Flying to AUs next March, need expertise

[Globaliser]

Do the Matrix prices include all taxes and fees?

Yes, they do.

 

iancal's experience could have been because of any of a number of different reasons. I would first put my money on availability in the required booking class changing between 1 and 2 (assuming he was trying to buy two tickets), but if all of the airlines and agents he contacted were actually quoting for the correct booking class (booking/fare code) and fare basis, then something else will have been at work. Also, there are more subtle things that sometimes go on depending on the GDS being used, with some of the fare rules actually being open to interpretation, so something like that may have been at work.

 

It does not surprise me that the credit card was ultimately charged by the issuing airline, which would always have been likely to have been the airline whose fare it was. Whoever you buy a published fare from, the usual practice is that the credit card is charged by the issuing airline and not the sales agent. So that part is entirely consistent with normal practice, even if the airline ends up charging for a ticket which its own booking system might not have been prepared to issue - yes, that can happen in unusual circumstances.

[Gardyloo]

Finally dialed the route up on Orbitz. Surprise, they had the same flight, the same routing, the same fare codes, at the same price noted on Matrix IT. The others ranged from $1290-1500. for the identical product. We pressed the buy button immediately after selecting our seats.

That doesn't surprise me. Prior to its acquisition by Expedia, Orbitz used ITA for its main search engine. (They might still, I haven't checked ITA's website which used to say what OTAs they served.)

[iancal]

Matrix ticket prices were net. They included all taxes and fees. Not certain about bags because we only do carry on.

 

Yes, we were buying, and bought, 2 tickets.

 

This was our first Orbitz experience and I was very pleased with the process and the follow up emails. They gave us some small credit that we used when we booked on night stopover hotel in Bangkok. Their hotel rate was the lowest even before we applied the credit.

[NoWhiners]

Hi all

 

Well, after much hemming and hawing, we finally booked our flights. While I did want to look at flight thru LAX, we were overtaken by events. By this I mean we were travelling to my college reunion at exactly the same time we should have been monitoring flights (wifi at the campus was bad). When we got home, i checked flights and all the LAX connections for PE were booked. And, all the return PE seats on our preferred date of April 13 on 1 pm flight were taken. So, we are now booked thru DFW both ways. Changed our dates to Mar 8 and April 12, got what we wanted.

 

It was a tad odd. We booked on AA site, and Qantas provides the flight from DFW to SYD. But, we couldn't book seats on Qantas, we had to call them to do this. Odd considering they are "partners". Plus, it appears as though we will have to collect our bags from AA flight to and from DFW, then check in with Qantas. I'm not sure why they can't transfer the bags (so much for being "partners") but we should have time between flights to do this. The woman I spoke to at Qantas advised we could check at the airport--sometimes they transfer bags, sometimes they don't.

 

We were able to book our seats by calling Qantas (a miracle!) and we got the "exit row" PE seats on return flight. We can check and see if we can get them on the flight over, they aren't available now. We did book seats in PE standard seats. Only worry is getting in/out of seat when the person in front reclines their seat (according to seat guru).

 

This is our first time on an A380 and we are on the upper deck. Read that it might be a rougher flight up there, hoping that's not an issue.

 

Anyway, just wanted to thank everyone for their help and let you know what we did.

 

Special note to Globaliser--the process worked OK, as per ITA, except for the seating thing. We now understand your note about PE tix. The flights were offered as PE or other categories, but when you go to check out and pay, it all shows as economy. A bit distracting, but in the end it all worked out.

 

Thank you everyone for your valuable help

ML

Edited June 18, 2016 by NoWhiners

[wowzz]

We have flown 'upstairs' twice on the A380 and never noticed turbulence to be any worse than on a 'normal' wide - body. Indeed, why should there be any difference if you are up or down? However, you are at the back of the aircraft in the Quantas configuration, and therefore I do believe that you will experience a little more pitch than if you were in the middle of the aircraft. Same as a cruise ship really !

[Globaliser]

It was a tad odd. We booked on AA site, and Qantas provides the flight from DFW to SYD. But, we couldn't book seats on Qantas, we had to call them to do this. Odd considering they are "partners". Plus, it appears as though we will have to collect our bags from AA flight to and from DFW, then check in with Qantas. I'm not sure why they can't transfer the bags (so much for being "partners") but we should have time between flights to do this. The woman I spoke to at Qantas advised we could check at the airport--sometimes they transfer bags, sometimes they don't.

The seating thing is very common. AA and QF almost certainly each run the seating allocation for their own flights. But these two airlines' reservations systems are on completely different platforms. It is very common to find that the booking airline simply can't access the seat map information or request seat allocations from the operating airline. The fix is - as you've found - to do it through the operating airline. This happens to me all the time on mixed airline itineraries.

 

I would be surprised if you did, in the end, have to collect your bags at DFW on the way to Australia. AA should be able to through-check them, especially as you have a single ticket for the through itinerary. I suspect that the Qantas agent simply isn't sufficiently familiar with AA policies and procedures - and who can blame her, given how hard it is for a call centre agent to keep track of their own airline's policies and procedures (which, in the case of Qantas and baggage through-checking, have changed again this week).

 

On the way back, the issue matters less as you must collect your bags at DFW and clear them through customs anyway before you hand them back to the airline, as it's your first US port. Whether the bags are through-checked (as in through-tagged) makes relatively little difference in the overall scheme of things because of this compulsory step.

[NoWhiners]

We have flown 'upstairs' twice on the A380 and never noticed turbulence to be any worse than on a 'normal' wide - body. Indeed, why should there be any difference if you are up or down? However, you are at the back of the aircraft in the Quantas configuration, and therefore I do believe that you will experience a little more pitch than if you were in the middle of the aircraft. Same as a cruise ship really !

 

wowzz

 

Thanks for the information. I don't mind the movement on a ship, so it will probably be OK. This will be out first time on an A380, very excited!

 

ML

[NoWhiners]

The seating thing is very common. AA and QF almost certainly each run the seating allocation for their own flights. But these two airlines' reservations systems are on completely different platforms. It is very common to find that the booking airline simply can't access the seat map information or request seat allocations from the operating airline. The fix is - as you've found - to do it through the operating airline. This happens to me all the time on mixed airline itineraries.

 

I would be surprised if you did, in the end, have to collect your bags at DFW on the way to Australia. AA should be able to through-check them, especially as you have a single ticket for the through itinerary. I suspect that the Qantas agent simply isn't sufficiently familiar with AA policies and procedures - and who can blame her, given how hard it is for a call centre agent to keep track of their own airline's policies and procedures (which, in the case of Qantas and baggage through-checking, have changed again this week).

 

On the way back, the issue matters less as you must collect your bags at DFW and clear them through customs anyway before you hand them back to the airline, as it's your first US port. Whether the bags are through-checked (as in through-tagged) makes relatively little difference in the overall scheme of things because of this compulsory step.

 

 

Globaliser

 

Glad you stopped by again, you were especially helpful (and Gardyloo).

 

I figured we weren't the first to do this and it would all work out! I am leaning toward your thoughts on the way out but have no issue if we have to pick up the bags. It would be nicer not to have to but if we do it, at least we'll know they made it to DFW! I talked to a lot of people on our last cruise who went to Australia and a surprising number of them had bags left at LAX.

 

And I figured that the return wasn't a problem, as you noted. So, we are all set and now only have to wait for time to pass.

 

Thank you again for all your expert advice

ML

[Globaliser]

You're welcome! Enjoy the rest of the planning!