Bronze members Blocked?

[pattimac6]

Has anyone heard that QF have blocked Bronze members from Classic Reward redemptions to Europe?

 

[Anna]

No

 

[Airbumps]

Looking at availability on QF metal one might be excused for thinking so…..

 

[dylarr]

Dates and class of travel?

Availability for reward seats in premium cabins (Premium Economy, Business, First) on long haul flights are not opened up until 297 days prior to departure for Bronze and Silver members (353 days for Gold and above).

 

[TheInsider]

No one's blocked from award seats

 

[Pushka]

Availability for all is rubbish unless you get creative.

 

[drron]

No one's blocked from award seats

Though delaying premium awards to bronze flyers means in practical terms they are blocked from those awards.Even an AA member with no staus can access those QF premium awards before a QFF NB. And at least 1 I know has.

 

[UP4014]

Availability for all is rubbish unless you get creative.

Agree, no one blocked but a miniscule number of classic rewards available internationally. Guess they need all the cash they can get.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Agree, no one blocked but a miniscule number of classic rewards available internationally. Guess they need all the cash they can get.

With some gimmicky exceptions like ‘points only’ planes, award seats are only ever those that they don’t think will sell anyway. No flight is guaranteed to have award seats.

The current lack of availability is a combination of people booking early (when there was lots of availability), people making multiple bookings (some which they will not use, but need contingencies), people being forced into other flights due to the Ukraine invasion, and some countries such as Japan still not being easy to transit (especially between airports in tokyo), or Hong Kong.

 

[Economy_Gold]

With some gimmicky exceptions like ‘points only’ planes, award seats are only ever those that they don’t think will sell anyway. No flight is guaranteed to have award seats.

Pre-Covid (and I think still now) British Airways guaranteed at least one Business Class award seat on each flight - a shame that QF does not do this. It would probably not make any practical difference to a Bronze member, but it would be a sign that providing Award seats is at least not totally abitrary based on what QF think it can sell.

 

[justinbrett]

Agree, no one blocked but a miniscule number of classic rewards available internationally. Guess they need all the cash they can get.

Quite a few on the US routes.

 

[Batterytraveller]

Even as a WP I do very poorly finding international premium classic flight rewards. We’re never planned enough to do things 353 days in advance. Pre-covid you could get some good awards asia to Europe on OW or emirates, but the first hop out of australia was always a challenge.

Without being able to connect in China or Hong Kong a lot of options aren’t there. Chengdu and Shanghai to LHR were always good for an award on BA and a great dinner on the way. Even did LHR-DME-NRT one time.

 

[MrJetset]

Pre-Covid (and I think still now) British Airways guaranteed at least one Business Class award seat on each flight - a shame that QF does not do this. It would probably not make any practical difference to a Bronze member, but it would be a sign that providing Award seats is at least not totally abitrary based on what QF think it can sell.

I believe they guarantee at least four per flight when it opens.

On all our British Airways flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick we guarantee a minimum number of reward seats. We offer at least 8 seats in economy (Euro Traveller and World Traveller), 2 seats in premium economy (World Traveller Plus) and 4 in business (Club Europe and Club World). On flights to and from London City we guarantee 4 reward seats in both business (Club Europe) and economy (Euro Traveller).

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/spending-avios/reward-flights

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I believe they guarantee at least four per flight when it opens.

On all our British Airways flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick we guarantee a minimum number of reward seats. We offer at least 8 seats in economy (Euro Traveller and World Traveller), 2 seats in premium economy (World Traveller Plus) and 4 in business (Club Europe and Club World). On flights to and from London City we guarantee 4 reward seats in both business (Club Europe) and economy (Euro Traveller).

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/spending-avios/reward-flights

I wonder if that’s like an EU/UK consumer protection thing?

We don’t have the same here in australia.

Although i suspect BA has run the numbers before making the guarantee (in terms of seats they wouldn’t normally sell?)

 

[MrJetset]

I wonder if that’s like an EU/UK consumer protection thing?

We don’t have the same here in australia.

Although i suspect BA has run the numbers before making the guarantee (in terms of seats they wouldn’t normally sell?)

No. It's a choice they made in marketing Avios. Note there is no guarantee for F.

 

[Economy_Gold]

I believe they guarantee at least four per flight when it opens.

On all our British Airways flights to and from London Heathrow and London Gatwick we guarantee a minimum number of reward seats. We offer at least 8 seats in economy (Euro Traveller and World Traveller), 2 seats in premium economy (World Traveller Plus) and 4 in business (Club Europe and Club World). On flights to and from London City we guarantee 4 reward seats in both business (Club Europe) and economy (Euro Traveller).

https://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/executive-club/spending-avios/reward-flights

Thanks for finding the source and it is indeed even more generous than I remembered - but no guaranteed seats in F and all only out of London. In any case I wish there would be such a guarantee on Qantas out of Australia...