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

[Anna]

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

I still haven't had an email from QF about this. It can't be my settings as I was recently notified about the BA changes by email and since the ASA announcement last week I've had a few other QF emails, mainly about competitions.

I booked my (only) JASA within the last 2 years and have used points for other awards more recently so it's weird I haven't had any QF notification about the changes.

 

[cove]

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

Anna you are not an orphan on this. We have four in our family who got nothing on this change with two Platinums and two Silvers.

 

[Pushka]

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

I have received the email and did so by about 4pm the next day. I'm just a lowly silver. Mr P received one as WP. We did book many JASA's in his run to get WP earlier this year. We're also booked on a JASA from Singapore in August. This one was supposed to be direct to Adelaide but we now have to go through Melbourne of course.

When Ansett folded we had a complete Christmas vacation booked on Ansett points. Of course we lost everything and suddenly all the Qantas flights became really expensive and as it was last minute rebooking (November for December travel) it cost us a fortune to travel.

If Qantas are doing this to stop people getting status then why on earth do they offer DSC offers. It makes no sense.

 

[Deleted User]

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

I still haven't had an email from QF about this. It can't be my settings as I was recently notified about the BA changes by email and since the ASA announcement last week I've had a few other QF emails, mainly about competitions.

I booked my (only) JASA within the last 2 years and have used points for other awards more recently so it's weird I haven't had any QF notification about the changes.

Same here Anna, did a JASA for the QF81 farewell earlier this year and no email for me either.... But as we are both ADL pax, we are getting used to the "enhancements". After the demise of QFi in Adelaide I found myself booking SQ, now its VA's turn for domestic...

This "enhancement" can work both ways

 

[Anna]

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

Same here Anna, did a JASA for the QF81 farewell earlier this year and no email for me either.... But as we are both ADL pax, we are getting used to the "enhancements". After the demise of QFi in Adelaide I found myself booking SQ, now its VA's turn for domestic...

This "enhancement" can work both ways

Yes, and I've also noticed that when QF enhances something they often enhance it to a level that's still just above what the competition are offering.

 

[pauly7]

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

To those leaving QFF, QF and/or OW with cricket bat, ball and dummy, goodbye and can you please do so quickly and quietly. Lastly to those leaving, thanks for freeing up more room in the lounge for me (and the long awaited OPUP from QF that has never happened) and the other loyal QFFers.

Plus +1.

May they enjoy all the delights of Velocity points (when they choose to post) and earn loads of SC's from VA's ASA's...... Oh hang on....

PS That's an awfully long time for you to be flying QF and not have an OP-UP - I feel a bit guilty now

 

[RooFlyer]

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

Red Roo is correct in that they said AFF would be amongst the first to know. AFF was briefed along with other members of the media.

this should not be seen as anything special or out of the ordinary... it's normal PR, normal media relations, and part of a standard communications strategy. you want your third party endorsers to have time to digest the facts and present a good story about you.

an embargo is also standard... although I would argue the removal of marginal ASAs was probably not something that needed to be subject to any embargo... it wasn't relevant to the main thrust of the announcement which was the new website.

(my bolding)

Yes, I think you are spot on with the bit I have bolded. In my view, QF tried to use the moderators here as 'endorsers' and to 'present a good story about you'. I can't see any other reason why they should have been included in a private, embargoed briefing. They aren't journalists who need to prepare a story for the next day, or otherwise 'media' who need to choose if/how to run the story.

In my view the moderators have not behaved in any way as I think QF would have liked - which is a credit to them .

<snip>

FWIW, I don't think Qantas use "red Roo" to distribute "bad news"- if you think otherwise, I'd tell you you are dreamin'.

Put serfty's comment together with the last line from MEL_Traveller. Then ask yourself why Red Roo hasn't been sighted in this forum (except once) since the 'good news' (??) of the web site revamp was announced. Methinks QF was well aware that the announcement would be taken as a stinker, web site 'enhancements' not withstanding. Red Roo is always around when there is genuine good news (eg SIN Lounge), taking the odd criticism on board.

 

[Deleted User]

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

Plus +1.

May they enjoy all the delights of Velocity points (when they choose to post) and earn loads of SC's from VA's ASA's...... Oh hang on....

PS That's an awfully long time for you to be flying QF and not have an OP-UP - I feel a bit guilty now

Just imagine the enhancements if there was no VA....just imagine for a minute........

 

[Ansett]

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

Plus +1.

May they enjoy all the delights of Velocity points (when they choose to post) and earn loads of SC's from VA's ASA's...... Oh hang on....

PS That's an awfully long time for you to be flying QF and not have an OP-UP - I feel a bit guilty now

Good to see QF Looking after its Long Term Loyal customers with upgrades and positively enhanced FF programme

 

[Steelo]

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

I just hope everyone is flooding "Qantas Care" with their concerns by emails and emails and emails! The removal of ASA's is bad enough (the spin they employed and dodgy response is something else - have they employed Julia Gillard's ex spin master?) - and the new web site is hopeless - it has gone from one of the best set out websites to one of the worst. Have the people who designed it ever experience frequent travel - I think not.

 

[amaroo]

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

If Qantas are doing this to stop people getting status then why on earth do they offer DSC offers. It makes no sense.

The answer to this seems pretty obvious - they want your cash.....not your points.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

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

I just hope everyone is flooding "Qantas Care" with their concerns by emails and emails and emails! The removal of ASA's is bad enough (the spin they employed and dodgy response is something else - have they employed Julia Gillard's ex spin master?) - and the new web site is hopeless - it has gone from one of the best set out websites to one of the worst. Have the people who designed it ever experience frequent travel - I think not.

a GOOD pr person doesn't need spin. a good social media officer doesn't need spin. as soon as you introduce spin people become suspicious. and your credibility suffers. your product should be able to speak for itself. qantas shouldn't need to tell AFF that it is 'continually striving to improve the FF experience'... we either know that, or we don't.

it's nagging at the back of my mind that the Red Roo endorsement that some of us are idiots isn't actually how some staff feel at QF. that is of course why I have been asking how many red roos we have, and whether we are still dealing with the same red roo that feels that way.

 

[Flying mermaid]

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

The answer to this seems pretty obvious - they want your cash.....not your points.

I think this is true - use DSC instead of heavy discounting and when conditions became more buoyant you stop ( or severely reduce ) dsc and people haven't become used to really cheap J fares. We were planing to take master FM and his partner to Cairns for the long weekend in June but held off booking until I saw if we got a DSC after Easter. 3 of the 4 did (my first ever!). There wasn't much around in the way of MASAs, so I paid four J fares. although we were planning the trip anyway, I guess from Qantas' viewpoint it looked like the DSC brought in an extra 12k of revenue.

 

[amaroo]

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

I think this is true - use DSC instead of heavy discounting and when conditions became more buoyant you stop ( or severely reduce ) dsc and people haven't become used to really cheap J fares. We were planing to take master FM and his partner to Cairns for the long weekend in June but held off booking until I saw if we got a DSC after Easter. 3 of the 4 did (my first ever!). There wasn't much around in the way of MASAs, so I paid four J fares. although we were planning the trip anyway, I guess from Qantas' viewpoint it looked like the DSC brought in an extra 12k of revenue.

Yeap - did the same last week with the Flex & above DSC offer.

They got the cash - I kept the points.

 

[drewbles]

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

The answer to this seems pretty obvious - they want your cash.....not your points.

Points are cash in QF land. It's just another currency, with their own exchange rate. QFF pays QF for your seat and removes your points. QFF is operated independently of QF remember, even though it's owned by QF (for now at least). QF itself don't care where the money comes from, although of course it could just decide it wants more money from QFF rather than less.

 

[amaroo]

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

although of course it could just decide it wants more money from QFF rather than less.

Bingo......

 

[Beta4Me]

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

Why can't they just come out and say we need to increase profitability so we're doing this rather than trying to spin it to sound like they're improving things...

 

[will2rob]

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

Has anyone who has managed to book a JASA through the help desk tell me exactly what words they used to do it successfully?

I rang the 1300 366 587 number today trying to book a JASA for TSV-BNE-SYD-MEL-AKL-MEL-SYD which would net me 340 SC. On the classic awards it shows as 86000 FF points & $311.07. I asked to book a "marginal" ASA and was quoted 211k points or 96k points & $1001.45 points plus pay. The person I was speaking to didn't seem to get the distinction between a "marginal ASA" and a reg ASA. I asked him what fare class he was looking at and he said UBP ASA. After half an hour of going around in circles I gave up. I don't have enough status to get put through to the premium desk so I need to have the precise terms down pat before trying again.

UBP ASA? I get the U but given I was trying to book into J, I don't get the relevance of "B" (fully flexible economy) or "P" (first class)

 

[Deleted User]

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

Has anyone who has managed to book a JASA through the help desk tell me exactly what words they used to do it successfully?

I rang the 1300 366 587 number today trying to book a JASA for TSV-BNE-SYD-MEL-AKL-MEL-SYD which would net me 340 SC. On the classic awards it shows as 86000 FF points & $311.07. I asked to book a "marginal" ASA and was quoted 211k points or 96k points & $1001.45 points plus pay. The person I was speaking to didn't seem to get the distinction between a "marginal ASA" and a reg ASA. I asked him what fare class he was looking at and he said UBP ASA. After half an hour of going around in circles I gave up. I don't have enough status to get put through to the premium desk so I need to have the precise terms down pat before trying again.

That sounds much easier than the old way...

 

[will2rob]

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

That sounds much easier than the old way...

I hope you're being sarcastic. Half an hour wasted and what was offered was not even close to being a marginal ASA in my books. Being at work between 9am-5pm means I only get a limited time at lunch time to muck around with this.