[Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26] was 10April

[Kangol]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

After speaking with Stephanie at the lunch where I asked her the real reason as to why (knowing that "technical" issues is simply a smokescreen) she gave the answer of, yes it might (is - but I'm an IT guru who has worked on booking engines in the past, and spend my days manipulating large amounts of data) be possible to include mASA's in to the new booking engine, but they couldn't justify the costs in doing so given it's a product which few outside the AFF sphere use, and ultimately is not a great product as far as QF is concerned as there is no profit margin on them. (aka a shortcut to status).

So whilst I would love JASA's to still be easily booked via the websites, I can understand business considerations around not spending big dollars building a feature into your website which undercuts your other products.

Thankyou, that is probably one of the most useful posts on this topic - good to see QF are actually answering the question "Why?" and not just giving a stock standard vague response ("technical issues" or similar).

 

[JohnK]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26] was 10Apri

All here:

My point exactly.

It makes no sense for the cheap Any Seat awards to continue regardless of what some on AFF may think.

 

[ketsuzei]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26] was 10Apri

It makes no sense for the cheap Any Seat awards to continue regardless of what some on AFF may think.

You might as well make the same argument about Classic awards, which in the case of SYD-BNE-TSV-BNE-SYD cost $214 less. It would be equally specious.

Why you should begrudge others so relentlessly is beyond me.

 

[mono88]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

After speaking with Stephanie at the lunch where I asked her the real reason as to why (knowing that "technical" issues is simply a smokescreen) she gave the answer of, yes it might (is - but I'm an IT guru who has worked on booking engines in the past, and spend my days manipulating large amounts of data) be possible to include mASA's in to the new booking engine, but they couldn't justify the costs in doing so given it's a product which few outside the AFF sphere use, and ultimately is not a great product as far as QF is concerned as there is no profit margin on them. (aka a shortcut to status).

So whilst I would love JASA's to still be easily booked via the websites, I can understand business considerations around not spending big dollars building a feature into your website which undercuts your other products.

I am a little confused about what you are reporting Stephanie said. I was not there so I do not know the context of her comments.
How much would it cost to include JASA's on the web, given there are already programmers at high cost, beavering away on all the other changes, and that JASA's were on before?The logic already exists so I would not think the cost would be too great.

Re low profit margin, again this is confusing. The JASA'S, amongst other things, are designed to fill seats that would otherwise be empty; this is good for QF and helps profit margins. Sure, some people using JASA's may have paid a higher price for an alternative seat, but having more people on a plane is also important.

QF have their reasons for taking JASA'S off the web and there would be a lot of thought they put into it, which seems to be coming out in dribs and draps.
Whether they had the right thinking I do not know.

 

[Pushka]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

Re low profit margin, again this is confusing. The JASA'S, amongst other things, are designed to fill seats that would otherwise be empty; .

Not really. Only of they could only be purchased a few days before flying.

 

[JohnK]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

You might as well make the same argument about Classic awards, which in the case of SYD-BNE-TSV-BNE-SYD cost $214 less. It would be equally specious.

Why you should begrudge others so relentlessly is beyond me.

You see it as begrudging?

I see it differently....

 

[mono88]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

Not really. Only of they could only be purchased a few days before flying.

I take your point, but QF does manage its loads and fares out nearly 1 year,for actual bookings,and plans for more, so the long time frame is within QF's capabilities to fill a plane in the many different ways it does.

 

[medhead]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

Sigh, WHY did you put "marginal" in the title when this is the one term that almost guarantees failure when trying to book? Seriously, people...

That is the short hand name for ASA booked in classic award classes. It is also the term qantas use. As such it makes prefect sense. The thread is also about collecting data after people have booked so that other thread is not providing guidance to help people book.

If that happens, the new thread really needs to stop referring to them as mASA's, as the call centre have no idea what that means.

Does the call centre read threads here?

 

[serfty]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

You see it as begrudging?

I see it differently....

Since any seat awards became eligible for point/SC earning, I have easily spent over a million points on them - mainly on long haul business class.

I am happy for you to earn your status from lots of short domestic segments with a few Asian cheapies thrown in; I have been there and done that.

Why should you begrudge (or indeed, see it differently) people earning status on ASA's?

 

[Limewood]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

Selecting ASA's online was just so easy to do at ones leisure, able to compare and find flights and all in view, the removal and having to go find Classic, then call up is just an inconvenience with many operators are still not trained, which then makes it frustrating. Surely can't be that hard to have it back online, but looks now to be done with.

 

[opusman]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

Does the call centre read threads here?

Not sure if you're deliberately trying to be obtuse or not, but no, the problem is not that the call centre read threads here, it's that people who do read threads here then call up the call centre, ask for a "marginal ASA", and the call centre have no idea what they're talking about. I don't really think this is that difficult a concept to grasp.

 

[Deleted User]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

Not sure if you're deliberately trying to be obtuse or not, but no, the problem is not that the call centre read threads here, it's that people who do read threads here then call up the call centre, ask for a "marginal ASA", and the call centre have no idea what they're talking about. I don't really think this is that difficult a concept to grasp.

Problem is that if you just ask for an any seat award, you might end up with one of these, Frequent Flyer - Using Points - Qantas & Jetstar Any Seat Awards ... at the very least by asking for a "marginal" will trigger some questions to what you actually want, even if the call centre rep has no idea what "marginal" means...

So using the term is not quite correct I agree, but just asking for an ASA is also something you don't want to do... the words "at classic pricing" also has issues...

 

[opusman]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

Problem is that if you just ask for an any seat award, you might end up with one of these, Frequent Flyer - Using Points - Qantas & Jetstar Any Seat Awards ... at the very least by asking for a "marginal" will trigger some questions to what you actually want, even if the call centre rep has no idea what "marginal" means...

So using the term is not quite correct I agree, but just asking for an ASA is also something you don't want to do... the words "at classic pricing" also has issues...

As has been said many times, the term to use is an "Any Seat Award booked in the U for Uniform bucket" (for business class - substitute appropriate award bucket for other classes). Throwing around other terms just confuses the issue. I know not everybody reads the whole of every thread, but this has been brought up many times now and persisting with the use of the incorrect terminology (particularly when starting new threads) helps no one.

 

[harvyk]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26] was 10Apri

An 8 sector Any Seat Award? No wonder these are up for review!

Just out of interest how many 8 sector paid bookings have you booked?

Any "international" flight out of CBR automatically adds on 2 sectors, and then do any sort of travel at your destination / travel to a couple of destinations and you can easily get the sector count up. Whilst I have never done an 8, I've done 7 sector trips many times. (My one 8 was reduced to a 7 as I needed to rearrange timings last minute).

 

[legroom]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

As has been said many times, the term to use is an "Any Seat Award booked in the U for Uniform bucket" (for business class - substitute appropriate award bucket for other classes). Throwing around other terms just confuses the issue. I know not everybody reads the whole of every thread, but this has been brought up many times now and persisting with the use of the incorrect terminology (particularly when starting new threads) helps no one.

5/5 successful bookings using this phrase.

Never used the term ASA on its own as it is certain they will misunderstand your intention.

I have not heard the term marginal ASA used by any of the CSRs ... yet.

 

[Newk]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

5/5 successful bookings using this phrase.

Never used the term ASA on its own as it is certain they will misunderstand your intention.

I have not heard the term marginal ASA used by any of the CSRs ... yet.

they will soon start using that term....surely they all read AFF

 

[markis10]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

I have not heard the term marginal ASA used by any of the CSRs ... yet.

I had one use it last week, they were very across what I was trying to do.

 

[Flying Fox]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26] was 10Apri

I might be slow on the up-take here but I just had another thought about MASA's.

It might be a larger strategy to have both the Classic & ASA's available on the webpage such that the public at large will be aware and have access to these products easily.

QF might also be retaining the MASA's as a telephone only product so that only those who take great interest in the QFF scheme and/or are part of these forums will be aware of. Hence less people will be using their points to claim these types of awards.

So from this perspective, those of us who use MASA's in some ways should be grateful that the general public will be using less of these products. And yes I do realise that it can be painful to get your hands on these products but I choose to see the positive in the fact that QF are still offering the product even if its more difficult to secure.

Afterall, QF is well within their rights to discontinue the MASA's at their discretion (I certain don't want them too and am relying on the information provided at the QF Cash Card briefing that the MASA's are here to stay).

 

[Limewood]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26] was 10Apri

It might be a larger strategy to have both the Classic & ASA's available on the webpage such that the public at large will be aware and have access to these products easily.

That would be a perfect solution.

 

[medhead]

Re: [Confirmed] QF removing [cheap] ASAs [from web booking engine Jun 26-was]10April

Not sure if you're deliberately trying to be obtuse or not, but no, the problem is not that the call centre read threads here, it's that people who do read threads here then call up the call centre, ask for a "marginal ASA", and the call centre have no idea what they're talking about. I don't really think this is that difficult a concept to grasp.

I don't think the concept of reading the thread content to find out not to use MASA is all that difficult either. As such masa in the title shouldn't confuse anyone doing their research properly.