Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[smellan]

Thanks so much for your replys that would be awesome if Fiji airways came on board and the hawaii air merger occurred. I have also considered starting it in Asia but will keep investigating. Thank you

 

[sap1l]

Thanks so much for your replys that would be awesome if Fiji airways came on board and the hawaii air merger occurred.

It may take a while for Fiji and Hawaii to come on board and start making award seats available to partners.

I have also considered starting it in Asia but will keep investigating

You can look at starting in Japan as well - I have seen 3 award seats on JL flights before.

AY (Finnair) also release 3+ award seats on long haul flights regularly. Not sure if it helps you as Helsinki is a bit out of the way, but it's something to consider.

 

[WilsonM]

Thanks so much for your replys that would be awesome if Fiji airways came on board and the hawaii air merger occurred. I have also considered starting it in Asia but will keep investigating. Thank you

I'd consider routing through Japan as well - Japan Airlines fly to a fair few US airports, so use flightconnections.com to find out where they do fly and you might get lucky! Getting Business Class for 3 is always difficult though, and JAL are no exception to that rule.

OWA's can start and finish in a different place, but the remaining distance between your final destination and point of origin is added on to the distance calculation - if your entire itinerary is 33k miles, but the distance between your final destination and point of origin is 3k miles, then you'd technically be over the limit. So getting as close to your point of origin is beneficial, although of course, not always possible.

 

[Mwenenzi]

It may take a while for Fiji and Hawaii to come on board and start making award seats available to partners.

Fiji is a QF ff partner now. Can get QF awards on FJ now. But FJ is not a full OW airline. QF own 16% of FJ. Should take a few mouse clicks for QF to add to its OW award. Unless it changes the basic premise of its OW award being on all (full) OneWorld airlines.

AS have stated will continue the HA brand when the takeover is completed. AS is a QF ff partner. Can get QF awards on AS now. HA is VA ff partner. How HA will be incorporated into Oneworld not published as yet. To me would expect to be a full OW member as a brand of AS.

 

[aversion]

Hi all, I have come up with a bit of a plan after poring over this thread so I'm after a sanity check to make sure I'm on the right track.

These are the stopovers I'd like to make, but realise that I'll have to add transit cities here and there to make it work.
BKK-HEL
LHR-KUL
KUL-MEL

MEL-SEA
SEA-NRT
NRT-BKK
So the minimum of 2 non-QF flights won't be a problem.

As far as mileage is concerned, if I find a route that, say, comes in at 34,600 miles according to gcmapper, am I flying too close to the sun or is there enough margin there for mileage limit to not be an issue?

Also, as I'd like to break the trip at Melbourne, I may need to book the first half of the trip and add the remaining flights at a later date. Is this easy enough to do or will I be left tearing out the remnants of my once bountiful hair?

Thanks in advance!

 

[sap1l]

These are the stopovers I'd like to make, but realise that I'll have to add transit cities here and there to make it work.
BKK-HEL
LHR-KUL
KUL-MEL

MEL-SEA
SEA-NRT
NRT-BKK
So the minimum of 2 non-QF flights won't be a problem.

Your stopovers look fine, but be aware that some of these routes may need indirect routings for award availability. In particular, MH’s LHR-KUL direct flight has really tight availability depending on your travel dates.

As far as mileage is concerned, if I find a route that, say, comes in at 34,600 miles according to gcmapper, am I flying too close to the sun or is there enough margin there for mileage limit to not be an issue?

36,400 is a bit high IME. QF’s own internal mileage calculations tend to put you above GCMap’s, so you generally want to aim closer to 34,000 miles.

Also I would be careful about assuming you can get the most direct route possible - especially if you are booking in parts and can’t guarantee award availability. You may have to spend extra mileage on a less direct route.

Also, as I'd like to break the trip at Melbourne, I may need to book the first half of the trip and add the remaining flights at a later date. Is this easy enough to do or will I be left tearing out the remnants of my once bountiful hair?

I would be booking your trip in parts anyway, as you really want to secure award seats as soon as they’re released.

Easy is relative If you aren’t a QF Platinum, be prepared for long calls on hold, many instances of HUACA, and hours of stress. But it’s definitely worth spending the time!

 

[aversion]

Your stopovers look fine, but be aware that some of these routes may need indirect routings for award availability. In particular, MH’s LHR-KUL direct flight has really tight availability depending on your travel dates.

Thanks for the input! I'm used to booking RTW flights so alternative routing, adding surface segments etc. is no big deal to me. I'm sure I'll find a way to make it work without exceeding the maximum amount of flights.

I'll try to keep the mileage to the lower end of 34k and see how we go. Fingers crossed that adding flights to an existing booking won't cause too much stress!

 

[pye1201]

Hoping more experienced minds than mine can advise me here - I've done a couple of Business class Oneworld Classic Flight Reward itineraries for my husband and I over the past few years and am under the gun to plan another starting March 2025 as there will be another new grandchild arriving. We have one child in London and another in New York. I'm hoping to split the itinerary into two separate trips as follows:

AKL-NAN(X)-LAXo-SYDo-DOH{X}-ISTo-DOHo-CMBo-SYD

I'm planning to finish in SYD but the mileage to AKL will have to be added to the total I understand? To get to the states and to Europe, the closest I can get is SFO (domestic flights to JFK - husband is AA platinum pro and hopeful we might snag upgrades) and then Istanbul in the second half of the itinerary (short flight to London) to keep under the 35k mileage cap. The above itinerary comes in at 34486 on Great Circle Mapper.

My previous trips have circled the globe however, on my reading of the rules, I don't have to circumnavigate - backtracking isn't specifically forbidden?

What's wrong the above itinerary? Apologies in advance if it's comething really stupid....

 

[Mwenenzi]

Hoping more experienced minds than mine can advise me here - I've done a couple of Business class Oneworld Classic Flight Reward itineraries for my husband and I over the past few years and am under the gun to plan another starting March 2025 as there will be another new grandchild arriving. We have one child in London and another in New York. I'm hoping to split the itinerary into two separate trips as follows:
AKL-NAN(X)-LAXo-SYDo-DOH{X}-ISTo-DOHo-CMBo-SYD

I'm planning to finish in SYD but the mileage to AKL will have to be added to the total I understand? To get to the states and to Europe, the closest I can get is SFO (domestic flights to JFK - husband is AA platinum pro and hopeful we might snag upgrades) and then Istanbul in the second half of the itinerary (short flight to London) to keep under the 35k mileage cap. The above itinerary comes in at 34486 on Great Circle Mapper.

My previous trips have circled the globe however, on my reading of the rules, I don't have to circumnavigate - backtracking isn't specifically forbidden?

What's wrong the above itinerary? Apologies in advance if it's something really stupid....

AKL-NAN-LAX on FJ? Given QF AA do not fly that route. FJ are not yet a full OW member so currently not an eligible airline. Date when FJ become a full OW member yet to published. But hopefully by March 2025. HA brand to a full OW member, if that happens, may also offer other NZ-AU <--->USA routes/flights.
Getting 2 off QF business awards on QR Qatar is very hard. Suggest you look at other OW airlines/routes.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/frequent-flyer/use-points/classic-flight-rewards/tables.html#oneworld

The oneworld Classic Flight Reward table is based on return flights, unlike the Qantas Classic Flight Reward table.

The oneworld Classic Flight Reward table only applies when your Reward Itinerary includes travel on at least two oneworld Member Airlines other than Qantas, and does not include any travel on any airline that is not a oneworld Member Airline. Qantas flights operated by Jetstar Airlines (JQ, 3K or GK)^^ cannot be included in oneworld Classic Flight Rewards.

 

[RedSMS]

Hi all,

Am QFF Bronze. I was a Gold QFF at the end of my last anniversary, and I managed to book 2 business class reward flights for last month --》MEL-LAX & LAX-SYD for ~108,000 points , plus ~$150-$200 in fees (each).

I thought that the price (both in points, and cash was reasonable), if younwere lucky enough to find a seat.

No big deal, I thought.

Big deal for future plans as it turns out.

So, I'm going to say a few things here in order to gain an understanding into how the rewards system at QF operates, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

I would be looking to travel in J to the east coast USA in June/July 2026 to attend a conference --》but am happy flying economy from west-east and vice versa.

Qantas has this new 'classic plus' system, where it appears that you can book reward flights on nearly every flight, but at enormously inflated prices (in points and cash).

I realise that finding reward availability was always extremely tricky at the best of times, but ~700,000 points (and over $600) for a 1 way business class reward fare MEL-LAX?!

Where do they get off?! (Pardon the pun).

So, I have a few questions and observations:

I've noticed that on most fares they have a 'classic plus' reward option, but barely any 'classic' rewards. The 'classic plus' rewards are obnoxious in price.

Am I seeing less classic rewards in J because I've been bumped down to bronze?

How do I best go about setting myself up to book MEL-LAX & LAX-MEL on a 'classic' reward in june/July 2026?

I realise these are the busiest times with the highest demands, but when I was Gold, I was able to make it work, (for example), by choosing Fiji airways instead of QF on the MEL-LAX, then flying indirect (LAX-SYD) instead of LAX-MEL on the return.

I kinda knew that QF were switching things up , making claims that it would be easier to book reward flights, but at 6-7X the price of a regular 'classic' reward?

I spent over a decade collecting enough points to fly to LA and back in J. Took God knows how many flights, and I'm looking at needing ~1.5 million points in order to do the same thing in just under 2 years time?

Is there a way to only search for the 'classic' awards?

Has the availability of 'classic' rewards diminished, in favour of these exorbitant new classic plus rewards? As in, are there less of them?


Do they increase 'classic' reward visibility for silver, gold, plat, Platinum 1 QFF's?

If so, is it done exponentially? IE silver can see a few, Gold can see more, Platinum a whole heap etc.

I'm in shock. My points are worthless...

 

[flyguy77]

I'm in shock. My points are worthless...

Not completely worthless but i'd say the value is going down by the day.

Also not overly useful now for anyone wanting to plan ahead and book on routes like that.

I'm a Gold and there's zero Business Reward seats on Qantas to/from the US for basically anytime in 2025 - so status won't help unless you're Platinum and can request (which still might not help)

 

[Captain Halliday]

so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Okay, if you insist.

Qantas has this new 'classic plus' system, where it appears that you can book reward flights on nearly every flight, but at enormously inflated prices (in points and cash).

I've noticed that on most fares they have a 'classic plus' reward option, but barely any 'classic' rewards. The 'classic plus' rewards are obnoxious in price.

Classic Plus flights are not eligible for inclusion in a One World Classic Flight Award.

Am I seeing less fewer classic rewards in J because I've been bumped down to bronze?

You asked to be corrected.

by choosing Fiji airways instead of QF on the MEL-LAX,

FJ is not eligible for inclusion in a One World Classic Flight Award.

Is there a way to only search for the 'classic' awards?

Not on the QF site directly. Likely by design.

However, third party sites like Expertflyer and Seatsaero can do this, but require a subscription.

Has the availability of 'classic' rewards diminished, in favour of these exorbitant new classic plus rewards? As in, are there less fewer of them?

This one is contested and only QF knows.

What certainly has changed is the seat release pattern.

Awards are no longer released when inventory first becomes available.

They’ll sometimes appear seemingly randomly, and often in big releases for publicity purposes.

Do they increase 'classic' reward visibility for silver, gold, plat, Platinum 1 QFF's?

If so, is it done exponentially? IE silver can see a few, Gold can see more, Platinum a whole heap etc.

Not visibility specifically. However, high status members get earlier access.

As you’d expect some get snapped up and so as you are no longer gold, you likely see fewer classic award seats.

This doesn’t necessarily mean fewer were released.

It could just be that they have been taken by the time they become visible to silver and bronze members.

 

[ctcuzz]

Question for a oneworld award ticket booking…
Once the itinerary has started, I know we cannot change segments etc anymore, but can I change the fare class of a flight?
E.g if I booked economy for 1 leg of my itinerary and business class becomes available, can they make that change for me for 5k points?

 

[FlyingFiona]

Question for a oneworld award ticket booking…
Once the itinerary has started, I know we cannot change segments etc anymore, but can I change the fare class of a flight?
E.g if I booked economy for 1 leg of my itinerary and business class becomes available, can they make that change for me for 5k points?

No. Selecting a mixture of classes is available at the time of initial booking but the highest class booked will determine the entire fare at that level. (E.g. if you only have one J class and the rest are Y then the whole ticket is priced as J.)

 

[WilsonM]

Not on the QF site directly. Likely by design.

However, third party sites like Expertflyer and Seatsaero can do this, but require a subscription.

If you're searching for only Classic Rewards (i.e. don't want Classic+), use the multi-city search option. This doesn't show any Classic+ options

Not visibility specifically. However, high status members get earlier access.

As you’d expect some get snapped up and so as you are no longer gold, you likely see fewer classic award seats.

Qantas does sometimes release extra availability for only SG/WP members - more common on Asia routes such as CGK or MNL (as US routes have no availability anyway).

 

[pye1201]

AKL-NAN-LAX on FJ? Given QF AA do not fly that route. FJ are not yet a full OW member so currently not an eligible airline. Date when FJ become a full OW member yet to published. But hopefully by March 2025. HA brand to a full OW member, if that happens, may also offer other NZ-AU <--->USA routes/flights.
Getting 2 off QF business awards on QR Qatar is very hard. Suggest you look at other OW airlines/routes.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/frequent-flyer/use-points/classic-flight-rewards/tables.html#oneworld

Thank you - I should have seen that in the previous thread. I'm having the same problem as RedSMS - it seems that since Qantas introduced the ClassicPlus awards, there is next to no availability for Classic Business Class seats on any major route. I've given up on trying to put together a Oneworld Classic Flight reward itinerary in business class. We booked classic reward business class seats from DPS-LHR instead to get to see the new Grandchild in March, and we'll use up some more points to do a positioning flight to get us there. Feels like such a waste. I'll be Qantas Platinum by end October (finishing the second half of a Done5 then) and perhaps I might see business class availability earlier..

 

[DC3]

… I'll be Qantas Platinum by end October (finishing the second half of a Done5 then) and perhaps I might see business class availability earlier.

What is your current QFF status? I don’t see it in your AFF profile?

I’ve dropped to Gold and see almost no Classic award availability for places/routes that I’m interested in doing.

 

[ctcuzz]

No. Selecting a mixture of classes is available at the time of initial booking but the highest class booked will determine the entire fare at that level. (E.g. if you only have one J class and the rest are Y then the whole ticket is priced as J.)

Sorry, I think my question may have been unclear.

For example, if I have the following flights booked under 1 itinerary:
1. Business class on 5 Aug 24
2. Business class on 5 Oct 24
3. Business class on 7 Oct 24
4. Economy class on 12 Oct 24
5. Business class on 15 Oct 24

As it is now 13 Aug 24 and I have already flown the 1st flight, is it still possible to call up and change the economy flight (#4) to business class (same day and flight)?

 

[cjd600]

Sorry, I think my question may have been unclear.

For example, if I have the following flights booked under 1 itinerary:
1. Business class on 5 Aug 24
2. Business class on 5 Oct 24
3. Business class on 7 Oct 24
4. Economy class on 12 Oct 24
5. Business class on 15 Oct 24

As it is now 13 Aug 24 and I have already flown the 1st flight, is it still possible to call up and change the economy flight (#4) to business class (same day and flight)?

No. Can change travel class, for any flight, up to 24hrs before the first flight.

After first departure:

After commencement of travel on an Itinerary and up to 24 hours prior to commencement of any subsequent Flight Segment

15.2.9 Subject to this clause 15.2, the following changes are permitted and a Change Fee per passenger will apply (see the Fee Schedule):

(a) change to flight number; and
(b) change to date of travel.

 

[pye1201]

What is your current QFF status? I don’t see it in your AFF profile?

I’ve dropped to Gold and see almost no Classic award availability for places/routes that I’m interested in doing.

I'm currently gold. We'll finish our 70,000 mile Done5 in October and thus gain platinum. I'm getting more and more disillusioned with the qantas program. I wanted status next year because I thought imight see more award availability and it might make it easier to get hold of qantas staff who knew what they were doing to get my next OW classic flight itinerary booked but I don't think it's going to happen. First world problems I know......