Adding a plus bundle with JQ after booking

[Captain Halliday]

I'm traveling JQ for work next week courtesy of a BFOD rule. Does anyone know a way to add a plus bundle to a booking made by a corporate TA?

It seems to me the only way JQ will allow it is to cancel and rebook with the bundle. Does anyone know an alternative?

Thanks in advance.

 

[serfty]

Sadly, it's cancel and rebook - along with the penalties.

 

[Captain Halliday]

Thanks serfty. Seems like a simple revenue stream for JQ. It's all about upselling isn't it? So many businesses do it, it seems strange JQ wouldn't offer it.

 

[eastwest101]

Thanks serfty. Seems like a simple revenue stream for JQ. It's all about upselling isn't it? So many businesses do it, it seems strange JQ wouldn't offer it.

I think there were all sorts of excuses offered in a previous thread as to adding a bundle post booking wasn't possible, such as travel agent commission implications, and the fact that some bundles give you more flexibility and some other ones give you SC and points earn, maybe JQ need to unbundle their bundles? :shock: Obviously all sorts of yield management implications and profit margins on bundles stuff going on behind the scenes.

It all seems pretty stupid to me, such as in your case when the customer wants the SC & points, obviously JQ should be looking for the extra revenue (after all - what business actively discourages extra revenue?) and both the customer and Jetstar possibly don't want extra flexibility in the ticket, i.e. the customer has every intention of taking the booked flight.

You need a new corporate travel agent Captain Halliday - I would be changing locations, connections, rosters/re-arranging clients/meeting places & times or whatever else I needed to do to avoid JQ flights without SC earn. Some people have found that the strict checkin times and things such as traffic delays with subsequent expensive re-booking of flights or even missed connection on other carriers can curb the enthusiasm of particular BFOD policies.

 

[Captain Halliday]

I don't have any sway over the corporate TA. I'm certainly not on JQ by choice.

But turning down what appears to be easy money doesn't seem like a smart thing for any business. There must be more too it. It's seems like far too obvious a revenue stream for JQ not to have auctioned it. Maybe they make more from change fees, or maybe TA commission issues as you suggest.

Just another reason not to travel JQ... Not that I need more reasons.

 

[basso]

I think it's one of those things where the way Jetstar has chosen to present things gets them into trouble. Under the covers it's still an airline system that sells in fare buckets. So. Jetsaver, JetsaverPlus and JetsaverMax are really three families of fares, each with associated fare buckets. Much the same as another airline might say red-e-deal, flexi-saver, fully flex or whatever. What Jetstar present to you as the 'bundle' is really just the fare difference between the two lowest fares available in the fare families. The do the upsell at sales time, by showing you what extra services you get by going to a higher fare family.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I'm traveling JQ for work next week courtesy of a BFOD rule. Does anyone know a way to add a plus bundle to a booking made by a corporate TA?

It seems to me the only way JQ will allow it is to cancel and rebook with the bundle. Does anyone know an alternative?

Thanks in advance.

Re the BFOD rule - can you ask the TA to book the plus bundle at the time of booking but charge the plus bundle component to your cc?

You'd think paying a plus bundle would suit the company as it gives them the flexibility to do one free change subject to that same fare being available or just paid the ad coll if the fare is more but no change fee.

Many companies shell out extra dollars for flexible fares on other airlines which cost a lot more dollars than a plus bundle.

 

[Captain Halliday]

As it turned out my original booking changed. $75 plus the fare difference. As for adding the bundle on my cc as Oz suggests... you'd think that would be simple right? No cost to the employer, extra revenue for the TA & JQ, but no. It can't be done.

 

[ermen]

All game theory...
Adding a bundle converts the tix to a semi flexi. If they allowed someone to add a bundle post ticketing, they are giving someone a free option to change for little revenue.

Maybe what would be fair would be to allow this change within 24 hrs.

 

[eastwest101]

As it turned out my original booking changed. $75 plus the fare difference. As for adding the bundle on my cc as Oz suggests... you'd think that would be simple right? No cost to the employer, extra revenue for the TA & JQ, but no. It can't be done.

Was that 'no' from the Corporate Travel Agent? And if a no - how was it justified? I could think of several different justifications but would be interesting to know if the 'no' came from the Travel Agent? From the client (your employer)? Or from JQ itself?

 

[eastwest101]

All game theory...Adding a bundle converts the tix to a semi flexi. If they allowed someone to add a bundle post ticketing, they are giving someone a free option to change for little revenue.Maybe what would be fair would be to allow this change within 24 hrs.

Yes as you suggest - and as I mentioned earlier, game theory with flexibility. The trouble is though that Capt Halliday didn't want flexibility in his fare, he wanted SC and maybe points earn. So - as I said before - JQ need to unbundle their bundles. I suspect there are Fare Bucket implications, price beat implications and other competitive reasons why JQ don't want to unbundle their bundles, and that is probably because it would introduce more transparency into the real costs of fares and bundles, which allowing customers to compare apples with apples. You only have to look at something like the ultra competitive mobile phone market to see how misdirection, apples vs oranges comparisons, and bundling is used in the marketplace to confuse and make it difficult for consumers.

 

[jetpack]

JQ may perhaps see the bundles more as a loyalty tool to make you choose JQ over say TT/VA instead of a revenue source in its own right since I'm sure there is a cost to them of providing points, SCs and a F&B voucher. If you had bought a JQ fare without the bundle then they already have your business, there is no need to entice you with the option of purchasing a bundle.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

As it turned out my original booking changed. $75 plus the fare difference. As for adding the bundle on my cc as Oz suggests... you'd think that would be simple right? No cost to the employer, extra revenue for the TA & JQ, but no. It can't be done.

Was that 'no' from the Corporate Travel Agent? And if a no - how was it justified? I could think of several different justifications but would be interesting to know if the 'no' came from the Travel Agent? From the client (your employer)? Or from JQ itself?

I'm thinking that maybe the JQ system doesn't suport multiple forms of payment whereas Amadeus IIRC can do 3 against the one ticket.

I understand some corporate TA's rebate the corporate discount to the client by entering the amount of the discount as a cash form of payment thereby enabling the nett cost to be billed to the client.

 

[Captain Halliday]

In my case, the bookings are made locally, but charged centrally and costed out to each business unit. Therefore I have no ability to modify the booking during the process. Usually this is done by a web portal, but even if we call the corporate TA office splitting the payment can't be done (apparently).

 

[ozbeachbabe]

In my case, the bookings are made locally, but charged centrally and costed out to each business unit. Therefore I have no ability to modify the booking during the process. Usually this is done by a web portal, but even if we call the corporate TA office splitting the payment can't be done (apparently).

Sounds like a logistical nightmare combined with too hard basket. I guess the only way to get the bundle added would be to somehow convince the employer that there is merit (potential cost saving to them) in paying for a plus bundle which would be done at the time of booking.

Whenever I have done such a booking for myself you need to specify the frequent flyer program you wish to credit to along with the frequent flyer number if you want the points & SC or opt for the voucher which can be spent onboard. Then you get to choose your seat as well ie the basic seat selection that comes with the booking.

If a corporate TA can't be bothered finding the client ff number they've been given what's to say they woudn't just opt for the onboard voucher as it's the easy option.

Quite frankly given the amount of times I've heard people complaining that their TA never puts their ff number in the booking, I really can't see a corporate TA embracing the whole plus bundle experience then bothering to do seat selection for clients as well. There are a large amount of TA's who don't do seating for customers as part of the service when in a lot of cases it's free (eg US domestic carriers after a trans-Pacific flight).

I don't know whether JQ with allow you to do seating at a later date if it's not done at the time of booking or whether it would try and charge you again. I think plus bundles work best when booked by the passenger themselves as you've got full control of the situation.

 

[Mr_Orange]

Thanks serfty. Seems like a simple revenue stream for JQ. It's all about upselling isn't it? So many businesses do it, it seems strange JQ wouldn't offer it.

They are upselling you the cancellation fee and fare difference upon rebooking .

 

[dajop]

It's not just a JQ issue, something you don't see that much on Australia domestic with BFOD policies (as VA and QF fares are all points earning).

But I've certainly had the issue with SIN-BKK flights (with both CX and TG). With TG I wanted points earning fare to keep status (on NZ at the time) but no way I could pay up the $40 fare difference, I did get around this though by choosing different timings. Another time, when CX had some great deals available in J I was happy to pay the extra $50 or so needed, but of course no way of doing this via TA.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

It's not just a JQ issue, something you don't see that much on Australia domestic with BFOD policies (as VA and QF fares are all points earning).

But I've certainly had the issue with SIN-BKK flights (with both CX and TG). With TG I wanted points earning fare to keep status (on NZ at the time) but no way I could pay up the $40 fare difference, I did get around this though by choosing different timings. Another time, when CX had some great deals available in J I was happy to pay the extra $50 or so needed, but of course no way of doing this via TA.

It's a shame that in cases like that the company can't/won't do the right thing by their employee and book the higher fare as I'm sure the employee would consent to having the $50.00 difference deducted from their pay.

 

[dajop]

It's a shame that in cases like that the company can't/won't do the right thing by their employee and book the higher fare as I'm sure the employee would consent to having the $50.00 difference deducted from their pay.

Probably could be easily managed by deducting from other expenses (in this case in concur) not even via payroll. But corporate TA can't/won't break rules, which is understandable.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Probably could be easily managed by deducting from other expenses (in this case in concur) not even via payroll. But corporate TA can't/won't break rules, which is understandable.

It the company allowed such practice, dare I say common sense, then the corporate TA wouldn't need to break any rules.