Big development! Qantas seat selection!

[Deleted member 9370]

Thanks Serfty-looks like I lucked in!

 

[Anna]

Can people who do not already have a seat request in their profile still see "select seat" on their booking?

 

[oz_mark]

Looks like QF have deployed this tool on a "soft-launch" basis to gauge feedback from customers. Perhaps too many AFF members provided negative feedback? :mrgreen::evil:

It wasn't a soft launch - it was announced as being available. However, I do agree that it seems that things did not go too well with the launch.

 

[moa999]

Still not showing for me today - even on flights where I had previously selected

 

[Commuter]

It wasn't a soft launch - it was announced as being available. However, I do agree that it seems that things did not go too well with the launch.

They should have asked us for our feedback and got us to test it before going public

 

[Dave Noble]

It wasn't a soft launch - it was announced as being available. However, I do agree that it seems that things did not go too well with the launch.

It was , iirc, only announced on the Agency site , and so wasn't a full launch. There was no general announcement that I am aware of

Dave

 

[Deleted member 9370]

Interesting link: http://www.qantas.com.au/agents/dyn/qf/policies/AdvanceSeatSelectnFAQs280509.pdf

 

[oz_mark]

It was , iirc, only announced on the Agency site , and so wasn't a full launch. There was no general announcement that I am aware of

Dave

It was annouced to agents, who would inform their clients.

 

[dede]

from:
http://www.qantas.com.au/agents/dyn/qf/policies/AdvanceSeatSelectnFAQs280509.pdf

Frequent Flyer’s who are eligible to use Advance Seat Selection include Frequent Flyers​

with Platinum, Gold or Silver status.

APOSTROPHES! APOSTROPHES! I'm going to go crazy if people keep doing that - now we're getting it from Qantas! Or should that be Qanta's?

 

[Blackadder]

from:​

http://www.qantas.com.au/agents/dyn/qf/policies/AdvanceSeatSelectnFAQs280509.pdf​

Frequent Flyer’s who are eligible to use Advance Seat Selection include Frequent Flyers​

with Platinum, Gold or Silver status.

APOSTROPHES! APOSTROPHES! I'm going to go crazy if people keep doing that - now we're getting it from Qantas! Or should that be Qanta's?

Could we ask for a consistant approach at least.

 

[oz_mark]

I am totally confused and at a total loss trying to understand what Qantas is doing? There is nothing wrong with a computer allocating seats at T-25 hours and allowing people to OLCI from T-24 hours onwards. Now you are going to have people playing musical seats 6 months out from their flight and already we are seeing lowly status being able to select exit rows and some forward seats.

Many LCC's offer a select seat feature (sometimes for free, sometimes for a fee), so Qantas have decided to go down that route as well. I am not sure how much musical seats is going to occur. That is more of the OLCI game when more seats seem available!

I am not sure how it is going to work with 767's though. I have seen the config change a couple of times in the last 24 hours with OLCI. Good seats on one config are not so good (or don't exist) in another.

When I could see the seat map for my upcoming 767 flights there were both the BA config, and choosing a good seat for that doesn't work that well if they change configs!

 

[JohnK]

Many LCC's offer a select seat feature (sometimes for free, sometimes for a fee), so Qantas have decided to go down that route as well. I am not sure how much musical seats is going to occur. That is more of the OLCI game when more seats seem available!

And there in lies the problem. Qantas is not a LCC and should stop behaving like one.

Generally LCC's do not have much going for them so they try to create the illusion that they are doing you are favour by allowing you to select a seat at time of booking. That type of model does not suit a full service carrier with a Global FF program as they should be taking care of their high status FFers and you can't do that allowing people with any status to select seats months in advance.

Stick with OLCI at T-24 hours or even T-48 hours even though that is not working as well as it should for some people....

 

[Dave Noble]

Many ( most ) FULL SERVICE carriers offer pre-seat selection and is ( I would say ) the norm. There are a lot of people who find it bizarre that QF doesn't offer it.

QF is not following a LCC model by offering this facility , it is joining most of the major carriers

Dave

 

[serfty]

I've seen many post over the last years on FT and AFF re this.

Basically, the status PAX tend to post they prefer QF's domestic system to those domestic seating systems of other carriers.

I actually think Altea goes beyond anything done before and will require some bedding in.

FWIW, here's a link to a pertinent FAQ:

http://www.qantas.com.au/agents/dyn/qf/policies/AdvanceSeatSelectnFAQs280509.pdf

 

[Tooner]

Many ( most ) FULL SERVICE carriers offer pre-seat selection and is ( I would say ) the norm. There are a lot of people who find it bizarre that QF doesn't offer it.

QF is not following a LCC model by offering this facility , it is joining most of the major carriers

Dave

Couldn't agree more - for example, BA offers seat choices to high-status frequent flyers - even Qantas ones!

 

[Commuter]

Many ( most ) FULL SERVICE carriers offer pre-seat selection and is ( I would say ) the norm. There are a lot of people who find it bizarre that QF doesn't offer it.

QF is not following a LCC model by offering this facility , it is joining most of the major carriers

Dave

The day when QF scraps First (Ok, done that for some routes), scraps Business Class (not quite) and Premium Economy AND goes free seating is the day when it becomes a true LCC-like carrier - but with high operating costs.

On a serious matter, I too find it bizarre that QF did not offer pre-seat selection. Many carriers do.

What do I find LCC-ish is charging 'additional fee' for extra legroom seat though.

 

[JohnK]

Basically, the status PAX tend to post they prefer QF's domestic system to those domestic seating systems of other carriers.

I actually believe this is the best model available to a full service carrier. Does not mean I am right but in my opinion it is best to (pre-)allocate seats based on status rather than who books first.

Couldn't agree more - for example, BA offers seat choices to high-status frequent flyers - even Qantas ones!

So as a Platinum you have no issue with Silver status, Qantas Club member, pre-allocating seats on domestic flights 6-12 months in advance and when you book the flight the best available seat is a middle seat in row 47 on a 767 or middle seat in row 22 on a 767.

I am stunned with some of the suggestions on this thread and I can clearly understand how airlines end up making these type of silly decisions. Who cares if BA allows it or AA allows it? This is one of the perks that made QF stand out from the rest and now we want to reward lower status early bookers with the best seats. Not funny at all....

 

[Cyclogenesis]

FYI QC Bronze can not pre-allocate seats (well at least I can not, even when the system was working)

 

[Dave Noble]

I am stunned with some of the suggestions on this thread and I can clearly understand how airlines end up making these type of silly decisions. Who cares if BA allows it or AA allows it? This is one of the perks that made QF stand out from the rest and now we want to reward lower status early bookers with the best seats. Not funny at all....

They are only letting those with silver or higher status select online at this time. A lot care; if people didn't want seat pre-allocation, QF is hardly likely to have spent tme and money settiing up the system.

Being that a person/some people does not like an idea does not make it a silly idea. Many do find it risible that a full service airline like QF does not offer it

How it works out for varying people will be seen in time

Dave

 

[Ewing]

So as a Platinum you have no issue with Silver status, Qantas Club member, pre-allocating seats on domestic flights 6-12 months in advance and when you book the flight the best available seat is a middle seat in row 47 on a 767 or middle seat in row 22 on a 767.

I'm curious as to why people on these boards feel so threatened by Silver members sitting up near the front - it's already happening anyway. I'm a lowly QPPS who consistently falls short of SG (although I'll finally make it this year) and I can't remember the last time I sat anywhere near the back of the bus.

When flying in Y I'm always seated within the first 10 rows even when flying international. The last time I sat anywhere near the back was about 5 years ago on a 744 service as a NB (~65K).

Having said that, I think I'm going to prefer the way it was before for domestic. I book 95% of my domestic flights anywhere between 2 and 24 hours prior to travel (as I'm sure many people on these boards do) and I'd prefer not to be forced to take a seat up the back because of that.