Wanting to book classic business class reward MEL-SIN or anywhere close for July/August: am I deluded?

[Lynnelanne]

Hi all. We want to go to Malaysia for a month in July/August. I have lots of points but I won't just throw them away, they took too long to save. I was hoping to get a business class Q flight. I live in Melbourne but would be happy enough to go via Sydney or Perth. Nada, not a thing available and I looked a couple of weeks either side of the date we want to travel. The only thing available is Jetstar 'business' which I'd rather not because I have had super bad experiences with Jetstar cancelling. The only points flights available on actual Qantas seem to be the grossly overpriced "points plus pay" options. At the moment Qantas has P+P at 20% off, so I'm wondering if they have just eradicated all normal classic rewards in an attempt to get people to use up their points. Also, it used to be possible to book points flights on MAS from the Qantas website but there are none available at all right now.

So am I missing anything, or does anyone have any thoughts about when/if this might change? I guess I'll just pay good old cash and go on MAS if I can't get what I'm looking for, but thought I'd ask here first. TIA

 

[Guvner]

Very first random date search:
Direct from MEL



That's for 1 Pax, although you say "a business class flight" but also "we", so not sure how pax many that means.

2 pax via PER:



2 Pax via PER and return via ADL. One month apart:

 

[Lynnelanne]

Very first random date search:

View attachment 275089

That's for 1 Pax, although you say "a business class flight" but also "we", so not sure how pax many that means.

What the? Thank you. I swear I have been looking for days. Are you a different level to me I wonder? That just simply wasn't there when I looked. I understand at all how that could be, but I'm excited. I'm going to go to a meeting and then have another try mid afternoon. Thank you.

 

[Guvner]

What the? Thank you. I swear I have been looking for days. Are you a different level to me I wonder? That just simply wasn't there when I looked. I understand at all how that could be, but I'm excited. I'm going to go to a meeting and then have another try mid afternoon. Thank you.

I'm a lowly bronze with QF.

 

[renatts]

What the? Thank you. I swear I have been looking for days. Are you a different level to me I wonder? That just simply wasn't there when I looked. I understand at all how that could be, but I'm excited. I'm going to go to a meeting and then have another try mid afternoon. Thank you.

If you're seeing points + pay options then you're probably not searching using the award calendar, which means you won't see all options.

Use multi-city search, select classic rewards only, and tick flexible with dates.
I'd probably try all the different ports you're willing to leave from as the origin, then if you find something search again starting from Melbourne with a domestic flight to that port.

i.e. find ADL - SIN, then add MEL - ADL to the start of the multi city search to connect onward.

 

[Lynnelanne]

@Guvner , thank you for your help and clear evidence that I was doing something wrong. I should have pointed out that I needed two tickets, and also that I would rather pay cash than check in at 7:30 am (which would mean leaving home at about 3 am for us). I'm not trying to be smart with that, I really should have said that I'd rather pay cash than get up at that hour of the day. Nevertheless, there are options with what you've found (such as staying in Perth overnight beforehand, and I have some free hotel nights so that could work well). So thank you once again.

 

[Lynnelanne]

If you're seeing points + pay options then you're probably not searching using the award calendar, which means you won't see all options.

Use multi-city search, select classic rewards only, and tick flexible with dates.
I'd probably try all the different ports you're willing to leave from as the origin, then if you find something search again starting from Melbourne with a domestic flight to that port.

i.e. find ADL - SIN, then add MEL - ADL to the start of the multi city search to connect onward.

OMG, thank you so much. That was the screen I was trying to find. The one that shows what sort of flights (e.g., economy, business, etc) on a month by month availability. I thought it was no longer around. Following your directions I can now find what I want. Thanks so much, I was well out of practice.

 

[*A Flyer]

@Guvner , thank you for your help and clear evidence that I was doing something wrong. I should have pointed out that I needed two tickets, and also that I would rather pay cash than check in at 7:30 am (which would mean leaving home at about 3 am for us). I'm not trying to be smart with that, I really should have said that I'd rather pay cash than get up at that hour of the day. Nevertheless, there are options with what you've found (such as staying in Perth overnight beforehand, and I have some free hotel nights so that could work well). So thank you once again.

Or get to MEL the night before you depart. The Park Royal is decent enough and can be had for around the $200-250 mark, which is certainly cheaper than a cash fare.

 

[Lynnelanne]

Or get to MEL the night before you depart. The Park Royal is decent enough and can be had for around the $200-250 mark, which is certainly cheaper than a cash fare.

I REALLY hate mornings. Even if I stayed there, the 7:30 check-in is still a personal nightmare. . The good thing is though, if I fly to Perth and stay the night I can check in in the middle of the afternoon for the flight to KL.

 

[Anna]

find ADL - SIN, then add MEL - ADL

If anyone can find ADL - SIN I'd love to hear about about it! QFi abandoned ADL several years ago. AFAIK the only ADL SIN route is on SQ, so no good on QFF points.

 

[renatts]

If anyone can find ADL - SIN I'd love to hear about about it! QFi abandoned ADL several years ago. AFAIK the only ADL SIN route is on SQ, so no good on QFF points.

Yeah, you're taking it too literally... Just pulled the departure point out of thin air as an example of how to search if nothing is coming up from Melbourne....

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

QF does not fly directly to KUL anymore.
Edit: I assume when OP means Q flight, s/he wants to fly QF all the way to KUL.
They did early in the 1990s, maybe till early 2000.
Have to go either via SIN and take 3K (Jetstar Asia), or as above mention, go with MH.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

If anyone can find ADL - SIN I'd love to hear about about it! QFi abandoned ADL several years ago. AFAIK the only ADL SIN route is on SQ, so no good on QFF points.

Yeah, you're taking it too literally... Just pulled the departure point out of thin air as an example of how to search if nothing is coming up from Melbourne....

Sometimes it works - Adelaide to Singapore sometimes finds an extra award seat or two even though it might be via Sydney or Perth.

Some may put up with the extra connection…,

 

[Lynnelanne]

@AustraliaPoochie Yes, thanks, I was well aware QF didn't go to KUL directly. We used to live in Malaysia. Am happy to go any way that would get me there, SIN is fine. At the moment I am probably going to go Jetstar Business direct to SIN, as that is the most convenient. Still looking for a return that isn't a red eye. Getting too old for that .

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

If you were going to fly JQi, you might as well pick to go with MH.
Wouldn't touch JQi with a bargepole.
Just have to go to airline reviews, and read up about JQi.
Even if its only (just) a redemption ticket!

Edit: from product reviews:
Just look at JQi

242 reviews
16 people gave 5*

211 people gave 1*

Or on Skytrax, one contributor, William Hartman, read what JQi did to him.

Personally, I did a JQi J class flight once, as a dom pax on a JQi flight, A330 at that time, SYD - MEL, all other airlines offer a welcome drink, even QF did it when I did BNE - SYD on the 747 (many years ago now), as a dom pax on an int flight, but on that JQi flight, nope, nothing was offered as welcome on board drink.

 

[Lynnelanne]

If you were going to fly JQi, you might as well pick to go with MH.
Wouldn't touch JQi with a bargepole.
Just have to go to airline reviews, and read up about JQi.
Even if its only (just) a redemption ticket!

Edit: from product reviews:
Just look at JQi

242 reviews
16 people gave 5*

211 people gave 1*

Or on Skytrax, one contributor, William Hartman, read what JQi did to him.

Personally, I did a JQi J class flight once, as a dom pax on a JQi flight, A330 at that time, SYD - MEL, all other airlines offer a welcome drink, even QF did it when I did BNE - SYD on the 747 (many years ago now), as a dom pax on an int flight, but on that JQi flight, nope, nothing was offered as welcome on board drink.

I’ve done JQ Business to SIN and Japan countless times. SIN IS only a 7-8 hour flight so not that unbearable. The main reason we want businesses because of the bigger seats, my partner having suffered a pulmonary embolism we like to be able to squirm around a bit. The food is still just airline food (the only time I’ve ever had food on a plane that I’ve actually enjoyed was on first class with JAL). And neither of us drink alcohol so that doesn’t bother us either.


For sure a Qantas redemption would be better, but they just aren’t any. Plenty of MAS via other places but we’ve decided that would rather just get there, what with Covid still around. I know someone who travelled to Perth this week and was going to fly on from there but tested positive and is now stuck there for a week. Decided that was the universe sending us a warning and that would be false economy. In the current situation I’m finding that my decisions in relation to this trip are changing on a daily basis. Flexibility is key still I think. At the moment we are thinking of coming back via Bali, just to avoid a redeye.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I’ve done JQ Business to SIN and Japan countless times. SIN IS only a 7-8 hour flight so not that unbearable. The main reason we want businesses because of the bigger seats, my partner having suffered a pulmonary embolism we like to be able to squirm around a bit. The food is still just airline food (the only time I’ve ever had food on a plane that I’ve actually enjoyed was on first class with JAL). And neither of us drink alcohol so that doesn’t bother us either.


For sure a Qantas redemption would be better, but they just aren’t any. Plenty of MAS via other places but we’ve decided that would rather just get there, what with Covid still around. I know someone who travelled to Perth this week and was going to fly on from there but tested positive and is now stuck there for a week. Decided that was the universe sending us a warning and that would be false economy. In the current situation I’m finding that my decisions in relation to this trip are changing on a daily basis. Flexibility is key still I think. At the moment we are thinking of coming back via Bali, just to avoid a redeye.

Huh? So not ok to be stuck in Perth but ok to maybe get stuck in Bali to avoid redeye....

 

[Lynnelanne]

Rd

Huh? So not ok to be stuck in Perth but ok to maybe get stuck in Bali to avoid redeye....

Quite. That may seem odd to you but we have already had COVID, and are vaxxed to the hilt so hoping it would be mild. I wouldn't want to be stuck in Perth for a week and miss out on time in Malaysia as well as paying Australian hotel prices (for terrible hotels... I come from Perth and don't like the place much) but if I had to be stuck in Bali I would be happy enough. And yes, I would absolutely take that risk to avoid a red eye (btw I am not asking for your approval).