The Qantas Newbie Questions Thread

[SeatBackForward]

another newbie question. I haven't flown international in 10 years so am wondering about the (very specific) instructions about using a 20cm x 20cm resealable plastic bag to pack liquids in. Are they strict about only using that size specifically? Or can I use any largish ziplock bag

I wouldn't go much bigger than that, smaller is always ok.

Edit to add, ok the rules are somewhat flexible, form the Dept. of Home Affairs webpage

• The four sides of the bag's sealed area must add up to no more than 80 centimetres (e.g. 20x20 cm or 15x25 cm).

 

[OATEK]

another newbie question. I haven't flown international in 10 years so am wondering about the (very specific) instructions about using a 20cm x 20cm resealable plastic bag to pack liquids in. Are they strict about only using that size specifically? Or can I use any largish ziplock bag

At some airports like LHR they often insist that pax use only their bag.

 

[tea4three]

I wouldn't go much bigger than that, smaller is always ok.

Edit to add, ok the rules are somewhat flexible, form the Dept. of Home Affairs webpage

that makes more sense - thanks!

 

[SeatBackForward]

At some airports like LHR they often insist that pax use only their bag.

Never had any issues at LHR using my own. In fact I'll snag a few of there's as they are a bit better than the one I use!

 

[SYD]

At some airports like LHR they often insist that pax use only their bag.

I usually grab a spare (or two) when passing through airports…

 

[Stargazer]

Yes, if you get them for <$6 you are doing well. Anything below $5 /SC is really good. With the double SC offers, you can push it down towards $3 but those opportunities get snatched up quickly so it's worth booking pretty soon, if you find a flight you'd want to fly.

Hi, could someone explain this in non- technical language. How do you calculate the cost of a status credit. Perhaps provide an example?

 

[SYD]

Hi, could someone explain this in non- technical language. How do you calculate the cost of a status credit. Perhaps provide an example?

If you fly SYD-MEL discount economy oneway for $100 and earn 10 SCs. Then you’re getting $10 / SC. During a Double Status Credit offer that improves to $5 / SC.

There are many other scenarios of snagging good business class fares or flying A to B via C (to increase the SC earnt but not necessarily spending more $).

 

[tea4three]

So Qantas Hotels - are they usually good? I am flying to Noumea tomorrow and contacted the hotel (Le Lagon) today to organise a shuttle and they just came back to say they don't have a reservation for me. I booked originally with Expedia but then cancelled that a few weeks ago and rebooked through Qantas Hotels. I have a confirmation from Qantas Hotels but the hotel said they have no knowledge of it. On the Qantas app, it says the Qantas Hotels call centre is open till 10pm, but when I phoned it said they are closed. Joy

 

[SYD]

So Qantas Hotels - are they usually good? I am flying to Noumea tomorrow and contacted the hotel (Le Lagon) today to organise a shuttle and they just came back to say they don't have a reservation for me. I booked originally with Expedia but then cancelled that a few weeks ago and rebooked through Qantas Hotels. I have a confirmation from Qantas Hotels but the hotel said they have no knowledge of it. On the Qantas app, it says the Qantas Hotels call centre is open till 10pm, but when I phoned it said they are closed. Joy

QF hotels are quite reliable but apparently they don’t necessarily provide contact details to the hotel (so I was recently told on a stay down on the NSW south coast).

But a few months ago we had two hotel bookings in NOU (Le Meridian and Doubletree) via QF hotels with no issue.

In NOU you can book airport transfers direct with several transfer companies, but Arc en Ciel tend to be the most reliable.

Navettes Arc-en-Ciel NC - Nouméa et Aéroport Tontouta

Transferts fiables entre Nouméa et l'aéroport de Tontouta. Réservez votre navette dès maintenant.

www.lanavette.nc

 

[RooFlyer]

So Qantas Hotels - are they usually good?

Welcome to FF @tea4three . Booking a hotel through Qantas Hotels comes with the same pitfalls as booking through any other third-person provider. That is, subject to technical/communication glitches that you won't know about until it happens and you are left out in the street.

Unless you are desperate to earn QFF points (and then I'd question why, given the difficulty you'll have in redeeming them for decent flights), I'd always book direct with the hotel.

I'm afraid you've just learnt about Qantas' service provision the hard way.

 

[encryptededdy]

another newbie question. I haven't flown international in 10 years so am wondering about the (very specific) instructions about using a 20cm x 20cm resealable plastic bag to pack liquids in. Are they strict about only using that size specifically? Or can I use any largish ziplock bag

Maybe they care in the US, but in Australian international airports I've always just used a sandwich ziplock back and it's ok. In fact, I suspect most of the time they don't even care if you don't have a plastic bag.

 

[OATEK]

Welcome to FF @tea4three . Booking a hotel through Qantas Hotels comes with the same pitfalls as booking through any other third-person provider. That is, subject to technical/communication glitches that you won't know about until it happens and you are left out in the street.

Unless you are desperate to earn QFF points (and then I'd question why, given the difficulty you'll have in redeeming them for decent flights), I'd always book direct with the hotel.

I'm afraid you've just learnt about Qantas' service provision the hard way.

I had the feeling that QANTAS hotels were a 4th person provider, using the Hotels.com engine. Given the fun an AFFer has had getting points back from a QANTAS hotels booking where the hotel was closed and under reno when they got there, I would be inclined to pursue it before departure.

 

[tea4three]

Welcome to FF @tea4three . Booking a hotel through Qantas Hotels comes with the same pitfalls as booking through any other third-person provider. That is, subject to technical/communication glitches that you won't know about until it happens and you are left out in the street.

Unless you are desperate to earn QFF points (and then I'd question why, given the difficulty you'll have in redeeming them for decent flights), I'd always book direct with the hotel.

I'm afraid you've just learnt about Qantas' service provision the hard way.

Yes, I booked through Qantas Hotels for the meagre points - so much for that

Post automatically merged: Nov 26, 2022

Maybe they care in the US, but in Australian international airports I've always just used a sandwich ziplock back and it's ok. In fact, I suspect most of the time they don't even care if you don't have a plastic bag.

that's reassuring, thanks!

Post automatically merged: Nov 26, 2022

I had the feeling that QANTAS hotels were a 4th person provider, using the Hotels.com engine. Given the fun an AFFer has had getting points back from a QANTAS hotels booking where the hotel was closed and under reno when they got there, I would be inclined to pursue it before departure.

I'll try calling them in the lounge, but not an ideal way to switch off on Day 1 of holiday

 

[tdimdad]

another newbie question. I haven't flown international in 10 years so am wondering about the (very specific) instructions about using a 20cm x 20cm resealable plastic bag to pack liquids in. Are they strict about only using that size specifically? Or can I use any largish ziplock bag

Any size is fine as long as it's transparent and you keep it to max 1 L in total and max 100 ml each. I have a few different bags and no-one's ever mentioned anything.

 

[OATEK]

Any size is fine as long as it's transparent and you keep it to max 1 L in total and max 100 ml each. I have a few different bags and no-one's ever mentioned anything.

Amongst the issues on our last trip (Aug/Sep 2022) was that the bag must seal at the top, may not have any printing/write-on panels and must be the same dimensions. So our initial bag, ok at SYD was deemed not standard enough at LHR for connecting flight because it had a small write on panel. Then the bag that was given to us in LHR was not good enough at BER because it had a slight rip under the press seal strip which meant the bag was partly open. None of this was major, but annoying particularly if you are trying to juggle items in/out of bags while being jostled by other pax who want you to speed up. So conditions can vary depending on many factors including country, airport, staff etc. YMMV.

 

[ZenFlyer]

Hello: I'm planning my first trip to Australia, which will include a number of domestic flights on Qantas. My question is about the best way to expedite check-in and security screening for a domestic departure from SYD, bearing in mind that I do have luggage to check

Will either Oneworld Emerald status or Qantas Club membership give me access to a priority check-in assistance at the counter, and/or priority security screening at SYD? Would being on a business class ticket provide any additional benefit in that regard? And would any such benefit(s) also apply to my non-status companion who is traveling on the same PNR?

Background: on one particular day of our trip, I would like to maximize our sightseeing time in Sydney, and minimize the time by which we will need to be at the aiport prior to 5:00 pm domestic flight (on a Saturday). It looks like there may be business class award availability on that flight. I normally wouldn't consider that for such a short flight, but if it would get me through the airport any faster it might be worth it.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

 

[SeatBackForward]

Hello: I'm planning my first trip to Australia, which will include a number of domestic flights on Qantas. My question is about the best way to expedite check-in and security screening for a domestic departure from SYD, bearing in mind that I do have luggage to check

Will either Oneworld Emerald status or Qantas Club membership give me access to a priority check-in assistance at the counter, and/or priority security screening at SYD?

Yes, OWE is equivalent to Qantas Platinum, and you will get all those with that status

Would being on a business class ticket provide any additional benefit in that regard?

Not in addition to already having OWE status. If you travelled in Economy your OWE benefits would still apply. The only benefit of a business class ticket is (obviously) the better seat/service onboard.

And would any such benefit(s) also apply to my non-status companion who is traveling on the same PNR?

Yes, if you are on the same ticket they can accompany you.

Background: on one particular day of our trip, I would like to maximize our sightseeing time in Sydney, and minimize the time by which we will need to be at the aiport prior to 5:00 pm domestic flight (on a Saturday). It looks like there may be business class award availability on that flight. I normally wouldn't consider that for such a short flight, but if it would get me through the airport any faster it might be worth it.

5pm on a Saturday, and if you have bags to check-in I would aim to be at the airport preferably about an hour before departure.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

 

[ZenFlyer]

Yes, OWE is equivalent to Qantas Platinum, and you will get all those with that status



Not in addition to already having OWE status. If you travelled in Economy your OWE benefits would still apply. The only benefit of a business class ticket is (obviously) the better seat/service onboard.




Yes, if you are on the same ticket they can accompany you.



5pm on a Saturday, and if you have bags to check-in I would aim to be at the airport preferably about an hour before departure.

Wow, all my questions answered at once! Thank you so much, this is super-helpful information.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Welcome to AFF & Aussie when you get here

Will either Oneworld Emerald status or Qantas Club membership give me access to a priority check-in assistance at the counter, and/or priority security screening at SYD? Would being on a business class ticket provide any additional benefit in that regard? And would any such benefit(s) also apply to my non-status companion who is traveling on the same PNR?

In AU domestic checkin is self service, by kiosk or app. And QF kiosk check-in is going away. General domestic check-in counters are a thing of the past.
OWS gives QF club access. So OWE is a step above QF Club/OWS. All QF tickets include checked bags.

Security screening in AU is less hassle than in USA. At 17:00 on a Saturday SYD is likely not to be busy. Unless some sports event in Sydney that afternoon, and people going home after attending.

As well as JQ Jetstar and, VA (UA, AC & QR ff partner) is REX airlines, with limited routes.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Wow, all my questions answered at once! Thank you so much, this is super-helpful information.

Further to what @Mwenenzi has added security is far less a hassle here, you don't need to take off shoes or belts unless they specifically get triggered through the screening.

At SYD T3, there are two Qantas lounges. the Qantas Club and the Qantas Business Lounge. as a OWE you get access to the Business Lounge, there's not much difference between the two, but the Business lounge is likely to be less crowded.