Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Captain Halliday]

I had Qantas web support send me some rules and one of them was this,

• A surface sector - ARNK - (disembarking at one city and embarking at a different city) is considered one stop, however both cities will be treated as stopover cities and both should be considered when checking stopover restrictions.

Doesn't that mean DFW will be counted as a stopover? Unless the is meant to read both count as layovers, but only one stopver is counted?

Don’t believe what’s been cut & pasted from the call centre manual.

The published rules of the award are very clear: (my bolding)

• The following Stopover conditions apply to oneworld Classic Flight Rewards:
  • up to five free Stopovers are permitted;
  • additional Stopovers are not permitted;
  • only one Stopover is permitted in any one city in the Itinerary; and
  • only two Transfers may be taken at any one city in the Itinerary.
• Surface Segments are permitted as part of oneworld Classic Flight Reward Itineraries, but the distance between the disembarkation point and the next embarkation point will be included in the Reward Point zone calculation for that Itinerary.

 

[ellen10]

Yep, different airline is fine.

I have had luck with CX out of BNE/ADL and QR out of ADL as well, to EUR (for 4 seats)

Ok thanks for that information. So many twist and turns in booking these awards.

I have my flights out of Sydney but soon will have to book the return from Europe. Not much on offer so far.

 

[cjd600]

Ok thanks for that information. So many twist and turns in booking these awards.

I have my flights out of Sydney but soon will have to book the return from Europe. Not much on offer so far.

I’m waiting for returns from USA which will be just as much fun. Keeping s stopover up our sleeve in case we need to route thru HKG from LAX and stay +24hrs.
Try your searches back to ADL/PER/BNE, then will need to add QF domestic to SYD when it’s released at 353, if no SYD direct is released

 

[Captain Halliday]

I’m waiting for returns from USA which will be just as much fun. Keeping s stopover up our sleeve in case we need to route thru HKG from LAX and stay +24hrs.
Try your searches back to ADL/PER/BNE, then will need to add QF domestic to SYD when it’s released at 353, if no SYD direct is released

And if it gets really tricky, try CNS. The CX flight HKGxCNS-BNE usually has more award availability than CX fights to the AU capital cities.

 

[jetpack]

I had Qantas web support send me some rules and one of them was this,

• A surface sector - ARNK - (disembarking at one city and embarking at a different city) is considered one stop, however both cities will be treated as stopover cities and both should be considered when checking stopover restrictions.

Doesn't that mean DFW will be counted as a stopover? Unless the is meant to read both count as layovers, but only one stopver is counted?

This is consistent with the rules. You have 1 stopover in the USA but both BOS and DFW will be considered stopover cities. The only implication is that you can't stop over at either of these cities for a second time but can transit either of them two more times.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Don’t believe what’s been cut & pasted from the call centre manual.

The published rules of the award are very clear: (my bolding)

• The following Stopover conditions apply to oneworld Classic Flight Rewards:
  • up to five free Stopovers are permitted;
  • additional Stopovers are not permitted;
  • only one Stopover is permitted in any one city in the Itinerary; and
  • only two Transfers may be taken at any one city in the Itinerary.
• Surface Segments are permitted as part of oneworld Classic Flight Reward Itineraries, but the distance between the disembarkation point and the next embarkation point will be included in the Reward Point zone calculation for that Itinerary.

While I agree with your post, the call centre agents will have many different interpretations.

Earlier this year I was told that the reason the online tool wouldn't price my itinerary was that my surface sector from DEL-CCU was two stopovers and I now had 6 (which of course is one too many).

Utter BS but when I argued the agent checked with his supervisor and insisted it was two stopovers.

When I called back the following day and spoke to a different agent he told me the supervisor had added a note to my file that my surface sector was to be counted as two stopovers.

There wasn't much I could do. I thought about lodging some form of official complaint but that would most likely result in QF changing the t&c's to make it formal.

As this "rule" is being applied inconsistently at present, I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and changed my itinerary.

No wonder many of us prefer KrisFlyer.

 

[knobbs]

While I agree with your post, the call centre agents will have many different interpretations.

Earlier this year I was told that the reason the online tool wouldn't price my itinerary was that my surface sector from DEL-CCU was two stopovers and I now had 6 (which of course is one too many).

Utter BS but when I argued the agent checked with his supervisor and insisted it was two stopovers.

When I called back the following day and spoke to a different agent he told me the supervisor had added a note to my file that my surface sector was to be counted as two stopovers.

There wasn't much I could do. I thought about lodging some form of official complaint but that would most likely result in QF changing the t&c's to make it formal.

As this "rule" is being applied inconsistently at present, I decided to let sleeping dogs lie and changed my itinerary.

No wonder many of us prefer KrisFlyer.

I think you and I had the same agent. I got them to save the flight to my itinerary but not book it in. Got onto online chat the next day and an Aussie agent, confirmed that I actually could do that and booked it in for me.

 

[leer30]

Oct 12: NRT to FCO (Cathay, less than 24-hour stopover in Hong Kong ... if not possible, Qatar via Doha)

I spent weeks looking for FCO to HKG or NRT/HND in J. Qatar looked like it would be the one, but only released seats once in a 7 week period.

Cathay direct to HKG didn't release any J class.

Ended up re jigging our trip and flying Frankfurt to Narita with Japan Airlines (direct).

This is why when booking a 280k award, one must be quite flexible (in saying that we got most of what we wanted)

 

[leer30]

I had Qantas web support send me some rules and one of them was this,

• A surface sector - ARNK - (disembarking at one city and embarking at a different city) is considered one stop, however both cities will be treated as stopover cities and both should be considered when checking stopover restrictions.

Doesn't that mean DFW will be counted as a stopover? Unless the is meant to read both count as layovers, but only one stopver is counted?

That is not correct, unless it has been changed in the last 2-3 months. My 280k upcoming trip has five stopovers and includes two land segments.

I specifically asked a Premium team call centre member this question and she said only one stopover, but must include the distance between both cities in the overal mileage.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Don’t believe what’s been cut & pasted from the call centre manual.

The published rules of the award are very clear: (my bolding)

• The following Stopover conditions apply to oneworld Classic Flight Rewards:
  • up to five free Stopovers are permitted;
  • additional Stopovers are not permitted;
  • only one Stopover is permitted in any one city in the Itinerary; and
  • only two Transfers may be taken at any one city in the Itinerary.
• Surface Segments are permitted as part of oneworld Classic Flight Reward Itineraries, but the distance between the disembarkation point and the next embarkation point will be included in the Reward Point zone calculation for that Itinerary.

Sorry for the donkey question.
Does this mean I can fly into LHR, make my own way to DUB and depart from there and that counts as one stopover ?
Obviously the LHR-DUB distance being added to my total travelled.

 

[cjd600]

Sorry for the donkey question.
Does this mean I can fly into LHR, make my own way to DUB and depart from there and that counts as one stopover ?
Obviously the LHR-DUB distance being added to my total travelled.

Yes, exactly that

 

[Jacques Vert]

Sorry for the donkey question.
Does this mean I can fly into LHR, make my own way to DUB and depart from there and that counts as one stopover ?
Obviously the LHR-DUB distance being added to my total travelled.

As cjd600 said, that is what is supposed to happen and how the online multi-city tool will price it (assuming it can price it).

Unfortunately the online tool cannot handle the more complex itineraries and if you have to call, you could receive any number of interpretations; most of which will be incorrect.

 

[Danger]

As cjd600 said, that is what is supposed to happen and how the online multi-city tool will price it (assuming it can price it).

Unfortunately the online tool cannot handle the more complex itineraries and if you have to call, you could receive any number of interpretations; most of which will be incorrect.

It would also seem some QF supervisors can't handle the more 'complex' itineraries. Your experience with the supervisor annotating your PNR with incorrect information is disgraceful.

 

[bobcat]

Thanks everybody. Decided to pounce on available CX flights a few days earlier.
Very excited to have started the process. Will now keep an eye out on SYD-NRT on JL.
There's no requirement that at least one of the legs is QF is there (this is another element of RTW redemption I've seen mixed reprorts on)?

Really appreciate your help with this, quite daunting for a first-timer haha.

 

[cjd600]

Thanks everybody. Decided to pounce on available CX flights a few days earlier.
Very excited to have started the process. Will now keep an eye out on SYD-NRT on JL.
There's no requirement that at least one of the legs is QF is there (this is another element of RTW redemption I've seen mixed reprorts on)?

Really appreciate your help with this, quite daunting for a first-timer haha.

Good one, best to get them in the pocket when you can.
No QF needed at all, just 2 other OW.
JL seems pretty consistent release SYD-NRT, also QF release about 5 weeks after.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Another question regarding complex itineraries.
Can I add in a flight later and swap out a surface sector providing it doesn’t go over the 5 stop over threshold?
Eg LHR-JFK surface to LAX
LAX-NRT-SYD.
Add JFK-LAX in as a flight when it becomes available?
Reason I’m asking is that I’m keen not to lose out on the long haul sectors available by waiting until AA release Awards at 331 days which is much later than I can reasonably book the long hauls ex-USA.

 

[cjd600]

Another question regarding complex itineraries.
Can I add in a flight later and swap out a surface sector providing it doesn’t go over the 5 stop over threshold?
Eg LHR-JFK surface to LAX
LAX-NRT-SYD.
Add JFK-LAX in as a flight when it becomes available?
Reason I’m asking is that I’m keen not to lose out on the long haul sectors available by waiting until AA release Awards at 331 days which is much later than I can reasonably book the long hauls ex-USA.

Do what you like as long as there’s availability on replacement obviously.....as long as you haven’t commenced your first leg. They’ll just recalc points (will stay 280 pp) and surcharges = extra/refund

 

[cjd600]

(And pay the change fee 5k pp, of course)

 

[Princess Fiona]

Do what you like as long as there’s availability on replacement obviously.....as long as you haven’t commenced your first leg. They’ll just recalc points (will stay 280 pp) and surcharges = extra/refund

I’m planning on doing this entire trip over 4 weeks or thereabouts so I definitely won’t have started it as I’m planning to have the bare bones locked in about 11 months out and will tweak accordingly. It will be a true round the world in F for two.
Have previously booked a few J OW Awards for myself and family which weren’t quite what I want to score here.

 

[cjd600]

It will be a true round the world in F for two.
Have previously booked a few J OW Awards for myself and family which weren’t quite what I want to score here.

Oh, nice!
Sorry, get conditioned to assume 280J’s in this thread, not 420F’s!
Interested to hear what you end up booking and fine tuning