Award flight help please!

[rsnlx]

Hi guys,

Quick but complicated question that Im hoping one of you could help me on...

I'm currently overseas and when I return to Aus on Sep 5, I'll have enough points for a biz return from Sydney to Los Angeles - 160,000 points.

I'd really like to use the points to fly Syd - Lax at the end of October. I've checked availability and while the flight over was available, there was nothing on the return leg. I know availability chops and changes, but what I was wondering was this -

What do you think my chances are of securing an award flight if I try and book it in the first week of September, ready for travel at the end of October? As I said, i'm looking for biz class return to Lax.

The other option is spending the cash on a flight then wasting 140,000 points on an upgrade... help me please!

Cheers
Richard

 

[thadocta]

I would say that your chances of securing an award flight are pretty low. The problem is that as more U (Business Class award) and Z (First Class award) inventory is released, it goes straight to those waitlisted for upgrades.

The only way you would snare one of those seats for an award is if nobody is waitlisted and you got in quick.

One other alternative though is a slightly more exotic routing - Cathay via HKG or Lan Chile via SCL, for example.

Cheers,

Dave

 

[Guest]

yep - what thedocta said...

if you are qantas platinum you can request them to "try" and get you on the flights you want using points - I've had 50/50 luck with this method..

Remember you can also try via BNE - loads more availability!

 

[Rossmurdoch]

Never been able to get a SYD-LAX business flight using points but have been lucky with MEL-LAX

 

[QF WP]

Or there is the option SYD/BNE/LAX as well (with return)...if you definitely want to get there and back (and use points at the same time), you sometimes have to be a little flexible and creative....

 

[CDS1959]

If flying ex BNE, remember that the aircraft that QF operate on this route have not been fitted with the new Skybeds, but still have the old Dreamtime business class seats.

 

[NM]

Neither have most services ex SYD and MEL for LAX been fitted with Skybeds. The 744 upgrades have been slowed recently so allow the A330-300's to be done so QF can advertsie that all HKG flights also have Skybeds. And then the 743 upgrades to get Dreamtimes and IFE in Y have been taking up the upgrade slots at AVV. I think there are only 2 skybed fitted aircraft regularly making the Trans-Pacific runs, out of about 18 aircraft.

U availability is often better on the QF175/176 non-stop from Brisbane. Sometime on QF25/26 SYD-BNE-AKL-LAX-AKL-BNE-SYD.

But as thadocta said, any released U inventory will first go to anyone on the waitlist for an upgrade. The next problem is that the reviews are done about 3 weeks out, again at 1 week and then at about 3 days. So if you mamange to pick something up for the outbound flight 3 weeks out, you are not going to have much chance for a return until 3 weeks before the return date. And if your stay is more than three weeks, then it is very hard to find the return availability.

You are also competing against all the members of the various US airlines FF programs that partner with QF for trans-Pacific awards, such as AA, CO, US etc. And they are looking for seats in the oposite direction. And there are more of them than QF FF members and they all want to come to Australia in business of first class.

Good luck, and please let us know how you get on.