How can you book Qantas domestic flights using ba.com?

[simdog]

Hi,

I’ve read the HfP article saying that you can book flights for Qantas using the ba.com website but I can’t seem to find Qantas domestic flights on the BA website for some reason? For example, I want to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne on 2023-02-27 and return on 2023-03-02 but there just doesn’t seem to be anything available. No matter what dates or departure/destinations I try in Australia I just get a “Sorry, we have no flights available” response.

Is there something I’m doing wrong on the ba.com website?

Also, is it even worth going through ba.com when I could just do it on the Qantas website and convert my Qantas points to Avios or is there some benefit that I’d get by doing it through ba.com in terms of Avios / tier points etc?

[John]

You can’t convert Qantas points to Avios. But if you have Qantas points you can use them to book a Qantas flight…

[MisterE]

I have done this recently (booked Sydney > Adelaide in Business less than a week ago). But I just looked on BA.com and see the same rejection you see. So I guess something must have changed in the last few days. let’s hope its temporary!!

[simdog]

John wrote:

You can’t convert Qantas points to Avios. But if you have Qantas points you can use them to book a Qantas flight…

Good to know, thanks! I ended up just booking directly with Virgin Australia and putting my Qatar Privilege membership number in. So should be able to convert back to Avios that way!

[freckles]

Book on Qantas site but put your BAEC details in the loyalty card bit?

[simdog]

freckles wrote:

Book on Qantas site but put your BAEC details in the loyalty card bit?

I was hoping to pay with GBP so I don’t get hit with a fx transaction fee from AMEX

[JDB]

Hopefully it’s just temporary – I fairly recently made three separate Qantas domestic Avios bookings on BA.com without any problem. As some have noted, when looking online BA doesn’t show QantasLink flights and if one leg of an approved connection isn’t available in the class you want it says ‘no flights available’ so you need to check the individual legs – I had that trying to book Hobart to Brisbane.

[Stu_N]

Are you trying to book cash flights or Avios redemptions?

If it’s cash, BA won’t sell Qantas domestic flights as a standalone. The codeshares will be as an add-on to long haul flights only – you can book with Qantas or an agent and as long as you include your BAEC number you’ll get Avios/ Tier Points.

If it’s booking redemptions using Avios it’s either lack of availability or IT issues. If you look at other OneWorld airlines, that should let you see what Qantas makes available to partners and if you can’t book online with BA then worth phoning BAEC. I tend to use AA.com by default for this sort of thing. (Often airlines make more seats available to their own schemes than they do to others – I don’t know if Qantas does this but this is why I’d suggest using a different partner scheme rather than Qantas itself),

[Lyn]

Qantas does at least sometimes make award seats available to their own frequent flyer members but not to partners. For instance they did this a few months ago, opening up a lot of award seats by way of apology for their baggage problems. However, I don’t know if this is the case normally.

Higher elites often have access to more award availability on Qantas flights, but this may apply to partner elites as well and not just Qantas elites.