Oneworld Classic Flight Reward Discussion - The Definitive Thread

[ameliorate]

Hi all! I'm looking for some urgent assistance from the oneworld masters in this forum.

I've paid the following itinerary early yesterday morning (it's already been almost 24 hours), however there's no evidence in my QF account, points haven't been withdrawn and ticketing is apparently saying they can't book it as I have insufficient points. I'm pretty anxious as my tickets will only be held (if at all) till the end of today if I can't get them to ticket and there's very limited availability on my sectors.

Essentially, the call centre/ticketing say that as my itinerary ends in a different port to my origin port then the points for an extra flight between my final port and origin port need to be added on top of the 318,000 point cap for a business OWA. I think they said this would take me to 475,000 points or similar.

A call centre agent directed me to:
"14.4.3 A one way oneworld Classic Flight Reward Itinerary will be charged as a return Itinerary. 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."

Is this correct? My understanding is that only the miles between the final port and the origin port would be considered and that the points would be capped out.

Is it possible that they're are confused and either (a) have inputted my itinerary incorrectly (for example, I heard a call centre operator say they were calculating the amount of stopovers) or (b) there's something else wrong with my itinerary such that it isn't within the fare rules and as such isn't being automatically capped? I'm under 35,000 miles, am under 16 segments and all the flights are business except one which is in economy. Airlines are QF, BA, AY, CX, JL and Oman Air. I stop in LND and transit through on the way out of Europe, but I believe up to two transits are permitted?

My proposed itinerary is -

BKK-HKG (less than 24 hr connection)
HKG-PVG (stop 1)
PVG-HEL (less than 24 hr connection)
HEL-LHR (stop 2 / surface sector)
CDG-LHR (less than 24 hr connection)
LHR-MCT (less than 24 hr connection)
MCT-CGK (stop 3)
CGK-SYD (stop 4)
SYD-ICN (stop 5)
then the way home GMP-HND (less than 24 hour connection) and HND-SYD END (my understanding is that the last destination doesn't count to the stopover limit). I don't think GMP and ICN count as a surface sector as I believe they'd both count as Seoul city airports.

[SIMPLIFIED ITINERARY
BKK-HKG-PVG (stop 1)
PVG-HEL-LHR (stop 2)
CDG-LHR-MCT-CGK (stop 3)
CGK-SYD (stop 4)
SYD-ICN (stop 5)
GMP-HND-SYD END]

Any guidance that can be provided would be greatly greatly appreciated so I can try Qantas again. I'm really unsure if I'm confused or Qantas is.

 

[SydneySwan]

I think Oman Air don't join One World until June 20 2025.

 

[pyramidforce]

If you did indeed book onto Oman Air then that doesn't count for a 318k ticket because it isn't a oneworld carrier. So the whole ticket is calculating distances and prices segment by segment for all flights even the oneworls flights.

 

[Mr H]

If you did indeed book onto Oman Air then that doesn't count for a 318k ticket because it isn't a oneworld carrier. So the whole ticket is calculating distances and prices segment by segment for all flights even the oneworls flights.

This is correct. Just as an aside, I know the rules for OWA can be quite complex but the one about having to use OW carriers is quite straightforward and I am surprised at how many people in this thread seem to get tripped up on it.

 

[FlyingFiona]

Hi all! I'm looking for some urgent assistance from the oneworld masters in this forum.

I've paid the following itinerary early yesterday morning

I assume you booked on the phone given the number of segments. The agent at the time of booking will have confirmed the number of points your itinerary was going to cost. If that wasn't 318K (which it won't have been because, as others have said, you have included a currently non-OW carrier in the mix) then you should not have proceeded. In fact, I'm surprised (and suspicious) that you were even able to proceed and pay the taxes if you did not have sufficient points.

 

[ameliorate]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies! You’re, of course, all correct. I had looked at the list of oneworld airlines on the OneWorld website and somehow missed that it said “Future Member” in the corner of the box associated with Oman Air and had thought they were joining earlier.

I’ve actually booked a OWA successfully (in economy) before but for me at least this continues to be a learning process. I’m beating myself up for such an odd oversight, back to the drawing board!

In response to Fiona, there was indeed some confusion about the points which I pointed out at the time and that something may be wrong as the call centre had somehow originally put the itinerary through for less than the 318,000 cap, however, as it was less I thought it was worth a try to pay the taxes and immediately get in contact with ticketing to see if it ticketed - and if not, to try and figure out where it had all gone wrong.

Does anyone know the best way to approach fixing this? Do I need to wait for ticketing to lapse and the seats to be released and re-book changing out those sectors? Or am I able to do it now while my other seats are still saved by calling Qantas?

Thanks again everyone.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks so much everyone for your replies! You’re, of course, all correct. I had looked at the list of oneworld airlines on the OneWorld website and somehow missed that it said “Future Member” in the corner of the box associated with Oman Air and had thought they were joining earlier.

I’ve actually booked a OWA successfully (in economy) before but for me at least this continues to be a learning process. I’m beating myself up for such an odd oversight, back to the drawing board!

In response to Fiona, there was indeed some confusion about the points which I pointed out at the time and that something may be wrong as the call centre had somehow originally put the itinerary through for less than the 318,000 cap, however, as it was less I thought it was worth a try to pay the taxes and immediately get in contact with ticketing to see if it ticketed - and if not, to try and figure out where it had all gone wrong.

Does anyone know the best way to approach fixing this? Do I need to wait for ticketing to lapse and the seats to be released and re-book changing out those sectors? Or am I able to do it now while my other seats are still saved by calling Qantas?

Thanks again everyone.

Do it now! It's a simple :change:

There is no guarantee the seats will return to the award pool if you leave it until ticketing fails

 

[troutgirlsummer]

By the sound of it, you have made two separate booking, Qantas can't merge those bookings into one, without cancelling one of them (and taking the risk that the cancelled award are not put back into award inventory). If you want an OWA, you need to build your itinerary on the same booking (you can add segments when they appear).

Hi, wondering if you can clarify this?
We have tried every itinerary under the sun and despite confirming flight availability for each leg on the multi-city booking tool, when we try and book the whole thing we receive an error (or the call centre tells us that certain flights can only be booked individually, and it won't let them book our whole itinerary).
If we book 90% of our itinerary at once, meeting the OWA criteria and paying 318,000 each, can we then later add flight segments on without having to pay additional points?

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 4:11 PM

By the sound of it, you have made two separate booking, Qantas can't merge those bookings into one, without cancelling one of them (and taking the risk that the cancelled award are not put back into award inventory). If you want an OWA, you need to build your itinerary on the same booking (you can add segments when they appear).

Hi, wondering if you can clarify this?

My partner and I have tried every itinerary under the sun and despite confirming flight availability for each leg on the multi-city booking tool, when we try and book the whole thing we receive an error (or the call centre agent tells us that certain flights can only be booked individually, and it won't let them book our whole itinerary). We just got to the page where it told us our itinerary would cost 636,000 points + $1500ish in tax, put our names and numbers in (had never got this far before) and clicked submit, and were given an error.

If we book 90% of our itinerary at once, meeting the OWA criteria and paying 318,000 each, can we then later add flight segments on without having to pay additional points?

 

[Captain Halliday]

If we book 90% of our itinerary at once, meeting the OWA criteria and paying 318,000 each, can we then later add flight segments on without having to pay additional points?

No, the change fee will apply.

 

[troutgirlsummer]

No, the change fee will apply.

Thanks for the quick reply.

So what's the deal with trying to book the award? Do you literally just have to get through to a Hobart agent to make it work?

 

[Captain Halliday]

Thanks for the quick reply.

So what's the deal with trying to book the award? Do you literally just have to get through to a Hobart agent to make it work?

Not necessarily. But HBA is generally considered an advantage.

If you can see availability and the agent can’t book it, phantom availability on the website is the likely cause.

HUACA.

 

[DC3]

Hi

Welcome to AFF

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Not necessarily. But HBA is generally considered an advantage.

If you can see availability and the agent can’t book it, phantom availability on the website is the likely cause.

HUACA.

It may not be phantom… could be married segments… or the hard system block preventing domestic connections (meaning you can’t separately add a domestic connecting flight from a capital city to another, for example you can’t add MEL-SYD onto an existing SYD-LAX), or it could be the ‘you can only book these flights for new bookings’

By the way… have we got a solution to the last one yet? That is, when you go to add flights, agents say they are only for new bookings?

Unless you are platinum status or higher, getting through to hobart can be very difficult (if not impossible)

 

[DC3]

By the way… have we got a solution to the last one yet? That is, when you go to add flights, agents say they are only for new bookings?

 

[WilsonM]

By the way… have we got a solution to the last one yet? That is, when you go to add flights, agents say they are only for new bookings?

This sounds like agent ineptitude/ignorance for explaining why certain flights can't be added onto a booking (could be POS issues, could be married etc etc). Or more general incompetence ofc

My partner and I have tried every itinerary under the sun and despite confirming flight availability for each leg on the multi-city booking tool, when we try and book the whole thing we receive an error (or the call centre agent tells us that certain flights can only be booked individually, and it won't let them book our whole itinerary). We just got to the page where it told us our itinerary would cost 636,000 points + $1500ish in tax, put our names and numbers in (had never got this far before) and clicked submit, and were given an error.

Are you able to post the itinerary - the knowledgeable folk here might be able to point out where it's going wrong without you having to spend years (exaggeration, but still) on the phone

 

[troutgirlsummer]

It may not be phantom… could be married segments… or the hard system block preventing domestic connections (meaning you can’t separately add a domestic connecting flight from a capital city to another, for example you can’t add MEL-SYD onto an existing SYD-LAX), or it could be the ‘you can only book these flights for new bookings’

By the way… have we got a solution to the last one yet? That is, when you go to add flights, agents say they are only for new bookings?

Unless you are platinum status or higher, getting through to hobart can be very difficult (if not impossible)

This is the itinerary:
6 August MEL - NRT
14 August NRT - FRA
13 September OSL - HEL
14 September HEL - ICN
22 September ICN - HKG
22 September HKG - MEL

Can see availability for the whole itinerary - get to the payment page and get an error. Call centre says they can book the bolded segments individually, but not include them in the whole OWA reward booking.

I guess the last two flights are married segments, but not the first two. Dunno what the issue is there.

 

[Mwenenzi]

This is the itinerary:
6 August MEL - NRT
14 August NRT - FRA
13 September OSL - HEL
14 September HEL - ICN
22 September ICN - HKG
22 September HKG - MEL

What airlines are showing?

 

[troutgirlsummer]

What airlines are s?

Here's the whole thing. Have checked partner airlines so the first two don't look like they're phantom.
We are looking at how we can change the last two now to avoid the married segment issue.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

This sounds like agent ineptitude/ignorance for explaining why certain flights can't be added onto a booking (could be POS issues, could be married etc etc). Or more general incompetence ofc

So this apparently a ‘thing’.

There’s some way to add new flights to an existing itinerary… a way of seeing and ‘selling’ them… but o/s agents aren’t necessarily trained how to do it. HBA can add the same flights with no difficulty as they understand how the system works. There’s some special way to be able to see the flights when looking from within an existing PNR. O/s agents only see them when doing a fresh search.

If we can work out the exact process, we’d be able to advise the agents.

 

[BriarFlyer]

So this apparently a ‘thing’.

There’s some way to add new flights to an existing itinerary… a way of seeing and ‘selling’ them… but o/s agents aren’t necessarily trained how to do it. HBA can add the same flights with no difficulty as they understand how the system works. There’s some special way to be able to see the flights when looking from within an existing PNR. O/s agents only see them when doing a fresh search.

If we can work out the exact process, we’d be able to advise the agents.

I'm battling this at the moment and I cannot manage to jag a HBA agent. I'm trying to add Qantaslink regional connections to the start and end of my booked international CR intinerary. The o/s agents I've spoken to quote one of:
1. there are no awards available on these flights (there are)
2. there are no flights on this route (there are)
3. there are awards but they're only available on new bookings.