Discussion/Q&A on Best QF Status Run Options

[support]

This thread is for Questions and General discussion regarding the Best Status Run Options for QFF as per this thread:

Overview of Best Status Run Options [not the discussion thread]

Please keep your questions and queries to this thread and avoid posting in the other.

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You can also get some status run inspiration from this AFF article:

The Best Qantas Frequent Flyer Status Runs

Haven't earned enough status credits in your Qantas membership year? Here is a selection of the best Qantas Frequent Flyer status runs.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[thompg]

Thanks very much for the reply, hopefully useful to people in future who are wondering why the SC earn is wrong.

As I said I'm coming back through SYD and hopefully enjoying some time out and about so doesn't directly impact me, I was tossing up at one point coming back through BNE just to check it out.

I'm heading across CBR-xMEL-CHC.

 

[blacknwhite]

Hi we are looking at booking flights with JAL to Europe Melb-Nrt-Hel-Mad and Return Prg-Hel-Nrt-Mel in Sep using JAL and Finnair with JL nos I have worked out we should get 500 Qantas status credits each business class
Am I correct?
Thanking you

 

[sudoer]

Hi we are looking at booking flights with JAL to Europe Melb-Nrt-Hel-Mad and Return Prg-Hel-Nrt-Mel in Sep using JAL and Finnair with JL nos I have worked out we should get 500 Qantas status credits each business class
Am I correct?

Yep, looks like 500 SC assuming you are flying JAL to/from MEL and all other flights have actually booked into a business cabin.

 

[blacknwhite]

Yep, looks like 500 SC assuming you are flying JAL to/from MEL and all other flights have actually booked into a business cabin.

Thank you so much Have heard good reports on J class on Japan Airlines and their prices are coming in under $6000 each and getting good credits as well Qantas J class is so expensive!!!

 

[Captain Halliday]

Thank you so much Have heard good reports on J class on Japan Airlines and their prices are coming in under $6000 each and getting good credits as well Qantas J class is so expensive!!!

I’ve just completed two sectors in J on JL. Apart from the suitcase they destroyed (and which I assume was the fault of a contract ground services company), they were excellent.

Hard product was in the top 5 Airlines I’ve flown. Catering would rank in the top 3. Service ranks in the top 3.

I hope you enjoy it.

 

[sudoer]

I’ve just completed two sectors in J on JL. Apart from the suitcase they destroyed (and which I assume was the fault of a contract ground services company), they were excellent.

We might be kindred spirits. Two weeks ago I returned from a trip which involved two international JAL J flights. My Samsonite was missing three (!) wheels at the end of the first flight, but I had 3 weeks and 5 domestic flights before heading home. I don't know if I lucked out, but my native Japanese speaking partner negotiated a free rental suitcase to take all the way back to Australia, and JAL baggage services at Haneda are getting the repair sorted with Samsonite who quote 6-8 weeks turnaround in Japan. When the bag is repaired they're going to ship it to Sydney and I'll swap it back for the rental suitcase at JAL's office. Talk about excellent service recovery!

Hard product was in the top 5 Airlines I’ve flown. Catering would rank in the top 3. Service ranks in the top 3.

I concur, the catering is excellent! A few of my photos below

 

[blacknwhite]

I’ve just completed two sectors in J on JL. Apart from the suitcase they destroyed (and which I assume was the fault of a contract ground services company), they were excellent.

Hard product was in the top 5 Airlines I’ve flown. Catering would rank in the top 3. Service ranks in the top 3.

I hope you enjoy it.

Thankyou!!!!

 

[Mikael]

Hi, newbie here. I need 2000 SCs to get Qantas Lifetime Gold. I hear that other airlines have dropped the 'lifetime' categories, so don't want to waste any time. I'm in London for most of this year and doing a lot of 10 SC trips. I can't see any good value status runs out of London. Is it going to be better to hit this with a lot of domestic QF flights when I come home? Thanks for any guidance.

 

[JessicaTam]

Hi, newbie here. I need 2000 SCs to get Qantas Lifetime Gold. I hear that other airlines have dropped the 'lifetime' categories, so don't want to waste any time. I'm in London for most of this year and doing a lot of 10 SC trips. I can't see any good value status runs out of London. Is it going to be better to hit this with a lot of domestic QF flights when I come home? Thanks for any guidance.

There are some good earning possibilities in Europe with (say) Iberia and Finnair. BA can be ok too.

Paging @Mal and @Flashback to the white courtesy phone!

 

[Flashback]

With IB there's some good options ex-UK e.g. LON-MAD-xx_ (such as BCN, BIO, SVQ etc.). You can also look at doing trips ex-JER/INV to avoid the APD, when there's a good sale on in Club Europe (J) you can do a b2b at JER and INV and start there for an extra amount of SC at only slightly more cost.

Finnair has some pretty decent fares in general ex-HEL to Asia and such that are worth exploring.

There's still some good fares to CTA at the moment, although I don't know how it maps back to QF earning as I've been using BAEC for quite a few years now. For BAEC for example, you want to book the "short haul+" destinations and often get good prices to MLA, RAK, etc. out of LGW.

 

[Mal]

There are some good earning possibilities in Europe with (say) Iberia and Finnair. BA can be ok too.

Paging @Mal and @Flashback to the white courtesy phone!

BA domestic in J can be ok, usually each way for around £100. Not the best earner, but does help.

Malta, marrakech, catania are examples of longer flights from LGW that are often on sale.

Qatar has standout business fares to Australia and Asia frequently from Stockholm, Amsterdam, Oslo and some other places (eg £1300 return in J).

BA also have life time Gold (owe) available if you're a mega flyer!

 

[Captain Halliday]

We might be kindred spirits. Two weeks ago I returned from a trip which involved two international JAL J flights. My Samsonite was missing three (!) wheels at the end of the first flight, but I had 3 weeks and 5 domestic flights before heading home. I don't know if I lucked out, but my native Japanese speaking partner negotiated a free rental suitcase to take all the way back to Australia, and JAL baggage services at Haneda are getting the repair sorted with Samsonite who quote 6-8 weeks turnaround in Japan. When the bag is repaired they're going to ship it to Sydney and I'll swap it back for the rental suitcase at JAL's office. Talk about excellent service recovery!



I concur, the catering is excellent! A few of my photos below

View attachment 115606

View attachment 115607

View attachment 115608

View attachment 115609

View attachment 115610

The Waygu was good wasn’t it!

[OT]We flew YVRxNRT-SIN arriving at 0130 and just wanted to get Miss H to the hotel and into bed, so I didn’t bother hitting up the JL staff about the case at the airport. In hindsight I should have.

The case is only 12 months old and given the damage I suspect poor manufacturing was a contributing factor.



JL doesn’t fly to DRW so not much I can do about it here. I’ll email the store where I bought it in BNE and see what they say.

 

[sudoer]

With IB there's some good options ex-UK e.g. LON-MAD-xx_ (such as BCN, BIO, SVQ etc.).

If you plan to chip away at it on weekends Mikael, Flashback's suggestion is where I'd be focusing your search. As an example, LON-xMAD-BCN prices around $500 for 200SC. $2.50/SC is considered very good value and is on par with MH intra asia J sales.

If you're not sure where to go, take a look at this map. Airports falling in the inner-most circle will net 200SC if you fly LON-xMAD-n, the next circle 240SC, and the next 280SC. It takes a bit of trial and error with Skyscanner, but you'll get the hang of it.

Another option is to use this map. Click Madrid and sort by distance - but keep in mind distances are in km rather than miles.

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

Hi, newbie here. I need 2000 SCs to get Qantas Lifetime Gold. I hear that other airlines have dropped the 'lifetime' categories, so don't want to waste any time. I'm in London for most of this year and doing a lot of 10 SC trips. I can't see any good value status runs out of London. Is it going to be better to hit this with a lot of domestic QF flights when I come home? Thanks for any guidance.

I have been in London the last year or so and find it much easier to retain WP over here. For flights outside of your ordinary schedule, look to LGW and LCY for great value J fares. Regional Spanish cities such as AGP, VLC, SVQ (note no lounge unless priority pass member) as well as FCO on the winter schedule can all be had for under 200 pounds earning 120 SCs where you would have to pay at least $650 back in Aus for that domestically. In terms of LCY, flights to Iceland are good for winter schedule and Spain again for the summer schedules. For LHR flights, LUX can be done cheaply with same day turnarounds at around 160 pounds for 80 SCs. Note these are all on BA. I find AY to be far more expensive for short-haul.

Longhaul, there is less value out there but look to originate ex AMS for Middle East or Asia or Dublin for the US.

 

[Mikael]

Huge thanks to wannabe, sbor, mal & jessica ... I'm on to all the suggestions (and the tools) that I would never have happened upon without your help, cheers

 

[Flashback]

Huge thanks to wannabe, sbor, mal & jessica ... I'm on to all the suggestions (and the tools) that I would never have happened upon without your help, cheers

You're welcome.

 

[JessicaTam]

In the spirit of London discussion - blatant cross posting:
London dinner Sat March 24 2018

 

[SYD]

Thank you so much Have heard good reports on J class on Japan Airlines and their prices are coming in under $6000 each and getting good credits as well Qantas J class is so expensive!!!

There are some JL fares that let you book QF to/from Asia for better SCs. I just booked a SYD-Euro trip for $6000 (sub $5k options available) all in Business (D) class for 690 SCs! Looking forward to trying two types of JL suites (the nice proper ones on HEL-NRT and the newer reverse herring bone on HND-SIN.

(QF25 747) SYD-HND - (JL, BA op 777) HND-LHR // (BA) LHR-TLS // (AY) CDG-HEL - (JL 789) HEL-NRT // (JL 777) HND-SIN - (QF2 A380) SIN-SYD.

For another 100SCs, the same fare booked into SYD-SIN-HND-LHR! Or we could have skipped SIN on the way back and taken QF26 direct to SYD.

QFlyer are advertising these until the the end of January. I found options on ITA Matrix but couldn't find anyway of booking them directly. Fortunately, a TA friend had no problem based on the ITA printout.

 

[joe7238]

Just 10 SC short to maintain gold in April!! Based in Perth- what’s the best way just to get 10 SC?

 

[SYD]

Just 10 SC short to maintain gold in April!! Based in Perth- what’s the best way just to get 10 SC?

Ouch! Probably nothing cheap, but one way PER-ADL (~$190) and points home? Or points East and pick up paid Deathstar or QF Link regional flight.