Help us out: your experiences of using two frequent flyer numbers with the same booking

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• JAXBA says:

  14 Mar14 March 09:29

  I’ve mentioned this on Flyertalk before. Yes, FQTS exists, BUT, it’s free format. It’s just a note, against a number, that’s not validated against any database. Entering BA12345678/GOLD doesn’t mean they’re actually Gold, or that Amadeus will unlock anything. It could say UNOBTANIUM for all Amadeus cares… as far as I can tell, it’s a pretty looking OSI, shaped like an SSR.

  • JAXBA says:

    14 Mar14 March 11:35

    Here’s my 2016 FT post, where I tested the function: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/26078758-post8.html

    The entry goes in as: SR FQTS BA – BA FREE-FLOW TEXT/Px

    Whenever Amadeus says FREE-FLOW TEXT it means you can type what you like and it just sits there with no function…

    It may be that SQ have created an SK FQTS SQ type entry, like BA have ‘SK’ entries to unlock seating – Amadeus SKs are keywords, that airlines create/customise to do what they like internally, compared to SSRs that have an IATA standard. If BA do have an SK FQTS then no-one knew about it…

• Chivvy says:

  14 Mar14 March 09:32

  Can someone please explain (or point me to an article that does explain) how I can access my booking from another airline’s site? I have a QS booking using my RJ FF number (Silver) and I have tried to access my booking (just using the booking ref number and last name) on RJ, Finnair & Royal Maroc and it keeps coming up with an error. The only website I can find my booking on is QS. I’m obviously doing something wrong but I have missed the article that explains how to get your booking up in another airline’s website. Thanks for anyone that can help

  • Chivvy says:

    14 Mar14 March 10:42

    Sorry, I meant a Qatar Airways booking not QS

    • Lumma says:

      14 Mar14 March 10:53

      Is there a separate Qatar booking code to the global one? I know Iberia use an internal one

      • Chivvy says:

        14 Mar14 March 11:04

        Oh, I don’t know. The code I have is 6 letters long. I have also tried the ticket number on RAM without success.

        • Chivvy says:

          14 Mar14 March 13:21

          Hmm, queried this with Qatar’s “X” team and got the following response…”Please be advised that you can open your booking only through our system since all of your flights are operated by Qatar Airways.” – that doesn’t seem to tie in with anything that I have read on HfP and about being able to change bookings via RAM or anyone else.

  • Jon says:

    14 Mar14 March 14:31

    This (I think) is part of the OW/Amadeus change I mentioned in my earlier comment up-thread – it appears that it is no longer possible to fully manage bookings on one OW airline via another OW airline’s web site or app. There does appear to be some variation in what you can/can’t do from each site – some won’t let you see the booking at all, some will let you view details but not change anything, some will let you change some things (eg special meal requests) but not others (eg seats). All very annoying, especially if you prefer one OW app over the others, or just want to see all your OW bookings in one place. Not sure when (or why) this happened – I noticed it a month or two ago. The rule seems to be that a given airline’s app/web site will only let you manage a booking if it contains at least one sector on that airline.

    • Chivvy says:

      17 Mar17 March 10:14

      Thanks for that info. Certainly seems like Qatar are clamping down on letting you view your bookings elsewhere

• John says:

  14 Mar14 March 09:45

  Two experiences. 1) travelled with BA from LGW checked in on Club with AAdvantage number and have BA Gold. BA rep refused me use of the First Class lounge and insisted only could use the Business lounge unless I switched to my BA FFN. As an aside BA computer refused to accept my AAdvantage number (due to the alphanumeric number and BA antique computer system) which is a not uncommon occurrence I know from others. 2) travelled with Air France economy using ITA Volare Executive FFN (Sky Team top tier) and was refused priority boarding unless I switched to my Flying Blue number.

• Metty says:

  14 Mar14 March 09:49

  I’m an example of case 2, flights were booked before the BAEC change so as GGL got free seat reservations. I have subsequently changed my FF number in the ‘modify traveller details’ section of Royal Air Maroc to QR which seems to have stuck.

  Note that Srilankan.com use the same interface as the RAM one so you can modify FF number there too. If you guys haven’t checked every Oneworld carrier site already for FF modification functionality, I’ll do so on Monday when I’ll have plenty of dead time on a six sector domestic run (originally a BA TP run).

  I’ve read the Flyertalk threads about issues with flights crediting to BA despite changing FF number. One poster suggested asking BA to wipe all seat reservations as that may be something that keeps the link (free vs paid seats). I haven’t done this as don’t book row 1 and am in 2A mostly which isn’t a BA status only seat unlink 1A.

  I’ve had previous issues using the operating carrier apps for the free messaging, e.g. Finnair where once in flight – with BA FF number on boarding pass – logging on to Finnair overwrote the BA number. So I will try and avoid the BA website and BA app if I can on Monday and report back once I see where the sectors have credited. Avoiding the BA app will be tricky if I need to do same day changes or use the wifi!

  Am doing LHR-NCL-LHR-GLA-LHR-NCL-LHR so plenty of scope for things to get entertaining 🙂

• Legal Eagle says:

  14 Mar14 March 10:06

  Situation 1. I had return flight London to Bangkok. Economy out, PE back. Originally booked with my BAEC number. Paid to get Royal Jordanian Silver Jay status (forgetting I AAdvantage Gold status already – Duh). Used Royal Air Maroc to change to RJ number. Used that to choose free seat 7 days in advance. Then switched back to BAEC to get the Avios. At Gatwick, showed had One World Ruby status and checked in at Business check in. Was given boarding pass showing boarding group 8. I pointed out that OneWorld Ruby should be Group 3. Nice lady could see the problem. She changed it to RJ account and bingo, printed boarding card showing Group 3. I then said I want the Avios so she switched back and boarding card went back to Group 8. Her solution was simple. She gave me both boarding cards, and confirmed that she had changed it back to BA on the system. She advised me to use the RJ boarding card to board in Group 3, then keep the BA boarding card in case I needed it for an Avios claim. Clunky, but due to the check in assistant being willing to work the problem with me, we got there. Small wins!

• Simon says:

  14 Mar14 March 10:31

  Have needed to do this (for Royal Jordanian benefits).
  Used Twitter DM to BA. Was painless.
  Couldn’t get the royal air Maroc or other OW sites to “stick” with the new FF number

  • Lumma says:

    14 Mar14 March 10:58

    For the Royal Air Maroc website, you have to use Manage my Booking and edit personal details. Change the frequent flyer number and airline to Royal Jordanian (this will initially say it’s a RAM account but with your BA number). When you click save it will say there’s an error.

    Wait a couple of hours and access the booking on the BA website and you’ll have the free seat selection

• Dave Cullen says:

  14 Mar14 March 10:50

  I was flying to Vegas out of Heathrow in BA Club World on a phenomenal BA Holidays deal in 2021. I am lucky enough to have ‘Gold for Life’ with American, which I used by putting my AA number on the booking and selecting seats (outbound and return) for two of us a week before normal seat selection and for no fee. When in the lounge before flying out at LHR I went to the desk and was able to get my AA number changed back to my BA Exec Club number earning, at the time, Bronze tier from a single return trip. I had to be insistent because the agent in the lounge didn’t think that it could be done, however, she eventually called for assistance and sorted it.

• @bigroomstravel says:

  14 Mar14 March 10:55

  I’ve worked in the TMC world for many years and FQTV is absolutely the default. If the traveller makes a booking online, or has a passenger profile with their Frequent Flyer numbers it is only going to be entered as FQTV.
  In this more automated era it will be very hard to find an agent who knows how to do anything more complex.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.