Using Qantas Rewards for China Eastern flights

[Adrian Guest]

Anybody else having trouble with China Eastern reward bookings?
Even though I have a Qantas e-ticket itinerary and receipt, China Eastern has no record of my booking. When I visited their Melbourne office I was told that Qantas had to contact them with the booking information. When I contacted Qantas Customer Care I was told nothing could be done until China Eastern gave THEM the booking code (which, they said, could be months away).
So I am being told two totally different stories.
Qantas has assured me that the booking is confirmed - but not according to China Eastern.

 

[Monya Meow Meow]

Hi Adrian, probably the wrong section to post this query.

I booked a reward flight on Qantas for China Eastern and received my itinerary not long after.
The number that you should be providing to China Eastern is not the 6 digit Qantas booking reference but rather the ticket number that starts with 081-xx_xx_xx_X.

If you did not receive this number, contact Qantas because they will have it.

 

[JohnK]

Welcome to AFF @Adrian Guest.

Try posting your question in this thread..

 

[Matt_01]

Anybody else having trouble with China Eastern reward bookings?
Even though I have a Qantas e-ticket itinerary and receipt, China Eastern has no record of my booking. When I visited their Melbourne office I was told that Qantas had to contact them with the booking information. When I contacted Qantas Customer Care I was told nothing could be done until China Eastern gave THEM the booking code (which, they said, could be months away).
So I am being told two totally different stories.
Qantas has assured me that the booking is confirmed - but not according to China Eastern.

Welcome to AFF. To cut a long story short there can be issues when using QF points on MU bookings, I have first hand experience and posted it here. If you are a P1 just give SST a call and they will get it resolved, if not you may have to stay on top of QF reservations.

Our rewards booking took around 12-14 weeks to sort out. As a side note there was also a revenue flight and the revenue ticket also took around 10 weeks to ticket.

All the best.

 

[kermatu]

Welcome to AFF

 

[Adrian Guest]

Hi Adrian, probably the wrong section to post this query.

I booked a reward flight on Qantas for China Eastern and received my itinerary not long after.
The number that you should be providing to China Eastern is not the 6 digit Qantas booking reference but rather the ticket number that starts with 081-xx_xx_xx_X.

If you did not receive this number, contact Qantas because they will have it.

I have given China Eastern my 081... ticket no. They have no record in their system (yet).

 

[Adrian Guest]

Welcome to AFF. To cut a long story short there can be issues when using QF points on MU bookings, I have first hand experience and posted it here. If you are a P1 just give SST a call and they will get it resolved, if not you may have to stay on top of QF reservations.

Our rewards booking took around 12-14 weeks to sort out. As a side note there was also a revenue flight and the revenue ticket also took around 10 weeks to ticket.

All the best.

Thanks Matt, Customer Service told me the booking code won't be generated by China Eastern until very close to departure date. They suggested I check a WEEK before departure. Does this sound right?

 

[Matt_01]

Thanks Matt, Customer Service told me the booking code won't be generated by China Eastern until very close to departure date. They suggested I check a WEEK before departure. Does this sound right?

To be frank that sounds like utter cough. In our experience the original booking was made 11 months prior to the trip, it took 3-4 months to get directly ticketed so it was confirmed and tickets about 7 months in advance.

Each to their own and I there are no details of your booking i.e. AU-CN only/ and or onwards, internal only etc. however I would not be comfortable or accept an answer of 'check a WEEK before departure'. As it is a trip, international or domestic I assume you have made plans around these flights and I would just not QF and MU to get this right. Also as it is a rewards booking if the MU systems are not aware of the booking there is a chance that the inventory gets put back in the pool (happens with QR on a frequent basis).

As @Monya Meow Meow points out the ticket number is important and if you look at the below images there is an 081-X ticket number in both. the first is the original booking the second is the one that SST fixed/ reissued and what the girls travelled on. you will notice that the ticket numbers have changed and so has the PNR.

 

[Adrian Guest]

To be frank that sounds like utter cough. In our experience the original booking was made 11 months prior to the trip, it took 3-4 months to get directly ticketed so it was confirmed and tickets about 7 months in advance.

Each to their own and I there are no details of your booking i.e. AU-CN only/ and or onwards, internal only etc. however I would not be comfortable or accept an answer of 'check a WEEK before departure'. As it is a trip, international or domestic I assume you have made plans around these flights and I would just not QF and MU to get this right. Also as it is a rewards booking if the MU systems are not aware of the booking there is a chance that the inventory gets put back in the pool (happens with QR on a frequent basis).

As @Monya Meow Meow points out the ticket number is important and if you look at the below images there is an 081-X ticket number in both. the first is the original booking the second is the one that SST fixed/ reissued and what the girls travelled on. you will notice that the ticket numbers have changed and so has the PNR.

View attachment 159199 View attachment 159200

I have 081... ticket numbers. I booked (J) CX flight MEL-NAR on points, no probs, but I am being messed around with Qantas. They have taken my points and airport taxes but I feel up in the air (ignore that!). My wife and I plan to travel in Japan, make own way to Seoul, hence the flights with China Eastern (ICN-PVG-MEL). I thought 78k pts was a bargain. Now I am regretting not going with a One World airline.

 

[JohnK]

Thanks Matt, Customer Service told me the booking code won't be generated by China Eastern until very close to departure date. They suggested I check a WEEK before departure. Does this sound right?

Qantas should generate the booking reference when the flights are booked.

China Eastern or any airline should still be able to find your booking if ticketed on specific flights. Sounds like this may not have been fully ticketed by Qantas yet which could be a concern.

 

[Matt_01]

@Adrian Guest, this could be another angle - call QF complain that the MU flights are not confirmed/ ticketed etc, I think there are ticketing rules that you can take advantage of I am not an an expert however there are others on this site that spring to mind (@serfty). Ask to be re-routed ICN-xJP or xHK back to MEL, if it was me I would suck up the QF points penalty for using *OW carriers.

My MU case was a little different as no *OW carriers go to HRB I am also P1 so SST just sorted my flights.

Also did you mean MEL-NRT

 

[Matt_01]

Qantas should generate the booking reference when the flights are booked.

China Eastern or any airline should still be able to find your booking if ticketed on specific flights. Sounds like this may not have been fully ticketed by Qantas yet which could be a concern.

@JohnK It is not that simple with QF and MU bookings read my link up thread, it is a known issue between QF and MU ITS. Maybe it should have been fixed by now but given the question from the OP most likely not.

 

[JohnK]

@JohnK It is not that simple with QF and MU bookings read my link up thread, it is a known issue between QF and MU ITS. Maybe it should have been fixed by now but given the question from the OP most likely not.

So Qantas has not ticketed? That's a huge concern otherwise seats can disappear.

 

[Matt_01]

So Qantas has not ticketed? That's a huge concern otherwise seats can disappear.

No, QF has issued tickets under 081 ticket number see post #8 it is the MU ticket that is problem.

 

[JohnK]

No, QF has issued tickets under 081 ticket number see post #8 it is the MU ticket that is problem.

If they have issued tickets then surely there's a seat on the plane with their name on it? You don't need a booking reference to search if someone on a flight or not.

 

[Matt_01]

If they have issued tickets then surely there's a seat on the plane with their name on it? You don't need a booking reference to search if someone on a flight or not.

Sorry but you seem to be missing the point, I get you have wealth of travel knowledge and experience but this thread is about booking MU rewards with QF points.

If I understand the the OP correctly @Adrian Guest has used his/ her points to book a flight using QF points for a MU flight marketed from the QF site. The OP books flights via QF web site; QF issue the ticket and provide an 081-X.. ticket number number, all seems good.

The problem is that the ticket does not exist in the MU booking system and so there is no MU ticket number/ PNR - this equals no seat on the MU flight all other *OW flights exist e.g. CX, it is a major failing in the QF booking system.

 

[Adrian Guest]

If they have issued tickets then surely there's a seat on the plane with their name on it? You don't need a booking reference to search if someone on a flight or not.

Further complication is the fact that it was ticketed from South Korean side. Yes Matt (NRT not NAR).

 

[Adrian Guest]

Sorry but you seem to be missing the point, I get you have wealth of travel knowledge and experience but this thread is about booking MU rewards with QF points.

If I understand the the OP correctly @Adrian Guest has used his/ her points to book a flight using QF points for a MU flight marketed from the QF site. The OP books flights via QF web site; QF issue the ticket and provide an 081-X.. ticket number number, all seems good.

The problem is that the ticket does not exist in the MU booking system and so there is no MU ticket number/ PNR - this equals no seat on the MU flight all other *OW flights exist e.g. CX, it is a major failing in the QF booking system.

Exactly correct, Matt. That same date/flight/class is showing available for Classic Rewards today, just checked.
Could the fact that the Qantas ticketing was done from South Korea be a factor because the flights are ICN-PVG-MEL?

 

[Matt_01]

Exactly correct, Matt. That same date/flight/class is showing available for Classic Rewards today, just checked.
Could the fact that the Qantas ticketing was done from South Korea be a factor because the flights are ICN-PVG-MEL?

Booking via South Korea has nothing to do with the issue.

 

[Monya Meow Meow]

Have you already chosen your seats Adrian?
My flights were from Sydney to PVG and then onward to Okinawa.
What I did was to email the China Eastern office in Melbourne/Sydney, gave them my ticket number starting with 081 and told them my preferred seats.
They allocated them to me within 5 hours and I can see my seats all show up when I log into my Qantas account and check under my bookings.
I guess having a seat sort of means a confirmed ticket.
May want to try that out, hopefully it works.