US Airways Dividend Miles (Pre-FlightFund Merger) - QF Award Date Change

I think I know the answer to this but thought I'd ask the experts...

I've got 4 US/QF award tickets for travel July/Aug this year, issued 10/5/2004. For various reasons I need to postpone the trip (which is a bummer as I was looking forward to trying out the new QF skybeds while they still have that new car smell).

If I change make a date change, what's the latest I can travel on these tickets. One year from original issue date, or first flight date, or some other date? Is it easier to redeposit and start again?

Thx

If you'll need to change both the outbound and and return, then you're basically getting a new ticket (what you have now won't help you). Since you're CP, I believe that you can redeposit partner awards for free.

However, if you can standby using the tickets you have, then that's an option. Not sure if it's allowed though.

Welcome to FT.

Forget about standby on a QF reward. They're real sticklers on cheap tix.

I think I know the answer to this but thought I'd ask the experts...

I've got 4 US/QF award tickets for travel July/Aug this year, issued 10/5/2004. For various reasons I need to postpone the trip (which is a bummer as I was looking forward to trying out the new QF skybeds while they still have that new car smell).

If I change make a date change, what's the latest I can travel on these tickets. One year from original issue date, or first flight date, or some other date? Is it easier to redeposit and start again?

Thx

Warning - QF will do anything to get freeloaders out of their planes - especially freeloaders from US when they are not part of *A and have a partnership agreement with AA. I flew QF from LAX to SYD to CHC 3 years ago in first and then back the same route and then tried to book it last year again. QF told me that I was NEVER allowed to fly the Tasman twice on any award (thus taking you out of first into Business from AKL to LAX). Moreover, QF makes very few beds available for US miles-users. If you can get them, good luck to you. I tried and tried and finally gave up and burned an extra 30k on *A (AirNZ) for first class.

Warning - QF will do anything to get freeloaders out of their planes - especially freeloaders from US when they are not part of *A and have a partnership agreement with AA. I flew QF from LAX to SYD to CHC 3 years ago in first and then back the same route and then tried to book it last year again. QF told me that I was NEVER allowed to fly the Tasman twice on any award (thus taking you out of first into Business from AKL to LAX). Moreover, QF makes very few beds available for US miles-users. If you can get them, good luck to you. I tried and tried and finally gave up and burned an extra 30k on *A (AirNZ) for first class.


The first part is indeed true "QF will do anything to get freeloaders out of their planes," but the second statement "... especially freeloaders from US" IS NOT. Once Qantas gives away all their award seats, it's basically impossible to get them to open another seat. Qantas and US Airways have been partners for a very, very long time. In fact, they were partners even before the airline became US Air and then US Airways. If Qantas had such negative feelings about US Airways, they would have ended their partnership a long time ago, especially given that US Airways joined Star Alliance-- the biggest rival of oneworld.

Qantas is a highly profitable airline, naturally they don't like giving away their seats. I have flown about 10 flights (2 round-trips) with Qantas in First/Business using DM miles and though they clearly knew I was on a free ticket, they still treated me like royalty. On my last trip, Qantas had a mechanical problem with the aircraft and I ended up missing my connection back to the United States. Qantas put me in a 4-star hotel for the night and because everything they had was overbooked in First/Business around those dates, they put in F with British Airways via London. The agents kept telling me that as a US CP, it was obvious I flew quite a lot, and that they hoped I would consider flying Qantas again.

Yes, the Tasman rule is true. Most US Airways international reps know this rule and would advice you that it can't be done. However, since you were already ticketed, you should have asked to speak to a supervisor. If US Airways booked the ticket, it was their mistake, not yours. Therefore, Qantas should not have put you back in Coach. I hope you called DM and asked them to redeposit some of your miles.

Finally, Qantas does not really discriminate US Airways when it comes to redeemption opportunities. The problem is that QF flyers have access to that inventory 30 days before we do. I have been successful booking a free F award 6 months in advance for a July departure, but it does take a lot of time and work. Neverthless, the inventory is still there, you just have to find it.

but the second statement "... especially freeloaders from US" IS NOT.



Yes, the Tasman rule is true. Most US Airways international reps know this rule and would advice you that it can't be done. However, since you were already ticketed, you should have asked to speak to a supervisor. If US Airways booked the ticket, it was their mistake, not yours. Therefore, Qantas should not have put you back in Coach. I hope you called DM and asked them to redeposit some of your miles.

I have been successful booking a free F award 6 months in advance for a July departure, but it does take a lot of time and work. Neverthless, the inventory is still there, you just have to find it.

Ok - I was merely speculating about the preferrence for AA partners. It just seems that Quantas' on-flight marketing is geared to AA partner fliers and nary a mention of US was made.

Regardign the Tasman rule. Let me clarify the chronology. In 2003 I FLEW LAX-SYD-Christchurch and then back CHC-SYD-LAX in First and nobody mentioned a thing. In 2004 when I tried to book the same itinerary for 2005, I was told that such an itinerary was IMPOSSIBLE for QF. I informed them (US rep) that I had done it before and they said "thats impossible this has always been the rule." Which of course belied my reality. So I was faced with burning 135k miles for an inbound FC and outbound Business class OR, going to star alliance and booking a first on AirNZ and skipping the Tasman altogether.

Moreover, the inventory on Air NZ, even in first, was about 5 times what it was for a QF FC award seat. I called for a QF award several times a week for weeks to no avail before finally giving up after probably 6 hours of effort. I got the AirNZ FC award on the first call. It was a far different experience.