Why is it so hard to get an eTicket number out of QF?

[vetrade]

During the process of making a OWA, initially online and later making changes via the call centre, I noted that it seems virtually impossible to get the eTicket numbers documented no matter how often I very explicitly request them from the agent. Even when I tell them I will wait for the numbers, they seem reluctant to just tell me verbally, so I can write them down.

When making bookings in the past, I've always received 2 emails - one titled "Itinerary Receipt" with a flight list and baggage info for each one. Under "Passenger Information" the names of the passengers were listed along with their respective QF FF numbers and their e-ticket number. Now I note the eTicket numbers are no longer included on this document.

The second email I always got was called the "Qantas E-Ticket Itinerary and Receipt" (one for each pax) which included the name, booking ref and the E-ticket No. It also contained details of the taxes and surcharges, which the Itinerary receipt did not. This document no longer seems to be automatically emailed as in the past, so you are left scratching your head as to what the e-ticket numbers and taxes are.

Even when I get an agent in the Aussie call centre on the line and they assure me they will send me both documents, I only ever get the basic "Itinerary Receipt".

I also note that the e-ticket numbers are not linked anywhere to my bookings on the QF website. That would seem to be an obvious thing to include

Presumably others have noticed the same thing, so what's going on?

 

[RichardMEL]

Have you tried a site like checkmytrip or the AY site (I think I have seen it there in the past) when you MMB they can show the ticket numbers (though I have not looked for a few years so may have changed).

 

[TheInsider]

Unless it hasn't been ticketed?

 

[vetrade]

Have you tried a site like checkmytrip or the AY site (I think I have seen it there in the past) when you MMB they can show the ticket numbers (though I have not looked for a few years so may have changed).

Thanks RichardMEL. You were right.
All the info was easy to find on the AY website, which just re-inforces how deficient the QF website is.

Post automatically merged: Oct 12, 2021

Unless it hasn't been ticketed?

Nah, I knew it was ticketed

 

[cbourl]

or even use the CX website or QR website and get the eticket

 

[vetrade]

Even though the eTicket number can be found elsewhere, the question must be "Why has QF, as the issuer of the ticket, stropped publishing the eTicket number on the ticket?" A ticket without a number is just a (virtually) useless piece of paper. Imagine producing a numberless ticket to customs people somewhere OS. You'd be laughed at.

If the eTicket number can be easily found on the websites of multiple other airlines, why doesn't it actually exist anywhere on QF's own website?
The number is a fundamental requirement so it's omission has to indicate their tech people are asleep, or worse.

 

[serfty]

it's omission has to indicate their tech people are asleep, or wors

For years in things like this, Qantas have tended to use the Mushroom Principle. (Like finding out fare bucket letter codes before completing a booking online).

I have stopped worrying about it.

 

[motef]

You can also get it from the Malaysian MMB

 

[wandering_fred]

For years in things like this, Qantas have tended to use the Mushroom Principle. (Like finding out fare bucket letter codes before completing a booking online).
I have stopped worrying about it.

Then some Australians might want to keep their miles/points in other OneWorld airline programs from expiring.....
In case of future wandering
Fred

 

[henrus]

A bit off topic but I've also found the S7 website to be good at getting eticket and partner PNR's.

I booked a NZ domestic flight using QF points and S7 was the only website I could use to find the Air NZ PNR. Too bad the Air NZ PNR didn't work as they don't allow partner redemptions from Qantas to be viewed in the app or online.

 

[RichardMEL]

it is very frustrating to be sure. I am definitely one who prefers detail be available - fare buckets (before booking!), ticket numbers, aircraft codes, the whole lot. Many airlines are reasonable about this stuff... some, like QF, are not so helpful.

I don't go with the "conspiracy" idea that it's deliberate to make life harder for people (though it is) but more a general design philosophy that has attempted to be (and I cringe as I type this) "simpler" (I'm not using the F word! ).

I am not talking about the niche people like us who care about the difference between a K and Q fare, or if we're booking a A330-200 or -300, or whatever. I am talking about the general person who just wants to book a flight and go places.

of course if QFF actually WERE simpler (still not going to use that F word!) that everything aligned the way they make it out to be then this probably would be less of a problem, but because we care we know these things matter..

Even more so now with partners when suddenly a "Business" fare on QR for example can have a dramatic difference depending on which fare class it is booked in in terms of SC and points earn.

So yea, I much prefer having more detail and it transparent. UA is good at this. NZ is good too of recent examples I am familiar with. QF is really bad. I mean heck you even have to hunt once booked to find out your fare class once a ticket is booked - they don't even include it in the PDF receipt!

I reckon if QF wanted to be more customer friendly (oh stop laughing you lot - I can hear it from here!) they would offer a "basic" and "advanced" mode at least where we can see all the detail we want. The people who don't care don't need to worry and they are happy too. Just a suggestion for any UI designers at QF who may be reading !

 

[cbourl]

it is very frustrating to be sure. I am definitely one who prefers detail be available - fare buckets (before booking!), ticket numbers, aircraft codes, the whole lot. Many airlines are reasonable about this stuff... some, like QF, are not so helpful.

I don't go with the "conspiracy" idea that it's deliberate to make life harder for people (though it is) but more a general design philosophy that has attempted to be (and I cringe as I type this) "simpler" (I'm not using the F word! ).

I am not talking about the niche people like us who care about the difference between a K and Q fare, or if we're booking a A330-200 or -300, or whatever. I am talking about the general person who just wants to book a flight and go places.

of course if QFF actually WERE simpler (still not going to use that F word!) that everything aligned the way they make it out to be then this probably would be less of a problem, but because we care we know these things matter..

Even more so now with partners when suddenly a "Business" fare on QR for example can have a dramatic difference depending on which fare class it is booked in in terms of SC and points earn.

So yea, I much prefer having more detail and it transparent. UA is good at this. NZ is good too of recent examples I am familiar with. QF is really bad. I mean heck you even have to hunt once booked to find out your fare class once a ticket is booked - they don't even include it in the PDF receipt!

I reckon if QF wanted to be more customer friendly (oh stop laughing you lot - I can hear it from here!) they would offer a "basic" and "advanced" mode at least where we can see all the detail we want. The people who don't care don't need to worry and they are happy too. Just a suggestion for any UI designers at QF who may be reading !

I like UA fare bucket setc for UA *A and QF/VA fare classes itemised when included on a LH or LX ticket with UA as a part-carrier - also when booking UA flights fare classes can be chosen so you know you can apply a regional UPG or GPU QF sadly lack this, as do LX/LH websites

 

[dylarr]

For years in things like this, Qantas have tended to use the Mushroom Principle. (Like finding out fare bucket letter codes before completing a booking online).

I have stopped worrying about it.

I don't go with the "conspiracy" idea that it's deliberate to make life harder for people (though it is) but more a general design philosophy that has attempted to be (and I cringe as I type this) "simpler" (I'm not using the F word! ).

I'm going to get technical here but the annoying thing about class codes not being displayed when searching for flights is it would be so easy for Qantas to make it available. The booking engine already sends the booking class code (rbd, or reservation booking class designator) to your browser when you are searching for flights along with the payload that contains the flights, times, prices, status credits, points earned etc. The info is already there. They just chose to not display it in the user interface.



So if you're technical enough to know how to use your browser's web inspector, you can see the class code being booked in to (which I do regularly when making my own bookings). But most people wouldn't be able to do this.

I agree with @RichardMEL — it's clear it's not a technical decision but a business one to make things "simpler" as most won't care. But then on one hand, QF go to the effort of publishing Frequent Flyer Earn Category tables to educate people on how class codes impact earn rates and on the other hand don't give users any means to see how this would apply to any new bookings they make. Counterintuitive much?

 

[RichardMEL]

hand up who remembers when QF did used to show the booking classes? it was a long time ago in what feels like a galaxy far away...

 

[Matt_01]

hand up who remembers when QF did used to show the booking classes? it was a long time ago in what feels like a galaxy far away...

I cannot remember and TBH have never really worried about it. It is stretching but I think that it used to be written on the old paper tickets even before carbonless paper was a thing. I think there were 4 paper slips, the top slip written in pen, the airport copy, the copy sent to QF and the originators copy. I may be wrong as it is to far back to remember, but some travel/ movement clerks at that time used to ask us to bring back the top slip so the invoice from QF could be reconciled and the correct ADF discount had been applied.

 

[serfty]

hand up who remembers when QF did used to show the booking classes? it was a long time ago in what feels like a galaxy far away...

I cannot recall this at any time since flights became bookable on the website.

They did show it on the booklet tickets.

 

[serfty]

So if you're technical enough to know how to use your browser's web inspector, you can see the class code being booked in to (which I do regularly when making my own bookings). But most people wouldn't be able to do this.

A decade ago I devised a greasemonkey script that would extract that information and insert it into the booking form. The introduction of AJAX type form loading put paid to that. (the info was removed from the HTML before I could reliably get to it)

I havn't looked in the last couple of years, maybe that has changed.

QF Booking Class?

 

[dylarr]

I havn't looked in the last couple of years, maybe that has changed.

Nope it hasn't changed just as difficult as ever to try and build something on top of.