polarpacific

Hello

My other post about using QF points on CX was primarily about availability -- QF vs CX, and QF website vs QF telephone.

A side-point arose from that booking process which is the main purpose of this thread.

It seems that QF does not allow mixed-class married-segment redemptions ... and instead quotes the points required for a one-way trip requiring a transfer as the points required to redeem two separate legs.

For example:

YVR-HKG one-way is 50,000 points in Y or 92,000 points in J
HKG-CKG one-way is 14,000 points in Y or 26,000 points in J

YVR-HKG-CKG one-way is only 56,000 in Y (both legs) or 104,000 in J (both legs). Thus, the incremental cost of adding the regional leg is only 6000 in Y (instead of 14,000 separately) or 12,000 in J (instead of 26,000 separately).

That is all fine and actually provides very good value for J all-the-way through.

But, if due to availabilities, one has to select YVR-HKG-CKG with J longhaul and Y regional, the total quoted is not the expected 98,000 (=92,000+6,000) but 106,000 (=92,000+14,000) !

Is this really the true intended policy? It appears to end up actually costing more points to fly J+Y (106,000) than J+J (104,000) on a one-way trip with just a required transfer (not stopover).

If this is not the intended policy and the quotations are a programming error, how to rectify?

Thanks

edy4eva

The policy isn't very clear to be honest. You could mix classes under the same award as evidenced by the online booking results, but you might get the odd staff who will insist they must be booked separately.

I helped a friend find redemption seats on BNE-SIN(QF)-SIN-DXB-GLA(EK) in J-F-J (F for SIN-DXB). He had to call to book it after the online engine through out an error at the payment page. The QF agent insisted they must be done separately (BNE-SIN//SIN-GLA) and that no multiple classes can be booked even though the second booking had multiple classes!

Go figure!

He also got charged twice for the booking assistance fees!

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

there is no incremental cost as you put it to fly the extra regional sector. qantas awards are zone based, so if you have through connection, the total mileage is what counts.

if you need to break your journey, or otherwise change something around then it might be a case that the system is adding the two sectors, rather than just based on the total mileage.

what sort of connection time is involved when you're getting the higher than expected quote?

polarpacific

Hi LHR/MEL

Thanks for the good point about total mileage.

But shouldn't the points for J+Y be less than the points for J+J on the same flights?

In the combination I gave, CX837 from YVR arrives in HKG at 19:15+1, and the regional flight departs at either 09:00+2 or 13:50+2.

The transfer interval is therefore less than 24 hours. For example, CX837 departs Monday afternoon and arrives Tuesday evening in HKG, and the regional flights depart HKG either Wednesday morning or afternoon.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

as with many (most?) other programs... the highest mileage level of highest class will apply.

so even if you had to fly economy for the last short sector, I'd still expect the total business class price to apply.

if it comes up higher than J/J then there seems to be an error.

polarpacific

The QF points table for classic award on partner airline for Zone 8 in First is 152,000 points.

YVR-HKG-CKG distance is definitely Zone 8, but while the long-haul YVR-HKG on CX metal has F daily, the regional HKG-CKG is only possible on KA in J.

Is it correct that a one-way ticket YVR-HKG-CKG with *required* mixed legs of F+J should be the 152,000 points shown in that table under First?

I previously thought that the total should be only 146,000 by combining 134,000 for YVR-HKG in F with the 12,000 for HKG-CKG in J (calculated by the total of 104,000 for YVR-HKG-CKG in J less the 92,000 for just YVR-HKG in J). This was explained earlier as not being the correct calculation.

But the QF telephone staff insisted that regardless of the points table showing 152,000, a straight-through ticket YVR-HKG-CKG in F+J would require a larger amount of 160,000 points.

Essentially, the unavoidable mixed legs are being calculated separately as 134,000 for YVR-HKG in F plus 26,000 for HKG-CKG in J.

Is this calculation truly correct? If so, any long-haul F plus regional connection which only offers J will cost more than the amount in the table for that total distance in F !

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

the total distance is 8293 as you state.

provided you are not stopping over, the correct calculation should be 152,000 points for the total itinerary.

I can't even see how QF calculated the 160k? YVR-HKG is 134K and HKG-CGK at 2015 miles would be 38K in business class anyway. Which comes to more than 160K.

I don't what the screw up is with the computer... but... if you have the points... book the total itinerary, then write to Qantas and have them investigate the apparent incorrect price. (with a refund of the excess to follow if one is due). You wouldn't want to miss out on the award seats just for the few thousand miles.

I just tried to book the same itinerary as you and am getting a total of 172K for F/J - which would be the combination of 134K plus 28K.

Maybe the qantas systems is getting confused with the dateline and thinking you actually have a stopover in HKG because of the date differences?

polarpacific

Hi LHR/MEL

Thanks for your input. It wasn't an internet problem -- it was quoted by the QF telephone staff *Supervisor* ... and she insisted that it was not possible to book YVR-HKG-CKG in F+J for 152000.

She was adamant that the website partner points table showing 152000 was only valid for itineraries with same cabin all the way through, and therefore the Zone 8 trip with directly connecting legs in F+J (where F not offered) must be quoted as two separate parts of 134000 in F for YVR-HKG and 26000 in J for HKG-CKG.

[By the way, the latter is Zone 2 HKG to Chongqing CKG, not Zone 3 HKG to Jakarta CGK.]

Anyway, I did not proceed with overpaying, but did lock-in the single F seat that was showing for YVR-HKG on CX889 on 27MAY for myself + infant.

As there wasn't even a single seat accessible for QF awards in J or PE on that flight, I also just paid cash direct to CX for a PE seat to ensure we are all on the same flight.

There was availability in Y for the regional connection HKG-CKG on KA840 for 28MAY, so I did also book a separate ticket for all three of us using points (2 x 14000).

Fortunately, as we learned in the other thread, the F+PE long-haul allows all of us access to the F lounge in HKG for the 8 hours layover, plus baggage allowance all the way through, so J on the short-haul wasn't critical.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

sorry! I read it as Jakarta.

you should now write to qantas frequent flyer, including the booking PNR and ask them to prove the award correctly.

it is possible for qantas to mix classes on the award, with the most expensive class applying for the whole journey