Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[yaziyo]

SYD - TLV - LHR - SYD

It's not an OWA but a quick one you can use Qantas points for is the TLV to London leg. QF partners with El Al who flies that route, tends to have good availability and has very low $ charges on top of the points, even in business.

 

[adenda]

I know LHR-SYD is a high demand route so maybe I'm just too late with my booking but would be grateful for any insight other AFF members can give.

Just had a look using multi-city tool and a couple of intermediate cities and found this - assume you were after one seat only. Requires 10 hours in Delhi but it's an option.

 

[Mr H]

Just had a look using multi-city tool and a couple of intermediate cities and found this - assume you were after one seat only. Requires 10 hours in Delhi but it's an option.

There will be multiple options. Danster has simply not searched for them.

 

[adenda]

Also many options via CMB

 

[Youfah Mizzum]

Danster has simply not searched for them.

Lol. I've spent quite literally the best part of 24 hours (over several days, a few hours at a go each time) on the multi-city tool of QF website but every single time I put in my desired airports & dates it always comes up with the dreaded "it looks like something went wrong there", EVERY time! I've just given up. Using various options with intermediate stops or layovers in places like HKG, BKK, SIN.

And 10 hours in Delhi is a no go, sorry. 2 PAX. And not keen on layovers > 4 hours, unless we actually disembark, stay o'night & get another flight.

a quick one you can use Qantas points for is the TLV to London

Of course. And I've just had a quick squizz & yes, there is PE availability on El Al on 24/9/2023. Appreciate that @yaziyo!

 

[Mr H]

I am turning a two flight booking into a OWA. I tried to add four flights to it that are in January 2024. Two went on fine, but three different agents have said that the next two flights are visible on the system but are being rejected for adding on. One agent hypothesized that they have been made visible on the system but have not yet been released for availability. Is that conceivably possible?

 

[PaulyB]

One agent hypothesized that they have been made visible on the system but have not yet been released for availability. Is that conceivably possible?

In my limited trials and tribulations in the last year I haven't come across that - or seen it mentioned here. Blocked because of arrival departure time restrictions? Married flight somehow? Have seen your posts here in the forums? A bug in their system? Or perhaps the flight is available but not for OWA for some reason. I have seen that. It's an interesting one.

 

[cjd600]

I am turning a two flight booking into a OWA. I tried to add four flights to it that are in January 2024. Two went on fine, but three different agents have said that the next two flights are visible on the system but are being rejected for adding on. One agent hypothesized that they have been made visible on the system but have not yet been released for availability. Is that conceivably possible?

I've previously had issues with flights only available for "new bookings" not adding to existing.....

 

[SimonR32]

Tried to book another 318k ticket over the weekend... Had 6 sectors all lined up but it kept popping up an error online. Apparently one flight business class from Tokyo to Honolulu (JAL) didn't even exist according to several call centre operators even though it was showing up on multiple flights on multiple days on multi city... Then another sector that was NRT-KUL-PER that was a mix of JAL and MAS didn't exist when they looked for it and also brought up a booking error on the website (hence the reason I was booking on the phone).

Ended up trying to book it over the phone after a lot of juggling of flights, but they stuffed one of the sectors and booked me in Itami not Kansai and was connecting through Kansai with borderline at best time to get between the airports. Rang back about 6 times, none of them had the skills to fix the mistake, no points or fees were ever deducted so I assumed it was going to remain unticketed. Requested for it to be cancelled... it didn't cancel, so I had to ring back again next day, tried to fix again as I was on the phone, they couldn't comprehend, so I just asked them to cancel again... It was actually cancelled this time, so then I waited 24 hours for the flights to luckily appear again and booked online but compromising the itinerary because I only used 6 sectors through multi-city as I have little to no faith they can book it over the phone.

Long story, but I believe after booking my third Business class one world award in as many months I'd recommend others to only try and book online and stick with the 6 "flights" as if you do it seems to work and be ticketed almost straight away. If not, you're almost guaranteed headaches by calling and either it won't be ticketed or you'll have to call lots of times to get a result and may lose your flights. There also seems to be a new error with flights connecting within 24 hours that the website just can't deal with.

 

[Phoenix-1]

Anyone know any routes out of DXB that have decent availability in J and are non-EK?

 

[Mr H]

Anyone know any routes out of DXB that have decent availability in J and are non-EK?

Only you know when and where you want to go. The basic legwork then is to search possible routes/connections on the multi-city search engine.

 

[levelnine]

Anyone know any routes out of DXB that have decent availability in J and are non-EK?

Plenty for you to check. Royal Air Maroc to CMN, BA to LHR, Cathay Pacific to HKG, Sri Lankan to CMB, etc etc.

 

[Guvner]

RJ to AMM and beyond.

 

[Phoenix-1]

AY also fly from DXB. I've just never seen availability except for CX via HK. Wanted to see if anyone else had experience or I'm just chasing phantoms.

 

[Guvner]

 

[Kiwiash]

Anyone else had their RJ flight from HKG cancelled? Apparently no alternative flights available. Has the route been cancelled?

It wouldn't be a OWA without a couple of hiccups. I thought after spending hours resolving a dropped sector I'd served my fair share but obviously not...

 

[Mr H]

Tried to turn a LHE-CMB-MEL redemption on UL into a OWA by adding SYD-HKG-DXB with CX. Alas the delay in ticketing had led to the cancellation of the previously ticketed UL flights - and the LHE-CMB has not come back into the award availability.

 

[pjm99au]

Anyone else had their RJ flight from HKG cancelled? Apparently no alternative flights available. Has the route been cancelled?

It wouldn't be a OWA without a couple of hiccups. I thought after spending hours resolving a dropped sector I'd served my fair share but obviously not...

View attachment 314678

Yes. Ours were canceled on Tuesday for a week later than your flight

 

[Mr H]

Anyone else had their RJ flight from HKG cancelled? Apparently no alternative flights available. Has the route been cancelled?

It wouldn't be a OWA without a couple of hiccups. I thought after spending hours resolving a dropped sector I'd served my fair share but obviously not...

View attachment 314678

CX does not fly to AMM. Try routing through BKK.

 

[Youfah Mizzum]

This thread is littered with cancelled flights on OWA reward redemptions. It seems like its the norm rather than the exception. Not only this thread but I know close friends who've had reward flights cancelled and they need to scramble to sort out other flights, spend big $ on revenue fares (and hope their QFF points are credited) or the several hours trying to call the QFF line.

A bit of crystal balling but I wonder when we can finally use the QF multi-city tool & it not error, and if we do get bookings which are actually ticketed, that they'll stick until T-0? It just seems such a frustrating merry-go-round right now.

I'd dearly love to arrange a OWA 318K for Mrs Danster & myself some time in the future, (like 353 days out as that's when seats are released, right?) but no amount of fiddling with the multi-city tool comes up with a successful itinerary. And even I did get a successful itinerary, & go to book then I can be pretty much certain those flights will get cancelled.
And even if I don't try for 353 days time & its much closer so that all desired legs would be available/release then I still get errors.
Rough itinerary:
SYD - UK (maybe LHR, MAN, EDI, DUB) - east EU (maybe FRA, BUD) - USA (so JFK, LGA or something) - AKL or ZQN - SYD.
No flights should have a layover greater than 3-4 hours, would prefer to just disembark & stay overnight & explore whatever city it is.

Maybe my question is rhetorical, but I don't have much faith in QF right now.