Berlin
Established Member
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2011
- Posts
- 2,933
- Qantas
- Platinum
Back to topic. I’m not flying in the back anymore at all because a. I’m not 20 anymore, b. life’s too short for unnecessary misery/ stinginess in the wrong places and c. I don’t want to (and lucky enough usually do not need to). However, I still find status very worthwhile: I know Qantas is a contentious topic these days but looking at the alternatives here in the Australian market, I’m not too sure there are any. Don’t come with Virgin (please just don’t- you’ll never see me join the “fun club” and they’re now owned by Bain Capital- even “evil” Allen will never beat that). And I just got Gold with SQ but you know what- service on the phone, award availability in anything but cattle class (pretty much zero as far as I can see and I mean zero zero nothing) and even my most recent flight experiences with SQ itself: Pretty dismal and quite honestly an utter disappointment given the reputation SQ once had (might change post Covid but so might Qantas). So what’s left? Some odd ball airlines with *Alliance or Sky: Good luck earning any points or transferring your Amex reward points so speaking of golden handshakes: Worse with them than with QF if you live down here.
So that leaves Qantas after all. Works for me as, see above, I rather don’t fly at all than doing the nasty back of the plane to myself. At the same time I am admittedly too stingy to pay full price QF J Domestic (or at the recently even more over-inflated priced internationally, for that matter) so reward seats/upgrades domestically are of real value to me. Likewise, if anything goes wrong, you usually get taken better care of (usually…) and after attempt two or three you “even” get through to Hobart or at least Auckland who might be able to actually help. Then there’s obviously also the First lounge which is more a nice (lovely) to have and, probably most important, the benefits on other OneWorld carriers: F lounges in, say, Tokyo and London? Tick, though admittedly the latter are pretty meh like anything these days on the rainy rock- still better than J through, needless to say. And the added luggage allowance has been a true, life-changing god sent whenever I had to literally move continents for work.
Finally- and the opportunities have gotten rarer but I still hope things will get back to “normal” post Covid: I had some of my very best flight experiences with upgrades to First or redemption seats in First, the latter quite a few times on Emirates, shower included. And of maybe 20 upgrade “lottery” requests from QF J to F, I think I only got two denied ever- and I’m only a lowly Platinum without the One. So- yea, totally worth it. And keeping my status is easy enough if flying full paid Business anyway (on carriers like JAL or Qatar rather, as much as possible) and points themselves just rain on you if you live in Australia and are a bit diligent about earning them (credit card churn, drinking lots of wine, oups, from Qantas and ordering any expensive stuff through the Qantas mall- really not too much of a handcuff if you ask me).
Everyone is different and circumstances are as well, I get that. And if someone has a REALLY good suggestion for a *Alliance or Sky scheme that’s worth considering instead of QF, I’m all ears. But in the meantime, Qantas Platinum seems minimal commitment with decent benefits to me. Especially if/when those upgrade and reward opportunities come back again.
So that leaves Qantas after all. Works for me as, see above, I rather don’t fly at all than doing the nasty back of the plane to myself. At the same time I am admittedly too stingy to pay full price QF J Domestic (or at the recently even more over-inflated priced internationally, for that matter) so reward seats/upgrades domestically are of real value to me. Likewise, if anything goes wrong, you usually get taken better care of (usually…) and after attempt two or three you “even” get through to Hobart or at least Auckland who might be able to actually help. Then there’s obviously also the First lounge which is more a nice (lovely) to have and, probably most important, the benefits on other OneWorld carriers: F lounges in, say, Tokyo and London? Tick, though admittedly the latter are pretty meh like anything these days on the rainy rock- still better than J through, needless to say. And the added luggage allowance has been a true, life-changing god sent whenever I had to literally move continents for work.
Finally- and the opportunities have gotten rarer but I still hope things will get back to “normal” post Covid: I had some of my very best flight experiences with upgrades to First or redemption seats in First, the latter quite a few times on Emirates, shower included. And of maybe 20 upgrade “lottery” requests from QF J to F, I think I only got two denied ever- and I’m only a lowly Platinum without the One. So- yea, totally worth it. And keeping my status is easy enough if flying full paid Business anyway (on carriers like JAL or Qatar rather, as much as possible) and points themselves just rain on you if you live in Australia and are a bit diligent about earning them (credit card churn, drinking lots of wine, oups, from Qantas and ordering any expensive stuff through the Qantas mall- really not too much of a handcuff if you ask me).
Everyone is different and circumstances are as well, I get that. And if someone has a REALLY good suggestion for a *Alliance or Sky scheme that’s worth considering instead of QF, I’m all ears. But in the meantime, Qantas Platinum seems minimal commitment with decent benefits to me. Especially if/when those upgrade and reward opportunities come back again.
