Why can't you book certain AUS-NZ flights online with points?

[Warks]

I've been looking at booking a flight from Queenstown (ZQN) to SYD in January and whenever I get to the using points stage I always get the pop up which says:

[h=2]Booking not available online.[/h]
This booking is not available online. Please contact the Membership Contact Centre to book.

Why is this so special? I have no problem using QF points for any such transaction.

Somewhat inconvenient when you are looking at availability. I'm guessing there are no seats.

I won't go into the PITA things the website did when I went from a paid fare to points plus pay as they have been discussed elsewhere.

 

[TomVexille]

That's strange. I also get the same when looking for a one-way from ZQN. But a return departing SYD is available online.

Just ring up and ask. You shouldn't have to pay the booking fee if you explain it wasn't available online.

 

[Warks]

Interesting I just received the following email.

[TABLE="width: 600"]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 430"][TABLE="width: 430"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 430, colspan: 3, align: left"]Flying from Queenstown to Sydney?
Secure the right fare, for the right price.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 435"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]Find the best Virgin Australia fare on offer.
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"][TABLE="width: 585, align: right"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 466"][/TD]
[TD="width: 104"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 2, align: left"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3, align: left"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #dbdbdb"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: left"]More great value fares from Queenstown[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="width: 262"][/TD]
[TD="width: 175"][/TD]
[TD="width: 148"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 262, align: left"]Queenstown to
Brisbane[/TD]
[TD="width: 175, align: right"]from $295[SUP]+[/SUP][/TD]
[TD="width: 148, align: center"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"]Economy One Way
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"] [/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[TD="bgcolor: #dbdbdb"][/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #dbdbdb"][/TD]
[TD="bgcolor: #dbdbdb"][/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="colspan: 3"][TABLE="width: 585"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 262, align: left"]Queenstown to
Melbourne[/TD]
[TD="width: 175, align: right"]from $279^[/TD]
[TD="width: 148, align: center"][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: right"]Economy One Way

[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Funnily enough the link doesn't go to anything but offers to Australian destinations ex Sydney.

 

[burmans]

That's strange. I also get the same when looking for a one-way from ZQN. But a return departing SYD is available online.

Just ring up and ask. You shouldn't have to pay the booking fee if you explain it wasn't available online.

Yes I've had this problem too trying to get a one way out of ZQN but with a dummy booking SYD-ZQN-SYD availability seems there. Frustrating when you are just trying to ascertain options.

 

[burmans]

That's strange. I also get the same when looking for a one-way from ZQN. But a return departing SYD is available online.

Just ring up and ask. You shouldn't have to pay the booking fee if you explain it wasn't available online.

Got the runaround on this. Firstly I could see a flight ZQN-SYD when looking at a return from Sydney (Premium Economy) for 18 July but when my wife rang up they said they can't see and nothing available to 31st. But when I finally looked online discovered this was true for Economy but there were PE before that date.

So told my wife to ring back a few days later and see if we could get someone else because VA online still showing PE flights, though the one we really wanted had gone (annoying in itself)

This time they dod have availability, got to booking stage and call dropped out. She eventually got to the person who booked and arranged it all and sure enough PE was available on the day we wanted if you explicitly asked for it. Anyway to cut a long story short I though the co-pay was high and when I looked at the ticket sure enough they had charged a booking fee. Sent a very terse email in my wife's name, you charge us this fee supposedly to provide "assistance" but didn't provide much, would far rather (and would be faster) to fix the bug so we can do online, get it done quicker, less hassle AND pay less.