Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[PointsTraveller!]

Took me a few days and a few messages through twitter but finally have an updated e-ticket with the new time showing.

Interesting to note that the ticket numbers didn't change so possibly you're correct @yaksha98

 

[funnybrus]

Hi all,

I am gold, but my old man is platinum. Are any issues likely if he calls to request the release of I seats for CR as the first flight on my OWA?

Is this also possible as an additional flight added later to a PNR?

 

[ChrisMars]

Is your owa booked with your points? If so I don t think they will allow the seat release request on your existing owa. If it was booked with his point, then should be fine.

You can add more flight to your pnr, the only issue is to find availabliti, and a trained agent (hobart ok, offshore hit and miss)

 

[funnybrus]

Is your owa booked with your points? If so I don t think they will allow the seat release request on your existing owa. If it was booked with his point, then should be fine.

You can add more flight to your pnr, the only issue is to find availabliti, and a trained agent (hobart ok, offshore hit and miss)

Don't have a booking yet - asking if I will run in to any problems trying to add flights if the first is booked through his account as a request.

 

[ChrisMars]

Don't have a booking yet - asking if I will run in to any problems trying to add flights if the first is booked through his account as a request.

Will be ok for him to request, but he must use his points for your booking, and of course you can transfer him your points (up to 600k per 12 months, no cost). Still possible to add more flights later, it will still be with his point, and of course there will be a 5k points fee. He essentially becomes your travel agent for this booking.

 

[Steph123]

Hi all, me again. I'm a very happy little vegemite as I have been able to secure us a full itinerary for our honeymoon next year! With a few hiccups and one not-so-ideal layover, I'd say we've got a pretty good plan.

I would like to say that I found it interesting that the first time I called to make a change to my booking I had to speak to 7 people before I was able to get my change actioned (with some of them hanging up on me and/or transferring me around - I was finally able to get onto the 'premium' line who were able to help me). The second attempt (where I wanted to add 6 flights...) I only had to speak to 2 people, the second of whom was a lovely lady in Fiji who was incredibly helpful and stayed on the line with me for an hour and a half to get me booked in. Finally I had one last flight I needed to add to get us home and was reticent to call today even though the flights were available as it's my birthday (and who wants to wrestle with Qantas on their birthday?!). But a birthday miracle occurred and I got it in 1 call!

Also when I added the 6 flights in the second change, I wasn't ticketed for ~3 days which worried me. I sent an email to the new rewards escalation team after 24 hours, from whom I received an auto reply straight away. When I still hadn't heard anything after 48 hours I called Qantas again (and somehow managed to get the same very helpful lady who assisted with my booking 2 days before) who told me she had included some special booking reference number in my booking? So that it didn't get auto-cancelled? Not sure about that one, but by midday the next day I'd had a response from the rewards escalation email to say they were ticketing my booking and I received the tickets within the hour.

Now just to wait on the final tickets from the change I made today - but from my last experience I'm very hopeful it all goes smoothly!

Anyway, here is our itinerary in case anyone is interested (also I just want to tell someone as I'm so excited!!!):

MEL-NRT/HND-JFK (U - JAL) <--- Stop. this is the most annoying flight as we have a coughpy layover in Tokyo where we fly into NRT and then 12 hours later fly out of HND. But I'm just happy to have the flights

JFK-MIA (AA) <--- Stop. the only flight we got that's in economy. Surface segment from MIA to MCO.

MCO-AUS (U - AA) <---- Transit. We are transiting AUS for just under 24 hours which is perfect!
AUS-DFW-LAS (U - AA) <--- Stop. Plan is to get ourselves from LAS to SFO and then to LAX. Not sure how yet, maybe drive or maybe fly.

LAX-KIX (U - JAL) <--- Stop. Explore Japan! Surface segment to HND.

HND-SIN (U - JAL) <---- Stop. Final stop in Singapore before coming home.

SIN-SYD (U - BA) <--- Home. Get ourselves from SYD back to MEL.

Thanks everyone!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

happy birthday!

nice itinerary.

If you go to AA’s USA site you might be able to snag ‘main cabin extra’ seating for free on the JFK-MIA flight. Saves money over having to buy it and you get perks such as free drinks. It’s regular coach but with extra legroom. Somehow because i had business class on all my other legs it let me choose a seat in that cabin.

Worst things than 12 hours in tokyo. Not ideal but the food, shopping or maybe even an onsen to unwind?

 

[Wolf creek]

Please try to check bags al the way through in Brisbane and if that fails, please ask for them to be checked only to Sydney and try again there. The people you spoke to on the Qantas switchboard do not know that this should be possible.

Update Mr H
Have successfully landed in CDG.
Not to pile on poor old qantas,the international transfer desk was hopeless in BNE ,she had trouble printing out a boarding pass to SYD.
Qatar in SYD was brilliant, must of spent 20 minutes connecting these flights for baggage to land in Paris without picking them up in doha.
Footnote
RJ wasn’t bad in business,not in the big boyz league,business seats were like big reclining lounge chairs and service was good.
Thks again for your help.

 

[Steph123]

happy birthday!

nice itinerary.

If you go to AA’s USA site you might be able to snag ‘main cabin extra’ seating for free on the JFK-MIA flight. Saves money over having to buy it and you get perks such as free drinks. It’s regular coach but with extra legroom. Somehow because i had business class on all my other legs it let me choose a seat in that cabin.

Worst things than 12 hours in tokyo. Not ideal but the food, shopping or maybe even an onsen to unwind?

Thank you for the tip about the main cabin extra option for our JFK-MIA flight! I'm definitely going to look into that

And I agree about our layover in Tokyo, definitely not the worst. Just concerned about having to go through customs/travel between airports with our bags. I'm sure we'll be able to leave the bags in a locker somewhere though, so all good!

 

[bigpete]

AUS-DFW-LAS (U - AA) <--- Stop. Plan is to get ourselves from LAS to SFO and then to LAX. Not sure how yet, maybe drive or maybe fly.

I've done a few trips to California & Nevada. LAS/SFO/LAX is over 1,500km and 14 hours of driving; and parking your rental car overnight in San Francisco is pricey. If you have time, fly to SFO and drive down to LAX. If not, there's always a next time...

 

[Mr H]

I've done a few trips to California & Nevada. LAS/SFO/LAX is over 1,500km and 14 hours of driving; and parking your rental car overnight in San Francisco is pricey. If you have time, fly to SFO and drive down to LAX. If not, there's always a next time...

I would definitely fly LAS - SFO. Is there a subway line linking SFO to downtown Los Angeles?

 

[Captain Halliday]

I would definitely fly LAS - SFO. Is there a subway line linking SFO to downtown Los Angeles?

~600km.

That’d be a heck of a subway.

 

[Mr H]

~600km.

That’d be a heck of a subway.

I was using it the American way to mean an underground train, not something you walk through.

 

[DC3]

~600km.

That’d be a heck of a subway.

So, not in the same city?

 

[Mr H]

So, not in the same city?

I am aware that they are technically different cities. That was made clear to me on a previous occasion.

 

[Kerrodt]

I would definitely fly LAS - SFO. Is there a subway line linking SFO to downtown Los Angeles?

There is a train service via Amtrak. It's going to take you about 12+ hours from point to point I think.

 

[Mr H]

There is a train service via Amtrak. It's going to take you about 12+ hours from point to point I think.

That seems excessive - no wonder people fly. Bronwyn Bishop would approve.

 

[Kerrodt]

That seems excessive - no wonder people fly. Bronwyn Bishop would approve.

Excessive?? San Francisco (SFO) is over 500km away from downtown LA. I'm not sure how close you think that these two cities are to each other.

 

[ChrisMars]

Excessive?? San Francisco (SFO) is over 500km away from downtown LA. I'm not sure how close you think that these two cities are to each other.

Fast train reached +300km/h decades ago. Based on just the distance, 12h can seem excessive (it does for me). Of course there are other factors in play to build a fast train connection, and I have no idea how it is in the us in general, and this route in particular. The contrrovertial hyperloop was mentioned to connect those cities, there must be aome merit and feasabiliy.

 

[Steph123]

Thanks for the giggle everyone! I'm sure I sound like a tourist who comes to Australia and doesn't understand how far apart our cities are... always funny I think due to timing we'll fly LAS-SFO and do the drive down to LA. I think if I tried to convince my partner driving the whole way would be a good idea I'd never hear the end of it (good start to a marriage hahah!)