Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[serfty]

As per the rules you quoted, the distance between the last arrival port and the first segment's origin port must be included in the total distance calculation.

There is no need to specifically book a segment to the origin port.

Or, to put it another way, the rule 14.4.3 would otherwise have no relevance.

@Kangol, In thinking about this, my habit has been to endeavour to book and get ticketed the initial flights (ensuring two oneworld carriers other than Qantas) online.

This takes such anomolous human interpretation out of the initial equation.

 

[Kangol]

@Kangol, In thinking about this, my habit has been to endeavour to book and get ticketed the initial flights (ensuring two oneworld carriers other than Qantas) online.

This takes such anomolous human interpretation out of the initial equation.

The question is not about distance.
I think I figured out what the phone agent meant, who in hindsight was doing a good deed.
Currently, the flown distance mileage sum is in zone 8.
By adding the return to origin segment mileage, it brings it up to zone 10.
Agent was helpful in saying to keep it as point to point pricing, which is less than OWA zone 8 (in F).
This saves me paying now: 1) the mileage difference between point to point and zone 8 pricing, plus 2) the difference between zone 8 and 10.
ie. ~115k points.
Even though the plan is to eventually get to high zone 10 mileage, nevertheless this was the right call.
I can't remember the details of the order of adding the flights for my last OWA, but I suspect by the time I got the 2 OW airlines in, it was in zone 10 already.

 

[serfty]

The question is not about distance.
I think I figured out what the phone agent meant, who in hindsight was doing a good deed.
Currently, the flown distance mileage sum is in zone 8.
By adding the return to origin segment mileage, it brings it up to zone 10.
Agent was helpful in saying to keep it as point to point pricing, which is less than OWA zone 8 (in F).
This saves me paying now: 1) the mileage difference between point to point and zone 8 pricing, plus 2) the difference between zone 8 and 10.
ie. ~115k points.
Even though the plan is to eventually get to high zone 10 mileage, nevertheless this was the right call.
I can't remember the details of the order of adding the flights for my last OWA, but I suspect by the time I got the 2 OW airlines in, it was in zone 10 already.

Yes it should be automatic to reprice as a oneworld award and good luck.

Personally I prefer the full amount to be deducted on booking and then to flesh out/extend segments as appropriate. It is easier to reconcile.

Yes, my trust level is low.

For a booking made last year I added some JL segments to it. Everything seemed fine, even a refund of some of the +++ but Imagine my shock to have over 100K additional points taken from my account rather than 5K. It seems the travel had been split into two tickets, each charged separately - there was no advice on the call this would happen. I called back and after some time, had all changes reversed and the points refunded. I regrouped and a day or two later tried again; this time I moved all but the necessary 5K points out of my account beforehand.

It is not that such issues are not surmountable, they can be; it is the time taken to get them fixed that is the problem.

 

[elanshin]

Yes it should be automatic to reprice as a oneworld award and good luck.

Personally I prefer the full amount to be deducted on booking and then to flesh out/extend segments as appropriate. It is easier to reconcile.

Yes, my trust level is low.

For a booking made last year I added some JL segments to it. Everything seemed fine, even a refund of some of the +++ but Imagine my shock to have over 100K additional points taken from my account rather than 5K. It seems the travel had been split into two tickets, each charged separately - there was no advice on the call this would happen. I called back and after some time, had all changes reversed and the points refunded. I regrouped and a day or two later tried again; this time I moved all but the necessary 5K points out of my account beforehand.

It is not that such issues are not surmountable, they can be; it is the time taken to get them fixed that is the problem.

Sometimes the banking error is in your favour I'm almost certain after some account balance checking my current OWA only costed us 280k because the calculation was convoluted and had to be manual.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

More ‘that availability is for new bookings only’ today

The flights don’t appear to be married… you can make a new booking, multi city A-B and B-C. But I can’t add B-C to my existing A-B flight.

sigh.

 

[serfty]

More ‘that availability is for new bookings only’ today

The flights don’t appear to be married… you can make a new booking, multi city A-B and B-C. But I can’t add B-C to my existing A-B flight.

sigh.

If you search A-C with the same initial port as your A-B booking, does the A-xB-C option come up?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If you search A-C with the same initial port as your A-B booking, does the A-xB-C option come up?

Not on my day of travel, but on other days, yes, it’s AY connecting out of SIN and on to europe. The system does see any availability for the HEL-xx_, despite multi-city allowing it, and the connection being offered as a single result if searching SIN-xx_ on other days.

 

[serfty]

Not on my day of travel, but on other days, yes, it’s AY connecting out of SIN and on to europe. The system does see any availability for the HEL-xx_, despite multi-city allowing it, and the connection being offered as a single result if searching SIN-xx_ on other days.

Effectively you are trying to change A-B to A-C and would have to be 'married segments'.

This is really fare bucket availability. While at the time of booking, availability may be available for such a connection on one particular day it does not mean the same availability must exist for the same connection on another day.

I avoid trying to book a connection over the phone if is does not come up in an online search. I have wasted much time over the 'phone tripping across such and now generally search as I indicated in post #18,026 herein.

Having written that, what gets my goat is the "that availability is for new bookings only" rubbish; it is literally incorrect.

 

[elanshin]

Effectively you are trying to change A-B to A-C and would have to be 'married segments'.

This is really fare bucket availability. While at the time of booking, availability may be available for such a connection on one particular day it does not mean the same availability must exist for the same connection on another day.

I avoid trying to book a connection over the phone if is does not come up in an online search. I have wasted much time over the 'phone tripping across such and now generally search as I indicated in post #18,026 herein.

Having written that, what gets my goat is the "that availability is for new bookings only" rubbish; it is literally incorrect.

Just for reference, I have had very senior and experienced HBA agents manage their way around this problem before. According to them, they had to do some tricks to get the system to do it. So it's not impossible but probably unlikely for the average consultant to be able to do it. I imagine it probably also easier if theres a QF flight involved for them.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Effectively you are trying to change A-B to A-C and would have to be 'married segments'.

This is really fare bucket availability. While at the time of booking, availability may be available for such a connection on one particular day it does not mean the same availability must exist for the same connection on another day.

I avoid trying to book a connection over the phone if is does not come up in an online search. I have wasted much time over the 'phone tripping across such and now generally search as I indicated in post #18,026 herein.

Having written that, what gets my goat is the "that availability is for new bookings only" rubbish; it is literally incorrect.

Unfortunately I had a change of plans, hence adding the segment. Ideally it would have been booked from the outset.

 

[Point Ventures]

Adding a segment after an involuntary schedule change broke my Oneworld Classic Reward — how are points recalculated?
Hoping someone here has dealt with this before.

I had a Oneworld Classic Reward itinerary that was fully compliant when booked. Qantas then made an involuntary schedule change to my SYD–LAX (QF) sector. That sector connected onto LAX–SEA (AA) — my only other oneworld carrier sector apart from the CX flights.

I called Qantas about the schedule change and they re-routed me onto SYD–YVR direct, since YVR was my real final destination anyway. The knock-on effect: removing the AA sector means my itinerary now only has one other oneworld carrier (CX), so on paper it no longer meets the Classic Reward minimum-carrier rule.

I queried this with the Qantas agent (Hobart call centre) at the time. They advised that because the non-compliance was caused by an involuntary schedule change, I'm no longer required to meet the itinerary rules and the Classic Reward points pricing still stands. I also told the agent on that same call that I'd be adding another sector later, once it became available.

My question: I now want to add a SYD–MEL (QF) sector. How would the points be recalculated?

• Based on the original compliant itinerary (i.e. the original pricing is preserved because of the involuntary-change protection)?
• Or based on the new itinerary as it stands now, repriced as a whole?
• Will they use the original itinerary to reprice, to ensure the updated itinerary remians within the orginal 35,000 miles? Or, will they use the miles of the new itinerary?

I'm also conscious that adding a sector is a voluntary change on my part, even though I flagged my intention to the agent at the time — so I'm not sure whether that re-opens compliance/repricing on the whole booking. Will they use the original itinerary to reprice, to ensure the updated itinerary remians within the 35,000 miles?

Original itinerary (compliant as booked):

• AKL–SYD (QF)
• SIN–SYD (QF)
• SIN–SYD (QF)
• SYD–LAX (QF)
• LAX–SEA (AA)
• LAX–HKG (CX)
• HKG–HKT (CX)
• HKT–HKG (CX)
• HKG–SYD (QF)
• SYD–AKL (not flown)

New itinerary (after involuntary schedule change):

• AKL–SYD (QF)
• SIN–SYD (QF)
• SIN–SYD (QF)
• SYD–LAX (QF)
• LAX–HKG (CX)
• HKG–HKT (CX)
• HKT–HKG (CX)
• HKG–SYD (QF)
• SYD–MEL (QF) sector I need to add
• MEL–AKL (not flown)

Has anyone had a Classic Reward itinerary repriced (or not repriced) after a schedule-change exception, particularly when later adding a voluntary sector? Keen to hear how it was handled in practice before I call. Thanks.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Is the SYD-MEL in the same day as you arrive from HKG? If so, it might be a moot point as you likely won’t be able to add it anyway (hard block on domestic connectors).

Otherwise, the call centre was correct… invol changes mean the rules can be waived. You should be able to add a segment based on the new ticket.