Flight Availability/Loadings & Upgrade Probability Help Desk

[Sprucegoose]

PLEASE INCLUDE DATE, FLIGHT NUMBER, ORIGIN & DESTINATION IN ALL REQUESTS

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>>>> ADDED BY ADMIN (6 Sept 2010) <<<<

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Background to this thread
We have noticed an increase in the posting of questions about seat availability on specific flights. These are all valid questions and we all appreciate the efforts our members go to to provide answers.

The only drawback is that our forums can become "cluttered" with specific questions about availability on specific flights. This tends to reduce the overall usability of our site.
We have therefore created this new consolidated thread where you can ask questions about seat availability on specific flights. Hopefully, this will reduce clutter and improve useability.

Guidelines for posting in this thread
Please post questions about availability of specific flights or upgrade probability in this new consolidated thread. Be sure to include the airline, flight number, date, origin and destination and any other relevant detail.

When answering questions, please include the original question. This will assist in readability and management of the thread.

Thanks!

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For Questions about Aircraft Configuration and Seat Availability, please use this thread:​

Understanding [Fare Buckets] Expert Flyer

I'd appreciate some help understanding the information EF provides. For example, F6 A6 J9 C9 D9 I0 B9 H9 K9 M9 R9 L9 V9 S0 N0 Q0 O0 X0 E0 What letters do I look at to try to work out how many seats are still available in economy? What letters do I look at to try to work out how many...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

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See this thread for hints on how to read loadings:

Interpreting and Understanding Expert Flyer​

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If looking for, say Qantas points upgrades, look for A class for First, mid to high D or any I class for Business and any R for Premium Economy.

Look for the most expensive category of the cabin YOU are currently booked in as being sold out e.g. J0 to first, W0 to Business & Y0 to PE for increased op-up chances. Also, look for availability on the discount premium buckets (A, P, I, D, U, T & Z inventories).

Conversely, look for high numbers in the discount economy buckets (N, O, Q, E & X inventories) for reduced op-up chances.

Seat maps can be a VERY rough guide but note that just because a seat is not showing as allocated does not mean that seat hasn't been sold. Not everyone pre-selects seats.

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>>>> END OF ADMIN UPDATE <<<<

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Original thread title: update on QF93 on 12 sept

Appreciate it if someone could check EP for loadings.

thnxs

SPRUCE

 

[wbjsew]

Chances of Upgrade to PE or Business on QF7 Sydney to Dallas on Saturday 4th Feb

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are heading to Dallas tomorrow on QF7 (4th Feb).

When we booked we received an email from Qantas advising that we could request an upgrade to PE or Business if we had the required points.

Anyway we put our hands up for a Business Upgrade or PE upgrade.

Would anyone know the chances of us getting luck?

We are currently seated in seats 70 A, B. Chosen by me from seat guru to give us a little more room although back and the back of the plane.

Thanks

 

[Ewing]

Re: Chances of Upgrade to PE or Business on QF7 Sydney to Dallas on Saturday 4th Feb

Anyway we put our hands up for a Business Upgrade or PE upgrade.

Would anyone know the chances of us getting luck?

Unfortunately unless it has already cleared it's not going to happen.

There's one seat free in business, and PE is totally full.

Having said that, if I were you I'd see if you can do seat selection and get yourself into rows 36-39. These are PE seats, but classed as "Economy".

 

[serfty]

Unfortunately unless it has already cleared it's not going to happen.
...

J0 C0 D0 I0 U0 W0 R0 T0 Z0 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 S9 N1 Q1 O1 G0 X3 E0

Not looking good.

However, as Ewing posted, see if you can access seats in rows 36, 37, 38 or 39.

These are PE seats allocated to economy PAX.

Currently the following are showing as unallocated: 37J/K, 38J/K, 38E/F/G.

 

[wbjsew]

Thanks for the heads up guys.

Just been on the phone with qantas and although they cant let me change seats now due to my lowly Bronze membership the blocked seats in rows 36 to 39 will be released tomorrow morning.

I am transiting from Brisbane to Sydney so I'll ask again then.

Fingers crossed

Thanks again.

 

[serfty]

I would not wait until arriving at BNE - would be on-line checking regularly, even hourly!

 

[N860CR]

Just this morning a big "X" appeared in the vacant "B" seat next to my "C" seat, does this mean I've finally found the Platinum Shadow

 

[xquisite]

...

If Friday 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] then wide open!:

Flight Availability Search
Departing MEL on 03/02/12 for SIN
                                                                 
Flight        Depart        Arrive        Aircraft     Available Classes

QF 9          MEL           SIN           388          F7 A7 J9 C9 D9 I9 W9 R9 T8 Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 V9 S9 N9 Q9 O9 G0 X9 E0

Well I rang about seat allocation on the Friday morning & it couldn't be done over the phone (nor over website). I was told that it still looked OK, still selling seats etc. But the flight was FULL. I don't think there was a spare seat. How did they sell all those last minute seats in 1 day, I wonder?

 

[Longrass]

Im wanting to depart LAX for Australia tomorrow or the next day. Can anyone suggest a leg/flight to look for? Appreciate it.

 

[serfty]

Have you tried ITA for searches?

Matrix - ITA Software

 

[Longrass]

Have you tried ITA for searches?

Matrix - ITA Software

I have now

 

[ricee007]

Looking at going standby for Sept 2012 Syd-Lon.

Since would be going standby, I would prefer a direct flight (QF1)... Is there a better way to check for availability than flightstats? Flightstats only shows that at least 9 seats are available... which isn't very helpful.

Additionally, does anyone here have any idea of what the availability would be like for standby QF flights Syd-London in September... I'm assuming it's not busy season? Last time I had to fly Syd-Sin-Lon... but, QF1 would be so much nicer. Does QF1 suffer from higher demand than QF5/9?

Even stuff like the end of the Olympic games... will this mean more people will travel (having avoided the olympics), or less people will travel to London (having just gone for the London) or no effect?

Cheers.

 

[serfty]

Nine is the maximum the major GDS's show.

Many airlines show less than this (e.g. AA 7 and JQ 4). Some vary this between cabin (NZ 4 for Business, 7 for PE/Y).

To get more detail you would need access to the airline's internal systems. >-<

It's a long way out, but as mentioned in post one, high availability in the discount categories tends to indicate light loadings - especially as the flight gets closer.

 

[bigjobs]

QF32 from LHR this saturday morning the 19th. what are the cabin loadings like? I am thinking about applying for upgrade from PE to J.

edit:

just found this ...
QF 321LHR
02/18/12 11:05 AMSYD
02/19/12 8:35 PM388
Unavailable
NA / NAF0 A0 P0 J8 C8 D0 I0 U0 W1 R0 T0 Z0Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 S9 N9 Q5 O9 G0 X9E0

If I understand this lot correctly it means that the Business class cabin is wide open, as it the economy cabin. so good chance of points upgrade happening from PE to J, not much chance of OP UP happening.

 

[Alanslegal]

F0 A0 P0 J8 C8 D0 I0 U0 W1 R0 T0 Z0Y9 B9 H9 K9 M9 L9 S9 N9 Q5 O9 G0 X9E0

If I understand this lot correctly it means that the Business class cabin is wide open, as it the economy cabin. so good chance of points upgrade happening from PE to J, not much chance of OP UP happening.

Each person interprets those figures differently and there isn't a right or wrong to this. If this was me, I would be thinking this: J class is not as wide open, yes it shows J8 but those are the full fare J buckets which QF will try to sell off at the highest cost they can. There are no discount J class bucket fares, ie D0 I0, so QF is down to the last 8? seats in J. First is full so no chances of upgrades there, Y is pretty empty at this stage (including the attempt to still flog of at least 9 award seats X9) and Y+ which is where you are currently there now, is near capacity.

I would expect that a handful of passengers somewhere in the Y+ or Y cabin has put in a request for upgrades and I would be guessing that there would probably be say 4-5 upgradeable seats to J at most ...... so I would be extrapolating that someone on points will get those upgrades, so its best to join the queue .... or take a chance that you may get op-upped to J given Y+ is at capacity. Those are my two chain of thoughts.

 

[eosphoros]

Currently have 40B/C allocated on QF2 LHR-BKK 20/02/2012. Quick check of EF showed this:



Should I have my fingers crossed for an op-up? Of course, I am only SG and am traveling with a lowly NB so that might push me further down the list.

Also: is there ever such a thing as SG shadow? From EF, I can see that 40A is blocked, and yet, on QF MMB, it shows as available to me:

 

[serfty]

Firstly, expect to travel in the cabin booked. (Although the remote chances of an opp-up are somewhat better than normal.) Good luck.

Look like a shadow, but it my simply be a peculiarity of Altea and 'notional seats'.

 

[KLS2010]

Hi! I'm new to this forum so my apologies if I'm not posting in the right area

I'm trying to find out how full economy is on flights I have booked in April/May. Flights are:
VA2 LAX-SYD April 28
VA1 SYD-LAX May 16

I joined ExpertFlyer on a free membership (after seeing some people on here talking about viewing seat maps there), but from what I have access to it shows that there are only 24 occupied seats in economy, apart from seats that are blocked. Surely that can't be right?? (Sorry - I can't show you what I see as I don't have enough posts yet to put in a link). When I log into VA website and look at the seat selection it is only showing ABC/HJK availability in rows 27,28,41,42,47,48 and 49 for both flights.

I realise that I only booked seats on a V Promo fare so I'm not expecting miracles here. I'm quite happy to pay to select seats (as they are now letting V Promo do), but I don't know if it's worth it if the flight is not looking like it will be all that full. Also, if anyone has suggestions on the best seats I could pick, I'd appreciate it. Not so much for me, as I'm not that picky (like I said - I don't expect much when I pay the lowest fare I can get), but more so for my husband as he is a large guy (not tall) and he is a little nervous as this will be his first long-haul flight to Australia (or anywhere for that matter lol).

Many thanks from the newbie!!!!

 

[serfty]

Welcome to AFF.

You can try to use the tip in post 1 to get an idea of how full the flight is (seat maps are not nesesaily a good guide).

If you are after seat maps; maybe post here:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....lity-allocation-configuration-help-25680.html

 

[KLS2010]

Thank you for your response.

I tried the link on the first page to the Flight Stats page.

It is showing 9 for all letters in the coach cabin except O, which shows 5. So, that means the flight is pretty open right now?

 

[serfty]

Thank you for your response.

I tried the link on the first page to the Flight Stats page.

It is showing 9 for all letters in the coach cabin except O, which shows 5. So, that means the flight is pretty open right now?

Yep, that would indicate so.