Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[Mr H]

So I needed a one way journey from Asmara to Melbourne in June 2023. I explored One World possibilities and found ADD-DOH-DAC-KUL-MEL (QR, QR, MH, MH all in J). I can spring for a revenue Y ticket ASM-ADD. Then it occurred to me that this could be the beginning of a One World Award. I can use a stopover in DAC, the itinerary is 9,400 miles (but need to double it to get back to the origin) and I can use my second stopover in MEL. I am thinking that my next holiday of a lifetime after this one is likely to be North and West Africa, so I could add flights on to the ticket at a later date to get me back to Africa - and that would minimise the mileage issue created by an open jaw booking.

So all booked (but not yet ticketed) thanks to Maria in Fiji. Total cost is 165,000 points and $1,170 taxes. I am slightly puzzled by the taxes, TBH, as if I did a dummy booking with the same flights online, but with an additional MEL-SYD at the beginning to allow the computer to work, I get total taxes of $870. I am surprised that deleting MEL-SYD adds $300 to the price, but hey ho. I guess I will be adding flights in due course which will cause the ticket to be re-priced anyway so not worth puzzling too much over it.

 

[straitman]

Total cost is 165,000 points and $1,170 taxes. I am slightly puzzled by the taxes, TBH, as if I did a dummy booking with the same flights online, but with an additional MEL-SYD at the beginning to allow the computer to work, I get total taxes of $870. I am surprised that deleting MEL-SYD adds $300 to the price, but hey ho. I guess I will be adding flights in due course which will cause the ticket to be re-priced anyway so not worth puzzling too much over it.

It probably should read taxes and carrier charges rather than just taxes.

 

[Mr H]

It probably should read taxes and carrier charges rather than just taxes.

Yes. Although to me it is all a tax as the payment is the points and any money I pay feels like a tax on the transaction, whether the proceeds go to a government, an airline or an airport.

 

[straitman]

Yes. Although to me it is all a tax as the payment is the points and any money I pay feels like a tax on the transaction, whether the proceeds go to a government, an airline or an airport.

I agree totally.

 

[prozac]

...

So all booked (but not yet ticketed) thanks to Maria in Fiji. Total cost is 165,000 points and $1,170 taxes. ...

Maria in Fiji?

 

[Phoenix-1]

Is it possible to include Fiji (NAN) as part of a OWCA? I can see QF flights into NAN but doesn't seem like there's any other way out not on FJ or JQ.

 

[Mr H]

Maria in Fiji?

Yes. Is that remarkable?

 

[vetrade]

Is it possible to include Fiji (NAN) as part of a OWCA? I can see QF flights into NAN but doesn't seem like there's any other way out not on FJ or JQ.

Can't use FJ or JQ for a OWA

 

[Phoenix-1]

Can't use FJ or JQ for a OWA

Hence the question

 

[prozac]

Yes. Is that remarkable?

Not now I've realised you must have been speaking with Qantas call centre. For a minute I thought you must have had a secret booking agent stashed away. Hard to keep track when you are reading numerous threads.

 

[Mr H]

Is it possible to include Fiji (NAN) as part of a OWCA? I can see QF flights into NAN but doesn't seem like there's any other way out not on FJ or JQ.

You can only leave your country of origin once. The only OW route in and out of NAN is QF to/from SYD. So if you start your itinerary in Australia, you could only continue with domestic flights on your return to Australia. Alternatives would be a surface sector to a non-Australian destination that has other One World routes, or to start your itinerary outwith Australia to allow you to do SYD-NAN-SYD and onwards.

 

[yaksha98]

Hi brains trust - I'm planning for a trip with Qantas oneworld classic flight reward for mid-2023.

looking at positioning to Asia (BKK) and starting the trip there and utilising the 'long transit' option in Sydney as detailed in the pointshack article and heading back to Asia (SIN) 2024 when reward availability is open.

trying to piece this itinerary using the qantas multi city tool for 2022-2023 as a test, but I am hitting a roadblock with the 2023 second trip. can anyone advise what i'm doing wrong?

2022
bkk-hel-ber (stop 1)
ber-lhr-ath (stop 2)
ath-lhr-cdg (stop 3)
cdg-doh-syd (stop 4)

2023
syd-sin (stop 5)
sin-syd (return)

I'm able to price a trip for the first part to europe from bkk and return to sydney. but the moment i add the 2023 syd-sin flight return, it throws up an error. just thinking if the return counts as 6 stops rather than 5? but if I remove the sin-syd last leg, and stop back in sin, it also gives an error.

any one know what i'm doing wrong?

confirmed i've not selected any non-oneworld partners (like ek, air france, etc)

 

[BriarFlyer]

SYD would count as stop 6 as you started your OWA in BKK, and whether you fly it or not that last sector counts toward the award (in miles, stops and segments "flown".) This is also yr 2nd stop in SYD. Final sector should be SIN-BKK, right?

 

[yaksha98]

thanks! i suspected as much.... based in Sydney, so plan is for final trip SIN-SYD.

looks like i'll have to scrap one of the sectors in europe to make the 5 stop rule work?

 

[djkelly69]

looks like i'll have to scrap one of the sectors in europe to make the 5 stop rule work?

I think you are still going to have the issue of two stops in Syd (because the system will see it as a 2nd stop as you technically need to get back to BKK).

 

[yaksha98]

from the rules, i don't have to return to BKK to end the trip, but the mileage from point of disembarkation and embarkation will be counted (14.5.3)

it appears you can also transit 'twice' in 1 city, so sydney being the second transit and final destination. (rule D)

14.5.3 A one way oneworld Classic Flight Reward Itinerary will be charged as a return Itinerary. oneworld Classic Flight Reward Itineraries finishing in a port other than the port of origin must include the distance to return directly to the port of origin when calculating the number of Qantas Points required to redeem the Flight Reward and the maximum distance for the Itinerary.

14.5.4 The following Stopover conditions apply to oneworld Classic Flight Rewards:

(a) up to five free Stopovers are permitted;
(b) additional Stopovers are not permitted;
(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.

14.5.5 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.

 

[Amanad78]

I think you would need to book the last flight SYD to BKK , leaving SYD less than 24 hours after you arrive from SIN so it counts as a transit (and then just be a no show for the final flight)

 

[Mr H]

I think you would need to book the last flight SYD to BKK , leaving SYD less than 24 hours after you arrive from SIN so it counts as a transit (and then just be a no show for the final flight)

May be cheaper to book a connection to CBR or NTL and no show for that. This would avoid a second stopover in Sydney but would still could as a fifth stopover and require the mileage to return to BKK to be available.

 

[kctt]

7th call to Cape Town: No wait time. Agent asked me to provide details of itinerary for verification purpose
Ticket is not issued 48 hours after 6th call
I told him previous agent put my booking in queue to be ticketed in 24-48 hours but it did not happen.
I asked him to get in touch with support or ticket team to get the ticket issued. He replied saying travel is not imminent so he's not allowed to phone ticket team. He will save some change and put booking in ticket queue and it should be processed in 48 hours.
At the end of the call, a QANTAS ITINERARY email sent from [email protected] to my email with details of flight in text format.
I'm wondering if ticket process is automatic or someone in ticket team has to review and issue ticket?

 

[aikman]

Hi brains trust - I'm planning for a trip with Qantas oneworld classic flight reward for mid-2023.

looking at positioning to Asia (BKK) and starting the trip there and utilising the 'long transit' option in Sydney as detailed in the pointshack article and heading back to Asia (SIN) 2024 when reward availability is open.

trying to piece this itinerary using the qantas multi city tool for 2022-2023 as a test, but I am hitting a roadblock with the 2023 second trip. can anyone advise what i'm doing wrong?

2022
bkk-hel-ber (stop 1)
ber-lhr-ath (stop 2)
ath-lhr-cdg (stop 3)
cdg-doh-syd (stop 4)

2023
syd-sin (stop 5)
sin-syd (return)

I'm able to price a trip for the first part to europe from bkk and return to sydney. but the moment i add the 2023 syd-sin flight return, it throws up an error. just thinking if the return counts as 6 stops rather than 5? but if I remove the sin-syd last leg, and stop back in sin, it also gives an error.

any one know what i'm doing wrong?

confirmed i've not selected any non-oneworld partners (like ek, air france, etc)

I think your itinerary is fine. Not all valid itineraries are bookable online. The system just doesn't like some itineraries for some reason.

Do you really need that trip to SIN? It's usually cheap and easy to get to SIN. Will you really be worse off by buying a return cash ticket to SIN compared to buying a one way ticket to BKK plus the hassles of booking a oneworld award over the phone?