Avoiding the dreaded E Class on QF when crediting to AAdvantage.

[beardoc]

I'm giving serious thought to jumping ship to AAdvantage for my travels, and qualifying as EXP on segments (almost 100 segments a year SYD-TMW, plus a DONE5 each year).

However, I notice that E Class (a sale fare class?) on QF Domestic earns no mileage credit, and therefore, I assume, no Elite Qualifying Segments either. How do you avoid booking QANTAS E Class bookings? Is it just the case of not booking the sale fares? Or is there another more foolproof way? The "view source" method listed in http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ing-class-e-qf-domestic-14967.html#post197370 doesn't seem to work now.

Thanks for your help?

 

[serfty]

I would have said "be careful with sales" as that's where most E class I see is booked.

 

[beardoc]

Thanks serfty. Is there a way to know for sure now prior to booking?

 

[serfty]

See this thread: http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/showthread.php?p=307011

Is been around a while, so read it all to get the more recent information.

 

[beardoc]

See this thread: QF Booking Class?

Is been around a while, so read it all to get the more recent information.

Ah, that's awesome, thank you!

 

[Kangol]

You can ring QF to book a sale or Red-e-deal fare in O/Q/N instead of E.
It's annoying that these E fares don't earn but then again it wasn't that long ago that AA changed it so that N and Q started earning.

 

[kempvet]

I think that O is going to be the cheapest fare class for about A$186, I think that if you do see anything cheaper be careful as it may book into a non eligible fare with AA.

BUT

here is the big incentive, once you are AA platinum you get 1000 AA miles for each of the one way legs for the 198 mile journey. 1000 AA miles beats the 800 QF miles (from July 1) ANY day of the week. I am assuming that you will get 1000 AA miles as I get 1000 AA miles for PQQ-SYD QF metal booked in O (but I am EXP so I am not sure if this makes a difference)

Even the 500 minimum miles for an AA nobody probably beats the 800 QF miles

 

[Kangol]

I think that O is going to be the cheapest fare class for about A$186, I think that if you do see anything cheaper be careful as it may book into a non eligible fare with AA.

BUT

here is the big incentive, once you are AA platinum you get 1000 AA miles for each of the one way legs for the 198 mile journey. 1000 AA miles beats the 800 QF miles (from July 1) ANY day of the week. I am assuming that you will get 1000 AA miles as I get 1000 AA miles for PQQ-SYD QF metal booked in O (but I am EXP so I am not sure if this makes a difference)

Even the 500 minimum miles for an AA nobody probably beats the 800 QF miles

An AA member with no status does not have a minimum mile guarantee.
The minimum applies to elites only and is in practice a 625 EQM minimum. ie. 500 minimum plus 25% (of 500) status bonus for Gold and 100% for PLT/EXP.
For short haul QF flights, if you can't make PLT but are close to Gold, it is definitely worth trying for elite status with AA.
In O/Q class, you earn 25% of base and 50% of that in EQM.
For the SYD-TMW 198 mile journey example, one way in O/Q will earn 24.75 (25) EQMs!!!
So if you are only using SYD-TMW flights to start your rise up the AA ranks, expect the first 30 sectors to be very lean... you will eventually catch up over QFF if a longer term earn is the goal.
A better option may be to use your DONE5 to either directly qualify for, or use towards a GLD/PLT challenge, before flying SYD-TMW with no AA status.

 

[kempvet]

An AA member with no status does not have a minimum mile guarantee.
The minimum applies to elites only and is in practice a 625 EQM minimum. ie. 500 minimum plus 25% (of 500) status bonus for Gold and 100% for PLT/EXP.
For short haul QF flights, if you can't make PLT but are close to Gold, it is definitely worth trying for elite status with AA.
In O/Q class, you earn 25% of base and 50% of that in EQM.
For the SYD-TMW 198 mile journey example, one way in O/Q will earn 24.75 (25) EQMs!!!
So if you are only using SYD-TMW flights to start your rise up the AA ranks, expect the first 30 sectors to be very lean... you will eventually catch up over QFF if a longer term earn is the goal.
A better option may be to use your DONE5 to either directly qualify for, or use towards a GLD/PLT challenge, before flying SYD-TMW with no AA status.

You are correct about the no status situation. Agree, short term pain for long term gain. Probably would be good if the OP could somehow wrangle a AA Platinum challenge. Perhaps even keep pushing AA to see if they can at least give him a status match AA Gold for WP, never know.

 

[kempvet]

Here is another option for the OP to consider, if they are open to holiday planning etc, at least it is something to consider
work out how to obtain 2200 points in the period before the AA challenge ends (this is if you are entertaining this idea), and before the challenge ends, plan a small holiday in SIN, BA have L class fares rx SYD for $1100, this will give you 7800 points. As the qualifying flight will be the one on your return, you should earn 11700 AA miles, and then 1000 AA miles each TMW-SYD segment if booked in O or above.

 

[JohnK]

I would have said "be careful with sales" as that's where most E class I see is booked.

From my experience almost every single sale airfare SYD-BNE I purchase these days is E class. But then I do purchase the airfares very early.