Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[GaryLG]

They did finally ring back 6 hours later and I got someone who seemed quite helpful though she keeps going back to her support staff! And the last time I was disconnected so I hope she will ring back.

She claimed the PoLi payment was actually going through it just can takes hours/days so we'll see.

 

[11sjw]

Thanks. I am just trying to get the outbound flights booked to LHR and cannot really book any further flights without contacting QF so it just felt a bit strange booking 1 flight out what will be a multi city journey.

That's the way they're done. Especially when chasing the nice seats. Book the first flight as soon as available and ring up from there.

 

[GaryLG]

That's the way they're done. Especially when chasing the nice seats. Book the first flight as soon as available and ring up from there.

So I am learning.

Never did get the call back so trying again and I'm on hold this time.

 

[Mr H]

Also she has access to seat selection and I don't. Not sure if that is down to the payment being processed or the fact her booking was with an infant.

When the time comes, you can select seats on the MH website (except for BA flights where you have to go to the BA site and pay a fee).

Post automatically merged: Oct 20, 2021

She claimed the PoLi payment was actually going through it just can takes hours/days so we'll see.

Really, don't try to use eccentric payment methods when time is critical. Just use a credit card which goes through instantly.

 

[Mr H]

A question - how silly would it be for me to just do a new set of bookings for different dates in the meantime to avoid the risk of more seats/flights disappearing? Might need to cancelled later of course.

I have heard (but have no first hand experience) that it is very hard to get award bookings split or merged.

 

[GaryLG]

When the time comes, you can select seats on the MH website (except for BA flights where you have to go to the BA site and pay a fee).

Thanks, though the BA bit is annoying.

Really, don't try to use eccentric payment methods when time is critical. Just use a credit card which goes through instantly.

I know that now! Very annoying. Hadn't realised how eccentric it is!

Post automatically merged: Oct 20, 2021

I have heard (but have no first hand experience) that it is very hard to get award bookings split or merged.

Thanks.

 

[vetrade]

I have heard (but have no first hand experience) that it is very hard to get award bookings split or merged.

It's actually worse than "hard" - it's impossible.

 

[Mr H]

It's actually worse that "hard" - it's impossible.

That's what I understood but I didn't want to be so definitive in case someone pointed me to a post on Page 94 where someone had done exactly that.

 

[vetrade]

That's what I understood but I didn't want to be so definitive in case someone pointed me to a post on Page 94 where someone had done exactly that.

That post you mentioned actually only referred to someone who couldn't get 2 x J on the same flight so one of them was booked into J and the other was booked into Y. The key point was they both travelled on the same flight so they actually didn't have different itineraries at all. That's a lot different to 2 pax being on different flights or merging separate itineraries, both of which just can't be done.

 

[Mr H]

That post you mentioned ...

I didn't have a specific post in mind - only that whenever you make a definitive statement someone always pops up with a counterexample.

 

[vetrade]

I didn't have a specific post in mind - only that whenever you make a definitive statement someone always pops up with a counterexample.

Well, when you singled out Pg 94, I went back and read every post on that page, (I bet a few other people did too) even though it was way back in 2014 (coincidentally 4 or 5 posts on that page were actually written by me. Ah, memories!).
Anyway, there was only one post on Pg94 which referred to splitting of award bookings so I took a not unreasonable leap of faith and assumed that's the one you were referring to. Now I'm guessing the bit about Pg94 was just a throw-away line.

I'm still going to let my definitive statement stand, though..........

 

[Kendall Roy]

OK AFF, I've been trying to book the following with limited success. Can anyone here see the rule breach?

Miles are ~34.5K

AKL-SYD-HND (Stop)
HND-SYD (Stop)
SYD-MEL-HND-HEL-BRU (Stop)
AMS-HEL-HND-SYD-AKL (Stop - ideally dump AKL at the end)

Two transits and one stop in both HND & SYD - that's within the rules?

I was also getting the "Cannot return to country of origin" error, which is BS given that NZ is my country of origin and not my last leg. Perhaps the system is hard coded to AUS being "home".....

 

[snabbu]

OK AFF, I've been trying to book the following with limited success. Can anyone here see the rule breach?

Miles are ~34.5K

AKL-SYD-HND (Stop)
HND-SYD (Stop)
SYD-MEL-HND-HEL-BRU (Stop)
AMS-HEL-HND-SYD-AKL (Stop)

Two transits and one stop in both HND & SYD - that's within the rules?

I was also getting the "Cannot return to country of origin" error, which is BS given that NZ is my country of origin and not my last leg. Perhaps the system is hard coded to AUS being "home".....

You can't transit/stop through the same port that many times (SYD/HND) from memory.

 

[Captain Halliday]

OK AFF, I've been trying to book the following with limited success. Can anyone here see the rule breach?

Miles are ~34.5K

AKL-SYD-HND (Stop)
HND-SYD (Stop)
SYD-MEL-HND-HEL-BRU (Stop)
AMS-HEL-HND-SYD-AKL (Stop)

Two transits and one stop in both HND & SYD - that's within the rules?

I was also getting the "Cannot return to country of origin" error, which is BS given that NZ is my country of origin and not my last leg. Perhaps the system is hard coded to AUS being "home".....

Looks okay to me at face value. Things to check would be:
- HND & SYD stops both >24h so they’re not being counted three times.
- All OW airlines
- Check miles in an actual GDS to ensure you’re definitely under 35k miles.

If those are all clear, I’m stumped.

 

[Kendall Roy]

Yes, both HND/SYD are 2 week+ stops. Mix of QF/JA/AY metal.

Miles all good, with surface segments included.

You can't transit/stop through the same port that many times (SYD/HND) from memory.

(c) only one Stopover is permitted in any one city in the Itinerary; and
(d) only two Transfers may be taken at any one city in the Itinerary.

Which is bang on what I'm trying to do in HND & SYD I think?

 

[aikman]

OK AFF, I've been trying to book the following with limited success. Can anyone here see the rule breach?

Miles are ~34.5K

AKL-SYD-HND (Stop)
HND-SYD (Stop)
SYD-MEL-HND-HEL-BRU (Stop)
AMS-HEL-HND-SYD-AKL (Stop)

Two transits and one stop in both HND & SYD - that's within the rules?

I was also getting the "Cannot return to country of origin" error, which is BS given that NZ is my country of origin and not my last leg. Perhaps the system is hard coded to AUS being "home".....

1. gcmap is showing 34,507 miles. QF could be calculating it as over 35,000.

2. For my booking, I could book MEL-HND on its own but it wouldn't let me book the same flight to connect to HEL. I don't know why.

 

[flapper]

I see CX have finally started releasing award seats on flights from HKG to Aus (SYD & MEL). There is plenty of availability. Some flights have 6 J seats available. Take note QF. Flights to other states may become available if they ever open their borders.

 

[vetrade]

Ari Gold,
Distances OK
Stops and transits OK
I certainly can't see any breach of the OW rules in what you are trying to do.

My guess is that you will find your answer (or at least your explanation) in Married Segment Control. In this case maybe you are being blocked from booking 2 connecting flights with the one carrier.

I am assuming (a) that you know awards are available for all flights and (b) you're trying for a J award, so if that's the case, the possibilities I'd investigate are:
HND - HEL - BRU (if your're trying to book both flights with AY).
HEL - HND - SYD (if you're trying to book JL for both flights, which you almost certainly are, given that your only alternative to JL is AY, which I know from my own recent experience has been showing zero availability for HEL - HND).
The third possibility (least likely because of the lack of AY J awards from HEL - HND), I see is AMS - HEL - HND if you're trying for AY for both flights

I'd experiment a bit to explore these possibilities:
Change the dates for the HND - HEL - BRU flights a little to make HEL a stopover and see if that fixes your problem. Keep all other particulars the same, particularly the carrier.
If that doesn't work, I'd do the same for the HEL - HND - SYD flights by including a stop in Tokyo (you will need to temporarily change your original stop in HND to a transit to try this)

MSC can be a very confusing animal to try and make sense of, especially because the same airline may only apply it to some individual routes, and not others. I recently booked JL for LHR - HND - SYD and it got ticketed without problems but that was after I couldn't get HEL - HND - SYD with JL to work. Same airline, different result.

Your fix could be as simple as converting one of your transits into a stopover in one of these cities (in my case I was hamstrung by the fact I had already used up all my 5 stopovers)

Good luck

 

[Mr H]

(c) only one Stopover is permitted in any one city in the Itinerary; and
(d) only two Transfers may be taken at any one city in the Itinerary.

I had read this as only two transits in a city, one of which may be a stopover.

 

[flapper]

I had read this as only two transits in a city, one of which may be a stopover.

No! One stopover PLUS two transfers.