Qantas married segment logic

[kreuky]

Any advice on what to do here would be appreciated..booked a flight with points LAX-MEL (but want LAX-SYD). LAX-SYD did not appear on the search engine for that day - only LAX-MEL. I even did a multi city, LAX-MEL-SYD and it priced correctly, but errored out (generic error) at the final step. I checked MEL-SYD and of course, there's plenty of availability using points (+2 days, 90min MCT at MEL), so i booked LAX-MEL with the hope that a call would get them to break the married segment logic being used. Got an agent (South Africa) who said they could not see any availability if they tried to add MEL-SYD but could see availability if she made a new booking and advised me to do that. No thanks.

Any other ideas, other than HUACA and hope for an AU/NZ based agent? This is possible for them to do right?

 

[TheInsider]

Just book the MEL-SYD flight online and tell checkin to add the flight at the airport

 

[muppet]

There have been a few reports of people being unable to get the connecting domestic flights in U class. I reckon try again until you get AU/NZ staff - however, if you're not WP and can ask for a seat release, you may not have much luck.

 

[kreuky]

i dont even mind economy, but they said there were none.

 

[TheInsider]

i dont even mind economy, but they said there were none.

Just book the MEL-SYD flight online and tell checkin to add the flight at the airport

 

[encryptededdy]

Just book MEL-SYD award or cash (probably award as it's more flexible?) and ask Qantas to check your bags through at check-in.

 

[Big John]

Just book MEL-SYD award or cash (probably award as it's more flexible?) and ask Qantas to check your bags through at check-in.

Pardon my ignorance. Don't both trips have to be on the same booking / PNR to do this ?

 

[encryptededdy]

Pardon my ignorance. Don't both trips have to be on the same booking / PNR to do this ?

Per https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnec...on/interline-and-through-checked-baggage.html

Qantas will issue boarding passes and through check bags even on seperate PNRs, as long as they're both QF flight numbers.

The only thing will be if your inbound flight is cancelled or delayed, Qantas may not rebook your domestic flight (i.e. no protected connection).

 

[TheInsider]

The only thing will be if your inbound flight is cancelled or delayed, Qantas may not rebook your domestic flight (i.e. no protected connection).

But they 100% will.

 

[kreuky]

i wanna avoid giving QF more money than necessary as they still owe me an $800 refund that i have been chasing for months.

 

[TheInsider]

i wanna avoid giving QF more money than necessary as they still owe me an $800 refund that i have been chasing for months.

Book virgin then MEL to SYD.
I'm struggling to understand the issue here.

 

[Anna]

I think the issue is that the OP could see LAX MEL SYD for the same number of points as LAX MEL but wasn't able to book it because of a generic error at the final step. So having gone ahead and booked LAX MEL, the OP now doesn't want to pay for a separate MEL SYD booking and wants the call centre to add a MEL SYD leg to the existing LAX MEL booking.

At least I think that's the issue.

 

[kreuky]

yes that is correct. And if i book virgin, i wont have the same luggage allowance as the biz LAX-MEL flight.

 

[vetrade]

It is current QF policy to selectively block pax on international award flights into Australia from booking connecting domestic flights on the same PNR. So, if you can't get a direct flight into your intended Aus city you will struggle to book a connecting domestic award flight to get you there. Unsurprisingly, you wouldn't have any problem booking the 2 connecting flights on the same PNR if you were paying cash for them.

IME this has emerged over the past 4 months or so. After the covid lockdowns, it seems that many people now want to book OS holidays on points - probably because the cash prices of the same seats are often prohibitively expensive (like paying over $10,500 pp for a return J ticket from SYD - JNB!). Normally a lot of those travellers would incorporate some domestic flight into their itinerary, but I suspect QF doesn't want too many domestic awards used that way, preferring instead to keep them available for their regular interstate business customers.

I have been explicitly told by multiple QF agents during the course of trying to book the inbound legs of our OWA that even though Dom award seats may be available, they are forbidden from booking them in conjunction with an inbound international flight. Therein lies the problem, it's a deliberate and targeted QF policy and not just an idiosyncrasy of the booking platform, phantom availability or inability of agents to see the award seats. They can see them but they are under strict instructions not to book them with international flights

 

[kreuky]

Ended up booking a separate Y ticket on points and asked them to link it. And now QF94 is delayed (incoming QF93 tonight is delayed for whatever reason), and I will miss the connection to SYD. Agents basically told me to pound sand and could offer only a refund. For some reason, all flights on 20JUL MEL to SYD are not avail for points and are charging extortionate amounts for cash (even other airlines), but 21JUL is fine for points. QF is getting worse and worse. No idea what to do now. I guess will try the check in agents at LAX for a solution or at worse, overnight in MEL.

 

[jpp42]

That's very odd, Qantas is not showing a single flight with any economy availability for 20 JUL, MEL-SYD nonstop, and Virgin only has a single flight with any availability, Y or J. School holidays ended already in NSW (students went back today) but perhaps it's people who couldn't get earlier flights/earlier disruptions getting rebooked? Or is there some other event on?

The problem with the school holiday theory is there's plenty of seats on various airlines for tomorrow, 19 JUL (including Rex for $168), but none for Wed. Unfortunately I think you may need to wait until Thursday to get to Sydney, unless you can somehow convince the agent at LAX to re-route you on a non-stop to SYD. I didn't check these availabilities.

 

[aikman]

Ended up booking a separate Y ticket on points and asked them to link it. And now QF94 is delayed (incoming QF93 tonight is delayed for whatever reason), and I will miss the connection to SYD. Agents basically told me to pound sand and could offer only a refund. For some reason, all flights on 20JUL MEL to SYD are not avail for points and are charging extortionate amounts for cash (even other airlines), but 21JUL is fine for points. QF is getting worse and worse. No idea what to do now. I guess will try the check in agents at LAX for a solution or at worse, overnight in MEL.

You must have booked a really tight connection since QF94 is only showing a 65 min delay.

Really unlucky with the availability for 20 July. Of all the days...

Edit: could be Man Utd fans flying back to Sydney on Wed

Edit 2: yup, high fares as well SYD-MEL tomorrow in time for the game

 

[justinbrett]

Ended up booking a separate Y ticket on points and asked them to link it. And now QF94 is delayed (incoming QF93 tonight is delayed for whatever reason), and I will miss the connection to SYD. Agents basically told me to pound sand and could offer only a refund. For some reason, all flights on 20JUL MEL to SYD are not avail for points and are charging extortionate amounts for cash (even other airlines), but 21JUL is fine for points. QF is getting worse and worse. No idea what to do now. I guess will try the check in agents at LAX for a solution or at worse, overnight in MEL.

A 60 minute delay is causing you to miss a connection at MEL? How much time did you allow?

I'd just plead ignorance at LAX check in.

Not sure why Wed is so busy for MEL-SYD, Tue and Thu is fine.

 

[kreuky]

Did minimum, 90mins. In hindsight of course, a very bad decision.

 

[Quickstatus]

asked them to link it

That is never possible even on the same airline pre or post covid.
The 2 bookings will remain separate.

Qantas will issue boarding passes and through check bags even on seperate PNRs

Boarding passes yes but through check bags not necessarily
Ive had to pick up and recheck bags at MEL for a SYD-MEL-LAX. Both QF +81 ticket, 3hrs transit time