Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Albert_Thurgood]

A Global Explorer is a paid fare.

If you mean a Oneworld classic flight award, yes you can call Qantas to ask for award seats to be released on a Qantas flight.

Thank you.

So I called. Qantas is not listing any Business seats for any flights out of Perth nor out of SCL. I called and asked for seats to be released as both myself and wife are both Platinum, and both formally P1. The request was denied. I asked the lady in Manila why we were denied. The answer was "there are no seats available". Well, yes that is why I requested for seats to be released! It is hard to believe that QF has already sold every J seat on every flight 12 months ahead. She just kept repeating the line that there were no seats left. I tried two other times and have been denied this request.

It seems to me that QF does not want people to be using their points ahead of them being devalued in a few days time.

I would be grateful if anyone had suggestions that would be effective in getting seats released.

 

[elanshin]

So I called. Qantas is not listing any Business seats for any flights out of Perth nor out of SCL. I called and asked for seats to be released as both myself and wife are both Platinum, and both formally P1. The request was denied. I asked the lady in Manila why we were denied. The answer was "there are no seats available". Well, yes that is why I requested for seats to be released! It is hard to believe that QF has already sold every J seat on every flight 12 months ahead. She just kept repeating the line that there were no seats left. I tried two other times and have been denied this request.

It seems to me that QF does not want people to be using their points ahead of them being devalued in a few days time.

I would be grateful if anyone had suggestions that would be effective in getting seats released.

Did they take down your dates and flights and pause for a while then cone back as denied?

Your flight needs to satisfy criterias before the request can be made and then it can be denied by the computer too. 1) QF flight (pretty obvious) has to be QF metal and not a code share. 2) for platinum you need booking class I available. P1 can have it at D as well as manual review.

This is more commonly covered in thus thread.

Thread 'QFF Platinum requesting release of extra Classic Reward seats?'

Oct 29, 2014

View an article on this topic:

How Qantas Platinum Members Can Request Extra Reward Seats

Qantas Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers can request the release of additional Classic Flight Reward seats on Qantas flights.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

---

Was looking through Frequent Flyer - Flying Qantas and Partner Airlines - Status Credits and Tier Benefits - Tier Benefits today

Seems like access to extra Caward seats is only available to P1 only.

I was under the impression that WP can request extra Caward seats be released where none was available. Or is this an unwritten benefit only?

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• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

 

[levelnine]

The answer was "there are no seats available".

In addition to elanshin's answer, not every unsold seat is made available for release to a Platinum. Essentially, Qantas yield management's algorithm decides whether it will release the seats depending on factors such as the likelihood of them being able to sell the seat for cash.

You can't do anything to change the computer's decision as a Platinum (Platinum One can ask for manual review). Your best bet is to try a different set of dates or a different route.

 

[Albert_Thurgood]

Thanks to both for your replies!

@elanshin: yes they took down dates and came back later as denied. She said I could try again the next day but then I got the same response. Yes it is on Qantas metal, not code share.

Yes I did tell them that we were totally flexible on dates but Qantas says nothing available any time. Maybe they will magically come up after the points devaluation...?

@levelnine: This is for travel next July. Qantas web site just has the whole month blacked out like that image I posted in my original post. I would not have thought that SCL-SYD would be a heavily subscribed route that the algorithm would be greedy about.

Basically there are no other routes I can find offering flights back to Australia from North or South America in June-July next year. (and none from SIN to PER either).

 

[levelnine]

Basically there are no other routes I can find offering flights back to Australia from North or South America in June-July next year. (and none from SIN to PER either).

In which case you are out of luck. You can't use your Qantas points for that flight, at least at the classic award price level.

You can try requesting for release again at a later date.

 

[Warragul]

@levelnine: This is for travel next July. Qantas web site just has the whole month blacked out like that image I posted in my original post.

There will not be seats of any type showing for any day after July 19 (as of July 31) as the become available 353 days in advance. So still possible, for the something in the later part of July.

 

[elanshin]

Thanks to both for your replies!

@elanshin: yes they took down dates and came back later as denied. She said I could try again the next day but then I got the same response. Yes it is on Qantas metal, not code share.

Yes I did tell them that we were totally flexible on dates but Qantas says nothing available any time. Maybe they will magically come up after the points devaluation...?

@levelnine: This is for travel next July. Qantas web site just has the whole month blacked out like that image I posted in my original post. I would not have thought that SCL-SYD would be a heavily subscribed route that the algorithm would be greedy about.

Basically there are no other routes I can find offering flights back to Australia from North or South America in June-July next year. (and none from SIN to PER either).

I find that these days Qantas doesn't upload any award availability for the first month things are uploaded aka 330ish -365 days and nothing is available for request either : Booking class I is completely wiped out.

But later it changes. If you're looking at requesting its very useful to find a site that allows you to search for available booking class as thats the prerequisite and you can often spot patterns.

Also things do change for requests (generally not the next day).

 

[Albert_Thurgood]

There will not be seats of any type showing for any day after July 19 (as of July 31) as the become available 353 days in advance. So still possible, for the something in the later part of July.

Yes I know I was being approximate in saying "a year in advance" rather than 355 days or whatever. But I doubt that anything will come available when this is all QF shows when searching for any reward seat with the option "flexible with dates":

They have been showing e the same thing every day for over a week now.

 

[Captain Halliday]

I find that these days Qantas doesn't upload any award availability for the first month things are uploaded aka 330ish -365 days and nothing is available for request either : Booking class I is completely wiped out.

Sometimes. But yesterday there was U3 for SYD-LAX at 353 and 352 days out which puts it in the mid-year school holidays. So I was a bit surprised.

 

[elanshin]

Yes I know I was being approximate in saying "a year in advance" rather than 355 days or whatever. But I doubt that anything will come available when this is all QF shows when searching for any reward seat with the option "flexible with dates":
View attachment 461638
They have been showing e the same thing every day for over a week now.

Use the multicity tool, not the main search. Whilst it may still show nothing, ita a much better tool in general.

 

[Aeryn]

Sometimes. But yesterday there was U3 for SYD-LAX at 353 and 352 days out which puts it in the mid-year school holidays. So I was a bit surprised.

Annoying because ive been checking for DFW/LAW to SYD or vice versa for May and June (not holidays) since the 353 day make and every few days thereafter with no succcess. Only SYD-HND seems to have have lots of J seats.

 

[Warragul]

A few days with availabilty now showing in the 2nd and 3rd week of July

 

[atulhumane]

Hi Members,

I just booked my OWA tickets online as below and don't understand how it allowed me to book ? Point capped at 318K

SYD-BLR - STOPOVER 1 - Qants
BLR-DXB- Self bought - surface sector 1
DXB-HKG - Long STOPOVER 2 - CX
HKG-BRU - STOPOVER 3 - CX
BRU - MAD - Self bought - surface sector 2
MAD-JFK-LAX - STOPOVER 4 - AA
LAX-NRT - STOPOVER 5 - JL
NRT-HKG-DPS - End of Journey - CX


As you can see that I ended the journey in DPS - So by rule It should calculate the distance back to origin SYD (origin) in total miles.

SYD-BLR-DXB-HKG-BRU-MAD-JFK-LAX-NRT-HKG-DPS ---33,308 mi if it does not calculate miles to origin

SYD-BLR-DXB-HKG-BRU-MAD-JFK-LAX-NRT-HKG-DPS-SYD ---36,178 mi if it does calculate miles to origin

Am I missing something here or making some stupid mistake ? I got the tickets issues also.

Please help , Thanks

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

Hi Members,

I just booked my OWA tickets online as below and don't understand how it allowed me to book ?

SYD-BLR - STOPOVER 1 - Qants
BLR-DXB- Self bought - surface sector 1
DXB-HKG - Long STOPOVER 2 - CX
HKG-BRU - STOPOVER 3 - CX
BRU - MAD - Self bought - surface sector 2
MAD-JFK-LAX - STOPOVER 4 - AA
LAX-NRT - STOPOVER 5 - JL
NRT-HKG-DPS - End of Journey - CX


As you can see that I ended the journey in DPS - So by rule It should calculate the distance back to origin SYD (origin) in total miles.

SYD-BLR-DXB-HKG-BRU-MAD-JFK-LAX-NRT-HKG-DPS ---33,308 mi if it does not calculate miles to origin

SYD-BLR-DXB-HKG-BRU-MAD-JFK-LAX-NRT-HKG-DPS-SYD ---36,178 mi if it does calculate miles to origin

Am I missing something here or making some stupid mistake ? I got the tickets issues also.

Please help , Thanks

Just double checking… when you say the itinerary was ticketed, do you also mean that the points capped out at the appropriate amount for the cabin class booked?

 

[atulhumane]

Just double checking… when you say the itinerary was ticketed, do you also mean that the points capped out at the appropriate amount for the cabin class booked?

Yes, I can see on my statement 318k points each deducted for 2 pax

 

[Aeryn]

Am I missing something here or making some stupid mistake ? I got the tickets issues also.

If the points have been deducted and you got a e-ticket with ticket number on it (not just an itinerary) you are good to go.

I wonder whether for transits like MAD-JFK-LAX it just calculates the distance as MAD-LAX direct.

 

[atulhumane]

If the points have been deducted and you got a e-ticket with ticket number on it (not just an itinerary) you are good to go.

I wonder whether for transits like MAD-JFK-LAX it just calculates the distance as MAD-LAX direct.

Even if it calculated MAD-JFK-LAX as just MAD-LAX then also the miles are more as below
SYD-BLR-DXB-HKG-BRU-MAD-LAX-NRT-DPS-SYD - 35,456 ..... I am totally don't get this. I mean its good but not sure will they do anything last min

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Even if it calculated MAD-JFK-LAX as just MAD-LAX then also the miles are more as below
SYD-BLR-DXB-HKG-BRU-MAD-LAX-NRT-DPS-SYD - 35,456 ..... I am totally don't get this. I mean its good but not sure will they do anything last min

Sectors/transits where you change flight numbers will be counted separately.

 

[atulhumane]

Sectors/transits where you change flight numbers will be counted separately.

@MEL_Traveller Any idea how Qantas allowed to book this itenary even if it's more than 350k miles

 

[MEL_Traveller]

@MEL_Traveller Any idea how Qantas allowed to book this itenary even if it's more than 350k miles

nope! You did well! It looks like it probably didn’t add the return to base.