Points / Status earn on QF NRT/SYD with "earthquake" diversion to HKG

[js]

No doubt this is a petty issue and I apologise in advance for any offence caused if it seems I'm trivialising what has happened in Japan recently; that is certainly not my intention...

I live in Japan with my family and as some of you will no doubt be aware flights for SYD/NRT have all become SYD/HKG/NRT and vice versa since around 14 March.

While I really miss the direct flights, I can understand Qantas' reasonining and that the route is suddenly uncommerical with so few people flying this route: it has been hit hard both ways with Aussies choosing not to come, and simultaneously Japanese people opting out of overseas travel.

I recently had a family member visit us "post-quake" with a ticket purchased as SYD/NRT/SYD but actually flown as SYD/HKG/NRT/HKG/SYD. I have checked and the points and status credits earn are all as per the direct flight routing despite the (unwanted) extra distance, time and stop-over in Hong Kong.

I'll soon be flying the same route in reverse, and while Qantas initially had a notice on their web site saying the HKG diversion was temporary until early April, it has now been extended until at least 20 April. And on top of that, I was advised yesterday that the HKG routing is "indefinite" for now.

I imagine it could take quite some time for visitor numbers to recover, in both directions, particularly whilever DFAT retains its highest level "Do Not Travel" warning for Tokyo and surrounding areas.

What I am wondering is do people think Qantas ought to be offering points and status as per the route actually flown in this case? Given that the ticket was re-issued with the new routing and we had to confirm it in advance, I would have thought credit for the diversion to HKG was a fair thing. (I also have a NRT/SYD/NRT due to be flown soon, so I'm curious how it will be credited as my annual status assessment is coming up shortly).

Incidentally, when trying to book the usual QF21/QF22 combination now on the Qantas web site, I see Qantas are not even flying in and out of Tokyo at all on their own metal now it seems - the NRT/HKG and HKG/NRT sector are being flown by CX...

All in all, not happy days for Japan but I hope the recovery will continue to be speedy. It's a shame to lose the QF night flights though, and seems to add minor insult to injury to not award points appropriately.

 

[notzac]

My take on this is that it seems to be very similar to what happens when you book SYD-LHR .. even though you stop in either SIN or BKK, you don't earn the same points/status credits that you would have earned if you were to actually book SYD-SIN-LHR or SYD-BKK-LHR.

 

[js]

Thanks. I guess that's true.

Interesting that the currently listed flights for purchase up to 30 April are separate flight numbers though, with a mix of CX and QF metal. To me, the way they are displaying in the booking system now looks more like the case of buying a ticket that is explicitly routed as, say, SYD/CBR/MEL, in which case the extra status does accrue.

Maybe it's a case where flights originally booked with direct routing are earning at old rates and flights booked with explicit stopover in HKG earn taking that into account.

It's probably a long shot, but if anyone happens to have flown on this route since it was being sold with the HKG stopover explicitly mentioned, I'd be very curious how it earned.

 

[js]

Looks like this has become somewhat academic now, as DFAT have lifted the "Do Not Travel" advisory for Tokyo and at about the same time today upcoming Qantas flights we have booked have reverted to the original direct NRT/SYD routing.

Unsurprisingly, seat selection shows the flights are pretty empty.

Now that it's not going completely against government advice to say so, may I take the chance to encourage people to come visit Japan if the opportunity presents itself

 

[Awesom Andy]

As the 2 legs have the same flight number, they are treated as "direct", hence only the usual amount of points/status. This treatment is consistent with other flights that have 2 legs and use the same flight number - technically speaking, the 2 legs are "one" flight.

 

[zeiron]

As the 2 legs have the same flight number, they are treated as "direct", hence only the usual amount of points/status. This treatment is consistent with other flights that have 2 legs and use the same flight number - technically speaking, the 2 legs are "one" flight.

I understand how SYD/MEL-LHR would credit as 1 leg, given that it is the same operating airline, aircraft and flight number but this situation is entirely different. i dont think its any different to flying QF to SIN and then swapping over to the QF codeshare (operated by BA) for the onward journey to LHR. I wonder how it is possible to codeshare (on CX metal), with an existing flight number, which I presume to be one of the existing SYD-HKG flight numbers?
I have never seen a single codeshare flight number operated by 2 different carriers on 2 different sectors, so this is very interesting indeed.