Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Captain Halliday]

After some advice. I have two QF Classic reward flights booked separately. The first is ADL-SYD in Y (Requested upgrade to J) the second is BA F Class on BA16. I understand that two PNR's can't be combined. Is it possible for the Dom leg to be added to the international F leg on BA which may then enable baggage to be through checked to SIN. I was ok about re-checking bags in SYD until I remembered that Check-in for BA won't open until 12.30-13.00 and my flight from ADL arrives at 0830. Don't really wanting to be hanging around for 4 hours waiting for check-in to open if I can avoid it.

It could be done via the call centre, but I’m not sure it would be worth the cost or hassle.

First there would need to be availability - not a given because QF are blocking some domestic awards for international connections.

Second you’d need an agent who can do it.

Third you’d have to pay a cancellation fee on the domestic and a change fee on the international. That 11,000 points per pax and more than the Y Classic domestic award.

 

[nj12]

It could be done via the call centre, but I’m not sure it would be worth the cost or hassle.

First there would need to be availability - not a given because QF are blocking some domestic awards for international connections.

Second you’d need an agent who can do it.

Third you’d have to pay a cancellation fee on the domestic and a change fee on the international. That 11,000 points per pax and more than the Y Classic domestic award.

Thanks for the response. My main fear is QF losing the BA F seat when changing the booking as detailed in other threads.
As for through-checking the luggage if I was to cancel the Domestic award and re book with cash would I then be eligible to have baggage through-checked under the rules as it would be separate tickets with One world carriers - 1 cash booking (Domestic) and 1 QF reward (OW International)?

 

[muppet]

Thanks for the response. My main fear is QF losing the BA F seat when changing the booking as detailed in other threads.
As for through-checking the luggage if I was to cancel the Domestic award and re book with cash would I then be eligible to have baggage through-checked under the rules as it would be separate tickets with One world carriers - 1 cash booking (Domestic) and 1 QF reward (OW International)?

In theory yes, per this QF site on interline baggage:

https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnect/gb/en/policy-and-guidelines/baggage-information/interline-and-through-checked-baggage.html

^ Exemptions apply for customers travelling on a oneworld separate PNRs when using a combination of award travel and revenue travel. Note: This is a Qantas exemption and may not be supported by all oneworld airlines.

However, in my personal experience, I haven’t recently (last few years) been able to get a checkin agent to honour it.

 

[n1k]

Thanks for the response. My main fear is QF losing the BA F seat when changing the booking as detailed in other threads.
As for through-checking the luggage if I was to cancel the Domestic award and re book with cash would I then be eligible to have baggage through-checked under the rules as it would be separate tickets with One world carriers - 1 cash booking (Domestic) and 1 QF reward (OW International)?

Interested to follow your experience here. I've got a booking that's almost the same scenario: QF MEL-SYD domestic leg (not yet booked), then BA16 in F. When are you travelling?

 

[nj12]

In theory yes, per this QF site on interline baggage:

https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnect/gb/en/policy-and-guidelines/baggage-information/interline-and-through-checked-baggage.html

^ Exemptions apply for customers travelling on a oneworld separate PNRs when using a combination of award travel and revenue travel. Note: This is a Qantas exemption and may not be supported by all oneworld airlines.

However, in my personal experience, I haven’t recently (last few years) been able to get a checkin agent to honour it.

Thanks for the DP. Might leave it as is and put up with a four hour wait in SYD for check-in to open. Frustrating but better than risking potentially losing the BA F seat I guess.

 

[nj12]

Interested to follow your experience here. I've got a booking that's almost the same scenario: QF MEL-SYD domestic leg (not yet booked), then BA16 in F. When are you travelling?

Travelling in late October. I'll still try my luck with QF CS rep in ADL to through check my baggage but it's clearly outside of the published policy so I don't like my chances.

 

[muppet]

Thanks for the DP. Might leave it as is and put up with a four hour wait in SYD for check-in to open. Frustrating but better than risking potentially losing the BA F seat I guess.

Worth a try for sure. But just to clarify, I think it is within published QF policy, I’ve just had trouble getting a QF checkin agent to go along with it.

 

[nj12]

Thanks for the clarification. I was weighing up the opportunity cost of booking a cash fare for the domestic leg but only on the proviso that Qantas would actually honor the 'exemption' to through check luggage. Given your experiences and others and I think I'll just keep the booking as two separate awards and plead my case at the airport.

 

[fastferret]

I've recently finished booking my third Oneworld Classic 318k reward, this time as silver.

I booked the first back in 2015 and the second in 2022. It gets harder each time and I expect this will be the last time I do this, especially as I am now retired and not collecting big numbers of Qantas points.

The booking for 2 is SYD-HND-NGO (JL)-HEL-DBV (AY); SPU-MAD-LHR (IB); LHR-HEL-HND (AY)-SYD (JL). SYD-HND is PE, the rest Business.

The convoluted routing to Dubrovnik is annoying, as is having to go SPU-LHR via Madrid when there are plenty of direct BA seats available through Avios.

I'm hardly making the best use of the reward. However, as I said, finding flights is getting very difficult with very limited seats in and out of Australia, Qatar flights non-existent and BA very rare.

I'm just happy to have arranged a mostly business class trip to Europe for a reasonable points spend.

 

[Foreigner]

For the business class 318k reward booking, more segments can be added to bookings after tickets have been issued? Provided of course mileage is within 35,000

 

[MEL_Traveller]

For the business class 318k reward booking, more segments can be added to bookings after tickets have been issued? Provided of course mileage is within 35,000

Yes. With all the caveats of ticketing deadlines (and cancellations if not ticketed in time), and agents being able/not able to see availability for ‘new’ vs ‘existing’ bookings.

You’ll be charged the change fee each time.

 

[nickfromeastryde]

Yes. With all the caveats of ticketing deadlines (and cancellations if not ticketed in time), and agents being able/not able to see availability for ‘new’ vs ‘existing’ bookings.

You’ll be charged the change fee each time.

Had a 318k point booking locked in with return from Europe MAD-HEL-HND-KUL-MEL which wasn't exactly what we wanted as Sydney is where we ideally wanted to finish. Logged on today and found MAD-HEL-HND-SYD so rang Qantas to change the booking. Went straight through to Cape Town and though it took a while to successfully articulate what we wanted, old flights successfully removed and new flights added.

Confirmation email with details arrived in inbox before call was finished and though was told 24 hours for e-Ticket, it arrived 14 minutes later so pleasantly surprised. Overall, very happy, nice to speak to a call centre other than Hobart that efficiently managed to complete our request, a stress free experience!!

Has Qantas improved both their processes and efficiency/knowledge of their call centre staff?

 

[DC3]

Confirmation email with details arrived in inbox before call was finished and though was told 24 hours for e-Ticket, it arrived 14 minutes later so pleasantly surprised. Overall, very happy, nice to speak to a call centre other than Hobart that efficiently managed to complete our request, a stress free experience!!

Similar experience a couple of days ago with the updated e-ticket taking only several minutes to arrive following the adding of 2 x JL flights to a current 318K award itinerary. Manila Call Centre.

 

[vetrade]

MH flies between KUL and DOH and has Y classic rewards available for multiple dates. Does anyone know if they ever release J rewards on this route?
Thanks

 

[MelbFlyer]

agents being able/not able to see availability for ‘new’ vs ‘existing’ bookings.

This x100.

Back last year before my Business OWA, I called many, many times in an attempt to change some flights to ones that had availability online.

I got the above quote 95% of the time in that, seats showing online are for "new" bookings only.

 

[N860CR]

This x100.

Back last year before my Business OWA, I called many, many times in an attempt to change some flights to ones that had availability online.

I got the above quote 95% of the time in that, seats showing online are for "new" bookings only.

Do we have any clarification as to the validity of this claim?

I had a similar issue with a HND-JFK which had J showing but wasn’t bookable as part of a OWA. Tried after the fact to “change” to the J seat (that was still showing available) and given the “only for new bookings” like. Did escalate it to the rewards email but they got their back up and sent some pretty rude emails that started to claim it was “a market based seat” and “some seats are only available from some markets” (ie: gotta book ex Japan which I know is a lie).

 

[DC3]

I got the above quote 95% of the time in that, seats showing online are for "new" bookings only.

So, was the other 5% successful, or did they just offer another reason, or no reason at all?

 

[MelbFlyer]

So, was the other 5% successful, or did they just offer another reason, or no reason at all?

The other 5% was successful in which I had already HUACA multiple times and luckily got through to Hobart or a consultant who knew what they were doing / what kind of booking I had.

It was incredibly frustrating calling up and being told that the reward seats I was looking at online at the time of calling was either :

- Not available on their end / they had no visibility on it / there were no reward seats on the dates I was looking at
or
- Was only available for new bookings and can't be used towards existing bookings

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Once we get a solution to the above, can we post it on a wiki? (I thought someone has posted an explanation or workaround previously, but I can’t find it now)

 

[ChrisMars]

Once we get a solution to the above, can we post it on a wiki? (I thought someone has posted an explanation or workaround previously, but I can’t find it now)

Yea I remember seeing someone posting some rough guidelines. Ideally someone should just ask to a qualified agent what did they do to find the seat where most agent fails, and how to help them find the seats in the future. I feel that those "only available for new bookings" excuse hard to believe.