Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Pele]

If they’re available as redemption seats on BA, you should be able to include them. However the QF website is known to have issues like this. You will probably have to call QF to get the routing you want.

If it can’t be done online, make sure you ask for the phone booking fee to be waived.

Captain thanks for all your help. I am still in the planning stages and will aim to book it in March. What's frustrating is that the TPE-KUL pair gives the message i said above but if you reverse it ie KUL-TPE it works and comes up with MH flights (although no CX/KA).

Pele.

 

[Pele]

This might be stating the obvious but after looking at the QFF one world award tickets and rules this week i have come to the conclusion that the only one which offers any value is band 10 awards ie 19,000- 35,000 miles. For multi stop award tickets below this distance quite often it works out cheaper points wise to book each flight separately. Also when booking separately you dont have the issue of different airlines having their seats become available at different periods in advance.

Not sure if taxes and fees come out differently by booking each flight separately. Maybe someone knows?

Pele.

 

[exceladdict]

This might be stating the obvious but after looking at the QFF one world award tickets and rules this week i have come to the conclusion that the only one which offers any value is band 10 awards ie 19,000- 35,000 miles. For multi stop award tickets below this distance quite often it works out cheaper points wise to book each flight separately. Also when booking separately you dont have the issue of different airlines having their seats become available at different periods in advance.

Not sure if taxes and fees come out differently by booking each flight separately. Maybe someone knows?

Pele.

Depends on the carrier - have a look at the wiki above, for AY for example it seems to be a flat fee no matter how many flights of theirs are in the itinerary, up to a certain number

 

[p--and--t]

A sincere thankyou to all those contributors on this bulletin board for all your tips and tricks to make use of points for OneWorld Business RTW.

Having saved up some 550,000 points mainly from purchases on credit cards (rather than flights), I managed with quite some hours of effort using all your tips and tricks to book a RTW J holiday this year for my partner and I, all on points.

For all the doubters, it is doable and even with only a 7 month lead to time our holiday.

The best tricks I used were:

- Try the one world site first for your planned journey to see options of who flies where and what the approximate fees will be.
- Next, don't search the whole end to end trip to the final destination. Search for available seats on sectors. e.g. don't look for MEL-LHR, but look for MEL-BKK, MEL-HKG, MEL-SIN etc
- The Qantas booking engine, even though a magic piece of technology with the monthly views, doesn't always show what it thinks are illogical or all available options. e.g. if MEL-HKG fails, try BNE-HKG or ADL-HKG, you can always add a domestic sector after you have all the international bits mapped out.
- If you don't find a seat in offerings on the Qantas site - register for the BA site (using a friends address o/s) and search there. The Qantas site doesn't show JL seats and doesn't always show all options on even BA and QR flights. (QR has an abundance of award seats - but not out of Australia)
- Be flexible and think out of the box with your routing. If you are flying J class or F class, whats a few extra hours via an alternative connection city.
- Don't panic when the Qantas site shows you need far more points than you have - after the third non-QF sector is added the points drop back to 280K per passenger and stay there. If you a few short you can always buy some more to top up.
- Once you have an itinerary together that seems to work but it can't be booked online, call the Qantas operator and say you have a list of flights already planned - the operator only to happy to put the lot together and did not charge a booking penalty.

Our final routing which fits perfectly with our travel plans ended up as:
MEL-BNE-HKG
HKG-DOH-NBO
NBO-LHR-PRA
TXL-LHR-LAX
LAX-NRT
NRT-BNE-MEL

The only sting in the tail is Qantas' fees and charges which added up to around $1,500pp - BUT we got fares worth over $29,000 on points - YAY.

 

[Guvner]

A sincere thankyou to all those contributors on this bulletin board for all your tips and tricks to make use of points for OneWorld Business RTW.

Having saved up some 550,000 points mainly from purchases on credit cards (rather than flights), I managed with quite some hours of effort using all your tips and tricks to book a RTW J holiday this year for my partner and I, all on points.

For all the doubters, it is doable and even with only a 7 month lead to time our holiday.

The best tricks I used were:

- Try the one world site first for your planned journey to see options of who flies where and what the approximate fees will be.
- Next, don't search the whole end to end trip to the final destination. Search for available seats on sectors. e.g. don't look for MEL-LHR, but look for MEL-BKK, MEL-HKG, MEL-SIN etc
- The Qantas booking engine, even though a magic piece of technology with the monthly views, doesn't always show what it thinks are illogical or all available options. e.g. if MEL-HKG fails, try BNE-HKG or ADL-HKG, you can always add a domestic sector after you have all the international bits mapped out.
- If you don't find a seat in offerings on the Qantas site - register for the BA site (using a friends address o/s) and search there. The Qantas site doesn't show JL seats and doesn't always show all options on even BA and QR flights. (QR has an abundance of award seats - but not out of Australia)
- Be flexible and think out of the box with your routing. If you are flying J class or F class, whats a few extra hours via an alternative connection city.
- Don't panic when the Qantas site shows you need far more points than you have - after the third non-QF sector is added the points drop back to 280K per passenger and stay there. If you a few short you can always buy some more to top up.
- Once you have an itinerary together that seems to work but it can't be booked online, call the Qantas operator and say you have a list of flights already planned - the operator only to happy to put the lot together and did not charge a booking penalty.

Our final routing which fits perfectly with our travel plans ended up as:
MEL-BNE-HKG
HKG-DOH-NBO
NBO-LHR-PRA
TXL-LHR-LAX
LAX-NRT
NRT-BNE-MEL

The only sting in the tail is Qantas' fees and charges which added up to around $1,500pp - BUT we got fares worth over $29,000 on points - YAY.

Some good tips there p--and--t. I'm in the middle of trying to put together a 280 and it does take a lot of work. Your routing is similar to what I want to do except I want CPT instead of NBO and FRA instead of PRA..

Just to clarify, yours was a 280 and not a OW RTW?

 

[ozflier]

I asked to speak to a QFF supervisor this morning on a separate matter,
I did mention in passing that I and others had noticed a reduction in the number of premium award seats from eastern Australia to Santiago and vv later next year.
I can remember there being up to 15 days each month with J award seats on flights direct to SCL ( not via the USA) in the months of July,August and September 2018 but they seemed to have dried up for subsequent months.
The Supervisor has had complaints get up to his level on this issue .
He believes that LATAM has pulled business availability on the SCL-AKL/SYD/ MEL routes for later next year.
He did not speculate why.

 

[glasszon]

I have a RTW trip that will depart in 15 days and I got an email saying the arrival time on the first segment has been changed by 15 minutes and I should receive an updated e-ticket shortly. But I haven't received the updated e-ticket, is this likely to be a problem?

 

[p--and--t]

I have a RTW trip that will depart in 15 days and I got an email saying the arrival time on the first segment has been changed by 15 minutes and I should receive an updated e-ticket shortly. But I haven't received the updated e-ticket, is this likely to be a problem?

Glazon

Reward ticketing takes low priority especially if trip not in next 48hrs.

Give them 24-36hrs to get back. If they don't ring qantas and ask for a hurry-up.

I got an email about a 5min departure change. Updated ticket came thru 12hr later.

 

[p--and--t]

Some good tips there p--and--t. I'm in the middle of trying to put together a 280 and it does take a lot of work. Your routing is similar to what I want to do except I want CPT instead of NBO and FRA instead of PRA..

Just to clarify, yours was a 280 and not a OW RTW?

Yes a Qantas 280k reward booking (with a RTW itinerary)

 

[glasszon]

Glazon

Reward ticketing takes low priority especially if trip not in next 48hrs.

Give them 24-36hrs to get back. If they don't ring qantas and ask for a hurry-up.

I got an email about a 5min departure change. Updated ticket came thru 12hr later.

Thanks, it's been 4 days so I will give them a call.

But what actually happens if I don't call and no new e-ticket was issued before my trip? Does it mean I will actually be denied boarding? Was curious because it's not common knowledge outside of FF to know that a new e-ticket is required when there's any timing changes.

 

[p--and--t]

Thanks, it's been 4 days so I will give them a call.

But what actually happens if I don't call and no new e-ticket was issued before my trip? Does it mean I will actually be denied boarding? Was curious because it's not common knowledge outside of FF to know that a new e-ticket is required when there's any timing changes.

Calling would be best in that case.

Sorry, can't answer that question. I'm sure there's lots better qualified to respond in the forum.

 

[glasszon]

Thanks, it's been 4 days so I will give them a call.

But what actually happens if I don't call and no new e-ticket was issued before my trip? Does it mean I will actually be denied boarding? Was curious because it's not common knowledge outside of FF to know that a new e-ticket is required when there's any timing changes.

Any Amadeus expert here? I ended up going via live chat as every time I call Qantas the wait time is over 1 hour and they don't have a callback service, the agent looked through my ticket, saying everything is fine and emailed me the ticket from amadeus (which shows the updated time for the flights), but I also receive the Qantas e-ticket immediately afterwards showing the old time for the flight, given the difference was only a 15 minute change in arrival time, is the fact that Amadeus showing my flight is confirmed with the correct time sufficient for me to get on the aircraft?

 

[philr2000]

I’m sure this has been asked before, but have tried searching and couldn’t find a definitive answer, so apologies in advance.

But I am looking at flying from Sydney into Santiago then around South America then back to Sydney.

LATAM lists a number of affiliates on the oneworld site - LATAM Airlines Argentina, LATAM Airlines Brazil, LATAM Airlines Colombia, LATAM Airlines Ecuador.

If I fly into Santiago on Qantas, then at least one of my flights on say LATAM Argentina and another LATAM Brazil, is that considered satisfying the condition of “two airlines other than Qantas”?

Just as one way flights are very expensive in South America so this ticket looks ideal given LATAMs dominance.

Thanks

 

[exceladdict]

I’m sure this has been asked before, but have tried searching and couldn’t find a definitive answer, so apologies in advance.

But I am looking at flying from Sydney into Santiago then around South America then back to Sydney.

LATAM lists a number of affiliates on the oneworld site - LATAM Airlines Argentina, LATAM Airlines Brazil, LATAM Airlines Colombia, LATAM Airlines Ecuador.

If I fly into Santiago on Qantas, then at least one of my flights on say LATAM Argentina and another LATAM Brazil, is that considered satisfying the condition of “two airlines other than Qantas”?

Just as one way flights are very expensive in South America so this ticket looks ideal given LATAMs dominance.

Thanks

You should be able to check this by putting together a dummy booking. My gut feeling would be no, if they all have "LA" flight codes for example. Could you squeeze in an AA flight? Or a hop over to HKG?

 

[glasszon]

Any Amadeus expert here? I ended up going via live chat as every time I call Qantas the wait time is over 1 hour and they don't have a callback service, the agent looked through my ticket, saying everything is fine and emailed me the ticket from amadeus (which shows the updated time for the flights), but I also receive the Qantas e-ticket immediately afterwards showing the old time for the flight, given the difference was only a 15 minute change in arrival time, is the fact that Amadeus showing my flight is confirmed with the correct time sufficient for me to get on the aircraft?

Just to report back, I finally bite the bullet and call Qantas, I actually got through to the Qantas Premium team and they said because the change is so minor (just a 15 minute difference in arrival time), no change in e-ticket is required and is just a generic email that says an updated ticket will arrive when one is not needed, so as it turns out everything is still good to go!

 

[madrooster]

Any Amadeus expert here? I ended up going via live chat as every time I call Qantas the wait time is over 1 hour and they don't have a callback service, the agent looked through my ticket, saying everything is fine and emailed me the ticket from amadeus (which shows the updated time for the flights), but I also receive the Qantas e-ticket immediately afterwards showing the old time for the flight, given the difference was only a 15 minute change in arrival time, is the fact that Amadeus showing my flight is confirmed with the correct time sufficient for me to get on the aircraft?

As long as there is no flight number change, then you are fine. It's not necessary to reissue the ticket.

 

[Jacques Vert]

I’m sure this has been asked before, but have tried searching and couldn’t find a definitive answer, so apologies in advance.

But I am looking at flying from Sydney into Santiago then around South America then back to Sydney.

LATAM lists a number of affiliates on the oneworld site - LATAM Airlines Argentina, LATAM Airlines Brazil, LATAM Airlines Colombia, LATAM Airlines Ecuador.

If I fly into Santiago on Qantas, then at least one of my flights on say LATAM Argentina and another LATAM Brazil, is that considered satisfying the condition of “two airlines other than Qantas”?

Just as one way flights are very expensive in South America so this ticket looks ideal given LATAMs dominance.

Thanks

Were you considering paying for your flights to/from SCL?

If so, you might consider booking award flights within Sth America rather than turning the whole thing into a 140/280k award. As I posted in another thread...

I've discovered that award flights in Sth America can save you some serious $ (assuming you have the points). For example:

1. LIM-AQP = 10k points + $A14.90 pp
2. ARI-SCL = 14k points + $A30.90
3. AQP-LIM-CUZ = 14k points + $A7.20

However, if you cross an international border the price goes up:

1. LPB-LIM = 14K points + $A115.15
2. ANF-LIM = 14K points + $A58.70

Still good value.

 

[philr2000]

Were you considering paying for your flights to/from SCL?

If so, you might consider booking award flights within Sth America rather than turning the whole thing into a 140/280k award. As I posted in another thread...

I've discovered that award flights in Sth America can save you some serious $ (assuming you have the points). For example:

1. LIM-AQP = 10k points + $A14.90 pp
2. ARI-SCL = 14k points + $A30.90
3. AQP-LIM-CUZ = 14k points + $A7.20

However, if you cross an international border the price goes up:

1. LPB-LIM = 14K points + $A115.15
2. ANF-LIM = 14K points + $A58.70

Still good value.

My rough route plan is:

SYD-MEL-SCL (Qantas/LATAM)
SCL-EZE
EZE-GIG
GIG-LIM
LIM-SCL-SYD

The challenge I have is one-way tickets are extremely expensive in South America (~$500-$600pp) with returns often cheaper, but don't want to run that risk of booking a return ticket and only using one leg as have heard ppl stung before in Sth America.

Don't want to spend $2-$3k on internal flights, and I only have 3-4 weeks and trying to do as much as possible, so buses aren't an option so I'm looking at using points on almost legs where I can..but based on the above route plan it's likely to cost me 200k+ points.

Hence why the oneworld pass would be ideal... the challenge is finding another oneworld partner.

It appears Qatar do a leg from BA to Sao Paolo (EZE-GRU), but no availability shows up for me when I search a range of dates throughout the year, except for Business Class (I am a Silver FF status)...so back to looking at other oneworld partners!

 

[p--and--t]

My rough route plan is:

SYD-MEL-SCL (Qantas/LATAM)
SCL-EZE
EZE-GIG
GIG-LIM
LIM-SCL-SYD

The challenge I have is one-way tickets are extremely expensive in South America (~$500-$600pp) with returns often cheaper, but don't want to run that risk of booking a return ticket and only using one leg as have heard ppl stung before in Sth America.

Don't want to spend $2-$3k on internal flights, and I only have 3-4 weeks and trying to do as much as possible, so buses aren't an option so I'm looking at using points on almost legs where I can..but based on the above route plan it's likely to cost me 200k+ points.

Hence why the oneworld pass would be ideal... the challenge is finding another oneworld partner.

It appears Qatar do a leg from BA to Sao Paolo (EZE-GRU), but no availability shows up for me when I search a range of dates throughout the year, except for Business Class (I am a Silver FF status)...so back to looking at other oneworld partners!

If you are looking to book a 140 or 280 ticket, you will need 3 airlines.

As I posted earlier, you will need to think out of the box.

Have you considered Australia to Hong Kong (QF or CX) then Hong Kong to Auckland (CX); Auckland to Santiago and proceed with your trip returning on QF or LA. You will have QF + CX + LA and the 140/280 award will cut in.

 

[philr2000]

If you are looking to book a 140 or 280 ticket, you will need 3 airlines.

As I posted earlier, you will need to think out of the box.

Have you considered Australia to Hong Kong (QF or CX) then Hong Kong to Auckland (CX); Auckland to Santiago and proceed with your trip returning on QF or LA. You will have QF + CX + LA and the 140/280 award will cut in.

If I am able to book the Qatar Air flight from BA to Sao Paulo as a transit leg, then I believe I would satisfy the three (LATAM, Qantas and Qatar), but like you say, I think I will have to get creative