Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[gilldo]

Try to get the extra points by Dec (borrow from a family member?). If that fails, keep enough points to book the SCL-SYD flights as soon as it becomes available and add the easier sectors later.

Another alternative, if it's an option for you, is to take out a new credit card with a bonus point feature, but you'd have to get the spending done and the points in your account by the time you needed them. The latter (getting the points in your account) can take up to 8 weeks after you've hit the spend target.

 

[Azusa]

Hi guys, i think i ran into another pickle and would need some suggestion, so we have one more flight to go and its from coughet HKT back home to MEL.
The dates we would like is anywhere between 6-9th Oct 2020 which is yet to be released, but looking at the site getting a flight from coughet to Melbourne is almost impossible (originally when i did dummy flights in Aug there were available flights going with KA then CX), i have tried getting from coughet to any major hub in Australia and options aren't great, tried Japan and the only remotely viable option is Tokyo to Melbourne but theres only one flight with JL, and they also don't seem to be available (even i look at the latest date)
Are there any other alternatives that you amazing people can think of?
The bolded unlined are the stopovers, just need the last flight to get back to melbourne...

This is our itinerary so far, 10 segments and according to GCM thats still within the 35k miles
MEL-KIX-LAX-MCO-LGW-LHR-MXP-LHR-PRG-DOH-HKT
Thanks!!

 

[Ktan89]

You can try a surface sector to BKK then from there you will have better options. there's even a CX flight from BKK to SIN.

 

[vetrade]

Should be able to get both Y or J KUL to MEL or maybe KUL-ADL-MEL on MH, even if it means paying for a ticket from coughet to KL.

 

[Azusa]

Thank you Ktan89 and vetrade!
I finally saw a flight from Tokyo to Melbourne and just needed to get ourself one from coughet to Tokyo when they are released.
Got through sms and they are no help and insist the flight is not available so i call to the call centre and waited, the Hobart guys picked up the call again and sorted out within 10 mins no problem

fingers crossed we will get the coughet to Tokyo.

thanks again!

 

[Azusa]

Hi guys,
Seems like I am running into never ending problems here, and would like to verify with you if the agents are correct (btw these are not Hobart reps)
so here’s our itinerary so far
MEL-KIX-LAX-MCO-LGW-LHR-MXP-LHR-PRG-DOH-HKT- KUL-NRT-MEL

KUL to NRT is what we are attempting to book
Agent 1 said that’s more than 5 stops, can’t do.
I hang up and call back
Agent 2 said it’s over 35k miles, can’t do.
I hang up, Checked gcm and came up at 33.9k miles, and call back
Agent 3, seemed to be ok with it but he said he couldn’t get the taxes because there is a problem with the LGW-LHR and said he will call me back in a couple of hours.

have I broken any rules? Or just incompetent on Qantas side? And should I call back and hope I get Hobart?

 

[vetrade]

So long as your LHR departure is within 24hrs of your LGW arrival I can't see it would be a problem and, of course driving from LGW to LHR can't have any effect on calculating the taxes. Are you sure the flight you want has been released yet?

 

[Azusa]

So long as your LHR departure is within 24hrs of your LGW arrival I can't see it would be a problem and, of course driving from LGW to LHR can't have any effect on calculating the taxes. Are you sure the flight you want has been released yet?

Yes, it was booked, and it’s just when we try to add the hkt-nrt flight on that became a problem (or that’s what the agent told me)

 

[Ktan89]

Yes, it was booked, and it’s just when we try to add the hkt-nrt flight on that became a problem (or that’s what the agent told me)

I can't see any thing wrong with your routing : MEL-KIX-LAX-MCO-LGW-LHR-MXP-LHR-PRG-DOH-HKT- KUL-NRT-MEL

Just make sure all the flight times are ok for HKT-KUL-NRT -MEL.. no more than 24hours in KUL or NRT.

 

[Azusa]

the agent called back and quoted me 580k points per person. Argh but I can’t see where the rules are broken?!!

 

[Azusa]

Thanks Ktan89, the flights from coughet to KL then KL to NRT are only a couple of hours in between then we are back in melb

 

[gilldo]

Whats your transit time between LGW and LHR?

 

[gilldo]

This is just an idea, but it might be the London situation.

You are landing in Gatwick, then leaving from Heathrow. This is considered a separate sector, and is therefore considered a transit in BOTH locations, but the SAME city (this would be a strange application of the rule). Transitting London later might not help, as it might be considered a 3rd transit of London, which I think is the rule you might be breaking.

My suggestion is to one of the following:
- change the MXP-LHR-PRG segment to go via somewhere else other than London - Madrid (Iberia) or Helsinki (Finnair) are your options. This is probably the easiest. HEL will add 800 miles, while MAD will add about 550.
- pay for the MXP-PRG segment yourself
- catch a train or hire a car from Milan to Prague

Any of these will cut out the 'third' London transit.

 

[Azusa]

Thanks Gildo! I will try that, but the London Transit flights were added 2 calls ago and both times the reticketing is fine until we try to add coughet to Tokyo this morning...

 

[Azusa]

Ok finally got an answer from an agent from Auckland center. She explained that I am over the mileage hence it’s broken, the mileage with the hkt-kul-nrt tipped it over by 60miles. I am surprised by how much gcm is out compared to qantas... back to drawing board

 

[flapper]

the agent called back and quoted me 580k points per person. Argh but I can’t see where the rules are broken?!!

I would delete the MXP to PRG via LHR flights and take that as a separate paid flight.

 

[Ktan89]

Ok finally got an answer from an agent from Auckland center. She explained that I am over the mileage hence it’s broken, the mileage with the hkt-kul-nrt tipped it over by 60miles. I am surprised by how much gcm is out compared to qantas... back to drawing board

That is out by a lot compared to GCMap.
Not sure if I would take that excuse.
GCMAP comes up to 33,922miles..

 

[vetrade]

I would delete the MXP to PRG via LHR flights and take that as a separate paid flight.

I agree - only about a 1.5hr flight from MXP to PRG and dirt cheap in Y too. Saves plenty of mileage and avoids the unnecessarily long travel time connecting through LHR would cost

I concur with Ktan89 that QF's distance calculations are off by too much (about 1700km) - so if you can be bothered and don't want to change your itinerary maybe print off a list of GCM's sectional distances and ask an agent to go through their numbers to see if they have made a glaring mistake

 

[Azusa]

That is out by a lot compared to GCMap.
Not sure if I would take that excuse.
GCMAP comes up to 33,922miles..

So I am a total idiot and forgot our first flight has to transit in hkd and forgot to put that in and that pushed the whole thing over 35k miles.
The Auckland rep went through the whole itinerary and then found a flight to go KIX via sydney instead of Hong Kong to keep the miles under 35k.
so now I am waiting for the etickets to come through and hopefully that won’t fall over.
qantas seriously need more hobart and Auckland reps not those offshore ones.

 

[jkcfc]

Hi everyone, I’m really frustrated after trying for the past two weeks to have my booking altered.

We originally the following business class flights booked in just before the points increase:

HKG-MEL-PER-KUL-DOH-CDG-BIO-MAD-FMC-JTR-LHR-LGW-CUN-DFW-NRT-HKG​

I had to wait for the availability on the CUN-DFW to open up to change it from a surface sector to included in the ticket and that’s where the problems began. I tried to change my flights to the following:

HKG-MEL-PER-KUL-DOH-CDG-LHR-FMC-BIO-LGW-CUN-MIA-DFW-NRT-HKG​

Multiple arguments about transfers not being stopovers, giving alternative options to go from CDG to FMC via MAD (as they wouldn’t allow two ‘stopovers’ in London – yes they are both under 24hrs). Eventually was told they would calculate the change in taxes and call me back – flights updated in the booking section but missed the call back (was at 11.45pm the next night).

Flights changes dropped off the booking and my original flights were back there except the BIO-MAD-FMC legs with IB were showing as cancelled.

Took 4 days to get someone to change the booking because the agent in Manilla had put notes on the booking for no one else to change it. New agent and their supervisor were adamant that you could not have more than 1 stopover in Europe (lol) which made me compromise to get the flights I wanted locked in (knowing I would have to go through all this at least one more time). Current state of affairs:

HKG-MEL-PER-KUL-DOH-CDG-BIO-LGW-CUN-MIA-DFW-NRT-HKG​

Managed to get the DOH-CDG flight the day earlier so removed this stopover. The changes were made Sunday morning 8am – same 24h-48h to be ticketed spiel. Confirmed 5k points per passenger and a small refund on taxes – they said this could take a long time because I paid in HKD.

Still not ticketed and received the following from the SMS team when trying to get the ticketing pushed through yesterday:



I tried the ‘email itinerary’ section from the Qantas booking page which showed the updated flights but this just showed the original tickets.

I’m at the end of my tether with calling Qantas and sick of checking my email for the tickets. I’m slightly concerned that the flight changes haven’t actually been ticketed because I haven’t received the updated email.

Would you call them again until you get the tickets or just hold tight for a couple more days?