Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[elanshin]

Definitely no e-ticket number in the itinerary receipt, but this morning the 125k QFF points have been deducted from my account and all flight details have appeared under "My Bookings" on the website.

Ticketing imminent!

That doesn't necessarily mean ticketing imminent. Flight info can populate as soon as anyone creates the pnr. Being charged the taxes for the actual $$ is when it gets ticketed usually.

 

[termx]

Ticketing imminent!

And 1 minute later ticketing has been completed. Victory!

 

[ozflier]

She should have scrolled down the page: 'If you've earned Emerald or Sapphire through an airline other than American or Alaska, you are not required to have an international itinerary. However, all guests must include their eligible frequent flyer number on their reservation prior to check-in to access the lounge. oneworld® frequent flyer membership cards do not grant access to the lounge and the frequent flyer number on the reservation will determine whether a member is eligible for access.'

What she is citing to you is the access policy for class of travel (ie first class), not for elite st

I haven’t been able to access all the info I heard from the agents yet.

The Anchorage lady linked me to this site in relation to my first class ticket.Pax only allowed

Entry to the Alaska Lounge when traveling on a paid First Class or a First Class award ticket* on flights operated by Alaska Airlines where one flight has a distance of at least 2,000 miles on the day of travel.


Re the OW Emerald status, “lounge access only is allowed if the passenger is embarking on a domestic flight connecting with a longer OW flight internationally or to the lower 48 states , Canada” .

I have emailed Alaska Airlines and will copy you the response.

As promised, Alaskan's response to my complaint .
As you will read, they are not convinced by my reasoning.

Their comment
"Oneworld Emerald members be traveling on flights of 1,000 miles or more and connecting to an international or transborder flight within the same timeframe to qualify for lounge access".

seems inconsistent with their stated loung access rules in https://www.alaskaair.com/content/airport-lounge/policies-and-rules
I have replied and asked for further clarification

RE: Reference#: 10020xx_

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[email protected]	03:09 (6 hours ago)​		​
to me

June 12, 2024


Dear xx_xx_,

Thank you for reaching out to us regarding your recent experience at the Anchorage airport lounge. We always aim to provide exceptional service to all our guests, especially our valued Oneworld Emerald members and First Class passengers.

I understand your disappointment upon learning that access to the Alaska Lounge was restricted despite your Oneworld Emerald status and First Class ticket. Alaska Airlines' lounge access policies do require that First Class passengers be traveling on flights of 2,100 miles or more within the next 24 hours, or that Oneworld Emerald members be traveling on flights of 1,000 miles or more and connecting to an international or transborder flight within the same timeframe to qualify for lounge access. These policies are in place to ensure a consistent standard of service and accessibility for all our guests under various travel conditions.

However, I recognize that this was a frustrating experience for you and your wife, particularly after expecting to enjoy the amenities of our lounge. Your feedback is invaluable, and I have shared your concerns with our Lounge Manager for review. We continually assess our policies and the feedback from our guests plays a crucial role in these evaluations.

As a gesture of our commitment to your satisfaction and to hopefully make up for the inconvenience, we've included two Discount Codes at the bottom of this email for future travel on Alaska.. To use the code, go to alaskaair.com/planbook and enter it into the discount code field on the right side of the booking form.

Your discount is valid for ticketing for one year and is good for travel between any of the +115 destinations operated by Alaska Airlines. This discount is limited to a single reservation and only one discount code can be used per reservation. Complete discount code rules and restrictions can be found online at alaskaair.com.

…………


We hope to welcome you and your wife on board again soon, and we trust that your next experience with us will be more reflective of the high standards you expect from us and our Oneworld partners.


Sincerely,



Cynthia R
Customer Care Representative


Reference#: 10020xx_

https://www.alaskaair.com/content/airport-lounge/policies-and-rules

 

[levelnine]

As you will read, they are not convinced by my reasoning.

An airline that doesn't know its own rules? Sounds a bit like another oneworld airline closer to home. Quelle surprise.

 

[HECL]

Ended up calling Qantas today to book the first 3 legs of Miss 18's OWA.

May 2025:

MEL-ITM via NRT
ITM-JFK via HND
JFK-VIE via HEL

125k points and phone booking fee waived. Got a PNR, waiting for ticketing to happen.

Will add VIE-LHR, LHR-HKG, HKG-SYD when availability opens up.

I’m organising a OWA RTW in May/June 2025 and managed to book the first half online. The second half will be done over the phone which I’m not looking forward to! Are the call centre staff easier to deal with these days?

My OWA RTW trip last year almost ended before it began when an inexperience staff member made changes to my booking after a simple enquiry about one leg.

 

[termx]

Are the call centre staff easier to deal with these days?

I found making a new booking over the phone was very straightforward, as I had all of the flight details for each of 3 legs.

I'm reluctant to make any changes to existing legs that have already been booked but will want to add new legs as seats become available later in the year. Hopefully the process of adding to an existing booking will be straightforward.

For reference, I called at 10:45AM Melbourne time Tuesday.

 

[Mr H]

My OWA RTW trip last year almost ended before it began when an inexperience staff member made changes to my booking after a simple enquiry about one leg.

The learning point here is not to use the call centre staff as an enquiry service. Do your own homework and go to them with your decisions.

 

[HECL]

The learning point here is not to use the call centre staff as an enquiry service. Do your own homework and go to them with your decisions.

I had done my homework and had the exact flight I needed to add. When it was clear the person had no idea what they were doing (kept giving me wrong info and didn’t know what a oneworld Classic Flight Reward was), I politely ended the call and explicitly requested for NO changes to be made. Despite this they must have clicked on something, not sure how or why, but my whole booking was affected and they refunded 1 x 318k points. I avoided making any future calls after the 25+ calls after that, that’s how long it took to find someone competent to fix the whole mess! It was an agent in Manila and she was an angel, saved the whole trip for my partner and I.

 

[HECL]

I found making a new booking over the phone was very straightforward, as I had all of the flight details for each of 3 legs.

I'm reluctant to make any changes to existing legs that have already been booked but will want to add new legs as seats become available later in the year. Hopefully the process of adding to an existing booking will be straightforward.

For reference, I called at 10:45AM Melbourne time Tuesday.

Also hoping for a straightforward experience when it comes time to add the second half of my trip! Some people have reported different issues but the most common one seems to be the points being recalculated or finding someone who understands that they will cap to 318k. The key might be the usual hang up and call again!

 

[Mr H]

When it was clear the person had no idea what they were doing (kept giving me wrong info and didn’t know what a oneworld Classic Flight Reward was), I politely ended the call and explicitly requested for NO changes to be made.

Some people have reported different issues but the most common one seems to be the points being recalculated or finding someone who understands that they will cap to 318k. The key might be the usual hang up and call again!

I have found my chances of success improve by not saying anything I don't need to. The agent doesn't need to know what a one world Classic Flight Reward is (I presume you mean OWA). The agent does not need to understand that they will cap at 318k.

The agents may have little understanding of Qantas programs and English is sometimes not their first language. They work on scripts and deviating from the script may confuse them.

Just ask to add/subtract flights to an existing itinerary.

 

[HECL]

I have found my chances of success improve by not saying anything I don't need to. The agent doesn't need to know what a one world Classic Flight Reward is (I presume you mean OWA). The agent does not need to understand that they will cap at 318k.

The agents may have little understanding of Qantas programs and English is sometimes not their first language. They work on scripts and deviating from the script may confuse them.

Just ask to add/subtract flights to an existing itinerary.

That was my initial approach, direct and minimal details shared. I should have hung up earlier but got caught up and tried to explain the details around my booking. Won’t make that mistake again! It was a stressful few days until it was sorted out and I didn’t dare touch it again. The trip was worth it so I’m hoping this one will be relatively stress free.

 

[elanshin]

Can you request upgrade for OWA tickets on one leg from j to f?

 

[Mr H]

That was my initial approach, direct and minimal details shared. I should have hung up earlier but got caught up and tried to explain the details around my booking. Won’t make that mistake again! It was a stressful few days until it was sorted out and I didn’t dare touch it again. The trip was worth it so I’m hoping this one will be relatively stress free.

I seldom hang up on agents. I know that it is unlikely that I will unearth the perfect agent so I work on the basis that the one I am talking to might be the one who can successfully resolve the issue. I say at the outset that I know it might be a long call, but I want to work with them to get the right outcome. From repeated calls, I have picked up some idea of the process the agents follow so I try to step through it with them.

Looking back, the agents who have been the most successful have often been the ones who sounded least promising at first. Maybe the less confident ones are more willing to learn, to try things out and to accept help/suggestions. On more than one occasion, I have been glad I didn't give in to my first instinct and HUACA.

 

[HECL]

Does anyone have any experience with adding a Finnair flight to an existing booking via the call centre? Apparently Qantas is saying this isn’t possible with Finnair specifically, I’m not sure if this is fact or inexperienced staff.

The first half of my trip is booked (Qantas, JAL and Finnair), and was hoping to add at least one more Finnair flight to get home.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Mr H]

Does anyone have any experience with adding a Finnair flight to an existing booking via the call centre? Apparently Qantas is saying this isn’t possible with Finnair specifically, I’m not sure if this is fact or inexperienced staff.

The first half of my trip is booked (Qantas, JAL and Finnair), and was hoping to add at least one more Finnair flight to get home.

Thank you in advance!

My end of year OWA includes AY flights that were added on to an existing booking.

 

[HECL]

My end of year OWA includes AY flights that were added on to an existing booking.

Thank you, this gives me hope!

If you wouldn’t mind sharing, what are some previous itineraries you’ve put together? I’m trying to incorporate Cairo into the mix (from Europe), but feeling a bit stuck.

 

[sap1l]

If you wouldn’t mind sharing, what are some previous itineraries you’ve put together? I’m trying to incorporate Cairo into the mix (from Europe), but feeling a bit stuck.

Where in Europe are you flying from? Your options to Cairo are to go via:

• London with BA
• Madrid with IB
• Amman with RJ
• Casablanca with AT

Depending on where you're coming from, I would look at connecting through London or Amman as they generally have the shortest total travel time. Iberia has quite a few European destinations as well, but they only fly once daily (as opposed to 2x from London and 4x from Amman).

AY doesn't fly direct from HEL, so you're out of luck there. You could do something like HEL-LHR-CAI if you can only find a flight into HEL.

 

[HECL]

Where in Europe are you flying from? Your options to Cairo are to go via:

• London with BA
• Madrid with IB
• Amman with RJ
• Casablanca with AT

Depending on where you're coming from, I would look at connecting through London or Amman as they generally have the shortest total travel time. Iberia has quite a few European destinations as well, but they only fly once daily (as opposed to 2x from London and 4x from Amman).

AY doesn't fly direct from HEL, so you're out of luck there. You could do something like HEL-LHR-CAI if you can only find a flight into HEL.

Thank you

I had looked at those options and wondered if I was on the right track so thanks for confirming this.

I’ll either be coming from FCO, CDG or LHR. I also have to factor in getting home to Sydney!

 

[DC3]

Does anyone have any experience with adding a Finnair flight to an existing booking via the call centre? Apparently Qantas is saying this isn’t possible with Finnair specifically, I’m not sure if this is fact or inexperienced staff.

HUACA

 

[sap1l]

I’ll either be coming from FCO, CDG or LHR.

I think your options will depend on availability, but roughly speaking:

• RJ only has night flights to AMM from FCO and CDG, so you're looking at a 1.30am arrival into CAI.
• BA's later flight from LHR also gets you in at around 1.15am. You can't make the earlier flight from FCO, but you might be able to make it from CDG.
• IB lands earlier at 2200, and you can make it from either FCO or CDG.

I also have to factor in getting home to Sydney!

If you have the mileage to trek back up north, then I think going via LHR or HEL is the easiest. If you want to stopover as close to the direct route as possible, I think you can look to go via AMM.

CAI-AMM-BKK-SYD is the shortest path I can find, although I didn't check if you can make connection times.

You can also do CAI-AMM-DXB-HKG-SYD.

RJ also flies to JFK and ORD from AMM to connect onto AA - again, not sure if you have the miles.

The other option is to buy a cash ticket from Cairo to somewhere in Europe. I believe one way cash tickets ex-CAI are relatively cheap.