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Qantas Z Award Booked for Dec 2006 ..Thank You and 1 Quick Question

Qantas Z Award Booked for Dec 2006 ..Thank You and 1 Quick Question

 
Old Feb 24, 2006, 10:23 am
  #1  
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Qantas Z Award Booked for Dec 2006 ..Thank You and 1 Quick Question

Just wanted to give a big thanks to everyone's help in this forum..without it we would not have been able to obtain the tickets we wanted. After about a month of calling AAdvantage reservations at 3am EST every morning I was able to get 2 First Class Award tickets on Qantas. We planned on flying to Australia, spending some time there, flying to Queenstown, and then flying back. We got the following intinerary by calling about 100 times in the last month!

DEC 25 QN 108 JFK - LAX (Z)
DEC 25 QN 94 LAX - MEL (Z)

JAN 20 QN 122 ZQN - SYD (U)

JAN 20 QN 3 SYD - HNL (U)
JAN 20 AA 162 HNL - LAX (Z)
JAN 20 AA 30 LAX - JFK (Z)

Hopefully this gives hope to everyone trying to redeem AA miles for an AAdvantage award.

One quick question...on the SYD - HNL leg on Qantas would you recommend sitting in business in the main cabin or the upper cabin? Anyone have any experience?

Thanks again to everyone for all their help!

Adam
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 10:37 am
  #2  
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It sucks that you're paying for F and riding in J for one transpac segment. Personally, that would be a no go for me, but I know how tough these awards are to get. Since you are doing an all-partner award, you can change your routing for $100, if Z comes available on the return. Keep checking!

Did you check TN as well?

Have you considered making it a Oneworld award (a premium of 35,000 miles per ticket)? That opens up returning through HKG on CX. I've found that QF has several dates with Z availability on its MEL-HKG flight (and vice versa).

As for your question, go with the upper deck if you've never experienced it before.
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 10:38 am
  #3  
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You're probably flying QF, according to my classic male intuition...

I usualy prefer the SUD (Stretched Upper Deck) on business class flights that offer one (though Prince Charles is obviously unimpressed!) because the seats are 2 + 2 without any "V" shape coming to a pointy end with storage cabinets (on QF 747-338; on 747-400s it's much preferable than sitting in the 2 x 3 x 2 seating.) On the -338, both business cabins are smaller and more intimate feeling than on the -438s, where I definitely prefer the SUD. Row 15 is the one to get for 'way more seat pitch on the -338, and I think it's 16 on the -438. (I think the new business seats may not be installed on all the -338s, either.) YMMV.

I believe QF has some aircraft diagrams on its website, but check www.seatguru.com for sure.
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 11:33 am
  #4  
 
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Well, I guess those elusive QF awards are available after all. You just have to call 100 time a month at 3AM 9 months out and settle for one leg in a lower class of service flying through Hawaii.

Last edited by millionmiler; Feb 25, 2006 at 7:38 am
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 11:35 am
  #5  
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QF awards are another area where Expertflyer really pays for itself. There is QF Z class availability out there, you just gotta find it. EF is a great tool for it.
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 12:48 pm
  #6  
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Originally Posted by PresRDC
There is QF Z class availability out there,
Yeah, on Christmas Day
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 2:47 pm
  #7  
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Originally Posted by ijgordon
Yeah, on Christmas Day
It's out there, it's just totally random. Spending some time on EF searching for it will, IME, produce results.

For example, I just this week put a 180,000 mile F Oneworld Award on hold for late May/early June.

I was able to secure QF availability on the dates I wanted between MEL and HKG (QF29/30). From what I've seen, there is a good deal of availability on this flight. Not every day, mind you, but a few times a week -- and this is with three months notice. I've also found QF to have pretty good U and X (their class for economy seats) class availability for flights within Australa. I was able to add a MEL-DPO (Y) and HBA-SYD (J) segement with no problem.

I've found a few days with Z availability on QF 94 (LAX-MEL) as well. Before I had to cancel it, I had Z seats on the daytime LAX-SYD flight and the QF 107 SYD-LAX.

To be fair, I've never seen anything more than Z1.
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 3:07 pm
  #8  
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Man, I've been searching for award availability on 25 DEC to OZ in U class. I haven't found anything since the seats came available to non-QF folks. During the QF-only period, however, there were enough for 4 people across 2 different flights LAX-SYD. But those dried up a long time ago.

*sigh* I guess I'll keep my eyes glued to EF.

And a newbie managed to snag 2 Z seats at that! Alright, I hereby surrender my "Original Member" moniker.
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 3:44 pm
  #9  
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Well, I'm newbie in the forum but I've been an AA Plat member for sometime and have booked several other international award trips. It was all about calling at 3am EST every morning. I found that on the days I called at 8am any Z flights that had been loaded were already gone.
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 5:13 pm
  #10  
 
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but now, heres the ultimate query.

I'm happy to have our TN routing in F. Its direct, Im happy, no qualms. In fact, we are doing F on TN throughout, and even will do 2 days in Tahiti just to stretch our legs. priot to knowing about TN, Tahiti wasnt even a thought.

But here is a teenie part of me saying , should I just call AA as our trip date gets closer (around july 4) and see if any F seats have opened on Q.

It only cost us $100 bucks per ticket IF any QF seat is available.


So, has anyone here experienced both and can comment? worth an extra 100 bucks to go QF?
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 6:13 pm
  #11  
 
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Originally Posted by Adam91281

One quick question...on the SYD - HNL leg on Qantas would you recommend sitting in business in the main cabin or the upper cabin? Anyone have any experience?

Thanks again to everyone for all their help!

Adam
I would certainly try for the first 5 rows as its in the pointy end and FEELS like first class.
but also keep checking for direct seats and just pay to change. bus is nowhere near as good as first and to pay out all those points!
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Old Feb 24, 2006, 8:42 pm
  #12  
 
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Originally Posted by millionmiler
Well, I guess those elusive QF awards are available after all. You just have to call 100 time a month 9 months out and settle for one leg in a lower class of service flying through Hawaii.
You forgot the 3 AM part.
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Old Feb 25, 2006, 7:39 am
  #13  
 
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Originally Posted by Ready2Go
You forgot the 3 AM part.
Fixed. Thanks.


The lack of QF awards is my biggest problem with OW. Others may disagree...
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Old Feb 25, 2006, 8:22 am
  #14  
 
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I was happy with my 2 F-class tickets in TN, until they changed the flights on us in such a way that I couldn't go anymore due to a schedule conflict. I've been starting to look again on TN but am concerned with "rumors of its demise". Any info out there?

Originally Posted by the phoenix
but now, heres the ultimate query.

I'm happy to have our TN routing in F. Its direct, Im happy, no qualms. In fact, we are doing F on TN throughout, and even will do 2 days in Tahiti just to stretch our legs. priot to knowing about TN, Tahiti wasnt even a thought.

But here is a teenie part of me saying , should I just call AA as our trip date gets closer (around july 4) and see if any F seats have opened on Q.

It only cost us $100 bucks per ticket IF any QF seat is available.


So, has anyone here experienced both and can comment? worth an extra 100 bucks to go QF?
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Old Feb 25, 2006, 10:05 am
  #15  
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Originally Posted by millionmiler
Fixed. Thanks.


The lack of QF awards is my biggest problem with OW. Others may disagree...
QF awards in general are not too bad to obtain; getting availability on US-OZ is hard in main, because (a) it is a v popular route and not that many flights and (b) AA elects not to allow award bookings until 330 days before departure rather than 355 and

Dave
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