[Anonymous]

[PerthWA]

Ok so call me stupid… I book a ticket SIN/LHR/SIN through BA only to find I’m flying on Qantas codeshare. Happy me … as a QFF Platinum, One World Emerald this means I can have my favourite seat doesn’t it?
Well, actually no. Qantas has disowned me for both of the flights as I’m on a BA ticket and BA can’t give me my favourite seat on the Qantas aircraft because it doesn’t have access to these seats. Has the world gone mad? What is the point of One World? What is the point of Emerald status if I get disowned by both airlines over my favourite seat???

[FlyingChinaman]

ONEWORLD is not at all one world when it comes to membership benefits compared to STARALLIANCE starting off with checked baggage allowance AND seat selection.

I was charged several times excess baggage when flying with the One World member airlines where they give no UNIFORM benefits to the other OW members rather their own. Each airline grants special priveledges to their OWN members!!! Bad move!

My home carrier belongs to the ONEWORLD group but if I have multi-carriers trips and I am carrying more luggage then usual then I would select STARALLIANCE as all their benefits rules are very clear cut and consistence. Guess which alliance group comes out as the WINNER!

OW doest not seem to understand the business principle that you have to give plenty in order to get a lot!

[VintageKrug]

I have noticed differentiation on Star, though.

Try booking Lufthansa’s F or Singapore’s Suites class on miles; not possible unless you use their own schemes.

[openfly]

@ PerthWA and FlyingChinaman

I totally agree with your comments. One World is disjointed. Even after IAG came into being there are still so many conflictions between BA and IBeria. And also, with the introduction of AVIOS (ADIOS!) reward miles there are differences.

Star Alliance is so much more cohesive and acceptable.

As an aside …if One World rewards is going to be renamed AVIOS, will Star Alliance rename their rewards as HERTOZ!!!!???

[FlyingChinaman]

Firstly SQ “The Suite” IS NOT F as the official published fare is 10% above FIRST. Like you reminded the others that the Concorde Room is NOT FIRST Lounge!

LH FIRST: Since there is a reduction in the number of seats paid or redeem, LH has no choice but to limit the availablity to members from their own loyalty scheme. Something I can live with. In time LH will relax the restriction, just like SQ with their BIZ seats when they were first introduced.

But for the broader privileges, Oneworld is trailing behind STAR.

I know who is my favourate STAR! Oneworld move over!!!!

[Potakas]

I also agree that the inconsistency across oneworld is something that occurs very often.

Luggage allowance , ruby status , Lounge access (for AA members but this is a US thing) and the seat selection (which is new to me).

I would expect from some companies like QF/BA the cooperation to be better. Come on, what PerthWA faces is ridiculous.

[Binman62]

Try the following.

Go to Qantas web site and use the BA PNR in the manage my booking page, it should be the same on QF as it is on BA. You can then seat select on the QF system and manage your booking via that this includes checkin.

[Binman62]

PerthWA…..and also be careful re baggage. QF and BA do not have the same baggage allowance and excess charges on QF are vastly higher.

[wanula72]

SA only works if you are SA Gold, otherwise all the benefits of additional lugguge entitlement, lounge access disappear.

Agreed OW could be better at aligning things like luggage for top teir but things like lounge access (bar some AA issues) are generally consistent and apply to levels below the top teir

PerthWA, have you phoned the Qantas PFF call centre as generally I have found that they will help when I have had a similar issue

I have also found that OW carriers will give flexibility around luggage, it all depends how you approach the staff on the ground and CX have previously let me off excess baggage charges that I would have incurred having come off of a QF flight the day before where I had maximum luggage

[cityprofessional]

Hang on… SA Gold isn’t exactly hard to get to – it’s about the equivalent of BA Silver, but much easier to achieve. Therefore why should any the benefits apply below that level? Aren’t alliances meant to reward frequent travellers? I for one would be p155ed off if a load of Star Silvers got access to already busy lounges

In general, having experienced all three alliances, Star does seem the most connected, and there are simple workarounds in the case of codeshare and award flights if, as is the case with the OP, there are issues with allocating seats (e.g. I can easily allocate myself Thai seats using the Lufthansa MMB when travelling on a bmi redemption)

[DClinPsy]

Dear VK, SQ Suites is not available for point redemption…….

Baggage wise, even SkyTeam is better than Oneworld….

[FlyingChinaman]

When Skyteam was first established, it had the same baggage allowance for their GOLD card members as STAR and less than a year later, they emulated Oneworld and stop the STAR ALLIANCE common baggage pollicy and each invidual airline begin favouring their own elite FF. A very short-sighted strategy.

I use them less and less and again it shows that business giving LESS get LESS! The principle of modern day business model

STAR for me is the overall winner!.

Hopefully ONEWORLD might just become one world one day!

[Senator]

I am sorry having to correct the Right Hon VintageKrug (a first for me).

Yes, the SQ situation is poor; but an abnormality within the alliance. I recently had friends on SK Eurobonus redeem multiple tickets in LH First to MIA. Furthermore, I see availability using the Continental One Pass tool in First on LH, TG, and CA.

I have limited experience with One World, so I can’t judge their issues. I did try AA First this summer, and it was a poor cousin of CO and even “old” UA IMHO. However, I find the integration of Star to work like a charm and I have great success in redemption as well as being treated as a Star Gold across the network.

[JohnPhelanAustralia]

PerthWA, follow Binman’s advice and you should be right (provided, of course, that your preferred seat has not already been chosen by someone else!)

I have found that, if travelling on the BA/QF Joint Service Agreement routes, you are able to enter your PNR into BOTH of the airlines’ booking systems on their websites. By doing this, you have access to ALL seats – those ‘owned’ by QF and those ‘owned’ by BA.

If still having a problem, call the QF Platinum line.

[Author]

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