Crazy Qantas booking engine routing BNE-Manila

[Mal]

Am looking at fares BNE-Manila and possible flights.

Here are the 2 selected routings for a certain day's outbound flights around a month away:

Brisbane 19:50
Melbourne 22:15
Qantas flight QF639

Melbourne 06:00 (Next Day)
Sydney 07:20 (Next Day)
Qantas flight QF400

Sydney 13:20 (Next Day)
Manila 19:20 (Next Day)
Qantas flight QF19


OR, the alternative choice given for that date:

Brisbane 19:30
Cairns 21:55
Qantas flight QF786

Cairns 05:45 (Next Day)
Sydney 08:45 (Next Day)
Qantas flight QF921

Sydney 13:20 (next day)
Manila 19:20 (Next Day)
Qantas flight QF19

So wow, I can leave Brisbane one day, overnight in MEL that night, fly to SYD and then fly to Manila, or alternatively overnight in CNS instead. Doesn't matter if I want Econ or Business, they are the best options given.

Would be great if I wanted the extra SC's for the flights, but to be honest would just rather fly fairly directly

Oh well. Looks like the booking engine has stuffed up a little (Let alone the fact that they actually offer First tickets when the plane is a 767... Hmmm)

 

[JohnK]

Mal are you looking at award bookings? If so then it is a known fact that the award booking engine comes up with some really weird combinations on flights. Check out this thread Award Booking Engine Quirkiness I reported a few months ago.

Just a note that SYD-MNL is not a daily flight. It departs SYD on a Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu and Sat and just to be weird only returns on Mon, Tue, Thu and Sat.

If trying to book a paid flight SYD/BNE/MEL-MNL on a day with no service then it states "Flights are not available for requested date(s). See other dates below." and it shows a table of possible daily combinations.

 

[Mal]

Nah it's a paid booking.

The day I'm attempting to fly isn't a valid day to leave (no flight that day) so instead it routes me on that day to spend a day somewhere else before flying into SYD to connect to my flight.

It really is incorrect. It should just tell me no flights on that day and offer me the next day's flights.

Oh well.

 

[JohnK]

Which booking option are you using? I have tried a BNE-MNL booking request on a day with no flight and I get error message. We must be using 2 different menu options? Are you using the Bookings/Flights option? I am using the Specials/International Flights option.

Flights are not available for requested date(s). See other dates below.

QF Booking error BNE-MNL Fri 14/07-Wed 19/07

 

[Mal]

Try for example leaving on a Friday and coming back mid the next week...

 

[JohnK]

I did and I still get error message but no flights. Depart Friday 23th return Wed 28th.

Flights are not available for requested date(s). See other dates below. (7126 [1])

The Calendar dates had to be shifted so that each day stays within the site travel limits. (7127 - 10031)

QF Booking error BNE-MNL Fri 23/06-Wed 28/06

 

[Mal]

23rd/28th June won't work due to booking requirements and the available flights.

Try mid July.

 

[JohnK]

Mal, my example at post #4 is leaving BNE Friday July 14th and returning Wednesday July 19th.

I am getting the error messages! There is something not right here.

 

[Mal]

Ok, try the following URL (Will only work for a short time I think due to session timeout on the Qantas site)

Qantas Booking

 

[JohnK]

OK Mal here is the scenario. I have worked it out and there is some sort of quirkiness with the booking engine. Make up your own mind whether it is right or not.

a) if you select a departure date with no flight and a return date with no flight then you get the error screen as I posted earlier
b) if you select a departure date with a flight but a return date with no flight then you get the error screen as I posted earlier
c) if you select a departure with no flight but a return date with a flight then it thinks that all is OK and gives you the alternatives you mentioned in OP

 

[aus_flyer]

An interesting combination is SYD-JFK via LHR !!

 

[Skyring]

An interesting combination is SYD-JFK via LHR !!

Well, the alternative is SYD-LAX-JFK. Either way it's a bloody long trip.

Looking at the previous thread, with some of the weird routings given, someone suggested that this was done so as to minimise award flights on CX.

Not sure about this - my CBR-London routing was QF CBR-MEL, CX MEL-HKG-FRA, BA FRA-London City, which suits me pretty good for an award flight on six weeks' notice, though it's in the back of the bus this time around.

On the way back it's Birmingham-Glasgow-LHR-JFK-NRT-SYD-CBR, which is a bit out of the way and I probably won't be worth talking to for a while afterwards.

 

[serfty]

Lots of interesting connections can occur. Yesterday, the award booking engine offered me MEL-NRT-HKG :!:

(yep I was looking at getting to HKG)

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

and someone on FT is complaining about ORD-LHR-LAX-PPT