F**F**F**

I am a "frustrated frequent flyer". QANTAS, the "flying kangaroo", has urged me to increase my horde of FF points through the use of credit cards and the like and indeed, to use them to fly happily around Australia and the world. Well, let me tell you, I tried. It seemed a good idea for our trip to France next year.
A return flight to London is advised as 250,000 points for the both of us. Having just 205,000 accrued to date, I opted for a one-way journey at 128,000 points.We thought a stop-over in Hong Kong would suit us very nicely. Think again. Keep in mind that this is April next year we are talking about...nearly 10 months away!
I spent literally hours on the Net seeking to find flights within a 14 day window in mid-April. It was impossible.
Once you get to Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific comes into play and the rules change and points required increase. For every option I chose from flights offered on screen, the recurring message was "no longer available, choose again". Is it simpler to just buy a ticket and fly away? It probably is. ( I had to pay $400 for fuel levys and so on anyway.) It seems to me that if we all bought tickets, QANTAS FF partners , who rely on us to spend to earn points, would lose significant custom. It is time for QANTAS to think again.
I might add we could not get our stop-over. The only flight offered was virtually direct to London with a few hours break in Los Angeles!
We will try for a stop-over in Hong Kong on the way home. We will have enough points in a month or so for the one-way trip. The airline must adore us F**F**S**'s..."frequent flyer suckers."