Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[cjd600]

I'm looking (and have been daily) for CX flight back from the USA. I got some from SYD-SFO, but every day I've been looking at getting back from JFK-AUS, nothing. And it is all the HKG-AUS flights as if you look at JFK-SIN there are plenty of CX seats showing each day.

I'm in SYD, had to go out via BNE-HKG, and back in via HKG-ADL.
You searching by each AUS city separately? As the QF dom connections aren't released when the CX are, so they wont show up until 353

 

[ellen10]

Well I have been watching QF availability home from Singapore in October 2019. Finally some flights popped up so I rang Qantas, 30 mins on hold but then was told that the availability I could see would only be for new bookings. My original routing is CX SIN-HKG, HKG-SYD. And I cannot change the CX flights to the QF flights.
Has anyone heard of this before?

 

[rock86]

Well I have been watching QF availability home from Singapore in October 2019. Finally some flights popped up so I rang Qantas, 30 mins on hold but then was told that the availability I could see would only be for new bookings. My original routing is CX SIN-HKG, HKG-SYD. And I cannot change the CX flights to the QF flights.
Has anyone heard of this before?

Are you stopping over in SIN? If so, can't see what the issue is.

 

[rock86]

I'm in SYD, had to go out via BNE-HKG, and back in via HKG-ADL.
You searching by each AUS city separately? As the QF dom connections aren't released when the CX are, so they wont show up until 353

Certainly am. BNE is closest to me, but fwe're currently flying out of SYD as those were the flights I could get.

HKG to BNE/SYD/MEL late Nov-19 either nothing is being released, or people are very very quick on the trigger!

 

[ellen10]

Are you stopping over in SIN? If so, can't see what the issue is.

Yes we will have 1 night in Singapore. I thought I read here a few weeks ago that someone else got their CX flights changed to QF. She said that the airlines are getting stricter and I could book a separate booking for SIN-MEL, MEL-SYD (nothing for the direct SYD flight) but that would cost me extra points?? ( other than the 5000 point change)

 

[rock86]

Yes we will have 1 night in Singapore. I thought I read here a few weeks ago that someone else got their CX flights changed to QF. She said that the airlines are getting stricter and I could book a separate booking for SIN-MEL, MEL-SYD (nothing for the direct SYD flight) but that would cost me extra points?? ( other than the 5000 point change)

That sounds like a bit of rubbish from the CSR, I'd be ringing up again.

 

[cjd600]

Well I have been watching QF availability home from Singapore in October 2019. Finally some flights popped up so I rang Qantas, 30 mins on hold but then was told that the availability I could see would only be for new bookings. My original routing is CX SIN-HKG, HKG-SYD. And I cannot change the CX flights to the QF flights.
Has anyone heard of this before?

Yes...I had many troubles with the "new booking only" line, with AY and IB flights......
Frustrating, get a different story each time you finally get through,
Strange for QF flights.....
Hard to know what the 'rules' are.....which isn't ideal as these things are hard enough to secure anyway

 

[madrooster]

That sounds like a bit of rubbish from the CSR, I'd be ringing up again.

It's actually not rubbish. There's cross carrier married segment control these days too. Happens on both award and commercial availability.

I suspect the culprit is the fact CX is in the PNR. You would need to cancel the CX and QF segments (all CX and all QF), save the PNR, then try and get the QF segments in. The catch is if the CX segments aren't available anymore that'll be a problem if the change needs to be reverted if it doesn't work.

 

[Danger]

Well I have been watching QF availability home from Singapore in October 2019. Finally some flights popped up so I rang Qantas, 30 mins on hold but then was told that the availability I could see would only be for new bookings. My original routing is CX SIN-HKG, HKG-SYD. And I cannot change the CX flights to the QF flights.
Has anyone heard of this before?

Notwithstanding the potential married segment issue that madrooster mentioned, several people including myself have reported being told this by Qantas when trying to change one of these awards. Something's not right. To see if it is a married segment issue, see if it's possible to book the flights you want on a separate, standalone itinerary (obviously without actually paying). If it possible, it's not a married problem but a QF problem.

 

[madrooster]

To see if it is a married segment issue, see if it's possible to book the flights you want on a separate, standalone itinerary (obviously without actually paying). If it possible, it's not a married problem but a QF problem.

There's also a second possible issue - point of sale. An award may be available from a Singapore point of sale, but not from a AU point of sale. This happens frequently with QF where an award is available from a US point of sale but not a AU point of sale.

Other carriers where this is applicable... JL and EK.

 

[ellen10]

Well I have been watching QF availability home from Singapore in October 2019. Finally some flights popped up so I rang Qantas, 30 mins on hold but then was told that the availability I could see would only be for new bookings. My original routing is CX SIN-HKG, HKG-SYD. And I cannot change the CX flights to the QF flights.
Has anyone heard of this before?

Well an update on my previous booking troubles.
I rang QF again last night starting at 9.30pm. The recorded message said 15 mins wait time, however it we 45 mins.
I didn't mention my previous phone call and just said I wanted to make a change to my booking. So I quoted the changes I wanted to make i.e. cancel the CX flights and book the QF flights to SYD via MEL that I could see when I did a dummy booking. She could not see the availability that I could see; no J flights only economy. She tried for about 10 mins but could not see anything. She put me on hold and came back 5 mins later still not seeing anything on my chosen date of 23 Oct 19. I mentioned availability on other nearby dates, no she could not see them either.
So in the end she asked if she could log in as me to see what I was seeing and yes the J flights were all there. She was amazed! And put me on hold to speak to someone on the help desk as there seemed to be a "glitch" ( I was on hold for 10mins).
Long story short a few more questions and a few more hold times and she came back and said that yes she had grabbed my J flights and would start cancelling the CX flights and adding the QF flights I mentioned that I was worried about the QR flights in my booking dropping out, she said they were aware of this and would take special precautions to keep them secured and would ticket the flight while I was still on the line. She also again put me on hold and separately checked each other airline seats were still tagged in my itinerary.

She made sure I could see the ticket confirmation in my email before finishing the call. This whole process finished at 11.45pm over 2 hours.

So my thoughts on the availability I could see: That as a silver, these seats should not have been available to me yet as it was not 297 days out, but unlike the first operator, she pursued the problem for me and the final result is that I have my J bookings complete. Phew exhausting but also satisfying.

 

[sietes]

i'm having the same sort of issue trying to book LA flights MEL-SCL via AKL. The flights that i can see are not visible to the booking agent.

Further does anyone have experience with married flights? I'm trying to book for August 2018, but the only flights available are SYD-MEL-AKL-SCL. Can they remove the SYD-MEL leg or is the only option to as another segment and go MEL-SYD-MEL-AKL-SCL?

 

[sietes]

Sorry, another question, does anyone know if LATAM release more seats as the dates get closer?

 

[Danger]

Well an update on my previous booking troubles.
I rang QF again last night starting at 9.30pm. The recorded message said 15 mins wait time, however it we 45 mins.
I didn't mention my previous phone call and just said I wanted to make a change to my booking. So I quoted the changes I wanted to make i.e. cancel the CX flights and book the QF flights to SYD via MEL that I could see when I did a dummy booking. She could not see the availability that I could see; no J flights only economy. She tried for about 10 mins but could not see anything. She put me on hold and came back 5 mins later still not seeing anything on my chosen date of 23 Oct 19. I mentioned availability on other nearby dates, no she could not see them either.
So in the end she asked if she could log in as me to see what I was seeing and yes the J flights were all there. She was amazed! And put me on hold to speak to someone on the help desk as there seemed to be a "glitch" ( I was on hold for 10mins).
Long story short a few more questions and a few more hold times and she came back and said that yes she had grabbed my J flights and would start cancelling the CX flights and adding the QF flights I mentioned that I was worried about the QR flights in my booking dropping out, she said they were aware of this and would take special precautions to keep them secured and would ticket the flight while I was still on the line. She also again put me on hold and separately checked each other airline seats were still tagged in my itinerary.

She made sure I could see the ticket confirmation in my email before finishing the call. This whole process finished at 11.45pm over 2 hours.

So my thoughts on the availability I could see: That as a silver, these seats should not have been available to me yet as it was not 297 days out, but unlike the first operator, she pursued the problem for me and the final result is that I have my J bookings complete. Phew exhausting but also satisfying.

Super. Well done. It's ridiculous how labourious it can be but great effort by this QF agent. I'm weary of this "glitch", though.

As for this 297 days, I haven't heard of this before? Can anyone explain a little?

Further does anyone have experience with married flights? I'm trying to book for August 2018, but the only flights available are SYD-MEL-AKL-SCL. Can they remove the SYD-MEL leg or is the only option to as another segment and go MEL-SYD-MEL-AKL-SCL?

Ohhh, there's plenty of us who have had enough experience with marriages that the Catholic church would kick us to the kerb. That said, I'm not aware whether or not LA uses it. Madrooster would probably be best able to comment.

I would be surprised if it was a married segment issue in your example as the SYD-MEL is operated by QF and I wouldn't have though LA would have married one of its flights with another. I've only heard of married segments intra-carrier.

I assume there's no availability on QF between SYD and AKL.

As for your example, if you're originating your entire itinerary in MEL than your suggested option (MEL-SYD-MEL . . .) wouldn't be permitted as once you return to your origin it's game over.

 

[cjd600]

As for this 297 days, I haven't heard of this before? Can anyone explain a little?.

The usual 353 days release for Gold status and up for J/F awards (and Y+).
297 for the rest, apparently, although I've noted it up to a week further outside that on routes I check.
So get whats left over from the 353 release not taken by SG, WP and WP1
PS and NB can only access Y at 353 days.
QF metal only.

 

[p--and--t]

Hi, will be planning 3rd OWA soon. Haven't done US before (& AA). Would I just use BAEC for checking availability or do I need to use AAdvantage? Is AA domestic First = J?

Just use QFF - AA award flights will show online.
On a 2 class flight, domestic F is coded as J, even though it's called F.
On a 3 class transcon, F is F and J is J (and Y is Y).

I travelled through 4 cities domestically in the US this year on a 280K award booking

In my booking experience early 2018, Qantas only had a very limited number of major US airports loaded to its online system and will come up with a "no such airport" error when you try to search anything not on the well beaten tracks and/or major hubs.

When the Qantas engine told me no such airport, my approach was to find the award availability for AA on the BA site for all the airports in the US I wanted for the booking (or you could use the AA site) and then call the QF operator and get them to add the sectors to the booking. No booking/change fee was charged as it is a QF booking engine problem.

 

[wingtip626]

With Fiji Airways now flying as a oneworld connect partner from today, can we book FJ flights under this award?

 

[ms1]

Can voluntary changes be made to bookings after travel has commenced?

 

[There'sOnlyOneJimmy]

Can voluntary changes be made to bookings after travel has commenced?

Yes, but its very restricted. Refer to the following extract from the book of rules (I think you’ll be most interested in the last part 14.7.6):

14.7.4 Subject to this clause 14.7, the following changes are permitted to a Classic Flight Reward after ticketing and prior to commencement of any travel and will incur a Change Fee (see the Fee Schedule) per passenger:

(a) change to flight number;
(b) change to date of travel;
(c) change to class of travel;
(d) change to any Segment routing or airline;
(e) change to name (only for Flights with a Qantas (QF) flight number on the ticket that are operated by Qantas); and
(f) request to cancel ticket and re-credit Points. Please note that only Points that would not have expired will be re-credited.

14.7.5 Subject to this clause 14.7, the following changes are permitted to a Classic Flight Reward flight before departure of that flight, provided the entire booking contains only Flight Segments that are within Australia, and will incur a Change Fee (see the Fee Schedule) per passenger:

(a) change to flight number;
(b) change to date of travel;
(c) change to class of travel; and
(d) change to a direct or indirect Segment routing without a Stopover (provided the origin and destination cities remain unchanged) or airline.

14.7.6 Subject to this clause 14.7, the following changes are permitted to a Classic Flight Reward flight before departure of that flight, provided the booking contains one or more Flight Segments that are not within Australia, and the Flight Segment(s) being changed do not include a partner airline that requires a ticket to be reissued for the change. Any such change will incur a Change Fee (see the Fee Schedule) per passenger:

(a) change to flight number; and
(b) change to date of travel.


For the rest of the rules, folllow this link:
Frequent Flyer Terms and Conditions | Qantas

 

[Danger]

The usual 353 days release for Gold status and up for J/F awards (and Y+).
297 for the rest, apparently, although I've noted it up to a week further outside that on routes I check.
So get whats left over from the 353 release not taken by SG, WP and WP1
PS and NB can only access Y at 353 days.
QF metal only.

Interesting. I missed that change.

With Fiji Airways now flying as a oneworld connect partner from today, can we book FJ flights under this award?

I sincerely doubt it.