Timing QR release and other questions

[squid01]

Hi all,

I am looking to book ATH>DOH>MEL on QR for 2026 in business. I can work out when DOH>MEL leg is released but can’t find anything for ATH>DOH or Europe to DOH for that matter.

1. By the time QR release their ATH>DOH availability to Velocity, have they already been picked over by Qatar’s own Privilege Club members? Or are they not release any business seats between Europe and Doha at all currently?

2. Is it possible to book ATH>DOH in Y and then DOH>MEL in J? On the same booking/ticket possible? Would I need to call up to do so? Will it price at calculating the two seperate legs and adding together?

3. If I couldnt purchase the above ticket and purchased them on seperate tickets, would QR check my bags and myself all the way through?

4. If business then does pop up on ATH>DOH leg could I change my economy flight to business? Is that only possible if that segment is on its own seperate ticket? Or they can do it if it’s on a single ticket with the DOH>MEL J leg too? Or not possible to change class in any circumstances have to cancel and rebook?

5. What are the change or cancellation fees for a reward booking?

6. Will be needing to add an infant (unborn currently) to the booking later. What is the process for that and what would be the charge (any extra taxes or points)? Will that also count as a change fee which needs to be paid?

Just working out my plan of attack with this extra leg and balancing banking the economy flight with hopes J will pop. I’m more experienced with QFF program but of a newbie with Velocity really!

Thanks

 

[Warks]

Not an answer for you but I've been looking at SYD-DOH in J and months ago when it was too early to book I'd see quite a few of the 125 000 rewards seats (plus $400) available. And these were for busy times mid year. Now I'm looking daily at 11 months out (Aug 2026) as it opens and each morning it offers Y but always says J not available. There's only the one direct flight offered. But if I look at the days before there are dozens of options, mostly with other stops involved but the J reward seats are all over a million points so they are not serious.
I'm just wondering if someone is grabbing the cheap J reward seats at midnight each night if that's when they become available.

 

[RooFlyer]

Not an answer for you but I've been looking at SYD-DOH in J and months ago when it was too early to book I'd see quite a few of the 125 000 rewards seats (plus $400) available. And these were for busy times mid year. Now I'm looking daily at 11 months out (Aug 2026) as it opens and each morning it offers Y but always says J not available. There's only the one direct flight offered. But if I look at the days before there are dozens of options, mostly with other stops involved but the J reward seats are all over a million points so they are not serious.
I'm just wondering if someone is grabbing the cheap J reward seats at midnight each night if that's when they become available.

Sorry, still not helping the OP but do the J seats appear later?

I know QR stagger the release of their revenue J inventory. Most expensive first and then cheaper business categories don’t appear for maybe a week later. Could release of award inventory be even later?

 

[FlyingFiona]

I know QR stagger the release of their revenue J inventory. Most expensive first and then cheaper business categories don’t appear for maybe a week later. Could release of award inventory be even later?

That's interesting, I didn't know that (I'm new to the Velocity game and feel so green!) I've recently booked a few reward flights on QR which seemed reasonable to me. Is there a reference table somewhere?

Squid01, which months are you looking at in 2026?

 

[RooFlyer]

Having never interacted with Avios up to this point, is the QR (or general avios ecosystem) setup such that you can open an account; identify potential seat availability; buy/transfer in avios; and then make a booking in quick succession (say within a day or two)?

Pretty much. I think with Finnair transferring into BA transferring to QR I think the first step maybe overnight??

Interestingly, in your QR account, it’ll give you both your BA anbios and Qatar Avios if you have both.
.

That's interesting, I didn't know that (I'm new to the Velocity game and feel so green!) I've recently booked a few reward flights on QR which seemed reasonable to me. Is there a reference table somewhere?

Sorry, I was only talking about straight QR revenue; my travel agent can’t predict when the lower category business fares will be available. She usually talks about within a week of when the expensive ones are released.. The VA filter I don’t think the VA filter has been sorted out yet.

 

[Warks]

Sorry, still not helping the OP but do the J seats appear later?

I know QR stagger the release of their revenue J inventory. Most expensive first and then cheaper business categories don’t appear for maybe a week later. Could release of award inventory be even later?

They seem to appear the day after but it's always dozens of 400K to one million point J rewards seats going via PER and DPS or the like. Will keep an eye on it.

 

[bcworld]

They seem to appear the day after but it's always dozens of 400K to one million point J rewards seats

If they cost that number of points they're not reward seats.

 

[MB123]

Hi all,

I am looking to book ATH>DOH>MEL on QR for 2026 in business. I can work out when DOH>MEL leg is released but can’t find anything for ATH>DOH or Europe to DOH for that matter.

1. By the time QR release their ATH>DOH availability to Velocity, have they already been picked over by Qatar’s own Privilege Club members? Or are they not release any business seats between Europe and Doha at all currently?

2. Is it possible to book ATH>DOH in Y and then DOH>MEL in J? On the same booking/ticket possible? Would I need to call up to do so? Will it price at calculating the two seperate legs and adding together?

3. If I couldnt purchase the above ticket and purchased them on seperate tickets, would QR check my bags and myself all the way through?

4. If business then does pop up on ATH>DOH leg could I change my economy flight to business? Is that only possible if that segment is on its own seperate ticket? Or they can do it if it’s on a single ticket with the DOH>MEL J leg too? Or not possible to change class in any circumstances have to cancel and rebook?

5. What are the change or cancellation fees for a reward booking?

6. Will be needing to add an infant (unborn currently) to the booking later. What is the process for that and what would be the charge (any extra taxes or points)? Will that also count as a change fee which needs to be paid?

Just working out my plan of attack with this extra leg and balancing banking the economy flight with hopes J will pop. I’m more experienced with QFF program but of a newbie with Velocity really!

Thanks

1. A combination of the two things you said I imagine but QR also seem to blackout the peak European Summer travel periods and don't release any premium cabin rewards to VFF in July and August. Not sure how the new VA Qatar flights factor into this blackout though.

2. Yes, I did this exact routing last week. I booked DOH>MEL in J and then on a separate booking, ATH>DOH in Y. Not sure if it's possible to ring up the VFF call centre to get them to book both sectors together on the same booking. I've heard that they can and they cannot; YMMV.

3. Yes

4. If each sector is on a separate booking, then yes you could book the new J class reward and cancel your economy one.

5. VFF charges $60 or 7500 points per person, per booking to cancel long haul international flights.

6. Not sure on this one, sorry.

 

[Rayesfeg]

Not sure if it's possible to ring up the VFF call centre to get them to book both sectors together on the same booking.

Speaking from my experience of seeing a reward seat between SYD and SIN and SIN and LHR on the same day as separate bookings, but not as a single booking - the VFF call centre could not book them for me on a single ticket (This was available as a cash fare on a single ticket). I was given a reason something along the lines of Singapore airlines wont allow it, Details were scarce.
Perhaps the rules with Qatar may be different. Do share if you are able to do this.

 

[Warks]

If they cost that number of points they're not reward seats.

Yes but what are they? It's just so weird they bother listing them at all.

Oh and by the way, so yesterday morning they only showed the one flight for 22 August with J not available. But in the evening all the other possible flights appeared with their many connections and reasonable points in Y but stupid points for J. However, I thought I'd just toggle through day by day going back from that date to check and lo and behold about ten days back there was the direct flight from SYD for 125K (plus $$$) in J. So I booked it. A little earlier than I wanted to go but I thought I'd better grab it while I could.
Now to work out where the hell we are going next!

 

[MB123]

Yes but what are they? It's just so weird they bother listing them at all.

They aren't reward flights. You are essentially paying the cash fare in points. That's why it costs a ridiculous number of points compared to actual reward seats.

 

[Warks]

They aren't reward flights. You are essentially paying the cash fare in points. That's why it costs a ridiculous number of points compared to actual reward seats.

I guess that makes sense. Just bizarre though.

 

[BriarFlyer]

I guess that makes sense. Just bizarre though.

Not really since the website denotes which flights have Reward Seats available.

 

[Warks]

Not really since the website denotes which flights have Reward Seats available.
View attachment 472224

Hey what date was that? I see the 119500 J flight there. But I did finally find mine last night hidden a few weeks back.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Hey what date was that? I see the 119500 J flight there. But I did finally find mine last night hidden a few weeks back.

Ha, I forget. Picked a random date and it happened to have those 2 flights as first options.