beyond platinum?

[greenfish]

The comparison between QF Platinum and DJ Platinum, while sidetracking the thread, is a very interesting one for me. I've just signed an employment contract for a Brisbane based role, so have no chance of maintaining both QF and DJ Platinum, and the comments in this thread are useful for deciding which FF scheme to concentrate on.

I have no bias between QF or DJ - I've been a status flyer for less than 12 months on either airline. Up to my status match in August last year, I mostly flew QF. Since then, I've mostly flown DJ.

A quick summary of thread comments below:

Lounges
--------

777, I understand that DJ are revamping both of my problem lounges though at the moment I'm constantly reminded particularly in CBR of how much better the QF J lounge is. Of course in Brisbane the DJ lounge compares very favourably with both QF lounges. My view is that QF still has a clear win in the lounge area due to:
- 2 lounge tiers, offering a generally better product for Platinum
(Specifically, Island Dining, better hot and cold options, better (for me) beer choice, nicer wines)
- I don't drink coffee, but I love to read, so the free papers/mag that you can take with you are win for me personally
- Many more lounge locations than DJ
- F lounges when travelling international Y
- International oneworld lounges
- Markis10, I'd take the BNE F lounge over the DJ CBR lounge where there actually isn't a seat anywhere (avoid CBR around 4:45 on Fridays!)

Membership Retention (ease of earning SCs)
------------------------------------------

1200 SCs for QF, 800 for DJ
- QF earn SCs per segment, DJ per trip. If most trips are direct, easy win to DJ, if indirect, a draw (perhaps)?
- QF ASAs earn SCs. Win to QF
- QF partner airline status earn is easy with YUPPS / KUPPS in USA. Win to QF
- DJ permit SC earn without flying e.g. recent membership rewards 100SC for 100,000 mile credit. Win to DJ
- Family pooling; massive win to DJ, (and it has always bugged me how you end up with small FF balances for kids etc which are wasted)

Overall, a win to DJ if travelling regularly with family, possible win to QF if travelling to the USA with time for YUPPs / KUPPs.

Op-Ups
-------

Markis10, my mileage varies from yours. I've had more op-ups on QF (marginally). DJ certainly are not running a no empty J seat policy so my view is at the moment, domestic op-ups are the luck of the draw, and on DJ are as likely to be a consequence of a rogue aircraft substitution. I have had 1 op-down on DJ however. I'd also argue that the current J product on DJ is poor, so I'd overall much rather have an op-up on QF than DJ.

Overall - no winner, op-ups can't be relied on with either airline.

Preferential Seating
------------------
When I first started flying heavily, I couldn't work out why I seemed to be always in row 14 or further back, when there were empty seats nearer the front. Then over a month or so I went from Bronze to Platinum, and discovered the shadow.

For me this is a DJ win. Row 3 on the refurbed 737s is great. I've found the Platinum shadow flakier on DJ however, so QF earns some points here. Also, the continuous aircraft swaps of late tend to make a mockery of advance seat selection.

Priority Boarding
---------------
Goes without saying that this is a win to DJ. Was very pleased to see them implement priority boarding in CBR where they scarcely have room at the gates. PB isn't a major for me as I fly with a tiny carry on (really just a man bag), so have never failed to squeeze it in overhead. A deal breaker for many.

Complimentary Upgrades
-----------------------

Nice DJ feature, but value limited by requirement to upgrade from a flexi, and also by the poor short haul J. Would be great though on the East to West coast routes.

Other benefits
--------------
DJ offer status matching to other frequent traveller schemes for rental cars and hotels. These don't benefit me, but could swing the balance for some.


Conclusion
----------
For me, it'll come down to which one I can actually retain, and I won't know this until I see my travel patterns in my new role. My original comment favouring QF Platinum is based on regular Friday evening flights through CBR and sometimes the SYD lounge - if my Friday evenings were in the BNE lounge, my thoughts maybe completely different.

 

[markis10]

If your moving to BNE then I would suggest your mindset will change, and you clearly have not been in the F lounge in Brisbane. If your sick of not being able to get a seat, again the QP BNE won't change things for you, as the J lounge was not an additional space when created, but a division of the existing lounge.

 

[MarkD]

DJ offer status matching to other frequent traveller schemes for rental cars and hotels. These don't benefit me, but could swing the balance for some.

Sorry to quote only a small bit, but your post was in point form, and I dont believe it is out of context. I agree with most of what you have posted, however, I dont see how status match is of no value to you, when you went from nothing to Platinum, instantly with SM. I think that has to be of value to you, and you have obviously used the upgrades, so have extracted substantial value from the SM

 

[greenfish]

DJ offer status matching to other frequent traveller schemes for rental cars and hotels. These don't benefit me, but could swing the balance for some.

Sorry to quote only a small bit, but your post was in point form, and I dont believe it is out of context. I agree with most of what you have posted, however, I dont see how status match is of no value to you, when you went from nothing to Platinum, instantly with SM. I think that has to be of value to you, and you have obviously used the upgrades, so have extracted substantial value from the SM

I was specifically referring to the status matches to rental cars and hotels, not the one-off SM that brought me across in the first place, which was nicely symbiotic. DJ gave me status - I flew them - but as I understand it, there isn't a guaranteed Platinum SM - and if I kept QF Platinum and dropped DJ, I could hardly expect DJ to then re-match me at a later point.

I've used one op-up which was a a bit of a shambles (i.e. really terrible value). Now I haven't kept a running total of my DJ spend since the SM, but last week I spent $1350 alone with DJ (and $200 with QF). I suspect I've more than repaid any benefits received from the SM - and that is exactly how it should be.

 

[greenfish]

If your moving to BNE then I would suggest your mindset will change, and you clearly have not been in the F lounge in Brisbane. If your sick of not being able to get a seat, again the QP BNE won't change things for you, as the J lounge was not an additional space when created, but a division of the existing lounge.

I live in BNE - been here for about 18 months, but couldn't find work after our shift north (we moved up so my wife could study at UQ). You're right, I've never been in the F lounge in Brisbane (though I've read lots about it!), but likewise, I suspect you've not been in the CBR DJ lounge at peak hour - I've had one experience where I've had to slide the monitor over to sit on a bench by a PC. The terminal redevelopment can't happen too soon for DJ in CBR.

I know the QP / J QF domestic lounges in BNE very well - I've not had any congestion issues when I fly (very early Monday mornings) though I've never suggested that these lounges are better than the DJ BNE lounge. Apart from the lack of free newspapers and the really, really sour passionfruit topping they've started using on the little muesli pots (ahh, first world problems!), I like the DJ BNE lounge.

 

[markis10]

I have not been to CBR since the status match campaign, so definitely not seen it crowded, the BNE QP gets very busy from 11 to 2 strangely enough, and Friday nights when the mexicans head home.

 

[777]

I suspect you've not been in the CBR DJ lounge at peak hour - I've had one experience where I've had to slide the monitor over to sit on a bench by a PC. The terminal redevelopment can't happen too soon for DJ in CBR.

I've been there and seen it's clearly massively overcrowded at peak hour. However, it's a little unfair to use it as the basis of an overall comparison given that CBR terminal is being redeveloped and (for whatever reason) QF was in the half that was developed first and VA are stuck with temporary digs while the second half is being completed. CBR, PER, OOL, DRW, and HBA are all getting new lounges along with the SYD redevelopment.

I would be extremely critical of VA if i felt that issues like these were being ignored. However i'm willing to accept that in order to address them properly you need 1. Acknowledgement of the issue, 2. A solution presented, and 3. A reasonable time frame to implement that solution based on practical real world constraints. The CBR lounge is an obvious case in point. It would simply be insane to invest too much in a lounge that's about to be demolished.

 

[greenfish]

I've been there and seen it's clearly massively overcrowded at peak hour. However, it's a little unfair to use it as the basis of an overall comparison given that CBR terminal is being redeveloped and (for whatever reason) QF was in the half that was developed first and VA are stuck with temporary digs while the second half is being completed. CBR, PER, OOL, DRW, and HBA are all getting new lounges along with the SYD redevelopment.

I would be extremely critical of VA if i felt that issues like these were being ignored. However i'm willing to accept that in order to address them properly you need 1. Acknowledgement of the issue, 2. A solution presented, and 3. A reasonable time frame to implement that solution based on practical real world constraints. The CBR lounge is an obvious case in point. It would simply be insane to invest too much in a lounge that's about to be demolished.

From a Platinum selection perspective, even with the DJ's planned changes I believe QF still wins the battle of the lounges. From a more immediate perspective, I'd prefer people to be aware that if they choose DJ now, they may struggle to get a seat in the CBR lounge at peak times. It really isn't much of a consolation knowing that there will be a seat for me in a year or 2, when I'm snuggling up to the PCs in the business centre every Friday night.

So why do I still fly DJ out of CBR? For my booking window (typically 2 to 4 weeks ahead), they're cheaper than QF, and the product is "good enough". BVFOD?

 

[AsterisK]

I fly weekly BNE<-->MEL and experience both lounges. Personally, I like both of them. Except for their removal of Asahi from the beer fridge. shuuunnnnnnn

I usually fly out on a Sunday night, and the Brisbane lounge is relatively quiet, but flying out of Melbourne on a Friday is a different story - they are generally packed, but I still always find a seat.

Op-ups are a mystery to me. I've only ever received one, by way of a cancelled flight, so haven't had the fortune of J class experience. And from the J experience I did have, I am not really interested in burning my complimentary upgrades for a domestic flight - not that I have a choice, unfortunately!!!

 

[lovestotravel]

Op-ups are a mystery to me. I've only ever received one, by way of a cancelled flight, so haven't had the fortune of J class experience. And from the J experience I did have, I am not really interested in burning my complimentary upgrades for a domestic flight - not that I have a choice, unfortunately!!!

I have received zero op-ups as a platinum on VA!

The J class has gone out close to empty or empty and I haven't been upgraded.......

 

[MichaelD]

not sure where else DJ Platinum trumps QF Platinum, let alone QF P1.

4 x complimentary upgrades to J from Flexi is an extremely nice perk.

Whilst Virgin's odd method of counting SCs is a downer, the upside is that the same applies in reverse to these comp upgrades, so;

MEL-SYD-PER or MEL-BNE-TSV uses up ONE complimentary upgrade to J, not two.

 

[greenfish]

4 x complimentary upgrades to J from Flexi is an extremely nice perk.

Whilst Virgin's odd method of counting SCs is a downer, the upside is that the same applies in reverse to these comp upgrades, so;

MEL-SYD-PER or MEL-BNE-TSV uses up ONE complimentary upgrade to J, not two.

I did mention the complimentary upgrades, but they're not a big win for me as I find short haul J pointless (snacks at the times I fly, no IFE, and I'm average height so row 3 is fine for space for me). I have 3 left and doubt I'll use them. The one I used was CBR -> SYD -> BNE. Ended up on an ATR to Syd so no J, and onward flight was after dinner time thanks to delays. If I had a reason to head to Perth on the A330, then I would very much appreciate the upgrades, but short haul - little point.

 

[MichaelD]

If I had a reason to head to Perth on the A330, then I would very much appreciate the upgrades, but short haul - little point.

Got to agree with you - I've used them so far for MEL-PER, DRW-MEL, MEL-CNS and about to use 1 for MEL-BNE-TSV where it is worth it. Wouldn't waste them on a short haul flight.

 

[Jama]

I have received zero op-ups as a platinum on VA!

The J class has gone out close to empty or empty and I haven't been upgraded.......

Same here. I also remember talk about being greeted by name, etc. I never experienced this either.

As far as Platinum + goes, I hope not. I don't need to aim for another level. Earning lifetime recognition appeals though.

 

[lovestotravel]

Same here. I also remember talk about being greeted by name, etc. I never experienced this either.

As far as Platinum + goes, I hope not. I don't need to aim for another level. Earning lifetime recognitions appeals though.

Lifetime recognition is the only real missing part for me!

As Gold I was always greeted by name, and Platinum it's still the same!