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

 

[mviy]

With a DSC promo you might have 4 days or so in which to book, so you have to keep a look out for the promo. When a promo comes along you need to register for the promo and then start making bookings. To maximise the chances that the DSCs will credit automatically it's important to wait to make bookings till after midnight GMT on the day the promo starts (I usually wait an extra day after that before making bookings, but that's just my personal preference).

It basically comes down to which routes happen to have a good deal for indirect routes at the time of the DSC sale. It just so happened that the DSC promo earlier this year coincided with a good sale to NZ. With another DSC promo it could be that the pricing for trips to NZ are not as attractive and a domestic trip or a trip to a different country makes more sense if you don't mind where you go and are just looking for value.

If you intend to go somewhere anyway for a holiday or work trip that also affects whether a particular route is a good deal or not.

DSC doesn't necessarily need to be J either. For some needs the cheapest Y fares may be sufficient when doubled to help retain status or level up to the next tier especially if you have several trips to book or have already done a lot of flying in the membership year.

 

[Telezacski]

Okay so I am new to all of this and trying to get my head around points and status.

Am I correct in thinking status runs are about taking a series of flights to maximise status credits by Booking during bonus periods?

 

[serfty]

Okay so I am new to all of this and trying to get my head around points and status.

Am I correct in thinking status runs are about taking a series of flights to maximise status credits by Booking during bonus periods?

Sort of, to put it another way, the idea is to earn SC as cheaply as possible.

$ per SC is often used to determine the efficiency of a status run. Under $3 is reasonable, under $2 is good and anything less is exceptional.

 

[Telezacski]

Outside flying is there another way to earn SC?

I can see the business FF Tier system appears to be good on face value to get to gold status but is that enough?

I started chasing points recently and initially focused on points, now I realise that points aren’t enough as upgrades etc are based on flyer status. So now I’m trying to increase the status credits, to increase above bronze FF.

How many people would be above say silver level, seems hard to obtain unless you are flying regularly.

 

[mviy]

Status runs can be taken with a work trip/holiday at the destination or with a fast turn around to start the journey home within hours of arriving at the destination. Typically there is the goal in mind to retain status or achieve a higher status tier and to do this as cheaply as possible within the time and budget constraints that the traveller has. Some travellers may be willing to do itineraries with lots of connections, whereas others may not.

There are some ways to earn status credits on the ground but only a limited amount. To get status you are going to need to get most of the status credits from flying.

Depending when and where you want to go Gold may/may not be enough for upgrades. If you can avoid school holidays and peak periods and are very flexible as to when you fly then Gold is more likely to be enough than if that is not the case. Gold will get you into the QANTAS Club and International Business lounge which is a plus if you do find yourself in economy or premium economy.

Status runs don't need to be booked during Double Status Credit promos, but obviously if flying QF you are going to be able to find better SC per dollar during SC promos, especially if flexible as to where you will fly to.

 

[snabbu]

Outside flying is there another way to earn SC?

I can see the business FF Tier system appears to be good on face value to get to gold status but is that enough?

I started chasing points recently and initially focused on points, now I realise that points aren’t enough as upgrades etc are based on flyer status. So now I’m trying to increase the status credits, to increase above bronze FF.

Is Gold status enough? That is an individual question imo. Some say gold is the sweet spot however many WP fear dropping back to Gold.

How many people would be above say silver level, seems hard to obtain unless you are flying regularly.

The whole point of a frequent flyer scheme is to reward frequent flyers, not frequent spenders. I would say 99% of people above silver gained status via BIS flying.

 

[exceladdict]

And the other side of this coin is - is the time, financial and physical cost of the status run worth it. You may be better off buying QP if you're only interested in lounge access in AU. Likewise, if you don't travel internationally a lot, dropping a few K on a status run to hit WP may not be as effective as buying the upgrade or BFOD in business with cash. But as always YMMV.

 

[Ade]

It is a very personal situation type thing.

When I first started flying for work, it was majorly domestic & not much either, we are talking 3 domestic trips each year, so nothing essentially. I only did 1 international trip each year. So I really did not need the frequent flyer status for my international trips. I always booked SQ or MH, depending on which was cheaper and get on with it.

As I started to accrue more SC's flying domestically, I went up to the point where it made sense for me to have a status so that I can travel international comfortably.

At this point in time, I also tried different airlines CX, QF intl, EK etc and status came in handy. Better seats, lounge access, priority baggage, priority boarding, more baggage allowance etc. I then started doing more international trips (due to necessity) and I started to realise the benefits came with status. Then when work trips started to dry, I was still doing substantial international but couldn't reach the needed SCs to achieve platinum. I was always 200 or so short. This is when a status run helps. A quick trip to NZ in J tipped me over to Platinum for the first time.

So depends on your situation. How badly you need the status, why you need the status, do you have time, money to do a status run etc.

 

[Telezacski]

Thanks all for excellent explanations, much appreciated.

It is a very personal situation type thing.

When I first started flying for work, it was majorly domestic & not much either, we are talking 3 domestic trips each year, so nothing essentially. I only did 1 international trip each year. So I really did not need the frequent flyer status for my international trips. I always booked SQ or MH, depending on which was cheaper and get on with it.

As I started to accrue more SC's flying domestically, I went up to the point where it made sense for me to have a status so that I can travel international comfortably.

At this point in time, I also tried different airlines CX, QF intl, EK etc and status came in handy. Better seats, lounge access, priority baggage, priority boarding, more baggage allowance etc. I then started doing more international trips (due to necessity) and I started to realise the benefits came with status. Then when work trips started to dry, I was still doing substantial international but couldn't reach the needed SCs to achieve platinum. I was always 200 or so short. This is when a status run helps. A quick trip to NZ in J tipped me over to Platinum for the first time.

So depends on your situation. How badly you need the status, why you need the status, do you have time, money to do a status run etc.

Thanks, I think the start of your work / flight life was similar to mine but a change post GFC meant I stopped travelling as much and I don’t travel o/s for work.

I do travel for fun (ski) and these tend to be longer trips so I’m looking for comfort.

I believe I can get my business to tier 3 which will make me gold and I’m hoping that’s enough to get priority upgrades to start with.

 

[sudoer]

An interesting one for any USA based QFFs...

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premium-fare-deals/2087783-aa-jl-qf-spin-off-jfk-lax-tyo-syd-cgk-2550-business-2.html

 

[levelnine]

An interesting one for any USA based QFFs...

As a commenter on that thread hints at, and as I've now seen on quite a few US credit card forums, it is possible to hit EXP/OWE with AA purely through spending under their new status tier requirements and in the US there are some notorious ways of manufacturing spending (through credit cards and through the AA shopping portal). So for savvy people located in the US, the need to chase status runs may be a thing of the past. While it doesn't get you QF WP (ie release of award seats on QF metal), if I could easily get OWE without leaving my living room, I'd certainly take it!

 

[SYD]

An interesting one for any USA based QFFs...

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premium-fare-deals/2087783-aa-jl-qf-spin-off-jfk-lax-tyo-syd-cgk-2550-business-2.html

Or those who really have their cough together and are able to nest something like this with other travel (subject to what stopovers are possible).

Not sure I would otherwise leave NYC to go to CGK at the best of times…

 

[jase05]

Not sure I would otherwise leave NYC to go to CGK at the best of times…

Haven’t been to the US but have been to Jakarta many times and find it a wonderful city

 

[tdimdad]

You clever ones, I'm after a creative routing to burn a credit voucher and maximise the SC's earned from it, please.

Starting point: I have a credit voucher (in EUR) which I'll ask QF to transfer to AUD. The value is about AUD $2,470 (at today's FX rate). The voucher expires in early Oct 2022.
Goal: Fly SYD - HEL, aiming either late Nov / early Dec 2022 departure, before Christmas return. Alternatively, the same trip in Feb 2023.

Question: What kind of a routing would you recommend so I can maximise the SC's earned? I'm happy to zig-zag creatively as long as it takes max 40'ish hours to reach HEL (and SYD on the return leg).

Extra info: I am willing to add extra $ to the mix if it clearly increases the earn. Up to $500 is OK, up to $1,000 if it gives a clearly bigger boost.
I am OK to reposition within Australia or to SE Asia / Japan to start the trip but would like return straight to SYD.
I'd prefer to avoid the ULH's. Flights up to 10 h are my favourites, can survive 14 h (esp in PE or above), but will avoid booking longer ones.

 

[Kerrodt]

You clever ones, I'm after a creative routing to burn a credit voucher and maximise the SC's earned from it, please.

Starting point: I have a credit voucher (in EUR) which I'll ask QF to transfer to AUD. The value is about AUD $2,470 (at today's FX rate). The voucher expires in early Oct 2022.
Goal: Fly SYD - HEL, aiming either late Nov / early Dec 2022 departure, before Christmas return. Alternatively, the same trip in Feb 2023.

Question: What kind of a routing would you recommend so I can maximise the SC's earned? I'm happy to zig-zag creatively as long as it takes max 40'ish hours to reach HEL (and SYD on the return leg).

Extra info: I am willing to add extra $ to the mix if it clearly increases the earn. Up to $500 is OK, up to $1,000 if it gives a clearly bigger boost.
I am OK to reposition within Australia or to SE Asia / Japan to start the trip but would like return straight to SYD.
I'd prefer to avoid the ULH's. Flights up to 10 h are my favourites, can survive 14 h (esp in PE or above), but will avoid booking longer ones.

I did something like this a couple of year ago:

MEL-PER (QF)
PER-SIN (QF)
SIN-HKG (CX)
HKG-HEL (AY)

You could replicate this a commencement in SYD (and do an extra SYD-MEL leg at commencement).

Return you could simply do something like:

HEL-SIN/HKG/BKK (AY) (AY fly into each of these three ports - still current, I believe but would be necessary to re-confirm this).
SIN/HKG/BKK-SYD (QF or OW Partner airline)

This was all in J, which I don't think will fit within your $2,470 +$500/$1,000 budget. Y might be able to squeeze it in.

 

[motef]

I am doing a status run into CHC in early October.
I arriving into CHC from SYD on QF139 at 00:30 then depart CHC for SYD at 06:00 on QF138
I will be HLO so for the 5hrs or so can i just stay in the terminal?
Is there a transfer option so i don't have to go landslide?

Cheers, motef

 

[JessicaTam]

I am doing a status run into CHC in early October.
I arriving into CHC from SYD on QF139 at 00:30 then depart CHC for SYD at 06:00 on QF138
I will be HLO so for the 5hrs or so can i just stay in the terminal?
Is there a transfer option so i don't have to go landslide?

Cheers, motef

Last time I did that there was no int transfer. You will have to enter NZ and then find a comfy spot to snooze for a bit. They were pretty draconian with those travellers who dared to lie down.

This website sums it up: Christchurch Airport Guide

 

[exLXCXFF]

Looks like QF is playing around with the schedule in December 2022. I got an email earlier this week that my DSC flight back from AKL to MEL (QF 154) was moved from departing at 0800am to 1000am. I have not yet received the re-issued eTicket but probably need to follow-up this in a week or two.

Also, a couple of minutes ago I got an email that by DSC flight from CNS to BNE got amended (QF711). Upon checking, I don't see any change, departure and arrival times are exactly the same at the exact same day, flight number is the same, and aircraft is the same. So not sure why this came through...

 

[sudoer]

Probably due to the MCT changes. Hop on any direct flights you can and create a list of all the ORCs you need to request!

 

[Port Power]

Looks like QF is playing around with the schedule in December 2022. I got an email earlier this week that my DSC flight back from AKL to MEL (QF 154) was moved from departing at 0800am to 1000am. I have not yet received the re-issued eTicket but probably need to follow-up this in a week or two.

Also, a couple of minutes ago I got an email that by DSC flight from CNS to BNE got amended (QF711). Upon checking, I don't see any change, departure and arrival times are exactly the same at the exact same day, flight number is the same, and aircraft is the same. So not sure why this came through...

My DSC AKL-MEL-PER in March was amended some time ago. The flight is leaving AKL later. I therefore miss QF9 to PER and the F lounge in MEL. I was transferred to a later flight but am waiting until next year to see what scheduled flights might be back before kicking up a fuss.