Qantas boosts San Francisco codeshare flights with Alaska Airlines
By David Flynn, April 9 2018
Travellers on Qantas' San Francisco flights from Sydney and Melbourne – the latter starting on September 1, 2018 as a Boeing 787 service – are going to find it easier to continue their journey under a new codeshare agreement with Alaska Airlines.
Some 20 destinations ex-SFO will be available under a QF flight number starting May 20, earning a full serve of Qantas frequent flyer points and status credits and the ability to redeem them on the new flights, along with other codeshare creature comforts for booking a single itinerary plus superior service recovery in the event of delayed or cancelled flights.
These new cities – ranging from south to San Diego and San Jose, to an eastward spread including Austin, Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Newark and New Orleans – are routes previously flown by Virgin America, which counted San Francisco as a hub, and inherited by Alaska Airlines following the latter's buyout of Virgin in April 2016.
However, there's no lounge access at San Francisco for Qantas business class travellers or frequent flyers hopping onto a domestic Alaska Airlines flight.
Alaska previously shared the American Airlines Admirals Club at Terminal 2, but access was removed at the start of this year following Alaska's Virgin-based expansion transformed the airline into an AA competitor.
"Eligible Qantas passengers will not be able to access lounge facilities in San Francisco when booked on an onwards Alaska flight under this arrangement," a Qantas spokesperson confirmed to Australian Business Traveller.
The extended codeshare agreement also encompasses Alaska Airlines flights from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and Newark and from Honolulu to Oakland, San Diego and San Jose – which could turn Qantas' Honolulu flights into an appealing option for travellers headed to those cities.
The second leg of that trip will be as a domestic passenger rather than an international one, meaning less hassle with immigration, and we can think of worse places to turn a stopover into a well-earned mini-break than Honolulu!
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
13 Sep 2016
Total posts 55
I think SYD-HNL-SJC (San Jose) will be a great alternative to SYD-SFO if you have business in Silicon Valley itself and want that Hawaii holiday on the way there or back!
05 May 2016
Total posts 616
Not sure why you'd fly from SFO to SJC when it's not a very long drive between the two.
13 Sep 2016
Total posts 55
I've done both and if you get a good connection and depending on where in San Jose your final destination is, I prefered flying.
03 Jan 2012
Total posts 96
Never flown into SFO. Is there a lounge accepting Premier Pass, or even a AMEX Lounge by any chance?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
08 Jul 2014
Total posts 59
In answer to this specific question, which is of relevance to the issue of lounge access raised in the original article, yes - there is an AmEx Centurion lounge at SFO, but in terminal 3, which is not connected airside to terminal 2 (the AS terminal). Your boarding pass will allow you to access terminal 3, but the time it will take to clear security twice may be substantial. PriorityPass offers access to the AirFrance-KLM lounge in concourse A of the international terminal, but the same caveats apply.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
not "Comparing lounge access for Qantas vs Virgin Australia").
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Sep 2012
Total posts 382
Would be interesting to know where the lounge access negotiations fell down.
18 Jan 2018
Total posts 63
What negotiations? Alaska airline has no lounge at sfo!
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Sep 2012
Total posts 382
That would do it. Thanks for update.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2561
As indicated in the article, they 'fell down' once Alaska took over Virgin America and became, in the eyes of American Airlines, a competitor – and on that basis, no reason for AA to make life easier for AS in regards to lounge access (or anything else). AA basically pulled the plug.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
14 Sep 2012
Total posts 382
David thanks for update. I presumed Alaska had their own lounge facility at SFO, but Mr Miyagi has cleared that up above. With no lounge facility of their own then makes perfect sense for no lounge access to AA. I would have though though if you had a "QF" code on your boarding pass this would suffice but looks like not in this case.
18 Jan 2018
Total posts 63
It would suffice if Alaska was Oneworld but they’re not.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
18 Jun 2015
Total posts 105
How does lounge access work in HNL? If we fly in on QF and fly out on a QF codeshare to SFO on Alaska do we get access to the QF lounge in HNL?
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