QF81 - A380 on Saturdays from Jul 15

[madrooster]

That’s a huge charter. Wonder who needs an a/c that size? Flight centre global gathering the one that springs to mind. (Last one appeared to be July 2022 in Las Vegas…..)

Usually it's the Exclusive Brethren doing A388 charters to/from LHR and occasionally LAX as well.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Confirmed! i was able to book a first reward on QF81 going out in sept, and bus reward QF82 coming back in Oct.

New customer enhancement??.... in both cases, my mel-syd legs are not in bus. Going up to connect to first reward, qf econ. and coming back after bus leg, only 2 jq flights offered, the 2nd 5 hours after landing.

I called premium number twice.... 15min on hold, 2nd time 3 min.... to request a single seat be released. no seat for you. This is even though there is a both econ and bus rewards sitting there if I book separately. First person said there was no rewards, i would have to used 100% points. hang up (maybe i dis not have hobart?) . Second person said she did not have seat available to release.

Is this new enhancement? Precovid, i am certain all my award bookings thru sydney included dom bus leg as part of the international zone reward?

While i was jumping up and down on the couch at the success of a QF reward booking (never mind first), every QF interaction seems to be more than underwhelming these days. (rest of weekend was booking SQ rewards vietnam, bangkok, istanbul vienna..... great fun!!!)

As soon as these qf points are used up........

Limited business domestic connectors are available, but ONLY if showing at the time of booking.

There is a current block on domestic connectors in business class if you try to add one on later. The call centre will tell you there are no flights, or any availability you can see is ‘for new bookings only’.

This is a known restriction… there’s another whole thread about it here on AFF.

Unless you are a platinum or higher and can get through to Hobart, your chances of securing a separate connecting sector in business are pretty slim. You need to do it at the time of initial booking (and if it shows as a through connection).

 

[dairyfloss]

Limited business domestic connectors are available, but ONLY if showing at the time of booking.

There is a current block on domestic connectors in business class if you try to add one on later. The call centre will tell you there are no flights, or any availability you can see is ‘for new bookings only’.

This is a known restriction… there’s another whole thread about it here on AFF.

Unless you are a platinum or higher and can get through to Hobart, your chances of securing a separate connecting sector in business are pretty slim. You need to do it at the time of initial booking (and if it shows as a through connection).

If you were sitting on extra points, could you self-cancel the X segments and book as a separate U awards on either side (assuming availability)? Or are these married, and it would force the cancellation of the international segments, as well? Just thinking that even with separate bookings, being all QF / award bookings, they'd be obliged to check you through anyway.

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[madrooster]

Confirmed! i was able to book a first reward on QF81 going out in sept, and bus reward QF82 coming back in Oct.

New customer enhancement??.... in both cases, my mel-syd legs are not in bus. Going up to connect to first reward, qf econ. and coming back after bus leg, only 2 jq flights offered, the 2nd 5 hours after landing.

I called premium number twice.... 15min on hold, 2nd time 3 min.... to request a single seat be released. no seat for you. This is even though there is a both econ and bus rewards sitting there if I book separately. First person said there was no rewards, i would have to used 100% points. hang up (maybe i dis not have hobart?) . Second person said she did not have seat available to release.

Assuming you are platinum or above...

Do you know which domestics you want in J? If you do, send me a private message with your booking reference, pax name and which domestics you want (please provide a first/second/third preference).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

If you were sitting on extra points, could you self-cancel the X segments and book as a separate U awards on either side (assuming availability)? Or are these married, and it would force the cancellation of the international segments, as well? Just thinking that even with separate bookings, being all QF / award bookings, they'd be obliged to check you through anyway.

Cheers,
Matt.

Yeah, you could book these as separate connecting tickets… the call centre will tell you to do that and they will combine PNRs (wrong!). The call centre also doesn’t understand that booking separate tickets costs more points and should be ‘free’.

 

[madrooster]

Just thinking that even with separate bookings, being all QF / award bookings, they'd be obliged to check you through anyway.

Obliged? No - they are not obliged to through check you. There's been plenty of pax who've been denied this at the airport.

 

[dairyfloss]

Obliged? No - they are not obliged to through check you. There's been plenty of pax who've been denied this at the airport.

On QF>QF with award bookings? I thought there was a OW rule that allowed this?

 

[madrooster]

On QF>QF with award bookings? I thought there was a OW rule that allowed this?

It's a QF exception that is only listed on the trade portal. I've seen a number of people (both online posts and in person) experience denials at the airport since covid though, so it's inconsistent.

MH/CX/QR also have similar allowances between separate PNRs, but even with those carriers people still experience denials at the airport, particularly at outstations.

There is no oneworld wide rule. AA/BA play hardball - if it's not in the same PNR, no through check.

 

[dairyfloss]

It's a QF exception that is only listed on the trade portal. I've seen a number of people (both online posts and in person) experience denials at the airport since covid though, so it's inconsistent.

MH/CX/QR also have similar allowances between separate PNRs, but even with those carriers people still experience denials at the airport, particularly at outstations.

There is no oneworld wide rule. AA/BA play hardball - if it's not in the same PNR, no through check.

I'll have to be careful with that then... I knew revenue fares weren't protected in such a scenario, but thought awards were ok as it is often hard to book them together

 

[madrooster]

I'll have to be careful with that then... I knew revenue fares weren't protected in such a scenario, but thought awards were ok as it is often hard to book them together

Protected... is a whole different scenario. I've almost never seen any carrier protect across separate PNRs.

oneworld disruption management procedures allow for protection within the same PNR, regardless of whether it is between award tickets, between commercial tickets or between an award ticket and commercial ticket.

 

[SYD]

I'll have to be careful with that then... I knew revenue fares weren't protected in such a scenario, but thought awards were ok as it is often hard to book them together

QF “policy” is to through check QF to QF and QF reward to other OW. Take a printout of the page (Google took me to the UK page but there is an QF AU equivalent).

https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnect/gb/en/policy-and-guidelines/baggage-information/interline-and-through-checked-baggage.html#:~:text=If%20the%20customers%20flights%20are,in%20for%20their%20onward%20flights.

But definitely not “protected” but QF to QF you’d expect them to make best endeavours to rebook you.

 

[AIRwin]

Qantas July – Oct 2023 Extra A380 Sydney – Singapore Service — AeroRoutes

Published at 1000GMT 29JUN23 Qantas Airways in the third quarter of 2023 schedules extra capacity on Sydney – Singapore route, with the scheduling of extra weekly A380 service from 15JUL23 to 28OCT23. The additional A380 service will operate as QF081/082 service, departing Sydney on Saturdays, S

www.aeroroutes.com

 

[Himeno]

On QF>QF with award bookings? I thought there was a OW rule that allowed this?

There used to be a oneworld rule that required through check between oneworld members across different tickets/PNRs. They removed this rule around 2016, presumably at the request/demands of BA and AA.
Now the through check across PNRs and in what circumstances is up to the whims of each member.

 

[AIRwin]

Qantas July – Oct 2023 Extra A380 Sydney – Singapore Service — AeroRoutes

Published at 1000GMT 29JUN23 Qantas Airways in the third quarter of 2023 schedules extra capacity on Sydney – Singapore route, with the scheduling of extra weekly A380 service from 15JUL23 to 28OCT23. The additional A380 service will operate as QF081/082 service, departing Sydney on Saturdays, S

www.aeroroutes.com

First A380 service today departed 3 hours late

 

[sap1l]

First A380 service today departed 3 hours late

Ah, emulating QF1, I see

 

[AIRwin]

First A380 service today departed 3 hours late

Aircraft overnights in SIN but return flight QF82 tonight is also delayed almost 3 hours (due to crew rest?)

 

[jb747]

Aircraft overnights in SIN but return flight QF82 tonight is also delayed almost 3 hours (due to crew rest?)

Re ‘crew rest’. Care to elaborate?

 

[AIRwin]

Re ‘crew rest’. Care to elaborate?

Minimum rest?

 

[jb747]

Minimum rest?

Generally when it's 'crew rest' from someone, this is a form of throwing mud at the crews. Do the sums. Even with a 3 hour delay, it's still in the order of 20 hours between sectors. And that is if it was flown by the same crew. There are at least a couple of alternatives.

 

[Mattg]

I'm booked on QF81 on a Monday in August, and this has just been changed from an A330 to an A380.