Qantas - Arriving in LAX the night before and joining QF11 the next day?

[equus]

That connection is 100% acceptable - it is not even a stop over, just a transit as it is less than 24 hours.

You don't need to worry about QF having checkin open at LAX in the morning - you will be checked in at Sydney all the way through to JFK and boarding passes issued, and bags checked through. When you arrive at LAX, you collect your luggage, clear customs, then drop the already checked in bags back to be put on the next flight. Your choice here whether you do it on arrival (and just use your carry on for the overnight), or take them with you and drop them back the next morning.

No interaction with QF checkin required.

The QF web site when asked for direct flights does not give all combinations by any means. It appears that its criteria is to look for overall shortest travel time - so the long overnight transit doesn't make it into the top however many options it is willing to show you. That is why those in the know often resort to the multi-city tool to allow more control of selecting times for each flight.

What the call centre told you about multi-city being one way flights is rubbish. Either tool simply selects flight segments (and it doesn't matter if the direct return option provides 2 connections, of you use multi-city to select 2 segments and a single connection), which end up having the engine then attempt to assign a fare based on the total result. This can change along the way (try doing a multi-sector award, and watch the "price" change when different carriers are chosen, or when it goes from a segment by segment pricing to a ATW or vice versa).

In the end, you can easily end up with exactly the same fare and ticket out of either tool. Both web front ends are limited, however. It is quite possible to select a routing via multi-city that appears to be valid (and is indeed valid), have it give you a price, and then fail to actually complete (with an obscure error code). If you then ring up, a call centre agent can select exactly the same flights and complete the ticketing - whilst explaining that the web engine is limited, and can't do everything the agents can. Of course, the agents are also limited - a good TA can run rings around them as well.

 

[ads]

Mel_traveler, equus,
Thank you very much for your replies and info. A great help.
Things are becoming a little more clear now.

But the LAX - JFK direct uses neither of these versions - it uses the A321 Transcon configuration (3 class), with seatback IFE for all. Definitely better than 50%, as close to 100% chance as IRROPs will allow.

Thank you. I overlooked the 'Transcon' option.


Now I am very curious why I read stories in years past where pax had issues joining QF11 in LAX after their stopover (I assume it wasn't a transit) and why/how they would have been issued the ticket for that particular flight in the first place.
This was a number of years ago now, perhaps there has since been more clarity in the policies?

Without wanting to come across as 'too precious' here; if you were in my shoes now knowing there shouldn't be any issues being able to board QF11 in LAX for the flight to JFK, would you still book it if seat selection for that flight was an absolute deal breaker?
Booking that flight through Qantas or a TA you would have great confidence that you will be allocated your pre-selected seat at the time of boarding (provided there isn't any extraneous issues regarding seat allocation).
If there ends up being a misunderstanding on the part of the airline staff at check-in and it is deemed you cannot board QF11 and will instead be put on the next available flight to JFK (and thus loose your preferred seat for the flight) - would you take the risk and book QF11 or would it be best in this case to play it safe and book directly with a US airline instead and make your seat selection with them for peace of mind?

Cheers.

 

[serfty]

This was a number of years ago now, perhaps there has since been more clarity in the policies?

Clarity came in March this year (IIRC) when Qantas reached a settlement and paid out seemingly based on the USA DOT interpretation of cabotage law.

DOT fines Qantas up to $125K for its intra-U.S. flights

 

[equus]

if seat selection for that flight was an absolute deal breaker

If seat selection is such a deal breaker, then I think you are setting yourself up for a potential disappointment. Even if you get on your selected flight, there is no guarantee that your seats won't be changed. See any number of threads where any number of airlines have changed pre-allocated seats for no reason at all.

If it were me, I would be choosing the QF11 option as possibly more likely to let your chosen seat stick. When you are checked all the way through from Australia, you are likely to be checked in much earlier than other pax on the flight (who have shorter connections). Seat changes are much less likely after you have been checked in - and if it has changed, much easier to fix if other pax are not yet checked in.

 

[ads]

If seat selection is such a deal breaker, then I think you are setting yourself up for a potential disappointment. Even if you get on your selected flight, there is no guarantee that your seats won't be changed. See any number of threads where any number of airlines have changed pre-allocated seats for no reason at all.

If it were me, I would be choosing the QF11 option as possibly more likely to let your chosen seat stick. When you are checked all the way through from Australia, you are likely to be checked in much earlier than other pax on the flight (who have shorter connections). Seat changes are much less likely after you have been checked in - and if it has changed, much easier to fix if other pax are not yet checked in.

I understand.
Thank you very much for your advice. I do appreciate it.