About to book a flight ... what to know!!

[Xcitdcruiser]

Hello,

 

I was wondering if anyone can help - Qantas have released a sale for my preffered dates in Feb 2014.

 

The most direct route to get to my destination is SYD - DALLAS - SJU. This is $1718 - rack rate is $2850.

 

If I were to build the trip myself, flying from SYD to LAX, the LAX to SJU we could get it for about $1500 but that would be different tickets / airlines & an overnight stop in LAX which we aren't keen on.

 

I actually live in ADL, if we were to depart & return to ADL the price increased to $1995. Difference of $277 each.

 

I was tempted ot just book it from the Qantas site, but then decided to call the TA who i used for the cruise book to see what they could offer - a price beat of $1. mmm...

 

So, does anyone have any suggestions? Should I go with the TA or book it myself? Anything I should be checking before making the booking? I'm a little nervous as it's so far away....

[Globaliser]

The most direct route to get to my destination is SYD - DALLAS - SJU. This is $1718 - rack rate is $2850.

 

If I were to build the trip myself, flying from SYD to LAX, the LAX to SJU we could get it for about $1500 but that would be different tickets / airlines & an overnight stop in LAX which we aren't keen on.

 

I actually live in ADL, if we were to depart & return to ADL the price increased to $1995. Difference of $277 each.

I don't know what you mean by "rack rate". That's not a concept that exists in air fares, except maybe to refer to the full economy fare (which is about $9,200).

 

If building the trip yourself means an additional overnight stop, that's going to eat into the apparent $400 saving - you'd have to pay for a hotel night plus meals. And as far as I can see there's no way of getting from LAX to SJU without a connection. Plus it's an extra day's travel.

 

As for the additional cost of starting in ADL, as you must if that's where you live, how else would you get to SYD? It'll typically cost you about $150 each way to do that if you buy it separately.

 

Two things that might possibly save you a bit of money (but probably not much) if you want to fly QF on the long-haul sector are starting the long-haul trip in MEL (because it's a bit cheaper to get from ADL to MEL), or booking the trip on the AA website using AA flight numbers. However, if collecting frequent flyer miles is important to you, you will have to check carefully whether any particular flight using an AA flight number will earn QF frequent flyer miles - ISTR that some of AA booking classes earn nothing in the QF scheme.

 

But if you're looking to save money, I can see itineraries using other airlines which are still cheaper than the QF sale fare.

 

In terms of itinerary, check connecting times carefully to make sure you're comfortable with them.

 

For myself, this is the sort of trip on which I'd be using matrix.itasoftware.com to do a lot of the research work - particularly using the time bars display. There are so many ways to include and exclude options that you can quickly get a pretty good idea of what's good value and what's not.

[Globaliser]

One other possible consideration - equipment. Are you keen to fly on the A380? If so, pick your flights carefully. It's not operated between SYD and DFW, so on the way there you'd consign yourself to a two-connection itinerary to get to SJU. But on the way back, you have no choice but to do at least two connections to get to SYD, so you may be able to choose to be on an A380 rather than a B747.

[Xcitdcruiser]

Hi Globaliser,

Thank you for taking the time to post. I really appreciate it & hope i can pick your brains some more before the sale ends! (Sat i think)

 

'Rack rate' - i must have made this term up - i meant the flight when not on special.

 

I'm starting to think that the $400 'saving' will be more pain for what it's worth, as you mention, extra travel time, hotel cost, food - especially when our holiday will only be 2 weeks - need to focus on the destination rather than muck about on the journey!

 

Re starting in ADL - I think we'll now depart from ADL but end of the journey in SYD as i have family there & may spend some time .. we are able to get 2 for 1 vrigin flights through our credit card, so that may help...

 

Mile.. QF points, if i'm travelling all that way i would sure hope i earn some points! I may stick with QF rather than go through AA

 

The matrix site - amazing - i've spent lots of time playing around but i think it would be worth while more research if i were to break up the flights to save $$ rather than do the one trip with QF. Unless I'm missing something here...

 

A380! Excuse my ignorance, but that is the new aircraft? I'm a little confused with the 'connections' you mention but I'd be keen to look into how we can get on an A380! ... could you expand on this? I'm off to google A380's ....

 

And thank you again for your help!!

[Xcitdcruiser]

Ok, I think i may have figured this out. It appears as if I have 2 options for the return journey from SJU to SYD.

 

Option 1 - SJU - Dallas - BNE - SYD - 30hrs 20mins - B747. This flight doesn't 'advertise' BNE as a stop when it in fact touches down for 1.5hrs. Why is this?

 

Option 2 - SJU - Dallas - LAX - Syd - 28hrs 25mins - with the LAX - SYD on the A380.

 

SO I wonder why option 1 is the most 'popular' option with it coming up first on search engines & the one TA's have recommended? Comparing the 2 they have the same amount of stops & Option B is actually less travel time & uses the A380. What am I missing?

 

So, which would you choose & why?

[Globaliser]

Option 1 - SJU - Dallas - BNE - SYD - 30hrs 20mins - B747. This flight doesn't 'advertise' BNE as a stop when it in fact touches down for 1.5hrs. Why is this?

 

...

 

SO I wonder why option 1 is the most 'popular' option with it coming up first on search engines & the one TA's have recommended? Comparing the 2 they have the same amount of stops & Option B is actually less travel time & uses the A380. What am I missing?

Basically, the fact that they are playing on the difference between connections, direct flights and non-stop flights.

 

DFW-BNE is non-stop.

 

DFW-BNE-SYD is direct, because the aircraft stops at BNE but you continue on the same aircraft using the same flight number. For the through passengers, it's little different from a pure technical stop. Travel agents tend to market direct flights with the least possible mention of the stop, for obvious reasons.

 

DFW-LAX-SYD is a connection, because you change flight number and you change aircraft.

 

There are some hybrid situations, but what you've found illustrates the basic concepts.

 

So I wasn't entirely accurate when I said that SJU to SYD necessarily involved two connections - as you've just pointed out, SJU-DFW-BNE-SYD is one connection plus one stop.

 

Personally, if all other things were equal, at the moment I think I'd pick SJU-DFW-BNE-SYD (with DFW-BNE-SYD all on QF8) out of these two. There's only one connection (and therefore only one baggage transfer) and there is a very comfortable connection time at DFW.

 

But for me, there are two things that favour this that wouldn't apply to others: I'd get lounge access at DFW, plus I welcome the long DFW-BNE sector, which is scheduled at 16:15 - it departs at a nice time (2200) to get a really good solid sleep after dinner and before arriving at BNE. And one downside is the 747 rather than the 380 - but it might be a good one to try scoring a mileage upgrade.

 

These things illustrate that others may have different views. Some people will end up climbing the walls on a 16:15 flight (and even I have never actually done one that long, although I'm only a few minutes short), and might therefore prefer the shorter LAX-SYD sector (which is currently scheduled at 14:50 or 15:00 depending on flight).

[Globaliser]

Mile.. QF points, if i'm travelling all that way i would sure hope i earn some points! I may stick with QF rather than go through AA

It looks like you can't avoid at least one sector in each direction (the one to/from SJU) on an AA code. If you're booked in O class or Q class, which I think you would be at the fares you're looking at, these AA flights would earn nothing in the QF scheme. But if you can keep that loss to two relatively short flights, then you won't have missed out on much.

 

In theory, you could try to put those flights into another scheme in which you would earn (eg into AA's own scheme). But having just a few orphan miles in a scheme is useless, and sometimes worse than useless (think spam).

[kenish]

Ok, I think i may have figured this out. It appears as if I have 2 options for the return journey from SJU to SYD.

 

Option 2 - SJU - Dallas - LAX - Syd - 28hrs 25mins - with the LAX - SYD on the A380.

 

 

So, which would you choose & why?

 

For the SJU to LAX portion on AA, MIA and JFK are also connecting city possibilities. MIA has frequent service and could play into your schedule better than DFW. JFK will have longer flying times, but the timing of SJU departure or LAX arrival could be attractive (or not).

[Xcitdcruiser]

Thank you for all your your help! I'm leaning towards the Dallas route...

 

Looks like there will be a 5hr layover in SYD on the way over & another 5hrs in Dallas so I'm thinking of trying to get access to the Qantas lounge.. looks like i have 3 options..

 

I have seen 'guest passes' available for sale on ebay / gumtree. Is this recommended?

I found that AA offer 30 day passes for $99 (equates to only $25 each entry!) - that includes 2 guests - I wonder whether this is only available to US residents though...

[Globaliser]

Looks like there will be a 5hr layover in SYD on the way over & another 5hrs in Dallas so I'm thinking of trying to get access to the Qantas lounge.. looks like i have 3 options..

 

I have seen 'guest passes' available for sale on ebay / gumtree. Is this recommended?

 

I found that AA offer 30 day passes for $99 (equates to only $25 each entry!) - that includes 2 guests - I wonder whether this is only available to US residents though...

You've had more detailed answers elsewhere on this, but I should add that I personally wouldn't advise relying on buying guest passes to which you're not entitled. Unless you know exactly what you're getting and you trust the seller, you may have no idea whether you're getting something that is still valid, or needs to be used in conjunction with a valid current membership, etc.

 

I've also posted in detail elsewhere about your proposal to buy AA codes for the long flights, and the adverse effect that has on your QF Frequent Flyer earning.

[kenish]

I've also posted in detail elsewhere about your proposal to buy AA codes for the long flights, and the adverse effect that has on your QF Frequent Flyer earning.

 

Good point- OP, my earlier comments were about AA from SJU to LAX. Any AA flights should be available for booking as QF codeshares; but the comment about connecting cities still stands since it's on AA-operated aircraft.

[Globaliser]

Any AA flights should be available for booking as QF codeshares ...

Having had a look at the OP's plans, I think that the problem is that if he books AA codes on the itinerary that he wants, he can get the current O class sale fare on his dates. But if he books QF codes, O class is not available on his dates and he's pushed into more expensive Q or S classes. That poses a cost/FF earning dilemma which is not easy to resolve.

[Gardyloo]

Just a quick check on ITA shows that booking through AA and using AA codes on the Qantas metal will be a few dollars cheaper (on SYD-SJU-SYD) than using the Qantas codes throughout.

 

In that case I would suggest that the OP apply for an AAdvantage account and credit the flights to an AA mileage account. The O fares will earn full AA mileage (when on the AA code) and are fully redeemable on Qantas or other AA partners down the line.

 

The trip (SYD-DFW-SJU-DFW-SYD) would earn around 21,000 AA miles. If the you're interested in FF status, however, you could sign up for AA's "Platinum Challenge" and arrive home with AA Platinum (= Oneworld Sapphire = Qantas Gold) status. To earn Plat status, you have to earn 10,000 AA elite qualifying points (different from elite qualifying miles) within a 3-month period. Different fare categories earn different EQP; in the case of "O" and other discount economy fares one earns 1/2 EQP per mile flown. However, SYD-DFW-SJU is over 10,700 miles each way, so you'd easily hit the 10K points level on the final segment. (It would be counted as DFW-SYD, incidentally, since the same flight number is used for the BNE-SYD segment.)

 

One of the (many) benefits of Platinum status is a 100% earned (redeemable) mileage bonus, starting with the segment on which you cross the 10K point threshold, which in your case would be the DFW-(BNE)-SYD leg. So on that segment (and all subsequent flights on eligible partners) you'd earn double miles, taking your total for the whole trip to over 30,000 AA miles, enough for a return trip in economy within Oz, or one way to places in Asia, India or the Middle East. Here's AA's partner award chart.

 

In addition to the mileage bonus, as an AA Plat you'd have access to Qantas lounges regardless of the class of service you're flying (on QF metal), you'd receive various benefits with regard to baggage allowances, priority check-in, and other perks.

 

AA charges for signing up for the challenges, but depending on your flying patterns, it may well be worth it.

[Globaliser]

Good point about the challenge. I hadn't seen any reference to that in some time.

 

That would presumably give the OP one year of AA Platinum (OW Sapphire) followed by one year of AA Gold (OW Ruby = QF Silver), even with no more credits to the AA account? It might be worth having that even if the 21,000 AA miles expire. Certainly better than having zero QF miles and not enough flying to get any QF status.

 

Unfortunately, I think that the OP is in for more like $500 per person extra to fly QF codes because of availability problems on the QF codes.

[Gardyloo]

Good point about the challenge. I hadn't seen any reference to that in some time.

 

That would presumably give the OP one year of AA Platinum (OW Sapphire) followed by one year of AA Gold (OW Ruby = QF Silver), even with no more credits to the AA account? It might be worth having that even if the 21,000 AA miles expire. Certainly better than having zero QF miles and not enough flying to get any QF status.

 

Unfortunately, I think that the OP is in for more like $500 per person extra to fly QF codes because of availability problems on the QF codes.

I don't know how up-to-date ITA is on fare buckets, but throughout February I could see the AA codes available most days, and generally running a few dollars cheaper than the exact same flights, but carrying QF codes or mixed QF/AA codes (AA on the domestic US flights.)

 

I just ran a dummy booking through AA's Aussie site and came up with AUD1718 return on many dates in Feb/March 2014 - it could have been $120 or so less if I'd really hunted for the lowest fares throughout the month, but fares at the $1700 level were very easy to find. The one I picked was via DFW going and via JFK and Qantas 108 (one-oh-late) returning, albeit with the AA flight numbers attached.

 

You're right about the "soft landing" to Gold. If the OP challenged up to Platinum for February 2014 that status would last until March 2015, then they'd fall to AA Gold (= Oneworld Ruby = QF Silver) until March 2016. The 100% mileage bonus falls to 25% when the status falls, and the lounges are no longer available, so carpe diem or whatever.

 

Of course nobody knows what changes might ensue with AA's merger with US Airways. All parties have said that AA's mileage program would be the one to survive, but of course it might be some kind of mutant.

[kenish]

Good point about the challenge. I hadn't seen any reference to that in some time.

 

Last autumn either you or another experienced Oneworld participant suggested the challenge for my upcoming trip from LAX-SJU. I am now reaping the benefits of Platinum. :)

[Xcitdcruiser]

You've had more detailed answers elsewhere on this, but I should add that I personally wouldn't advise relying on buying guest passes to which you're not entitled. Unless you know exactly what you're getting and you trust the seller, you may have no idea whether you're getting something that is still valid, or needs to be used in conjunction with a valid current membership, etc.

 

I've also posted in detail elsewhere about your proposal to buy AA codes for the long flights, and the adverse effect that has on your QF Frequent Flyer earning.

 

Thanks again - but it looks like the AA 30 Day pass would be beneficial - can only be purchased 90 in advance, but it's def the way to go!

[Xcitdcruiser]

Oh my goodness - I thought i knew a whole heap about booking flights. Boy was I wrong. I appreciate all of the comments / suggestions - I am eager to ''learn'' so apologies if my questions are 'basic' & plain silly.

 

Firstly, I did up end booking the flights before i got the chance to read these comments ( i was under a massive amount of pressure on Friday afternoon to get something booked before the Qantas sale ended on Saturday!!). So, here are some 'facts':

 

I've booked what appears to be a QF flight between ADL - SYD. The rest of the legs (SYD-DFW-SJU-DFW-BNE-SYD) are all AA flights. This means that i will earn no Qantas points?

 

All legs are on the 'O' class.

 

BUT this AA Challenge scheme sounds like an option to reap some benefits? This is where I'm confused. Very simply, I can sign up to the challenge & i would have 'completed' it by the time i get home. The completion would give me a AA Platinum Status ( = Qantas Gold) for one year following. I would then be down graded to the Gold status. (= Qantas Silver)

 

I could trf the 'points' to redeem a domestic flight in Aus.

 

There is a cost of $240 for this AA Challenge? (But there is no way to 'purchase' such a membership through Qantas, hence it being the 'easy tier climber'?

 

And lastly, I'm not sure whether I included my Qantas my FF when purchasing the flight. I will inquire with the TA on Monday & if so, I should ask to have it removed?

 

Thank you again for all your help on this!!

[Globaliser]

I've booked what appears to be a QF flight between ADL - SYD. The rest of the legs (SYD-DFW-SJU-DFW-BNE-SYD) are all AA flights. This means that i will earn no Qantas points?

 

All legs are on the 'O' class.

Correct. You'll only earn QF points for the ADL-SYD flight, and it looks like all the rest are non-earning AA flights.

 

You can see which booking classes earn and which don't if you look here on the Qantas site: http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/program/terms#jump25

I could trf the 'points' to redeem a domestic flight in Aus.

Others will know more about the mechanics of the "Challenge", but you wouldn't need to transfer the points from AA to book domestic flights. You'd simply contact AA to book the QF award flights, providing there is award availability for the flights you want.

 

Transferring points from one scheme to another, even when it can be done, usually incurs substantial devaluations. Using them directly, if you can, is usually a better bet.

 

Also, I think you've had suggestions elsewhere about good uses for the AA points. The longer trans-Tasman flights look like they might end up being good value, particularly if AA allows you a connecting itinerary (eg ADL-SYD-AKL) for the same price as a non-stop or direct flight.

[Gardyloo]

I've booked what appears to be a QF flight between ADL - SYD. The rest of the legs (SYD-DFW-SJU-DFW-BNE-SYD) are all AA flights. This means that i will earn no Qantas points?

 

All legs are on the 'O' class.

Let's clarify a few things. First, assuming your ADL-SYD flight is operated by Qantas (and not Jetstar nor Virgin Australia) then whether or not you'd earn Qantas miles depends on the fare code.

 

The SYD-DFW flight is a "codeshare" service. It will have an AA flight number, but it will be a Qantas plane, and it will also carry a Qantas flight number. Basically, Qantas allows AA to sell a certain number of seats on their flight (and AA reciprocates) for which AA gets to put its flight number on it. If you look at your ticket or receipt, you'll see somewhere, maybe in small print, "Operated by Qantas."

 

To all appearances, there will be no difference in the seats, service, or anything else about the flight, except your frequent flyer mileage benefit will be different if you have assigned an AA FF number to your reservation rather than a QFF number.

 

As you already know, for AA-numbered (never mind who's actually flying the plane) flights in "O" fares, you'll receive no Qantas miles, but you will if your AAdvantage number is on the record.

 

It works the other way sometimes. As you can see on AA's chart for how many AA miles one earns when flying on Qantas, there are Qantas fare "buckets" that don't earn AA miles, or in some cases only earn reduced benefits, e.g. AAdvantage members flying in "O" class on Qantas-numbered flights only earn 50% miles. But the earning rates and classes are not identical - QFF members earn nothing on AA "O" fares while AAdvantage members earn 100% on AA "O" fares, but only 50% on Qantas "O" fares. I know this can be confusing, but understanding it is key to making frequent flyer schemes work for you.

 

BUT this AA Challenge scheme sounds like an option to reap some benefits? This is where I'm confused. Very simply, I can sign up to the challenge & i would have 'completed' it by the time i get home. The completion would give me a AA Platinum Status ( = Qantas Gold) for one year following. I would then be down graded to the Gold status. (= Qantas Silver)

 

I could trf the 'points' to redeem a domestic flight in Aus.

First you need to open an AAdvantage account, done online in seconds. Then, you contact AA customer service to apply for the Platinum Challenge. I'm not sure what phone number one would use in Oz, but start with the regular reservations line and ask to be transferred to "Aadvantage Customer Service" and they'll probably shoot you over.

 

Sign up for the challenge (you'll have to pay for it then) and select a start date before (but not too long before) your departure to the US. The challenge must be completed in 3 months (or 90 days, not sure which) so you want to be sure your travel to San Juan is bracketed by those limits. If I recall correctly the challenges are started on the 1st and 16th of the month, so if you're flying on the first, have the challenge start the previous 16th, and so on. If you've booked the flights many months in advance, put a reminder on your calendar or string around your whatever, to sign up for the challenge the month or a couple of weeks prior to your flights.

 

As to transferring miles/points from one program to another, forget it. To redeem AA miles, just go online with AA and redeem away. You can book Qantas award flights online with AA, also flights on AA planes, BA and other AA partners.

 

There is a cost of $240 for this AA Challenge? (But there is no way to 'purchase' such a membership through Qantas, hence it being the 'easy tier climber'?

 

And lastly, I'm not sure whether I included my Qantas my FF when purchasing the flight. I will inquire with the TA on Monday & if so, I should ask to have it removed?

 

Thank you again for all your help on this!!

Qantas doesn't have a challenge program (that I'm aware of) so this will all need to be done with AA.

 

I would sign up for an AA account, then contact your TA (or better, contact AA) and have them replace your Qantas number with your AA number. I'd also find out what the fare basis is for the Qantas-numbered ADL-SYD segment, and if it also earns AA miles then change the FF number for the whole trip. Remember that the SYD-ADL segment at the end of the trip will also count for double miles if you've completed the AA challenge in the meantime.

 

Also, I think you've had suggestions elsewhere about good uses for the AA points. The longer trans-Tasman flights look like they might end up being good value, particularly if AA allows you a connecting itinerary (eg ADL-SYD-AKL) for the same price as a non-stop or direct flight.

 

Yes, and, to be blunt, IMO AA's program is altogether more generous than Qantas'. For example, PER-xSYD-AKL is 10,000 AA miles in economy, 17,500 in business class. The same itinerary would require 25,000 QFF points in economy and 50,000 in business class.

[Globaliser]

Yes, and, to be blunt, IMO AA's program is altogether more generous than Qantas'.

To be blunt/fair, being more generous than Qantas is not difficult!

[Xcitdcruiser]

First you need to open an AAdvantage account, done online in seconds.

 

Sign up for the challenge (you'll have to pay for it then) and select a start date before (but not too long before) your departure to the US. If you've booked the flights many months in advance, put a reminder on your calendar or string around your whatever, to sign up for the challenge the month or a couple of weeks prior to your flights.

 

Ok, I am now a AA member. My departure is 13 Feb. I have set a reminder to sign up for the challenge on the 17th Jan. Now, there is a cost involved, in your opinion the benefits (QF Gold = extra baggae, QF Lounge) outweigh the cost?

 

Contact your TA (or better, contact AA) and have them replace your Qantas number with your AA number. I'd also find out what the fare basis is for the Qantas-numbered ADL-SYD segment, and if it also earns AA miles then change the FF number for the whole trip. Remember that the SYD-ADL segment at the end of the trip will also count for double miles if you've completed the AA challenge in the meantime..

 

Let's clarify a few things. First, assuming your ADL-SYD flight is operated by Qantas (and not Jetstar nor Virgin Australia) then whether or not you'd earn Qantas miles depends on the fare code.

 

 

I called the TA & she provided me with the Fare Basis of ADL-SYD segment. This IS a Qantas flight (not Jetstar / Virgin). It is OPTKIX - she was unable to tell me whether this earnt AA miles. I googled this & someone esle's e-ticket actually came up ! ops... How can I find out whether this earns AA miles?

 

The TA sent through soem documentation & i noticed that for the same segment ADL-SYD The fare Basis is actually: OJE0A9Q1 . Is this the same thing?? Or did she much up in the first one?

 

She also suggested that I leave the QF FF no on there but couldn't give me a reason. I asked whether she could put in diff FF no's for diff segments & she was unsure. I said that I will look into to further to see what i would like to do..

 

And my last question - with the AA scheme, is the redeeming miles for flights works independantly of the AA Challenge?

 

Your help is much appreciated!! I feel like I've learnt so much in the last week!

[Globaliser]

Now, there is a cost involved, in your opinion the benefits (QF Gold = extra baggae, QF Lounge) outweigh the cost?

This depends critically on how much travel you're going to do during the time when you have AA Platinum and then AA Gold status, and what sort of travel.

 

If you're not going to fly on QF or other oneworld airlines at all during that period, then clearly there is no point earning the status through the Challenge. You have to use the status, and the benefits are all flying-related.

 

Equally, if you're going to be doing a lot of flying where you'd get the benefits anyway (eg lots of business class travel and/or travel with cabin baggage only), then the status is going to make little difference to your travel.

 

However, if you think you're going to do significant amounts of economy or premium economy travel, which is where having the benefits of status really make a difference, then it's much more likely to be worth it.

I called the TA & she provided me with the Fare Basis of ADL-SYD segment. This IS a Qantas flight (not Jetstar / Virgin). It is OPTKIX - she was unable to tell me whether this earnt AA miles. I googled this & someone esle's e-ticket actually came up ! ops... How can I find out whether this earns AA miles?

 

The TA sent through soem documentation & i noticed that for the same segment ADL-SYD The fare Basis is actually: OJE0A9Q1. Is this the same thing?? Or did she much up in the first one?

Fare basis OJE0A9Q1 is what I'd expect to see, as that's what was being returned by the search engines when I was looking at pricing. That fare covers your entire travel from ADL to SJU, and you should see this for each sector from ADL to SJU. So if that's what your documents say, I wouldn't worry at all. I don't know what your TA was on about in relation to OPTKIX.

 

(The fare covering all of SJU to SYD has the same fare basis designator, so you should see that as well.)

[Zach1213]

You people keep spelling Quantas wrong!!

 

:D

[Gardyloo]

Ok, I am now a AA member. My departure is 13 Feb. I have set a reminder to sign up for the challenge on the 17th Jan. Now, there is a cost involved, in your opinion the benefits (QF Gold = extra baggae, QF Lounge) outweigh the cost?

This is impossible to answer without knowing your travel patterns. If you travel internationally, you may find that the increased baggage allowance and lounge access is "worth it" to you. Or, saving the $25 Qantas charges for advance seat selection - which is waived for elite FFers - may be "worth it." Access to lounges within Oz (even on domestic flights) with their free food and beverage services pre-flight, may be "worth it." Being able to check in at the business desk, avoiding the queues at the economy desks, may be "worth it." Depends.

 

I called the TA & she provided me with the Fare Basis of ADL-SYD segment. This IS a Qantas flight (not Jetstar / Virgin). It is OPTKIX - she was unable to tell me whether this earnt AA miles. I googled this & someone esle's e-ticket actually came up ! ops... How can I find out whether this earns AA miles?

I provided the link in my previous posts. "O" fares on Qantas-numbered flights earn 50% miles when credited to an AA account.

 

The TA sent through soem documentation & i noticed that for the same segment ADL-SYD The fare Basis is actually: OJE0A9Q1 . Is this the same thing?? Or did she much up in the first one?

 

She also suggested that I leave the QF FF no on there but couldn't give me a reason. I asked whether she could put in diff FF no's for diff segments & she was unsure. I said that I will look into to further to see what i would like to do..

Which only confirms what everybody already knows. TAs are clueless (often worse - simply misinformed) about FF programs. You want to put the AA FF number on all flights, because as stated an "O" fare on a Qantas-numbered flight will earn 50% AA miles and an "O" fare on AA-numbered flights will earn 100% of AA miles. "O" fares credited to Qantas mileage accounts will earn 0% miles, regardless of the flight number or airline designation.

 

And my last question - with the AA scheme, is the redeeming miles for flights works independantly of the AA Challenge?

Completely independently.

 

You need to double-check your reservation to make sure that your SYD-DFW and subsequent flights (except the final SYD-ADL flight) all have AA flight numbers, for example AA 7308 for the SYD-DFW flight.