Disillusionment sets in … is it worth it?

[Stargazer]

Yes, some good deals to be had out there still. Thinking of saving my points for those domestic and Pacific hops.

Totally agree. For a newbie this seems the best path.

I consider myself a fairly experienced traveller and I've had some warped routings in my time but reading most of the stories on AFF this is not the time for complex itineraries involving multiple carriers. It's too stressful to try and find alternate routings and some have even had issues after trip has commenced.

I've go lots of points but I'll wait until this settles down and the schedules preCovid return.

Thanks for putting some perspective into this overall situation.

Agree totally. my most recent lots of reward flights have been essentially simple direct routings (eg: MEL-SYD-LAX and v.v and MEL-DFW/DFW-MEL. simples). I would absolutely recommend keeping things simple and all on QF (if possible) or a very direct routing (and hopefully no changes) on a partner.

Thanks for noting that even experienced flyers need to follow the KISS principle.

 

[p--and--t]

Well an anecdote for the naysayers

My neighbour, who is not overly IT literate, and partner churned a couple of cards and had enough points for 2 x OWA J awards.

He sat down did some research and just Whatsapp'ed me a whoop whoop - has booked online and confirmed through QF website without help a trip to Italy for the two of them later this year. A bit of a circuitous route but in J all the way there and back (without using QR) and they are very happy.

It can be done, as we did earlier in the year.

 

[Mr H]

Well an anecdote for the naysayers

My neighbour, who is not overly IT literate, and partner churned a couple of cards and had enough points for 2 x OWA J awards.

He sat down did some research and just Whatsapp'ed me a whoop whoop - has booked online and confirmed through QF website without help a trip to Italy for the two of them later this year. A bit of a circuitous route but in J all the way there and back (without using QR) and they are very happy.

It can be done, as we did earlier in the year.

It certainly can be done, but often the initial booking is the easy bit - the challenge is when the schedules start to change.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Well an anecdote for the naysayers

My neighbour, who is not overly IT literate, and partner churned a couple of cards and had enough points for 2 x OWA J awards.

He sat down did some research and just Whatsapp'ed me a whoop whoop - has booked online and confirmed through QF website without help a trip to Italy for the two of them later this year. A bit of a circuitous route but in J all the way there and back (without using QR) and they are very happy.

It can be done, as we did earlier in the year.

Touch wood...
Until it all goes pear shaped because AJ or his staff had some "work" to do.

 

[p--and--t]

It certainly can be done, but often the initial booking is the easy bit - the challenge is when the schedules start to change.

Touch wood...
Until it all goes pear shaped because AJ or his staff had some "work" to do.

Certainly 2022 was a challenge as all the airlines I dealt with (not just QF - and QF was the least of my worries for my trip), I forecast late 2023 will be much more stabilised as all airlines get back into the swing of things

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Worst is when a plane goes tech(no) and they do a swap to a smaller plane, or flight is cancelled, just like that.
For those in Aust, there isn't any wide choice of airlines, really.
It's either QF or VA.
Both have downsides.
Both are so similar.
Rex still has a long way to go, and will probably be the same as QF or VA.
Does Rex stand out, as for now, I don't feel so.
No int partners except DL, no FF, no other int liaison...

 

[Stargazer]

Wishing all AFF a wonderful New Year’s Eve and a great year ahead with the problems of the past year only a dim memory. Thank you to all the amazing people who have provided input to my questions and contributed to my education. Your kindness is appreciated

 

[WeeGraeme]

I share the frustration of the OP and others.

As QF Bronze, in 2019, I managed to get 2 x business class seats from Brisbane to Glasgow and 2 business class seats from Edinburgh to Doha. Almost unbelievably, I got 2 x first class seats from Doha to Perth. I thought I was seeing things to be honest. I just had to get myself from Perth back to Brisbane, which I also did on award points.

Last year, still as QF Bronze, I did book award flights in business class, although it was a bit different. I managed to book 2 x tickets Melbourne to Singapore on Jetstar. Obviously not lie flat, but it was a daytime flight. And there weren't other options. Then I had flights booked on Finnair to Amsterdam. On the way back, it was Amsterdam to Haneda and then to Sydney. That all came unstuck with the war in Ukraine. Finnair changed my flights to Narita instead of Haneda (although they just called it Tokyo and never actually told me there was an airport change). I had a flight from Haneda to Sydney booked. I had to cancel because at the time I was ineligible for a visa into Japan. Fortunately I checked things out myself a while before we flew or we'd have either been denied boarding or refused entry at the border! I couldn't find award flights to replace them, so ended up having to pay for flights.

In any case, if you're flexible in your thinking, it can still be possible. The biggest hurdle is (as others have said) that there are many people with lots of points. There are still fewer flights operating than before the start of the pandemic. Once more aircraft are returned to service, and once people have spent their points, availability will improve. As a QF Bronze though, you still have to be a bit lucky, but it can happen.

Edit: Typo - Ones -> Once

 

[kangarooflyer88]

The biggest hurdle is (as others have said) that there are many people with lots of points. There are still fewer flights operating than before the start of the pandemic. Ones more aircraft are returned to service, and once people have spent their points, availability will improve. As a QF Bronze though, you still have to be a bit lucky, but it can happen.

That's the biggie! Pre-COVID it was trivial to find sub $2000 USD flights return from the US to Asia in J on Asian carriers like Air China or Cathay. Since the pandemic when most of their international route network was scrapped (thanks in large part to government regulations that will persist for a little while longer). Consequently all the "smart" money that would ordinarily book cheap cash J fares with CA now have to migrate to buying award miles and using it to redeem for flights. This leads me, tidely might I add to two opens questions:

1. When will the airlines restore their pre-COVID international route network (even in Australia international travel has recovered to maybe half of pre pandemic levels)?
2. How many of those smart money people who would ordinarily book cheap CA fares see the light and realize buying miles (when on sale) and redeeming for J awards on quality airlines like SQ is better value?

-RooFlyer88

 

[WeeGraeme]

That's the biggie! Pre-COVID it was trivial to find sub $2000 USD flights return from the US to Asia in J on Asian carriers like Air China or Cathay. Since the pandemic when most of their international route network was scrapped (thanks in large part to government regulations that will persist for a little while longer). Consequently all the "smart" money that would ordinarily book cheap cash J fares with CA now have to migrate to buying award miles and using it to redeem for flights. This leads me, tidely might I add to two opens questions:

1. When will the airlines restore their pre-COVID international route network (even in Australia international travel has recovered to maybe half of pre pandemic levels)?
2. How many of those smart money people who would ordinarily book cheap CA fares see the light and realize buying miles (when on sale) and redeeming for J awards on quality airlines like SQ is better value?

-RooFlyer88

1. I think they've all been caught out by the rapid recovery. Qantas was saying 2024 before the industry would recover. Obviously they got caught out. All of those aircraft stored around the world have had no to minimal maintenance done while they've been stored. I'm sure that airlines like the fact that aircraft are full now, which is maximising profit. But I'm equally sure that they don't like the lack of flexibility that creates in their network. Factor in delays in production and delivery of new aircraft and I think all you can accurately say is that they'll restore it "when they do"

2. I think that that will probably happen. But then I think that people being people, we also like things simple. There's still the question of availability from your local airport. Some people will stay on the buying points wagon. But others would prefer travel from A to B where A is as close to home as possible, and B is as close to their end destination as possible. Cash fares are inflated right now, but when things return to normal and fares stabilise a bit, buying miles might not seem as good value as now.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

They were unable to let staff be kept on LWOP tho.
Might have been better to let trained staff go AWOL but kept on the books.
But both QF and VA have let trained staff go, resign, or kicked out.
Now travel is back, but their new excuse is "lack of trained staff".
So what do they do?
Cancel flights at short notice, or no notice.
I was asleep at a hotel, had done OLCI, 12.30am my phone must have plinged but I didn't hear it.
At 4am I see my VAd flight had been cancelled and I had been put on an indirect route ADL - SYD, now via MEL.

 

[Stargazer]

I have been reading numerous threads pointing out problems and issues as travel plans go pear shaped. If you are advised of a change to your upcoming flight say a few hours before departure and this interferes with subsequent flights - what do you do. You are all experienced flyers and obviously have a few “go to moves” or actions you take to deal with potential problems. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Human]

It's important to realise that there's no "formula" or hard-and-fast rules regarding what to do or what will happen in these situations. Airlines are different, personal circumstances are different, what we're willing to live with is different. Delays and cancellations do happen, and at the end of the day that's why it's so important to take out travel insurance that will, if necessary, compensate you in these situations. As far as possible, try to take it in your stride and see it as part of the adventure of travelling. I say "as far as possible" because sometimes that's easier said than done! But if at all possible, see it as an inevitable part of travelling.

That said...

• Contact the airline if necessary (the best airlines will have already contacted you and proposed a solution). Talk through what you need and where you need to be, and when. The first step is always to let the airline solve the problem, rather than you solving it yourself. If you've booked through a travel agent, contact the travel agent and let them sort it out (I'm a seasoned traveller but I'll still use a travel agent occasionally).
• Once the airline has proposed a solution, ask yourself: Can I live with that? Does the delay really matter? Is there a potential upside to this change? I have a couple of great stories of amazing things that happened and places I visited as a result of delays!
• If you're still unhappy, politely but firmly say what you want the airline to do. Escalate the problem to a supervisor if necessary, but understand that aviation is complex and a lot of the time the delay will be due to circumstances outside of everyone's control.

The only way to avoid unplanned delays and cancellations is to not travel at all. If you really need to be somewhere at a certain time (eg. for a wedding), then plan to fly in a day or two earlier, so you'll have a buffer. Otherwise, expect the unexpected and understand that you'll laugh about it one day.

I know it's easier said than done, but ultimately, my number one "go to move" is to try to stay calm!

 

[Anna]

I have been reading numerous threads pointing out problems and issues as travel plans go pear shaped. If you are advised of a change to your upcoming flight say a few hours before departure and this interferes with subsequent flights - what do you do. You are all experienced flyers and obviously have a few “go to moves” or actions you take to deal with potential problems. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Don't make separate flight bookings which have different PNRs unless there is at least 48 hours between the end of one PNR and the start of the next. (You may need to use a travel agent to ensure you can get all your flights on the same PNR).

Don't book partner airlines with QFF points.

Stay calm.

That is my 3 cents worth

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

With QFF, they can be real "bad/bad***" when things go pear shaped.
But when things are good, they are good, or can also be very good/excellent.
But because they are the main FF program for Aust, they know they don't have any real competition.
They are happy to let things twaddle along, ie, if they were really really serious about Aust customer relations, they would try to bring back their call centres to Aust operations, either within the organisation, or at least, well trained Aust based in Aust staff.
But they are happy to outsource the call centrer/centre, and then blame them (outsourced organisation) when things go wrong, or just plain ignore you, as is now, also the outsourced call centre/centre have got nothing to gain by admitting their errors.
There is a thin grey line, that neither side wants to admit exists.
With VFF, they are still a very small fish in the FF scheme of things, they don't have a huge FF alliance, they don't want to join *A/ST, and are happy have what they call a bespoke system.
With ZL FF, who knows what might come of it, maybe they might join *A/ST and gezump VFF.
Of *A/ST, neither wants to make a move either, to woo VFF/ZLFF.
We just can't win.
Not that my comments will help anyone stuck overseas, though, because of QFF's lack of care/or that they can't help because all of/part of the travellers travel is on other airlines, not linked with a QFF PNR.
As of now, we can't win.
Not to mention, that a lot of the other airline's FF programs of the world, that does not bar non nationals of their own countries, their FF system's points do expire after 3/4 years.
QFF and VFF, bad as they are, are the only ones that don't expire, so long there is any FF activity.
Even China Airlines (Taiwan)'s DFP FF program points do expire.
Not sure if Asiana (Asiana Club) is still flying, as they will be taken over by Korean Air soon.

 

[Stargazer]

Anna noted not to book partner airlines with Qantas frequent flyer points. Doesn’t this dilute the value of the FF programme? It means we are restricted to Qantas flights if using points. And there are few seats on Qantas flights for points redemption. Sounds like points are only useful for redeeming a toaster

 

[WeeGraeme]

Anna noted not to book partner airlines with Qantas frequent flyer points. Doesn’t this dilute the value of the FF programme? It means we are restricted to Qantas flights if using points. And there are few seats on Qantas flights for points redemption. Sounds like points are only useful for redeeming a toaster

If you're Bronze, you often have no choice, particularly if you're looking for a premium cabin.

I've never seen a business class award on an international QF flight. The closest I managed to score was JQ business from Melbourne to Singapore. Ironically, I didn't get to take that flight because of a screw up with Finnair on the same booking.

I have managed to score EK award flights in J from Brisbane to Glasgow, from Perth to Glasgow and from Glasgow to Perth. I also managed to score QR in J from Edinburgh to Doha and QR in F from Doha to Perth.

 

[Human]

Anna noted not to book partner airlines with Qantas frequent flyer points. Doesn’t this dilute the value of the FF programme? It means we are restricted to Qantas flights if using points. And there are few seats on Qantas flights for points redemption. Sounds like points are only useful for redeeming a toaster

I agree with Anna. Or, at the very least, if you book a partner flight using Qantas points, monitor the booking like a hawk and have a Plan B if something goes wrong!

Qantas points are great for domestic and short-haul international redemptions, for which there's generally good availability. I've also used them for short-haul flights on partner airlines while overseas (eg. they're not bad for Air France, KLM and British Airways redemptions while in Europe).

But absolutely the value of Qantas points has been diluted over the past year, to the extent that I've stopped accumulating them in favour of other FF and flexible rewards points programmes.

 

[Anna]

Doesn’t this dilute the value of the FF programme?

QF has been merrily diluting ("enhancing") the QFF program for years. In 2001 I was able to fly QF to Buenos Aires in F for 100,000 points return. Now I'm lucky if I can even find availability to fly ADL MEL or ADL SYD in J.

It makes more sense to me to accumulate SCs to retain WP rather than seek to accumulate QFF points that I know I won't be able to spend how I want. When people say 'there is availability, you just have to be flexible', that is just code for 'you have to be prepared to accept something you don't really want and to persuade yourself that the inconvenience is worth it'.

 

[Traveldreamer]

Something that caught me out recently...........

I was checking my wife's account. To make sure she had enough points for a requested upgrade.

She had zero points in the account!

Not sure if this is new, but if the account is not 'used' in 18 months, they delete all your points!
200,000 gone just like that............ bummer

There are certain conditions that do and do not qualify as 'usage'.
Suggest you check........

Probably old News for most here. But we have not travelled in 2 1/2 years.

If they didn't send you an email telling you they were about to expire you can get them back. They did the same to me, a phone call and a written complaint that they had breached their own T&C and they re-instated my points. I then linked my Woolworth loyalty to my qantas so activity keeps it safe.