QF getting people to cancel their bookings, take the cancellation fees and churn us, hoping we will go away and find something else to use these points for? Honestly, though if you never get to use these points they are practically worthless.

Noooooooo. See the thing is this… even if they cancel the booking they will not be able to rebook the domestic sector it in conjunction with the international legs. They can only offer you a connection if it comes up as part of the original sets of offered flights. If the domestic connection was not there originally, they cannot add it now, and matter what they say.

Don’t cancel!

 

[Warragul]

Is there any information about what changes to a ticketed booking require reticketing? Is reissue the same as reticket?
My OWA booking is for Aug/Sept next year, I imagine there will be some carrier initiated changes between then and now. I'd like to find out (if possible) which ones I need to get on the phone for. Or should I contact QF for any changes?

Thanks