Qantas International Business fares - just not in the game

[maninblack]

I have had to price up 3 overseas business trips and two leisure trips over the past week, all looking at multiple travelers in business class. QF ticket prices are not only high, in most cases they are outrageous. There is no way I can countenance the expenditure when we can fly other PREMIUM carriers for so much less and with more departure time options in most cases. In fact 41% less all up.

As an LTG I don't really care that much about the points and status game anymore and that combined with the now infamous QF 'go get stuffed if you don't like it' attitude means it's pretty much GAME OVER I'm afraid.

So anyway, who is paying their prices? I suspect a huge proportion of QF J travel is senior public servants and politicians, my info tells me that even the large corporates are getting little joy in ticket pricing from QF.

 

[lovestotravel]

Routes dates and what airlines are you comparing with ?

Generally though, you are correct! Qantas has relied on their name/brand for years and people were paying the higher fares. Now though, things are different!

That being said, Qantas generally are very similar, during sale times, to most other airlines!

 

[DrGuinness]

If I can fly another carrier in J for only a small amount more than QF PE, then I'm not sure why I'd bother... Being someone fairly new to flying internationally, and only having status with OW, this is part of the reason of flying QF: lounge access, etc etc...
But with other carriers, since flying J is fairly relative to having status in terms of lounge access and boarding, I have very little incentive to fly QF internationally, other than some possibly misguided national loyalty...

 

[lightie]

I agree with you re Qantas, I priced in August a business class airfare to UK, plus some extra trips in Europe, to my amazement ( although the fares have come back to more or less the same the same now) Qantas was $5000 dearer that British Airways at that time, on the same codeshared(BA) planes, as I was looking online I thought there was an error so rang Qantas no the online fares were correct, so guess who I booked with? No prizes given. Even better for me, I now see I am $1500 better off now than the advertised fares on BA and Qantas

 

[amaroo]

TBH, if QF were not part of OW I'd be long gone.......

As it is, I get to choose from two other airlines that up until recently offered better J product for a better deal with the $$$......I still get to use the lounges & accrue points

Pricing is high....but someone is buying them! Let's hope that with the local competition signing up better offshore partners the premium prices fall - just like dom J have:shock:

 

[lovestotravel]

The problem is that Qantas is NOT serious about their long-haul business anymore and hasn't been for a few years

Delayed/deferring A380's while Singapore/Emirates/Etihad and the rest keep ordering new aircraft such as the A380/77W is not a good sign

787's won't end up flying for Qantas with a red roo on the tail.....

The long-term plan for Qantas is clear
Qantas domestic - Same as now basically with some more reductions/move to Jetstar
Qantas international - A380's flying to LAX/LHR
Jetstar international - Asia/USA/Europe with their *Class...................

 

[Moopere]

Its such a shame isn't it? This state of affairs has been in place for years and one wonders, after much consideration and including the comments and general goings on in QF/QFi late last year if the pricing being seen is cost driven or misguided profit driven?

If the losses reported by QFi can be believed it would seem to be cost driven, in which case the airline has no-where to run. Reduce fares to a competitive level, start to fill the planes and lose even more money? They need to restructure, but given last years general panic attack by everyone its never going to happen.

It seems that we need the equivalent to chapter 11 bankruptcy in the USA.

Of course the group as a whole is not going broke. QFF sees to that I can't see why you'd even bother to advertise product 40%+ above your competition when the product itself is the same or even inferior to the opposition.

Ultimately I've got the same question as the OP - who is actually buying this product? It can't all be politicians and public servants.

 

[Moopere]

Let's hope that with the local competition signing up better offshore partners the premium prices fall - just like dom J have!

Have you noticed a dom J price fall? I've not seen any evidence of that. PER... to anywhere looks about the same to me, both in cash and P+P.

 

[drron]

Well I still buy QF fares but only as a part of a DONE or circle fare.Would not buy and have not in the past bought point to point QF J fares.

 

[simongr]

Actually our corporate fares are pretty good - especially SYD-LHR. I have to work pretty hard to be able to avoid them.

 

[DrGuinness]

Well for EK to offer a First Class cabin on the A380 SYD-LHR return for just under $13,000... then for QF to offer a J ticket for almost $10,000 return, is there really any comparison?

 

[docjames]

@ OP - have you looked only at Qantas.com or through a decent TA?

Many corporate deals for QF will have discounts ranging 10-33%, so with multiple trips + multiple travellers, you may qualify for one of their corporate discounts.

Of course, if the price already includes it, then :shock:

 

[Berlin]

So anyway, who is paying their prices?

I think part of the answer are special corporate fares that you can't access as a small business or private traveller: My company changed from *Alliance to Qantas about a year ago and my hardarse procurement department would have NEVER done that if it wasn't for QF price matching what we had earlier on- at least that's what we got told back then. I'm sure there are many bigger corporations like mine out there that have very special deals with QF.

 

[jamesatfish]

Well I still buy QF fares but only as a part of a DONE or circle fare.Would not buy and have not in the past bought point to point QF J fares.

I used to do all my overseas travel on the back of AONE4 and ACIR22 fares, but since my daughter was born I've been trying to cut down on the amount of time spent away from home. Sadly that means running up against the minimum 5 days overseas and 2 stopovers rule of the OneWorld fares - where previously I wouldn't mind a detour through New York on my way home from a trip to the UK, now I'd prefer to turn around and fly straight back home again.

Which of course means I've been recently looking at QF return fares in both J and F, and I too am becoming amazed at how expensive they are in comparison to the other carriers.

I'm looking at a 2 day trip to the UK next month for my wife and I, and a return SYD-LHR-SYD J fare with QF comes to about $23K. Alternatively I can jump on an Emirates A380 in First with their brilliant suite product and take the same trip for $25K...

 

[Canny man]

I don't see this quite as black and white. We have a corporate deal with QF, but still price compare for Int business. Mostly the charge is within a few dollars of SIA, and an-other. I fly Latin America, Africa and Europe so see a good few routes and carriers. The times when there have been big differences have usually turned out to involve route/schedule compromises - ie non-QF is $2k cheaper but add 14 hours to journey time, overnight hotel layover etc.

 

[Baysider]

In all honesty, there are many airlines with similar or lower J fares than Qantas, and almost all offer far more pleasant service, and have equal or better seats and facilities. I am entrenched with Oneworld, but I tend to choose Qantas J only as a last resort.

 

[amaroo]

Have you noticed a dom J price fall? I've not seen any evidence of that. PER... to anywhere looks about the same to me, both in cash and P+P.

A little bit lax with the icon....should have read as it does now:shock:

 

[maninblack]

@ OP - have you looked only at Qantas.com or through a decent TA?

Many corporate deals for QF will have discounts ranging 10-33%, so with multiple trips + multiple travellers, you may qualify for one of their corporate discounts.

Of course, if the price already includes it, then :shock:

Through a very experienced and well connected TA who has access to various corporate arrangements.

QF just not in it. EG to MEL-FCO;
QF - $11,200 (via LHR so 2 stops)
CX - $7,900 (1 stop)
SQ - $7,000 (1 stop)
TG - $6,700 (1 stop)

By choosing some different dates that don't quite suit we can get QF for $9,400 but the other airlines were for any date around when we want to go. Other priced tickets/routes brought similarly un-competetive results for QF.

 

[docjames]

Through a very experienced and well connected TA who has access to various corporate arrangements.

QF just not in it. EG to MEL-FCO;
QF - $11,200 (via LHR so 2 stops)
CX - $7,900 (1 stop)
SQ - $7,000 (1 stop)
TG - $6,700 (1 stop)

By choosing some different dates that don't quite suit we can get QF for $9,400 but the other airlines were for any date around when we want to go. Other priced tickets/routes brought similarly un-competetive results for QF.

Ah, fair enough - sorry for telling you how to suck eggs.

If not wanting to stay with QF then any of those options would be fine.

What will you end up selecting? I've not got LTG so i'd be tempted by CX @ $7900.

 

[Baysider]

What will you end up selecting? I've not got LTG so i'd be tempted by CX @ $7900.

Definitely my vote.