Can I get an earlier flight?

[Dave Noble]

Whilst this is the letter of the law changes are often allowed and is even part of a yield management strategy. There is no point, particularly during busy periods, in letting aircraft depart with empty seats as they are described (within the industry) as a perishable commodity.

Conversely if they start letting people such that it is commonly allowed, then there would be no incentive to purchase the expensive tickets

Dave

 

[anat0l]

Conversely if they start letting people do so, then there would be no incentive to purchase the expensive tickets

That is why it is purely on a discretionary basis.

We tend to "read" the situation quite well, hence what we post here, which is backed up by some decent anecdotal evidence. But we would never say it is set-in-stone procedure; as goes the phrase very often on these boards, YMMV.

 

[straitman]

Is this actually documented anywhere Dave :?:

Could you answer this please Dave :?:

Whilst this is the letter of the law changes are often allowed and is even part of a yield management strategy. There is no point, particularly during busy periods, in letting aircraft depart with empty seats as they are described (within the industry) as a perishable commodity.

Absolutely.

Conversely if they start letting people such that it is commonly allowed, then there would be no incentive to purchase the expensive tickets
Dave

Nobody is disagreeing with you here Dave and no one is suggesting that the airlines should commonly allow these changes.

I am simply saying that the option to move people is often used by and at the discretion of the airlines. Thus it never hurts to ask but people should take the change as a bonus not as a right.

My statement is not basing this on some old theory but on 40 years of practical experience in the aviation industry including considerable study of the theories and application of yield management.

 

[Dave Noble]

Could you answer this please Dave

It is my understanding that this is the case and that QF generally do allow it with connecting flights. It is not something that I would rely on since I haven't seen it publicly documented

I have also been told that they will allow domestic award tickets to move too, but I have never had to try it out

Dave

 

[straitman]

It is my understanding that this is the case and that QF generally do allow it with connecting flights. It is not something that I would rely on since I haven't seen it publicly documented

I have also been told that they will allow domestic award tickets to move too, but I have never had to try it out

Dave

Thanks. Just a little more knowledge accumulated.

 

[Warks]

So what's the difference between a Red e-deal and a Super Saver? They both seem to say that you can change your flight (with possible cost impost) up to the day before you fly. I know this might be explained in a separate thread somewhere but I'm guessing that a Super Saver won't help in any situation like the one mentioned - that's why you need a Flexi-Saver.

My assumption is that a Red e-deal is just a cheaper Super Saver, limited in number.

 

[Dave Noble]

So what's the difference between a Red e-deal and a Super Saver? They both seem to say that you can change your flight (with possible cost impost) up to the day before you fly. I know this might be explained in a separate thread somewhere but I'm guessing that a Super Saver won't help in any situation like the one mentioned - that's why you need a Flexi-Saver.

My assumption is that a Red e-deal is just a cheaper Super Saver, limited in number.

You cannot use points to upgrade a red-e-deal otherwise the restrictions are similar

Dave

 

[dajop]

It is my understanding that this is the case and that QF generally do allow it with connecting flights. It is not something that I would rely on since I haven't seen it publicly documented

It's probably just unwritten, but it is common sense. If someone on a single sector say MEL-SYD turns up an hour early, they will get home an hour earlier - which is an advantage for them. Someone travelling say to LAX is not going to get to LAX any earlier by being an hour earlier out of MEL, and extra connection time probably works in everyone's favour.

I have also been told that they will allow domestic award tickets to move too, but I have never had to try it out

Did a couple of years ago, and got the spiel "not supposed to do this, but will anyway" (as opposed to red e-deals "can't do that")

 

[JohnK]

Got offered an earlier flight again today. Apparently BNE airport was closed twice in the afternoon. I was on QF557 (767-338 international configuration) with lovely seat allocation of 25B and accepted an offer to move to earlier flight QF555 (737-800) and allocated 12D with vacant seat next to me. Could have had 9C or 10C but these had middle seat occupied.

Anyway got to Sydney 40 minutes early even though I held up boarding as the BNE business lounge stuffed up boarding calls.

By the way was there a QF559 today? Did it get cancelled?

 

[drewbles]

Did a couple of years ago, and got the spiel "not supposed to do this, but will anyway" (as opposed to red e-deals "can't do that")

Have had it happen many times on MEL-SYD or SYD-MEL segments (on Red e-deals as it's all I really book on DOM segments). It's only when it suits QF to do so though. The times it's happened to me they've had weather delays, or had overbooking issues on the flights i've been on. I usually politely say 'I don't suppose there's any chance of taking the earlier flight is there?' when it's obviously a busy evening or weather has been nasty at the point of boarding.

I fully expect to fly on the flight I booked. If I get changed to an earlier, it's a bonus. They also seem to be more flexible with people who do not have checked luggage during these situations. It clears a pax out of the way with minimal effort and reduces their pax-shuffling scenarios for delayed/over-booked or cancelled flights.

 

[oz_mark]

By the way was there a QF559 today? Did it get cancelled?

As far as I can tell 559 is only on Sundays.

 

[JohnK]

As far as I can tell 559 is only on Sundays.

Interesting! So without realising it I have been booking the last flight of the night BNE-SYD on a Friday night. Not very smart if things go wrong like yesterday when BNE airport was closed twice in the afternoon due to storms.

 

[docjames]

@ JohnK - we always try and book the second last flight for that reason.

Re: Changing red e-deals:

It seems to be up to staff discretion, a usual "no" (unless coughing up the $$$). in event of inclement weather (read: thunderstoms), they'll make sure every flight goes out full. I've had multiple red-e-deals changed, some asked, some not. eg.
5pm SYD-BNE became 3pm (storms expected @ 1700) (unasked)
8pm SYD-BNE became 6pm (asked if I wanted to change since I was "so early - got there about 5pm).
1855 BNE-MEL became 1825 (day of rolling delays thru the network, the 1825 actually left more like 1915and the 1855 was only about 15 mins later than that!).

Essentially, it's a bonus if it happens, dont expect it.

 

[Warks]

Yesterday in BNE I had a chance to try my luck with this again. I was booked on a red-e deal both ways so it was going to be a lottery. Some work I had planned had already fallen through the day before so I'd moved my return flight forward (and paid $50 for the privilege of clicking my mouse about 4 times :evil from 0915 Thurs to 1945 Wed (QF555). I chose that flight as it was the latest I could get with the same fare as I had paid so no fare difference to be paid.
On the day I finished work earlier than expected and headed to the airport some 5.5 hours before my flight to try my luck. At the QC check-in on the ground floor the staff member said it could be difficult and made a couple of phone calls with no luck. She said management have been cracking down and are "watching them" so they won't do it without permission. She said I could try at the City Flyer desk upstairs. I tried again and got the same answers with the same result. Resigned to my fate I went into the QC (QP) and tried to make them pay for their bloody-mindedness.
As I was catching the train home from SYD I didn't have to worry about RBT so had the odd sherbet and ate quite a few samosas and party pies!
In the end it would have been cheaper for them to send me home on one of the 10 or so flights I watched leave without me. I took the time to write a complaint online while I was there. Hope I didn't sound too pissed off (or pissed).

Plane was half empty (half full) so I had a row to myself. Perhaps they kept me on this flight to balance the plane.

Anyhoo the lesson is don't be a tightarse if you want to get home earlier. If you look like me and are only PS you've got zero chance of an earlier flight. By the way I don't act arrogant or entitled when dealing with staff and always thank them for their efforts - I do not take it personally which I've seen others do.

 

[wenglock.mok]

Anyhoo the lesson is don't be a tightarse if you want to get home earlier. If you look like me and are only PS you've got zero chance of an earlier flight. By the way I don't act arrogant or entitled when dealing with staff and always thank them for their efforts - I do not take it personally which I've seen others do.

I agree with you completely - they are under no obligation to put you on any other flight except the one you're booked on if you're on one of the non-changeable fare types so be polite and certainly do not be nasty about it if it does not happen.

Being nice can (sometimes) help - I was in the same situation as you were and I asked nicely at the QC check-in desk if I could get on an earlier flight and I explicitly said I knew I was on the lowest fare class and if it could not be done to not worry about it... After 2 minutes of checking with the duty manager, I was offered a choice of three flights to choose from and I got home 4 hours earlier than I would have. This was on a 'E' class fare. Some days the stars and planets just align.

 

[Dave Noble]

I took the time to write a complaint online while I was there. Hope I didn't sound too pissed off (or pissed).

Plane was half empty (half full) so I had a row to myself. Perhaps they kept me on this flight to balance the plane.

Anyhoo the lesson is don't be a tightarse if you want to get home earlier. If you look like me and are only PS you've got zero chance of an earlier flight. By the way I don't act arrogant or entitled when dealing with staff and always thank them for their efforts - I do not take it personally which I've seen others do.

What was the reason for the complaint. It sounds like the staff did exactly what they should do and hardly grounds for complaint, but indeed, the approach is to pay for a fare that permits the change

Also, how much did it really cost Qantas for you to sit at the airport vs the difference in price to a flexible ticket?

 

[markis10]

In the end it would have been cheaper for them to send me home on one of the 10 or so flights I watched leave without me. I took the time to write a complaint online while I was there. Hope I didn't sound too pissed off (or pissed).........
Anyhoo the lesson is don't be a tightarse if you want to get home earlier. If you look like me and are only PS you've got zero chance of an earlier flight.

It may have been cheaper for QF to send you home on an earlier flight but that statement is overlooking the effect on revenue for Qantas if everyone realized the rules where not enforced, and subsequently purchased the cheaper fares. Quite a few companies will go best BFOD on the way out but fully flex coming home so that people have the flexibility to change should plans change without a cost impact.

 

[serfty]

Obviously Qantas had low sales for Wednesday afternoon and felt no need to move passengers around.

They will do so when it suits them (like Friday afternoons with heavy Loads).

 

[JohnK]

They will do so when it suits them (like Friday afternoons with heavy Loads).

I think this has happened to me twice in the last couple of years commuting SYD-BNE.

But I am lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) in a sense that I will work for most of the day on a Friday before going to the airport. The exceptions are if I have specifically booked an early flight (like today's flight at 2:45pm) or it is Christmas Eve.