Cancelled redemption on AA (VIA QF) - Release time back to Qantas?

[Longylad]

Howdy,

I recently made a PE reward return booking SYD>LA. QF there, AA back..

Unfortunately I needed to update the passenger name (different person entirely), spoke to QF within 24 hours and they advised as AA was involved they were unable to change name but we could cancel, and the consultant could hold the redemption seats for us to rebook FOC.
We proceeded, the QF seat was successfully held, but the AA reward seat vanished once cancelled..

This seems strange to me, I assume AA give QF an allocation so if a seat is released, would that not simply go back to the allocation pool? Is there a timeline for this to happen? Its been 17 hours so far.

The call ended with the consultant implying that maybe it would release or become available but he wasnt really sure..

Any thoughts would be great


Thanks

 

[TheInsider]

Just because you had a reward seat and cancelled, doesn't mean that reward seat would now become available again.
All up to the system and a thing called yield management.

Qantas can override their own system, but can't do it on other carriers unfortunately.

 

[Longylad]

Just because you had a reward seat and cancelled, doesn't mean that reward seat would now become available again.
All up to the system and a thing called yield management.

Qantas can override their own system, but can't do it on other carriers unfortunately.

Thanks - I just wanted to understand the underlying logic - which that helps
Would be interesting to see the agreement between the airlines, I guess it would be something like an allocation, that if someone cancels, AA has the right to retain the seat..
If that wasn't the case and they can claim back seats at any stage, why would it have been available at all to me through QF.. Especially considering I did it all within 60 mins (booking > amendment).

Thanks again

 

[TheInsider]

Thanks - I just wanted to understand the underlying logic - which that helps
Would be interesting to see the agreement between the airlines, I guess it would be something like an allocation, that if someone cancels, AA has the right to retain the seat..
If that wasn't the case and they can claim back seats at any stage, why would it have been available at all to me through QF.. Especially considering I did it all within 60 mins (booking > amendment).

Thanks again

Usually it's not allocated to a specific airline, it's just what that airline has released and generally any participating airline can get that inventory.
There are some exceptions for some airlines, but generally when there is a points ticket available, then all the carriers could potentially 'get it'.

For QF, it probably wasn't available, but QF would've been able to potentially force book you in that fare class.

Logic for the selling of the seats, could be something like "we'll stimulate demand by releasing a cheap fare, being the redemption ticket". Then after buying the fare, the 'logic' could be something like, "well since we have sold this fare already, there clearly is a demand for it, therefore no points tickets to sell now".

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks - I just wanted to understand the underlying logic - which that helps
Would be interesting to see the agreement between the airlines, I guess it would be something like an allocation, that if someone cancels, AA has the right to retain the seat..
If that wasn't the case and they can claim back seats at any stage, why would it have been available at all to me through QF.. Especially considering I did it all within 60 mins (booking > amendment).

Thanks again

IF the seat is going back… and that will be a yield management thing taking into account the overall flight loadings and whether or not they think they can otherwise sell the seat for $$… it could be instant, take 24 hours, happen sometime before departure, or not at all.

Best thing would be to ticket what you have and check regularly to see about the other leg. Have a back up.

 

[Longylad]

Thanks, advice much appreciated - on hold to QF now

 

[RichardMEL]

As above, inventory control is with each operating airline and that PE reward seat (or any for that matter) doesn't automatically go back to the same reward - now it seems unusual in the space of 24 hours for it to not go back, but every minute conditions can change on a flight by flight basis - for example, a bunch of PE seats may have been sold on that particular flight - even one or two - and when that PE seat was cancelled and went back to inventory, the YM system would recalculate given the various flight rules for that flight, and triggers, and the state of the flight and decide if it can be made available again.

Now, doesn't mean the seat may not come back. It may well. Sabre may manage the actual process differently, they could keep that PE seat in a hold still then release it back - it's just something those of us who aren't familiar with Sabre (AA"s res platform) manages such things. Well some here perhaps are, but I digress

it's one of those rules about FF reward seats that apply in every case - along the lines of grab and keep it while you can because you don't know if it will be available in the next five minutes (I understand the name issue made this a problematic situation - my comment is general in nature).