Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan - Routing Restrictions on Qantas Awards?

Has anyone ever booked an AS/QF award SEA-HNL-SYD? I'm trying to book that routing and am being told that it's not a valid routing for a Qantas award (specifically, that HNL can be an origin or destination but not a connecting point). Is this correct? I've never heard of that type of restriction on an award.

That is very weird... Did you try calling again?

As far as QF is concerned, Hawaii is included in their definition of North America according to this chart on AS.com (http://www.alaskaair.com/content/mileage-plan/using-miles/using-miles-overview/north-america-definitions.aspx)

So that rules out my original theory of Hawaii being its own unique region, which is not the case here.

As a matter of fact, SEA-HNL-SYD is shorter than SEA-LAX-SYD.

I would try calling again and hopefully this time around you will get it. Time is of the essence when it comes to QF F awards.

QF fly HNL-SYD only 4 days a week....so if the agent didn't look at all 7 days of the week, the only option would be JetStar, and I don't know that that is a valid option even though JQ is owned by QF.

The other explanation might be that AS won't route you through HNL, and QF isn't the issue. But keep calling back.

Too bad missy is up to her eyeballs in Malbec and beef...she'd probably be able to find the answer.

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I don't know that AS will put us on JQ with a QF award...

Time is of the essence when it comes to QF F awards.

I don't think you get QF F on HNL-SYD. You get "dreamtime" J (http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/international-business-class/global/en?int_cam=au:intlBus#your-seat) (which appears to be an old-school recliner (http://www.airliners.net/photo/0688061/) :(). Might be worth it to be able to route that way, though.

That is very weird... Did you try calling again?
As a matter of fact, SEA-HNL-SYD is shorter than SEA-LAX-SYD.

I would try calling again and hopefully this time around you will get it. Time is of the essence when it comes to QF F awards.

I heard this from multiple agents, one appeared to research the issue and returned to the line seemingly reading the rule that HNL can be an origin or destination but not a stopover point.

QF fly HNL-SYD only 4 days a week....so if the agent didn't look at all 7 days of the week, the only option would be JetStar, and I don't know that that is a valid option even though JQ is owned by QF.

The other explanation might be that AS won't route you through HNL, and QF isn't the issue. But keep calling back.

Too bad missy is up to her eyeballs in Malbec and beef...she'd probably be able to find the answer.

I found QF seats using KVS but had to settle for HNL-SYD-LAX-SEA... would love to be corrected and find out that I can add in the SEA-HNL leg (and a bit of an HNL stopover :) )

I found QF seats using KVS but had to settle for HNL-SYD-LAX-SEA... would love to be corrected and find out that I can add in the SEA-HNL leg (and a bit of an HNL stopover :) )

Well, if you have 12.5 K AMEX points, or other means of transferring (Marriott and so on), you can transfer them to BA Avios and for 12.5K Avios, get an AS Y flight SEA-HNL on a separate ticket. (BA has a distance based chart instead of the charts where American carriers charge extra mileage for Hawaii.) ;)

Has anyone ever booked an AS/QF award SEA-HNL-SYD? I'm trying to book that routing and am being told that it's not a valid routing for a Qantas award (specifically, that HNL can be an origin or destination but not a connecting point). Is this correct? I've never heard of that type of restriction on an award.

What AS is really saying here is that they will not give you a complimentary flight SEA-HNL to begin your award. I've talked to many agents about the same thing, and I believe this is the rule/reason. You can pay for yourself to get to HNL and start your award there or look for other availability from a separate gateway.

What AS is really saying here is that they will not give you a complimentary flight SEA-HNL to begin your award. I've talked to many agents about the same thing, and I believe this is the rule/reason. You can pay for yourself to get to HNL and start your award there or look for other availability from a separate gateway.

I'm glad I'm not the only one hearing this, I just find it odd that there are exceptions to the "Alaska will provide transportation to the partner gateway rule" -- is this the only one or are there others?

I'm glad I'm not the only one hearing this, I just find it odd that there are exceptions to the "Alaska will provide transportation to the partner gateway rule" -- is this the only one or are there others?

The only other one I'm aware of is the "no eastbound flights for westbound journies." That is, if you live on the west coast and desire to take a trans-pacific flight, AS will not fly you eastward to start your award.

For example, if you live in Seattle, AS will not fly you SEA-ORD to begin a CX journey ORD-HKG. You can start in ORD, but AS will not fly you there. AS considers this a form of "backtracking" or effectively "wasted travel" and will refuse to ticket such an itinerary, citing contractual obligations. From SEA, the CX departure points that AS will connect you to are only YVR, SFO, and LAX. You can make your own way to ORD, JFK, or YYZ, but AS will not provide complimentary transportation to or from those cities as part of a west-bound award.

The only other one I'm aware of is the "no eastbound flights for westbound journies." That is, if you live on the west coast and desire to take a trans-pacific flight, AS will not fly you eastward to start your award.

For example, if you live in Seattle, AS will not fly you SEA-ORD to begin a CX journey ORD-HKG. You can start in ORD, but AS will not fly you there. AS considers this a form of "backtracking" or effectively "wasted travel" and will refuse to ticket such an itinerary, citing contractual obligations. From SEA, the CX departure points that AS will connect you to are only YVR, SFO, and LAX. You can make your own way to ORD, JFK, or YYZ, but AS will not provide complimentary transportation to or from those cities as part of a west-bound award.

The AS metal rule is confusing, they refused to transport me LAX-SEA/PDX-SFO so I could connect to my outbound CX award since SFO was the only city with F availability. It was either pay your own way or fly up on QX to SJC then figure my way to SFO. I thought my request was reasonable since SFO was the only option, but AS refused to do it. Later YVR had F space, so I changed to that and AS flew me up there from LAX.

Has anyone ever booked an AS/QF award SEA-HNL-SYD? I'm trying to book that routing and am being told that it's not a valid routing for a Qantas award (specifically, that HNL can be an origin or destination but not a connecting point). Is this correct? I've never heard of that type of restriction on an award.

Made this conection last February. Booked 2 seperate tix. YEG-SEA-HNL return, and HNL-NAN-SYD return. Air Pacific is an AS partner owned by Quantas. You can generate miles on AS on the entire run. Drawback is a long layover in Fiji.

Made this conection last February. Booked 2 seperate tix. YEG-SEA-HNL return, and HNL-NAN-SYD return. Air Pacific is an AS partner owned by Quantas. You can generate miles on AS on the entire run. Drawback is a long layover in Fiji.

Quantas? Qantas does not "own" FJ. For a good value Business class trans Pacific fare, check out FJ's prices. Not lie flat business, but at the prices they charge, a big, lazy recliner may be pretty good.