Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

[support]

This thread is for Questions and General discussion regarding the Best Status Run Options for QFF as per this thread:

Overview of Best Status Run Options [not the discussion thread]

Please keep your questions and queries to this thread and avoid posting in the other.

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You can also get some status run inspiration from this AFF article:

The Best Qantas Frequent Flyer Status Runs

Haven't earned enough status credits in your Qantas membership year? Here is a selection of the best Qantas Frequent Flyer status runs.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[sudoer]

SIN-KUL-BKI on MH in 'Business Basic' (Z), I'd expect ... Y flex SC's for the SIN-BKI return part (as per the current earn category table for MH).

I don't think it's worth bothering with MH on intra Asia anymore, the $ and time investment isn't worth the return after the QFF deval, and MH prices being 2x what they used to be.

I'd fly QF to SIN and then TR/AK direct to BKI.

 

[Tropic]

Its a shame. The old MH discount J runs from DPS to KUL then out to BKI, LGK, PEN, KCH etc were good fun and great earners.

 

[Hvr]

Its a shame.

The satay sticks were very nice as well.

 

[Tropic]

The satay sticks were very nice as well.

And A330 KUL - DPS vv if you timed it right...

 

[sudoer]

Its a shame. The old MH discount J runs from DPS to KUL then out to BKI, LGK, PEN, KCH etc were good fun and great earners.

And A330 KUL - DPS vv if you timed it right...

BKK-xKUL-HKG was also a great one when on sale, $663 for 240SC, A330s on all legs and decent lounges at every port (especially HKG). Take me back to 2018!

It saddens me that my MH Deals template spreadsheet will probably not be used again, although it taught me a lot about importing JSONs into Google Sheets!

 

[Tropic]

Any other runs from pre-C still worth looking at, other than convoluted TT routing? Im in PER. Think the old BA BKK run Dron favours is no longer. Thinking PER - MNL direct opening up in MAR23 might offer some options

 

[ozziflyer]

I would only consider MH on Intra-Asia if you are planning on chasing OWE status as opposed to QF Plat.

I have extensively looked for current status run options, and they are all bare. Best I could find was SYD/MEL/BNE - AKL/CHC J legs getting close to $6/SC

 

[wandering_fred]

OTOH, if happy to fly in economy, award tickets on MH (via QFF) are not a bad value compared to paying $$
Unhappy recently with a separate ticket (timing issues) connection to 3K PER-SIN-BKK, ovenight in SIN (using the MRT not taxis) was a much more relaxing stop connecting on a MH award at a sensible hour the next morning

Happy wandering.
Fred

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Any other runs from pre-C still worth looking at, other than convoluted TT routing? Im in PER. Think the old BA BKK run Dron favours is no longer. Thinking PER - MNL direct opening up in MAR23 might offer some options

At this point I'm convinced that double status credits are the key here. The reason I say this is that during the last promotion they ran, I booked SYD > MEL > AKL > SYD > MEL for $1100 in J and that will earn 480 status credits which works out to about $2.30 per status credit. I'd challenge anyone to find a deal on OneWorld or even Qantas during a non double status promotion that holds a candle up to that one!

I would only consider MH on Intra-Asia if you are planning on chasing OWE status as opposed to QF Plat.

I have extensively looked for current status run options, and they are all bare. Best I could find was SYD/MEL/BNE - AKL/CHC J legs getting close to $6/SC

I would tend to agree with you that other OneWorld programs make it easier to get to OWE than QF (BA and circuitous routings ex-Scandinavia in J come to mind). However, there are two benefits I see for chasing QF status. One, QF arguably has the best lifetime status programs out there. Now, look I get it, their lifetime OWE status program has insane requirements, but QF Gold (OWS) and QF Silver (OWR) are quite easily achievable. For instance, earning top tier Platinum One status for 2 years gets you Silver and 4 years gets you Gold. What other program has such a crazy benefit?

-RooFlyer88

 

[The Flying Schwartz]

Quick question on DSC promos - do you need to wait to book during the promo period? E.g. if I already had a flight booked to fly during that period would it automatically get double SC? Thanks!

 

[Lynda2475]

Quick question on DSC promos - do you need to wait to book during the promo period? E.g. if I already had a flight booked to fly during that period would it automatically get double SC? Thanks!

Yes you must opt in and book during the DSC booking period and then fly during the eligible flying period to earn DSC. Existing bookings do not get the DSCs.

 

[exLXCXFF]

Yes you must opt in and book during the DSC booking period and then fly during the eligible period to earn DSC. Existing bookings do not get the DSCs.

Also, if you have already booked a flight, cancel it, get a refund and then "re-book" using this refund / voucher, it will not count as it uses the "old" PNR that was created BEFORE the DSC promo window.

 

[ALH]

Also, if you have already booked a flight, cancel it, get a refund and then "re-book" using this refund / voucher, it will not count as it uses the "old" PNR that was created BEFORE the DSC promo window.

You can actually force DSC through, by ringing and getting someone to override the original PNR date. As long as you registered, booked and flew during the right dates. Just be polite and firm.

I seem to recall @nlagalle also had success with this a few years ago.

You can also use a voucher purchased prior to the promotion. Using a voucher avoids the credit card charges.

 

[Jacques Vert]

You can actually force DSC through, by ringing and getting someone to override the original PNR date. As long as you registered, booked and flew during the right dates. Just be polite and firm.

I seem to recall @nlagalle also had success with this a few years ago.

You can also use a voucher purchased prior to the promotion. Using a voucher avoids the credit card charges.

Yes you can ring and get the DSCs added. But unless you are WP your chances of success are not great.

 

[Danger]

My recent SYD-xMEL-xAKL-xBNE-SYD run didn't go as smoothly as it could have.

The overnight MEL-AKL was delayed, reducing connection time at AKL to 75 minutes. Or it would have been, had the AKL-BNE not also been delayed. That in turn reduced my connection at BNE to 65 minutes. I was travelling HLO, but on arrival at BNE, received a text message from QF saying I'd been rebooked BNE-SYD several years later. That flight would have had been arriving into SYD several hours after my separately ticketed SYD-PER was due to depart, a flight that had been booked with a 3.5 connection in SYD. I had to return to SYD as I had left a suitcase in storage so a direct BNE-PER wasn't an option.

I called QF straight away and as has been my experience 90% of the time in the past many months, I was routed offshore. I asked Manny in CPT to put me back on my original BNE-SYD flight which was showing as having one seat still available in J. He looked and said, "That flight has been cancelled." I checked EF again; it was still showing. I spoke to the CSM who consulted her iPad and said her information was it was still operating. I asked Manny again: "That flight has been cancelled." I told him not to do anything.

The CSM kindly introduced me to the ground staff at the door and helped in explaining my situation. I asked why I had been automatically rebooked on a much later departure, rather than being protected on that later flight and kept on the original. She said I need to allow 30-40 minutes to go through arrival formalities in BNE, that "it could be very busy". I said that it might also not be very busy, at which point she said if I wanted to try to make it, she'd make some calls and directed me to the "interline desk" (!) landside.

With exactly zero people ahead of me at Customs and Immigration, I was through in two minutes (and it would have been less had my brand new passport not failed at the SmartGates for the second consecutive time). At the connections desk I was asked to wait while calls were made. After about 5 minutes I was told to head over to domestic by way of the transfer bus. A couple of minutes waiting there and I received a phone call from the station manager or such suggesting I take a taxi. Eighteen dollars later I'm at domestic. Not only did I make that originally ticketed BNE-SYD - the one Manny assured me, twice, was cancelled - I even had time to visit the lounge.

 

[owwreally]

Is there a better tool to try and plan these runs then the qantas/oneworld flight booking page? (that's available to the public?)

 

[SYD]

Is there a better tool to try and plan these runs then the qantas/oneworld flight booking page? (that's available to the public?)

ITA Matrix and even Google Flights have some powerful tools / filters to find some good options.

Unfortunately the first doesn’t work so well for purely domestic runs.

 

[owwreally]

Unfortunately the first doesn’t work so well for purely domestic runs.

Thanks,

Doing a lot of SYD-MEL-SYD runs for work (which gets next to nothing in SC) and trying to work out if its cheaper or in line to do a status run then pay for QC.

 

[SYD]

Thanks,

Doing a lot of SYD-MEL-SYD runs for work (which gets next to nothing in SC) and trying to work out if its cheaper or in line to do a status run then pay for QC.

Yep, the short cut to Gold is usually interesting J fares (especially during a DSC promo). MEL-SYD-NZ return is a favourite if there’s a half decent fare.

Some others here are churning CCs with signup bonuses to get to Points Club Plus (PC+) that comes with comp QP.

 

[owwreally]

Some others here are churning CCs with signup bonuses to get to Points Club Plus (PC+) that comes with comp QP.

Yes want to move from AMEX Qantas Ultimate to Amex Platinum - but will need to cancel for 18m to get the offer.

Have heaps of qantas points