AIR - A Qantas Magazine

[medhead]

Are you suggesting the local BMW or MB dealership establish a "Frequent Buyer" scheme that rewards you with a "buy 10 get 1 free" arrangement for your car purchases?? And better still, should they not only apply it to BMW's, but also allow you to buy a Mini or Bentley and the same deal applies?? Why are airlines any different??

A few hundred thousand points in a FF account is not a tangible asset that can really be taken into account as a ROI. You cannot say that a $1800 el cheapo ticket to London in Y- actually only cost $1675.52 because the points you "earnt" from your $1800 investment are worth $124.48, or conversely, that your flight was really worth $1924.48 but you only paid $1800 for it, meaning your an astute investor.



and so what if QF know exactly how much money you spend?? they have no idea, what you are actually spending it on. I wouldn't exactly class food, utilities, school fees etc as "disposable" income.

I don't even know what you point is here. Seems totally irrelevant since I didn't say anything about the underlying reasons for starting a frequent anything program. but if BMW did have such a program I'm sure that you're classy rich people would use it. Because they invariably got rich in the first place by carefully tracking their money and getting maximum benefit.

Im also not exactly certain what you mean about buying F and J tickets on a credit card...

This is very easy to understand. If you buy am airline ticket from qantas they know what credit card you used to buy the ticket - corporate or personal. They know what you are flying. They know how many points you get from which types of CC. Hence they know you're total spend. What you spend it on is irrelevant once you get over a threshold. If someone is spending $25k a month on a CC whether that is school fees or not makes little difference. If they fly 5 F flights a year to LHR and they spend that much then they are a prime target, aren't they. Even if the employer pays for the flights it is safe to assume they are high value because an employer doesn't waste that much F money on low value employees.

 

[medhead]

Ok first off try reading. I DID NOT say they were equally profitable. Besides that wasn't directed at you.

Second you are trying to bully me into your world view by calling me petulant. Therefore all discussion as what you're saying is tainted by such a pathetic argument so as to be worthless.

And im happy to admit that im the type of flyer who spreads my flying across OW and SA so that I can enjoy J lounge access on both. I know that airlines need to set the goal posts so to speak, but a WP can be infinitely less profitable than an infrequent F or J traveller, much in the same way as someone, like myself who fly's just enough to qualify for a given status (SG in my case) before jumping ship and flying with SA is less profitable the a WP who does the same thing. There are so many ways to achieve X status that it is simply incorrect to suggest all X's are equally profitable, but like I said..... goal posts are set and profitable or not, you meet the criteria.



You could actually be quite right. But when they "enhance" your benefits, you all kick and scream like petulant children because you're not having your backsides kissed as much as you think they should be!

What would you do if QF said only SC earnt on QF tally toward your status?? It may not affect you personally, but it would certainly affect many others who rely on bad*, dishonest*, indecent* and god indifferent ways* to earn their status!

* to quote medhead.

 

[goldy]

I don't even know what you point is here. Seems totally irrelevant since I didn't say anything about the underlying reasons for starting a frequent anything program. but if BMW did have such a program I'm sure that you're classy rich people would use it. Because they invariably got rich in the first place by carefully tracking their money and getting maximum benefit.

What im saying is that not all investments actually provide a ROI. Cars always lose money, even when you take into account the tax breaks, unless they are some incredibly rare classic. Also, the money they lost on the first 10 cars would probably be more than that which they gain with the free 11th one... so again, i agree that they have maximised the benefit, but its all relative.

You also seem to be trying to compare traditional, tangible investments with an unquantifiable return on a commercial purchase. There is no return on investment, because there is no investment. Would you invest money in a bank that had a clause saying they could close your account tomorrow and you lose all your money? Yeah... didn't think so!

This is very easy to understand. If you buy am airline ticket from qantas they know what credit card you used to buy the ticket - corporate or personal. They know what you are flying. They know how many points you get from which types of CC. Hence they know you're total spend. What you spend it on is irrelevant once you get over a threshold. If someone is spending $25k a month on a CC whether that is school fees or not makes little difference. If they fly 5 F flights a year to LHR and they spend that much then they are a prime target, aren't they. Even if the employer pays for the flights it is safe to assume they are high value because an employer doesn't waste that much F money on low value employees.

I dont know who you work for, But most companies nowadays, use corporate travel providers so that staff don't actually buy their own tickets on their personal or company credit cards. If you are that valuable an employee, where you fly to anywhere in F or even J for that matter, I doubt you'd be booking your own travel and corporate cards rarely, if ever, offer FF point accrual. All my travel, even a Y- MEL-SYD gets booked via our travel provider. IMO, your argument is flawed for the simple reason that there are an infinite number of variables to any angle you wish to argue.

 

[goldy]

Ok first off try reading. I DID NOT say they were equally profitable. Besides that wasn't directed at you.

Second you are trying to bully me into your world view by calling me petulant. Therefore all discussion as what you're saying is tainted by such a pathetic argument so as to be worthless.

firstly, I seem to recall it was your post that introduced the concept of "profitability" to a given status, not mine.

Secondly, im not trying to bully you into anything and nor was my comment directed at you personally. It was directed at those WP's who bend and twist the rules so that they can earn WP status, not entirely in good faith, and then complain when the benefits they really shouldn't be entitled too, get "enhanced" away. If that hits a raw nerve with you, so be it.

Your opinion of my argument really doesn't concern me, for, if im honest, your arguments dont appear to be based on logic or reason, but rather, your skewed perception on how a given circumstance ought to benefit you.

 

[straitman]

Time to get off the roundabout and back to the topic (AIR - A Qantas Magazine) gentlemen :!:

 

[goldy]

Time to get off the roundabout and back to the topic (AIR - A Qantas Magazine) gentlemen :!:

Couldnt agree more.... The general consensus seems to be that it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on, but not having seen it myself, I cant really comment.

Wasn't someone going to scan and upload a pdf of an edition so that us mere mortals could have a peek?

 

[TonyHancock]

And clearly you're more worthy.

I'm happy to admit I'm one of those free loading scum platinums who just fly a lot for work and don't actually contribute any profit to qantas*; yet who they still give platinum benefits to.

* is that the problem with qantas? Giving away benefits to people (scum platinums) who haven't actually earnt them the good honest, decent, god fearing way.

In all seriousness I suspect you have far more value to QF than I do. I'll scrape in 1200 SC's on QF paid metal this year but the rest will come from JASA/FASA's and BA/LAN.

I never understood why I received Air, I certainly meet none of the criteria laid out in markis10's post. I just assumed they over published and I was alphabetically further up the list!!

As for content, it was all stuff well out of my price range and far to fancy for me.

 

[medhead]

In all seriousness I suspect you have far more value to QF than I do. I'll scrape in 1200 SC's on QF paid metal this year but the rest will come from JASA/FASA's and BA/LAN.

I never understood why I received Air, I certainly meet none of the criteria laid out in markis10's post. I just assumed they over published and I was alphabetically further up the list!!

As for content, it was all stuff well out of my price range and far to fancy for me.

I think you under estimate, being serious. Given the way qantas profits from points, I think JASAs/FASAs have some considerable value.

 

[Reggie]

No wonder they stopped producing it, they couldn't find their target market!!!!!!!

When did they announce they weren't producing it anymore? Did they say why?

 

[nlagalle]

It is also evident that those who are most vocal about the "enhancements" and "dilution" of their benefits are those who in all likelihood, don't 'genuinely" qualify for the status they have, despite meeting the eligibility criteria. Their status is achieved and retained by finding and exploiting the loop holes and bending the rules so that they can take advantage of something that they ordinarily would not be entitled to, like First class lounges that could be exclusively for First class passengers and not WP's who attain it on heavily discounted tickets. Every FF it seems, has a false sense of entitlement, that ultimately dilutes the benefits of the customers that matter most to airlines, those being the highly profitable passengers that actually pay for frequent J and F travel. I'd bet my house that half the QF WP's do NOT fall into that category!

Well I like how you generalise "most" here. I did complain about certain changes, however I dispute that you may think that most of us don't generally deserve WP. 95% of mine was from flying in Y weekly. And as a WP I am entitled to use the F lounge as long as I am on said flights.. QF deem it ok..

I received one edition of AIR before it stopped, perhaps because I just made WP?

And we've had the debate on the most profitable pax in the past and it isn't always the J and F pax..

 

[medhead]

Well I like how you generalise "most" here. I did complain about certain changes, however I dispute that you may think that most of us don't generally deserve WP. 95% of mine was from flying in Y weekly. And as a WP I am entitled to use the F lounge as long as I am on said flights.. QF deem it ok..

I received one edition of AIR before it stopped, perhaps because I just made WP?

And we've had the debate on the most profitable pax in the past and it isn't always the J and F pax..

As I mentioned, the key point is that QF deem you profitable enough to get platinum benefits once you have 1400/1200 SC. Which customer is more profitable is irrelevant. Of course, profit seems relevant to getting AIR in the past.

 

[serfty]

When did they announce they weren't producing it anymore? Did they say why?

Not sure it was "announced".

See this post from June: (http://www.australianfrequentflyer....air-a-qantas-magazine-15505-5.html#post454913)

Its over

However, I do have every issue - brand new with the original offer letter signed by John B

In response to an email sent:

Hi munitalP,


Thank you for your email.


Unfortunately the December issue of AIR Magazine was the final issue to go to print. Following discussions between Qantas and ACP Magazines (ACP producing the magazine on behalf of Qantas) the decision was made to cease publishing the title in 2011.


My apologies for the fact that this was not communicated earlier.

Kindest regards ...

Oh well....

 

[Reggie]

Not sure it was "announced".

See this post from June: (http://www.australianfrequentflyer....air-a-qantas-magazine-15505-5.html#post454913)

Thanks Serfty, I missed that post.