Using points on other airlines

[Qman327]

I am closing in on 570k points and am hoping to take the family (2A 2C) to Europe. Ideally Melb to coughet to London, (ferry to France, then road to Rome, then ferry to Athens) Athens to Istanbul, Istanbul to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Melbourne.
Qantas does not fly to Istanbul, but i expect other One World carriers do have flights from Istanbul to Hong Kong. My question is, if i want to use my Qantas points on an airline other than Qantas, do i have to join that airlines FF club as well? Using the flight route maps on the Qantas website, there is no route to or from Istanbul. Can anyone assist with info on multi leg flights using FF flier points with other airlines?

Appreciate any help you can offer.

 

[NM]

Moving this thread to Qantas Frequent Flyer forum as its in reference to Qantas FF program.

 

[NM]

You can use Qantas FF points to redeem for flights on any on the Qantas FF program partner airlines. This includes all OneWorld Airlines as well as some other partners. Look at the Qantas Frequent Flyer program information on the Qantas web site for information about redeeming Qantas FF points for flights.

 

[TonyD]

Check out oneworld - Home for a complete route map of OW airlines!

 

[dajop]

With 570K points you are spot on for the one-world round the world award for 4 people - up to 35,000 miles and 5 stops.

Note to get to coughet, Dragonair is the only option to get you directly there, and that involves transitting Hong Kong in both directions. Alternatively you could travel via Singapore or Bangkok and pay for separate flights to/from coughet from one or those destinations. [You can't use the Qantas code on Jetstar to coughet - as it is not allowed under this award, as Jetstar is not a oneworld member]

Also, Athens to Istanbul would require transitting London, Budapest, Amman or Madrid, as you are correct there is no direct flight.

Good luck, it may be difficult to get 4 seats together on one flight!

 

[Qman327]

Thanks for the responce. Yes, i am expecting i will need a little luck to pull this off, and fully expect to have to pay for at least one flight. I visited the One World web site but could not find details of the round the world award. If you have the link that would be great. appreciate your help.

thanks

regards

 

[Qman327]

If i use another one World airline, do i have to join that airlines FF program? teh route maps on the Qantas website does not shown routes for all One World airlines.

 

[simongr]

As a QFF member you can take award flights on any OW partner (and some other associated airlines) as long as there is availability (in the same way that you need QF availability to fly an award on QF).

Not all member airlines (and destinations) appear on the QF online booking tool so you migt have to suck up the 2500 point booking fee and call the call centre.

Remember that a lot of people book 12 months in advance and availability can be scarce on popular routes.

S

 

[Qman327]

Thanks. I think i might need to cough up the points as you suggested. We are fairly flexible regarding the timing, so i will just have to keep checking every day. So if i decide to use say Royal Jordanian for one of my flights, i can still use my points but have to book through the call centrre, is that right? RJ flights are not sown on the Qantas website route map.

 

[serfty]

The "Qantas oneworld award" is actually a "product" of the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program. It is not a oneworld Product. There is no information on this on the oneworld web site. Other oneworld carrier have their own versions of a "oneworld" award and differ markedly from that of Qantas'.

For You must have flights on two airlines other than Qantas.

More on the Qantas FF "oneworld Award" here:

• 13.5 oneworld TM Award Booking Conditions

13.5.1 A oneworld Award is an Award Flight Itinerary that includes travel on at least two oneworld Alliance Airlines other than Qantas and does not include any travel on any airline that is not a oneworld Alliance Airline. Jetstar Airways is not a member of the oneworld alliance.

13.5.2 Award Flights using the oneworld Award table must be no more than a distance of 56,315 kilometres (35,000 miles). Longer journeys must be broken into separate Itineraries.

13.5.3 A one way oneworld Award Itinerary will be charged as a return Itinerary. oneworld Award Itineraries finishing in a port other than the port of origin must include the distance to return directly to the port of origin when calculating the number of Points required to redeem the Flight Award and the maximum distance for the Itinerary.

13.5.4 The following Stopover conditions apply:
(a) up to five free Stopovers are permitted;
(b) additional Stopovers are not permitted;
(c) only one Stopover is permitted in any one city in the Itinerary; and
(d) only two Transfers may be taken at any one city in the Itinerary.

13.5.5 Surface Segments are permitted as part of oneworld Award Itineraries, but the distance between the disembarkation point and the next embarkation point will be included in the Award Point zone calculation for that Itinerary.

13.5.6 Where mixed-class travel is booked, the whole Itinerary will be calculated using the Points level for the highest class booked.

 

[serfty]

Thanks. I think i might need to cough up the points as you suggested. We are fairly flexible regarding the timing, so i will just have to keep checking every day. So if i decide to use say Royal Jordanian for one of my flights, i can still use my points but have to book through the call centrre, is that right? RJ flights are not sown on the Qantas website route map.

This is a good tool to show oneworld routes:

• oneworld Online Timetable.

 

[dajop]

The other thing that is useful is to download the oneworld timetable, it gives you a good idea of timing (by entering in your departure point/destination and dates). Can be a bit of jigsaw puzzle putting one of these awards together, because it is useful to have several options to try for award bookings when speaking to Qantas. But it can also be fun, in a peverted sudoku solving sort of way if you like that sort of thing.

 

[DTM1]

Note to get to coughet, Dragonair is the only option to get you directly there, and that involves transitting Hong Kong in both directions.

Not sure that's right. Why can't they travel Jetstar directly to coughet ? I thought it could be included as part of a *ONE* itinerary ?

 

[oz_mark]

Not sure that's right. Why can't they travel Jetstar directly to coughet ? I thought it could be included as part of a *ONE* itinerary ?

Jetstar is not a OneWorld partner. For an award

13.5.1 A oneworld Award is an Award Flight Itinerary that includes travel on at least two oneworld Alliance Airlines other than Qantas and does not include any travel on any airline that is not a oneworld Alliance Airline. Jetstar Airways is not a member of the oneworld alliance.

This oneworld Award table only applies when your Award itinerary includes at least two oneworld alliance airlines other than Qantas. The itinerary may not contain non-oneworld airlines otherwise the travel planner of each individual airline will apply. Qantas flights operated by Jetstar Airways (QF5000-QF5999) cannot be included in oneworld Awards

 

[Qman327]

Thanks for that Serfty (and others). I will get my head around that tonight. I assume this would need to be booked through the call centre. Do you know how many points are charged for say a 5 stop RTW ticket?

 

[serfty]

... Do you know how many points are charged for say a 5 stop RTW ticket?

The number of points depends on the total round trip distance of the award.

See here:

• Qantas - oneworld Award table

The Maximum distance of 35,000 miles has the highest number of points at 140,000 for WHY.

 

[dajop]

Thanks for that Serfty (and others). I will get my head around that tonight. I assume this would need to be booked through the call centre. Do you know how many points are charged for say a 5 stop RTW ticket?

It doesn't necessarily need to be booked through call centre, in theory can be booked online. However, that really restricts options as the online system doesn't show availability for some carriers (most notably Cathay Pacific) - unless this has recently been fixed.

For economy, cost is 140,000 pts + phone booking fee of 2,500 pts, plus around $700-$1100 in taxes depending on number of sectors, the specific airports transitted and routing. Note also, you don't need to go round the world, like the paid RTW products.

 

[dajop]

The number of points depends on the total round trip distance of the award.

But any return trip involving London and Melbourne in the same itinerary is not going to fit into anything but the last category - 19,201-35,000 miles.

 

[Qman327]

Thanks Dajop. Plenty to work with now (looks like a late night tonight)

Thanks to everyone.

 

[serfty]

But any return trip involving London and Melbourne in the same itinerary is not going to fit into anything but the last category - 19,201-35,000 miles.

This be true - I posted as I did for completeness.

A 5 stop SYD-(CX)-SIN-(JL)-BKK-(CX)-HKG-(CX)-BNE-(QF)-SYD is still a QFF "oneworld" award routing at ~10,600 miles costing 100K QFF points +++.