Curious about the RTW in J Class Post

[SimonM]

I've read the RTW in J Class thread with interest. I'm lumbering towards 280,000 points and wonder how easy it is to get an RTW J ticket.

The only time I've tried, when I needed to be in California, I was knocked back by the operator and was told I was lucky to get a seat going to LA via LHR and JFK and back.

My questions are:

1. What's the URL for the Oneworld awards planner tool? The only one I've seen is for paid trips.
2. Is there a special number for Qantas Premium Travel?
3. Do the Oneworld RTW award seat come from the usual limited pool of award seats?

Thanks for any help,
Simon

 

[serfty]

1. Use the qantas.com award booking tool - Multi segment is best. Once you select travel on two oneworld airlines other than Qantas it automatically considers the booking a "oneworld award" and costs the points accordingly.
2. Not really, while there is a number, after dialling it one is asked for thier QFF number and you are queued based on that. One get the same result if dialling 131313. During business hours a WP generally gets answered "Qantas Premium".
3. Yes

More than that; While Qantas and BA release their flight 353 days in advance, Amican Airlines release their 330 days out. So at T-353 days you can book QF/BA but not AA.

 

[SimonM]

Thanks Serfty.

As a lowly NB (but QP), I'm probably not going to hear 'Qantas Premium' any time soon!

 

[Grooba]

At least you have somethig to aim towards!

 

[SimonM]

I'm on about 274k points now and slowing accumulating. Not too far off a trip, I hope.

If you mean elevating myself above Bronze FF status, that does seem a little further away! I only fly once every couple of months or so and it often seems that Qantas is the dearest, so for the last 10 years I've been down the FreedomAir/Virgin/Jetstar/AirNZ/Emirates path.

You can tell that I pay for my own tickets, right?

 

[Grooba]

After that post I can surely tell!
Some of us take it for granted that it's others that foot our travel bills. If I was paying all my own travel there is no way in the world I would be travelling the way I do!

 

[drron]

I am also of no status with QF.I have though been able over the years to get a couple of RTW awards in business class.Start of online using the multi sector function.be prepared though to end up ringing QFF and spending the extra points-it is only 1% of the total you are using after all.
Expect to have to fly some indirect sectors-eg have never been able to get BNE-LAX anywhere near the time i wanted so have had BNE-HKG-NRt-LAX and BNE-NRT-LAX.Never had a problem LAX-BNE though.Also instead of BKK-LHR did BKK-HKG-DBX-LHR.
Also often you have to have an involuntary downgrade so SYD-BKK had to be on BA in PE.JFK-LAX on QF had to be in Y-even though there were only 7 pax in J total on the day of the flight-and yes even though you have paid out business class points and there are plenty of J seats you are not going to get one with no status.
Just takes a little time and a great dose of patience.

 

[coco50]

I was told by the QF operator that the points required were 280 K (thus I need 560K for me and my wife). I was also told that you could only have 5 stops. I wanted more than this. Still investigating as it's for next year.

 

[SimonM]

I am also of no status with QF.I have though been able over the years to get a couple of RTW awards in business class.Start of online using the multi sector function.be prepared though to end up ringing QFF and spending the extra points-it is only 1% of the total you are using after all.
Expect to have to fly some indirect sectors-eg have never been able to get BNE-LAX anywhere near the time i wanted so have had BNE-HKG-NRt-LAX and BNE-NRT-LAX.Never had a problem LAX-BNE though.Also instead of BKK-LHR did BKK-HKG-DBX-LHR.
Also often you have to have an involuntary downgrade so SYD-BKK had to be on BA in PE.JFK-LAX on QF had to be in Y-even though there were only 7 pax in J total on the day of the flight-and yes even though you have paid out business class points and there are plenty of J seats you are not going to get one with no status.
Just takes a little time and a great dose of patience.

I'm happy to take an indirect route. I'm the guy who did BNE/MEL/SIN/LHR/JFK/LAX - LAX/JFK/LHR/HKG/SYD/BNE just to get to a 3 conference in California! Trip was mostly BA, with Qantas from HKG and I paid for the JFK/LAX/JFK on AA.

My JFK/LHR sector was meant to be in Y, but I asked at check-in if there were any empty seats in J. There were plenty, so I whinged and whined at the poor CSR in the lounge and he eventually upgraded me, but I know it was only to shut me up as telling me to go away hadn't worked the first three times.

Thanks for the tips and I'll certainly use the operator as sugested. I suspect they can see more that we can.

 

[SimonM]

I was told by the QF operator that the points required were 280 K (thus I need 560K for me and my wife). I was also told that you could only have 5 stops. I wanted more than this. Still investigating as it's for next year.

Stops=stopovers or gaps between continuing flights? In the thread that got me started, the guy has 11 flights and some have a few days in between:

01. 21/12/09 – Perth to Dubai VIA Hong Kong (CX170 + CX685)
02. 24/12/09 – Dubai to Zurich VIA London (BA108 + BA718)
03. 28/12/09 – Zurich to Madrid (IB3475)
04. 31/12/09 – Madrid to Dublin (IB3184)
05. 03/01/10 – Dublin to Chicago (AA93)
06. 06/01/10 – Chicago to Boston (AA1718)
07. 08/01/10 – Boston to New York (AA4627)
08. 14/01/10 – New York to Houston VIA Dallas (AA709 + AA5115)
09. 16/01/10 – Houston to San Francisco VIA Dallas (AA5182 + AA1445)
10. 19/01/10 – San Francisco to Tokyo (JL1)
11. 23/01/10 – Tokyo to Perth (QF80)

 

[Alanslegal]

These awards have a maximum of 5 stopovers allowed (a stopovers being longer than 24hours). However you can have many flights bearing in mind the 35K mileage limit.

 

[JohnK]

Maybe that is where I have been going wrong as I have been paying for my own flights. I prefer to fly Qantas where possible and will look for the cheapest airfare available to earn SCs and QFF points. Occasionally I will fly BA, CX, AY for the extra SCs. Limit my flights on Virgin and some overseas LCCs to as few as possible.

These awards have a maximum of 5 stopovers allowed (a stopovers being longer than 24hours). However you can have many flights bearing in mind the 35K mileage limit.

If by many you mean 16 flights including surface sectors then yes you can have many flights on a Oneworld award with Qantas.

 

[Durin's Bane]

Stops=stopovers or gaps between continuing flights? In the thread that got me started, the guy has 11 flights and some have a few days in between:

That was my thread...

I've had to change my itinerary for the five stops - so all intra USA is via another Y ticket for only 50K points each.

It's not too bad - instead of 10 stops I now have 8.

Remember it costs 2500 points for each booking, then taxes have cost me another $3200 for all four tickets.

 

[SimonM]

That was my thread...

I've had to change my itinerary for the five stops - so all intra USA is via another Y ticket for only 50K points each.

It's not too bad - instead of 10 stops I now have 8.

Remember it costs 2500 points for each booking, then taxes have cost me another $3200 for all four tickets.

And a very interesting thread it is too. Got me thinking about an RTW all day.

I'm a bit dismayed about the tax situation. I can fly RTW in Y with Virgin for $2900 according to Sir Richard, so it's a bit steep to pay over a quarter of a million points AND a heap of cash.

Things have certainly changed. My first long-distance award flight was with AirNZ/Virgin Atlantic in J/Upper AKL/HKG/LHR for 150,000 AirNZ points and no trouble getting the dates I wanted. I don't remember the tax side of it, but it definitely wasn't 1000's.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Also often you have to have an involuntary downgrade so SYD-BKK had to be on BA in PE.JFK-LAX on QF had to be in Y-even though there were only 7 pax in J total on the day of the flight-and yes even though you have paid out business class points and there are plenty of J seats you are not going to get one with no status.

If you've paid out 280k for a J class OW award, why do you have to accept an involuntary downgrade (except if there are no free seats e.g. due to aircraft change)?

I've never had to take an involuntary downgrade on any sector an award flight, and I've burnt well over 1m QFF points over the last 2 years alone on OW J/F awards...

 

[AnonymousCoward]

I'm a bit dismayed about the tax situation. I can fly RTW in Y with Virgin for $2900 according to Sir Richard, so it's a bit steep to pay over a quarter of a million points AND a heap of cash.

There's nothing you can about government charges. A OW award will get you to a lot more possible places than a $2900 Virgin flight, and J is a lot more comfortable than Y

Unfortunately QF charge a whole lot for fuel fines (which are gradually coming down)

Things have certainly changed. My first long-distance award flight was with AirNZ/Virgin Atlantic in J/Upper AKL/HKG/LHR for 150,000 AirNZ points and no trouble getting the dates I wanted. I don't remember the tax side of it, but it definitely wasn't 1000's.

a) AKL-HKG-LHR is less than 50% of a 280K OneWorld award (12.6k miles vs 35k miles)

b) The price airlines are paying for fuel (taking into account hedging) is a lot more expensive than I suspect your last flight way (unless it was during the early 80s oil shock)

 

[serfty]

Be wary of travel on AA within the USA on a QFF oneworld award.

If on a two class flight, there is only First & WHY, if on a business class award QFF will book you into WHY.

What I would do is fly to/from ther USA and purchase separatly one or two strategic YUP fares to get where I wished in that country.

 

[SimonM]

There's nothing you can about government charges. A OW award will get you to a lot more possible places than a $2900 Virgin flight, and J is a lot more comfortable than Y

You're right, I know and on reflection, I'm pretty sure I'd pay for Y and gratefully hand over the same number of points for an upgrade those J seats, let alone getting them outright. Well, maybe.

a) AKL-HKG-LHR is less than 50% of a 280K OneWorld award (12.6k miles vs 35k miles)

b) The price airlines are paying for fuel (taking into account hedging) is a lot more expensive than I suspect your last flight way (unless it was during the early 80s oil shock)

Sorry I didn't say, the trip was return, so not quite such a poor comparison. I'm also not so sure about the exact number of points. There was a 30,000 point disagreement between AirNZ and me at the time. AirNZ counted Upper Class as First, but their documentation said Business. I argued the toss and won. What I can't remember is if I gave 120k points instead of 150k or 150k instead of 180k. You'd think it was decades ago, but actually only 1 decade.

 

[Durin's Bane]

I'm a bit dismayed about the tax situation. I can fly RTW in Y with Virgin for $2900 according to Sir Richard, so it's a bit steep to pay over a quarter of a million points AND a heap of cash.

Unfortunately not too much I can do about taxes out of Oz!

We could have booked through an overseas ticketing office, however the Qantas convenience was impossible to ignore in this instance. The consultants on Premium travel have all been superb, and go the extra yard when you've done a lot of the hard work upfront!

 

[coco50]

That was my thread...

I've had to change my itinerary for the five stops - so all intra USA is via another Y ticket for only 50K points each.

It's not too bad - instead of 10 stops I now have 8.

Remember it costs 2500 points for each booking, then taxes have cost me another $3200 for all four tickets.

That sounds like the way to do it! I want to go
SYD - HKG
HKG - DXB
DXB - LHR
Independent travel by rail in Europe
LHR - YUL
YUL - SEA
SEA - SFO
SFO - LAX
LAX - HNL
HNL - SYD

If I travel Y and pay for the North American sectors I should fit into the 5 stopover condition, shouldn't I?