US Dividend Miles - Oneworld Award Booking Questions and General Discussion

[casanovawa]

If you're flying into LHR and then out of LHR could you just open jaw so you leave from PER finish in KUL and use some QF points for a cheap flight back down??? Not perfect but if you really want thos dates and you can fly most of the way in J using USDM???

 

[smit0847]

Have tried calling 5 times over the past 48 hours - each agent said they cannot access CX at all (cant even see Y availability). I understand from others that there is a similar problem with MH and BA.

Each agent has said they haven't booked any CX because its not loaded yet - has anyone succesfully booked CX?

 

[The Rok]

I have 2 CX J seats from PER-HKG-LHR on hold….

Have tried calling 5 times over the past 48 hours - each agent said they cannot access CX at all (can't even see Y availability). I understand from others that there is a similar problem with MH and BA.

Each agent has said they haven't booked any CX because its not loaded yet - has anyone succesfully booked CX?

 

[appaz]

Have tried calling 5 times over the past 48 hours - each agent said they cannot access CX at all (cant even see Y availability). I understand from others that there is a similar problem with MH and BA.

Each agent has said they haven't booked any CX because its not loaded yet - has anyone succesfully booked CX?

that's weird they found my PER-HKG but couldn't see the HKG-HND flight i had...

hit and miss, sounds like ANA all over again

 

[bcworld]

Just be aware that current school of thought is that BA is currently showing a lot of either phantom CX availability or CX availability that is only seen by other carriers using Amadeus...eg BA and QF. JL is considered to be the most accurate engine for CX.

 

[smit0847]

Just be aware that current school of thought is that BA is currently showing a lot of either phantom CX availability or CX availability that is only seen by other carriers using Amadeus...eg BA and QF. JL is considered to be the most accurate engine for CX.

Thanks BC - just checked on JL - the CX flight I'm wanting show available on JL and BA websites, just USDM cant see the flight at all (let alone advise on availability).

PS - the JL website is terrible! I thought ANA was dated! I'm amazed an international airline can operate with such a clunky website. I would have thought in this day in age a modern functional website would be as important as the planes you fly!

 

[zainman]

I'm amazed an international airline can operate with such a clunky website. I would have thought in this day in age a modern functional website would be as important as the planes you fly!

Take note RedRoo!

 

[smit0847]

Take note RedRoo!

The QF website looks like Google compared with the JL one!1

 

[bcworld]

PS - the JL website is terrible! I thought ANA was dated! I'm amazed an international airline can operate with such a clunky website. I would have thought in this day in age a modern functional website would be as important as the planes you fly!

It seems to be pretty common across Japanese and Korean websites. JAL, ANA, Asiana - they all have terrible websites, and anything that resembles a form is generally incredibly clunky and complex.

 

[zainman]

The QF website looks like Google compared with the JL one!1

I agree that the UI is cough and the whole thing is just poorly laid out but the functionality definitely works (or worked when I tried it). QF.com although nice and clean and modern looking, still doesn't function as it's meant to!

 

[smit0847]

It seems to be pretty common across Japanese and Korean websites. JAL, ANA, Asiana - they all have terrible websites, and anything that resembles a form is generally incredibly clunky and complex.

They're such technologically advanced countries though! Why are they building robots when the platform for their national carrier looks like a school project?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

They're such technologically advanced countries though! Why are they building robots when the platform for their national carrier looks like a school project?

ummm... two words... hello kitty.

 

[sergeyvzn]

They're such technologically advanced countries though! Why are they building robots when the platform for their national carrier looks like a school project?

have you ever tried buying a bullet train ticket from a vending machine at a railway station in Japan?

I have - the whole thing does not make any sense. I was in Japan in January and after a few goes had to abandon this silly idea and just went to a person in the green windon.

Some things they are really advanced about and some things they are really behind with

 

[anat0l]

Thanks BC - just checked on JL - the CX flight I'm wanting show available on JL and BA websites, just USDM cant see the flight at all (let alone advise on availability).

PS - the JL website is terrible! I thought ANA was dated! I'm amazed an international airline can operate with such a clunky website. I would have thought in this day in age a modern functional website would be as important as the planes you fly!

They're such technologically advanced countries though! Why are they building robots when the platform for their national carrier looks like a school project?

I haven't tried the JL site before, but looking at a screen shot of someone else doing it, it looks coughbersome because you can only search for one date at a time. At least with ANA, you could search weeks at a time if you wanted to.

ANA site may be dated, but it did a pretty damn good job for *A searches, except for ANA domestic flights. (Of course, it helped to have a random 100 points in ANA to avoid the workaround for *A searching). I preferred it over Awardtravlr purely because of speed.

I think these airlines don't care much for the websites (for what we would believe that they should) for a few reasons:

• There is still a very large market they have which is sold through non-internet channels, viz. agents. This is very much unlike most Western countries.
• I wouldn't see an Asian brought up in their native country the first one to complain about website design or the like, compared to Westerners, but I anticipate this will change gradually.
• Although the global lingua franca is English, most of the Asian websites have at best satisfactory translations of their content into English, and the pure translation and avoidance of any confusion takes foremost precedence over precision and presentation. (And even then, most Chinese airline websites are most decidedly unsatisfactory).

To say they're so technically advanced that they can build robots but they are a global embarrassment due to not having what we would call an adequate website - despite functionality prevailing - is probably drawing a bit of a long bow.

Besides, if you didn't want to use it, no one is forcing you - you could always go into these availability and award redemption things blind for a change

 

[bcworld]

have you ever tried buying a bullet train ticket from a vending machine at a railway station in Japan?

I have - the whole thing does not make any sense. I was in Japan in January and after a few goes had to abandon this silly idea and just went to a person in the green windon.

Some things they are really advanced about and some things they are really behind with

But then what happened when you went to the window!?

I was absolutely mesmerised.

"2 tickets for the 1133 train Kyoto to Tokyo please"

There then followed I reckon about 2 whole minutes of two handed typing...one hand on a keyboard the other on a touch screen...both at the same time. And the keystrokes were nearly as fast as the Nizomi train itself! It just went on and on and on....WTF were they doing! It was mighty impressive but totally bizarre at the same time!

 

[anat0l]

But then what happened when you went to the window!?

I was absolutely mesmerised.

"2 tickets for the 1133 train Kyoto to Tokyo please"

There then followed I reckon about 2 whole minutes of two handed typing...one hand on a keyboard the other on a touch screen...both at the same time. And the keystrokes were nearly as fast as the Nizomi train itself! It just went on and on and on....WTF were they doing! It was mighty impressive but totally bizarre at the same time!

I don't know what you are all on about. Buying a Shinkansen ticket last time for me was as simple as going to the ticket office, giving the destination, one-way, unreserved seating (was OK for me at the time), then a few taps and I have a ticket.

Only confusing thing may be that the ticket cost is separated into a few components, and this can depend on the specific ticket, seat and train. Once again being "spoiled" by Australia where inclusive pricing is king. (No need to debate the merits of that; that is for another thread).

Of course, last time I was in Japan, I simplified the whole process and saved money by using a Rail Pass. (Not usually ideal if you just have one trip, but so be it).

 

[Alanslegal]

But then what happened when you went to the window!?

I was absolutely mesmerised.

"2 tickets for the 1133 train Kyoto to Tokyo please"

There then followed I reckon about 2 whole minutes of two handed typing...one hand on a keyboard the other on a touch screen...both at the same time. And the keystrokes were nearly as fast as the Nizomi train itself! It just went on and on and on....WTF were they doing! It was mighty impressive but totally bizarre at the same time!

The guy was probably playing Candy Crush ------- or a Tamagochi

 

[legroom]

I don't know what you are all on about. Buying a Shinkansen ticket last time for me was as simple as going to the ticket office, giving the destination, one-way, unreserved seating (was OK for me at the time), then a few taps and I have a ticket.

Only confusing thing may be that the ticket cost is separated into a few components, and this can depend on the specific ticket, seat and train. Once again being "spoiled" by Australia where inclusive pricing is king. (No need to debate the merits of that; that is for another thread).

Of course, last time I was in Japan, I simplified the whole process and saved money by using a Rail Pass. (Not usually ideal if you just have one trip, but so be it).

I have to join in this off-topic sub-thread

You forgot the pain of queuing at NRT after disembarkation to EXCHANGE the Rail Pass voucher for the NEX and the Shinkansen tickets.

Took me close to one hour last time !

The clerk took my vouchers and then transcribed the details by LONGHAND writing onto sheets of papers !

Yes, land of robots but... handwriting on a piece of paper before giving out the tickets ???

Mods, I am sorry !

 

[alieninperth]

The APD is being reduced soon...so don't also forget to factor in the cost of a flight to DUB!

The Rok is going to be in Ireland anyway for the wedding, so no additional flights, over and above what is already budgeted. The APD reduction doesn't become effective until April 2015 and will still be GBP142, (Air Passenger Duty | APD | A Fair Tax on Flying campaign | Policy - ABTA) might still be cheaper to jump a ryanair, aer lingus or even cheapo BA flight across to Dub.

 

[The Rok]

Called again today, still no luck. They can get me to Doha but that's it... Still no MH flights.