Brace for ex QFF boarders!

[LiamR]

Oh hi Qantas people! Welcome to the purple side.

One tip, manners. VA customers are generally polite and curious people. I've seen the way some elites at Qantas behave, and I sincerely hope that behavious stays with QF.

Happy customers = Happy Crew = Happy Passengers

 

[Deleted member 29185]

+1
Also on my wish list:
Have dedicated J lounge equivalents for Plats ( or let us in The Club)
Join *

I thought a celebrity like yourself Princess, would already be a Club invitee!
I do note VS has just partnered with Delta, so I'm wondering if a new alliance is forming that won't need *.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

JB's timing for status match was so good last time, I'm sure they could do something like book so many flights in so many months and we will status match you,

Yes and with so many new BIS VA status flyers, let's hope if any plans are being made, they don't snub us existing and loyal flyers who actually do spend money with them (like they did so blatantly last time).

 

[smit0847]

They could offer something like cheap JASA's (ie the exact thing it looks like QF are removing), and offer status matches but that won't really benefit QF flyers who dont have any VFF points!

 

[RooFlyer]

My God. If JB offered the equivalent of JASAs right now (or very soon, before the disgust with the recent QF moves wears off), with or without status match, I don't think VA could cope with the stampede coming over. He'd have to find quite a few more planes.

Also, many of us have a foot in both camps, so do have some VA points up our sleeves.

The carp VA web site wouldn't be an issue - QF has now got their own!

 

[hummel]

I don't see VA offering JASA's but an extension of SC's on reward booking could be possible.

 

[kamchatsky]

I love there were some people in the forum who said they won't be flying VA again and head back to QF.


Now QF "stuffed up" their website and ASAs, would those people now have to fly TT or JQ? Oh probably not, as they are QF/VA companies. So they will now drive or catch the bus for their domestic trips.

 

[nlagalle]

I don't see VA offering JASA's but an extension of SC's on reward booking could be possible.

VA already have ASA's but they are on levels that QF are on par with now..

 

[oz_mark]

My God. If JB offered the equivalent of JASAs right now (or very soon, before the disgust with the recent QF moves wears off), with or without status match, I don't think VA could cope with the stampede coming over. He'd have to find quite a few more planes.

Classic Awards earn SC now, and for the next few days. Maybe squeeze a lot of Virgin flying in this weekend!

 

[hummel]

VA already have ASA's but they are on levels that QF are on par with now..

Ok maybe I meant to say pre-qantas-change-JASA's

 

[eastwest101]

Also, many of us have a foot in both camps, so do have some VA points up our sleeves.

The carp VA web site wouldn't be an issue - QF has now got their own!

Not the only one with a foot in each camp. But it is interesting that we have seen both VA and QF go through web site problems and both seemed to have had a rather reactive and poorly co-ordinated response to their problems.

Leaving aside the inconsistencies in both products dependant on aircraft type, its almost like both are engaged in a race to be merely 'adequate' rather than to lead the field. From many comments around here the crowd seem to often reach similar but not identical points of comparison along the lines of....


QF
Good product
Larger domestic route network
Shrinking International network
OW benefits enhanced
Good web site
Lots of PR and spin
Often poor redemption value
Partially engaged company rep
Good service recovery in IIROPS
Generally reliable OTP except for rare but spectacular "self grounding"
A middle easten based 'Big Brother'
Increasingly seen as SYD centric
Famous for giving their Asian partner the big middle finger

VA
Improving product
Less developed domestic network
Growing but still not satisfactory International partners
Poor co-ordination with partners
Bad to average website that lost functionality in Jan
Lots of PR and spin
Variable redemption value
Company rep absent but returned to service after web site problems
Not so good service recovery when things go wrong
Not quite big enough to attract disenfranchised ADL PER based customers
A different middle eastern based big brother
Some problems with ongoing rescheduling/cancellation of flights
Alliance with a strong SE Asian carrier but could be better integrated

 

[lovestotravel]

*paging lovestotravel... please come to the service desk*

I have no reason to change to a LCC such as Virgin

The changes just mean that I will fly more domestic flights in business class with QF to ensure I retain platinum as with current travel and no JASA I will fall a bit short

However not to worry I have enough travel/JASAs booked to keep me platinum with QF until December 2015, in the meantime my platinum status with Virgin is good until March 2014 and then gold until March 2015 at which time I will assess both carriers options and decide what to do.

Unless Virgin gets a business/plat lounge I am not interested in flying them domestically

 

[ftm]

Won't be making me switch either. It's a whole package with QF, not just ASAs.

 

[Hvr]

Won't be making me switch either. It's a whole package with QF, not just ASAs.

Exactly, life time status, F and J lounges, recognition on overseas airlines and so on.

 

[hummel]

I have no reason to change to a LCC such as Virgin

The changes just mean that I will fly more domestic flights in business class with QF to ensure I retain platinum as with current travel and no JASA I will fall a bit short

However not to worry I have enough travel/JASAs booked to keep me platinum with QF until December 2015, in the meantime my platinum status with Virgin is good until March 2014 and then gold until March 2015 at which time I will assess both carriers options and decide what to do.

Unless Virgin gets a business/plat lounge I am not interested in flying them domestically

*Phew* Seriously though... you do raise a valid point with business/plat lounge, something I'd like to see.

I think for everyone it is different, I hold no status with QF and only have about 20SC's for the last month so it would be a tough slog to get there so it hasn't affected me a great deal. It's just interesting to see some of the loyal QF customers jumping up and down like little kids.

 

[RooFlyer]

Not the only one with a foot in each camp. But it is interesting that we have seen both VA and QF go through web site problems and both seemed to have had a rather reactive and poorly co-ordinated response to their problems.

Leaving aside the inconsistencies in both products dependant on aircraft type, its almost like both are engaged in a race to be merely 'adequate' rather than to lead the field. From many comments around here the crowd seem to often reach similar but not identical points of comparison along the lines of....

<snip>

Pretty good comparison. To VA I would add an energetic CEO on a mission to improve the product to grow market share. Really surprising though that the VA web issue hasn't been pro-actively addressed by management - ie communication with the punters.

What is it with airlines and their web sites? I would imagine they are rather complicated beasties, needing to talk to and co-ordinate with a whole bunch of other engines, but sheesh.

Air Canada introduced a new web site earlier this year (with other changes to their FF program) - also a shemozzle on launch (in this case coupled with a fiasco in the FF program refresh!).

I'm certainly not going to give up QF - but at the moment I think my attitude will be:

* They certainly won't be my only port of call when I'm looking at itineraries (mainly o/s).

* They probably won't be my first choice when I'm casting around;

* My desire to get VA plat is much stronger now - immediately with a status match (if I can get it) - then with straight BIS. Two trips to Nth America coming up. One I've booked in United (F ) - other looking like VA in J;


Looking forward to the Lounges refirb being completed.

 

[straitman]

I have no reason to change to a LCC such as Virgin

The changes just mean that I will fly more domestic flights in business class with QF to ensure I retain platinum as with current travel and no JASA I will fall a bit short

However not to worry I have enough travel/JASAs booked to keep me platinum with QF until December 2015, in the meantime my platinum status with Virgin is good until March 2014 and then gold until March 2015 at which time I will assess both carriers options and decide what to do.

Unless Virgin gets a business/plat lounge I am not interested in flying them domestically

Good to see you attempt to dig in the knife in the first sentence. I would have been disappointed at anything less :!:

Maybe, just maybe, it is time to admit that both carriers have their limitations and also their good points. They both do some good things for us from time to time and they both get it wrong from time to time.

 

[Fruitcake]

[FONT=arial, sans-serif][/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]...[/FONT][FONT=arial, sans-serif]
VA
[/FONT]...
A different middle eastern based big brother
...

Good summary, eastwest101. My suggestion would be to note that VA has an even bigger brother in south-east Asia, who runs a full-service carrier and is willing to compete with the middle eastern brother for the chance to take you to Europe. Unlike QF who is building their Asian strategy around 3K.

 

[Ausbt]

I have no reason to change to a LCC such as Virgin

Doesn't feel like an LCC to me whenever I'm comfortably in row 3 or ka-ching-ing in one of my compo J upgrades. Doesn't feel like an LCC when I take note of the attractiveness and pleasantness of the crew.

...in fact I find the only thing LCC about it is the humility, generally, of my fellow travellers compared with that mob of slightly-snobby rock-wallabies prancing around elsewhere.

 

[eastwest101]

Good summary, eastwest101. My suggestion would be to note that VA has an even bigger brother in south-east Asia, who runs a full-service carrier and is willing to compete with the middle eastern brother for the chance to take you to Europe. Unlike QF who is building their Asian strategy around 3K.

Very good point - I forgot about the SQ connection, if VA are able to make this work this could be the real advantage that they could get over QF whom are either retreating from SE asia or at least are playing catch-up.