Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[RackKing]

Hi Guys just joined and I am looking for help in finding One World Awards Business Class flights next year from Australia to Belgrade in Serbia and back to Sydney first and later in the year Australia to Los Angeles and Las Vegas for 4 adults. I have looked at every airline and there just isn't very many flights in Business Class shown available and basically none on Qantas. Need some tips and tricks please. Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi Guys just joined and I am looking for help in finding One World Awards Business Class flights next year from Australia to Belgrade in Serbia and back to Sydney first and later in the year Australia to Los Angeles and Las Vegas for 4 adults. I have looked at every airline and there just isn't very many flights in Business Class shown available and basically none on Qantas. Need some tips and tricks please. Any help greatly appreciated.

Welcome to AFF.

Unfortunately that is the hard reality. Premium class awards are extremely hard to come by. A
Little easier if you have platinum status with Qantas? Then you can request award seats to be released for you.

With four passengers you might want to consider splitting in to two parties of two… and travel separately. At least for the Australia to USA flights.

Or else, if you can see seats now on another airline… grab them! Availability won’t get any better unless Qantas does a batch release of seats. Which may be unlikely in the current environment with passengers avoiding the ME.

 

[EM8]

Hello
I’m looking at booking an around the world ticket using qantas rewards points.

My question is, can you book part of the trip them add to it later or do you need to book all flights at once?

If you can book part of it, let’s say the points total 280,000, then the second part would be another 280,000 but the business around the world is less than that. How does the points adjustment work? Is the second leg Capped and you add it through the call center for qantas?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hello
I’m looking at booking an around the world ticket using qantas rewards points.

My question is, can you book part of the trip them add to it later or do you need to book all flights at once?

If you can book part of it, let’s say the points total 280,000, then the second part would be another 280,000 but the business around the world is less than that. How does the points adjustment work? Is the second leg Capped and you add it through the call center for qantas?

Yes, and many people do exactly that… book any available flights now, online if you can, then ring to add flights as they become available later.

The system will automatically cap once you satisfy all the rules of the oneworld award. So if your total is now 280k, and you add flights later, it will cap at OWA level.

You are changing a current booking when adding flights.

If it comes to more than you expect then either the flights aren’t being added correctly (some agents will want to sell you a new ticket), or you haven’t met the rules.

There’s a 5000 point change fee per lassenger, per set of changes you make.

 

[RackKing]

Welcome to AFF.

Unfortunately that is the hard reality. Premium class awards are extremely hard to come by. A
Little easier if you have platinum status with Qantas? Then you can request award seats to be released for you.

With four passengers you might want to consider splitting in to two parties of two… and travel separately. At least for the Australia to USA flights.

Or else, if you can see seats now on another airline… grab them! Availability won’t get any better unless Qantas does a batch release of seats. Which may be unlikely in the current environment with passengers avoiding the ME.

Thanks very much for the info and reply. I have noticed over the last few years Qantas are making very difficult to book any Business or first class seats using the points. I was hoping there was a work around that I hadn't seen. Thanks again.

 

[muppet]

I had an excellent experience with an upcoming OW First Award. QF released some P class seats to the USA, so I was able to connect to UK on BA in J. Closer to departure BA has released F awards and so I was able to change from J to F on the BA legs.

Now, as it included IB sectors I asked ticketing escalations to reticket it which they did quickly and I got the PDF ticket update. Should I be worried my QFF account didn’t have the usual re-credit and re-deduction of the points and the change fee? Is it a simple bank error in my favour or actual issue to be worried about? (Or do simple class upgrades on the same flights not require the change fee?)

 

[JessicaTam]

I had an excellent experience with an upcoming OW First Award. QF released some P class seats to the USA, so I was able to connect to UK on BA in J. Closer to departure BA has released F awards and so I was able to change from J to F on the BA legs.

Now, as it included IB sectors I asked ticketing escalations to reticket it which they did quickly and I got the PDF ticket update. Should I be worried my QFF account didn’t have the usual re-credit and re-deduction of the points and the change fee? Is it a simple bank error in my favour or actual issue to be worried about? (Or do simple class upgrades on the same flights not require the change fee?)

Have you seen the movie "Fight club"?

 

[elanshin]

Back to contacting QF again.

CX have extended their cancellation of the ME for DXB and RUH until Aug 31.
Time to hope that QF is able to request from CX to re-route us direct on one of their 5 daily LHR services.

Quick call to QF and CX confirmed that it is a QF thing and that QF call centre isn't the answer so to rewards escalation team we go.

Ok a bit of an update on this. Our itinerary is now back online with a direct HKG - LHR flight but not the one I was hoping for.

Emailed rewards escalation team with the situation and my preferred direct flight options. They did not respond to me however did action my request (I could see waitlisted CX flights as they emailed CX about it).

There was no response from CX for 2 weeks. In that time BA also cancelled the RUH - LHR portion as well. I replied to the same email asking if BA32 HKG - LHR was also doable.

No reply, but 24h later I watch an eticket roll in with a change to BA32. Would've still loved to be on CX but I'll take a BA direct flight.

 

[ozflier]

I'm still working on an April/May 2027 trip to Europe on an OWA but currently can only find a routing via the USA both ways.
Little luck with QF metal and, indeed, BA and AA, but plenty of other airlines if you look, but they come with problems.
Fiji Airways does do some connections to LAX or HKG in J via Nadi to Australia, but you have to get to their gateway cities first, e.g., lots of availability in April in HKG-NAN-BNE with a reasonable stop at Nadi of only 2 hours.
Oman Air is similar, but you have to get to KL or SIN first. To be fair, if you are happy to spend 7 or 8 hours in Jetstar business class and it's not an OWA booking, it looks good; it is possible to fly LHR-MCT-BKK-BNE. Oman Air seems to have a good name, but their business cabins are small, so only a few seats seem to be released. There are plenty of First Class seats on offer, though.
Similarly Philippine Airways offers good connections out of Australia but not in Oneworld.
So, to be fair, you can find some QFF reward flights to Europe without going through the USA, but many do not fit in with OWA rules!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'm still working on an April/May 2027 trip to Europe on an OWA but currently can only find a routing via the USA both ways.
Little luck with QF metal and, indeed, BA and AA, but plenty of other airlines if you look, but they come with problems.
Fiji Airways does do some connections to LAX or HKG in J via Nadi to Australia, but you have to get to their gateway cities first, e.g., lots of availability in April in HKG-NAN-BNE with a reasonable stop at Nadi of only 2 hours.
Oman Air is similar, but you have to get to KL or SIN first. To be fair, if you are happy to spend 7 or 8 hours in Jetstar business class and it's not an OWA booking, it looks good; it is possible to fly LHR-MCT-BKK-BNE. Oman Air seems to have a good name, but their business cabins are small, so only a few seats seem to be released. There are plenty of First Class seats on offer, though.
Similarly Philippine Airways offers good connections out of Australia but not in Oneworld.
So, to be fair, you can find some QFF reward flights to Europe without going through the USA, but many do not fit in with OWA rules!

Oman Air also flies to Manila, and I’ve found good QF award availability from Manila to SYD/BNE.

Oman’s first class is just business plus. But unfortunately you have to pay the F levels.

The main problem with the Oman flights to BKK and SIN is that they can be operated by the 737… so just recliners. All the blogs say ‘never again’.

 

[ozflier]

Oman Air also flies to Manila, and I’ve found good QF award availability from Manila to SYD/BNE.

Oman’s first class is just business plus. But unfortunately you have to pay the F levels.

The main problem with the Oman flights to BKK and SIN is that they can be operated by the 737… so just recliners. All the blogs say ‘never again’.

You make valid points.

When I was looking up MCT-MNL April/May 2027, Oman Air uses 787s. Maybe it is seasonal, which A/C they use. Also, MCT to BKK uses 787s, but you are right; their planes to SIN are 737s – 7 hours on a recliner seat would be uncomfortable, although it is a daylight service.

MCT-MNL on WY and then onto Brisbane on QF would be great the same day (and there are plenty of business rewards on the latter), but it's too tight and not a legal connection, so an intending pax would need to spend the next day in Manila! Same with the connection to Sydney. QFF Rewards are available with PR, though. and a good connection.

I made the post to show that Fijian, Oman Air and Philippine Airways can add to a potential business class reward itinerary but mostly do not help with an OWA , particularly, as in my case, trying to get back to Australia from Europe.