Fly ahead - with a fee

[JohnK]

It sounds like a furphy to me! I agree with tobes, if you arrive early enough for a flight to catch a prior one with only carry-on, then it makes perfect sense (for the carrier) to put you in an empty seat, and potentially free up a later saleable seat. I have had this happen on numerous occasions with both V & Q in the lounge.

A few years ago I had a return flight ATH-SKG on Aegean. Both flights were cancelled. Surprise, surprise. Both times I arrived at the airport ~3 hours before flight. Both times the check-in agent would only put me on the next flight. Both times they refused my request for a flight 1 hour earlier. Why? My ticket conditions did not allow it.

Rubbish. Thanks for the inconvenience. What was the point of that earlier flight going out with vacant seats?

 

[medhead]

I unreservedly withdraw any nice words I said up thread about Qantas always providing fly ahead in business lounges. I have been informed today that lounge staff have been instructed by management to no longer move people on non-flexible fares.

 

[TheInsider]

As it should be. Makes sense for the people and companies purchasing the fully flexible fares

 

[trippin_the_rift]

I unreservedly withdraw any nice words I said up thread about Qantas always providing fly ahead in business lounges. I have been informed today that lounge staff have been instructed by management to no longer move people on non-flexible fares.

That's no good. Any reason why?

 

[TheInsider]

Comes down to, too many passengers buying the cheapest fare of the day say 2200 flight to MEL and then expecting to get moved free of charge to the 1800 flight. Happening too often and obviously that is at a cost to the company.

 

[medhead]

Comes down to, too many passengers buying the cheapest fare of the day say 2200 flight to MEL and then expecting to get moved free of charge to the 1800 flight. Happening too often and obviously that is at a cost to the company.

It's ludicrous when the competition does move you on much cheaper fares. The competition are cheaper and offer better service.

Not to mention I almost always get the 18:40 or 20:10 flight SYD-ADL flight and almost always fly on those flight. Today, I wanted to move to the 15:00 flight.

 

[medhead]

That's no good. Any reason why?

They've "been told to refuse changes".

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Comes down to, too many passengers buying the cheapest fare of the day say 2200 flight to MEL and then expecting to get moved free of charge to the 1800 flight. Happening too often and obviously that is at a cost to the company.

If QF are taking this view....then why not:

- Change the rule so that only in the business lounge (so they're either Plat above ) it can be changed to within 2 hours of the original ticket departure.
- Change it so that only on weekends it can be changed (they already did this with booze onboard so I can't imagine it being too difficult). Heck it could be coded into the system to allow specific days only.
- Bring in an option to change flights for a points fee and 'generate' revenue this way (works with the wine tasting machine right?)
- Bring it in as a written benefit for Platinum One, but not for Plats.
- Perhaps this is an indication that flexible fares are priced too high, and QF would sell more flexis if the price point was at a more acceptable level

Looking at things from a purely 'too many people do this so we will do this' is such an outdated and poor way to do business. QF says they are always looking for ways to engage more with their database and this would be yet another great opportunity to do so. Their frequent flyers are smarter than those making decisions. Think about it... how many senior managers, Cxx level execs, entrepreneurs and successful people fly Qantas? There's a huge brains trust there to tap into - people with more experience and different ways at looking at things, and yet QF make a straight up decision to just remove something just because they think it's in their best short term interests? So much fail right there.

I think just culling it entirely shows serious lack of thought and insight into the overall strategy. There are ways QF/VA could turn their "problems" into massively high revenue opportunities. They just need to know where to look... and it sure isn't with anyone looking purely at numbers that has their bonuses linked to making those grow larger in the next 12 months.

 

[medhead]

If QF are taking this view....then why not:

- Change the rule so that only in the business lounge (so they're either Plat above ) it can be changed to within 2 hours of the original ticket departure.
- Change it so that only on weekends it can be changed (they already did this with booze onboard so I can't imagine it being too difficult). Heck it could be coded into the system to allow specific days only.
- Bring in an option to change flights for a points fee and 'generate' revenue this way (works with the wine tasting machine right?)
- Bring it in as a written benefit for Platinum One, but not for Plats.
- Perhaps this is an indication that flexible fares are priced too high, and QF would sell more flexis if the price point was at a more acceptable level

Looking at things from a purely 'too many people do this so we will do this' is such an outdated and poor way to do business. QF says they are always looking for ways to engage more with their database and this would be yet another great opportunity to do so. Their frequent flyers are smarter than those making decisions. Think about it... how many senior managers, Cxx level execs, entrepreneurs and successful people fly Qantas? There's a huge brains trust there to tap into - people with more experience and different ways at looking at things, and yet QF make a straight up decision to just remove something just because they think it's in their best short term interests? So much fail right there.

I think just culling it entirely shows serious lack of thought and insight into the overall strategy. There are ways QF/VA could turn their "problems" into massively high revenue opportunities. They just need to know where to look... and it sure isn't with anyone looking purely at numbers that has their bonuses linked to making those grow larger in the next 12 months.

You've expressed it so much better than I could. The conversation with the supervisor dragged out a few gems,

1) flexis only cost a little but more. (What a completely joke of a statement)
2) the thinking was only about this one flight. Total fob off when I mentioned the point is not this one flight but all the flights I buy over a year.
3) he used the yield and margin words a few times.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

You've expressed it so much better than I could. The conversation with the supervisor dragged out a few gems,

1) flexis only cost a little but more. (What a completely joke of a statement)
2) the thinking was only about this one flight. Total fob off when I mentioned the point is not this one flight but all the flights I buy over a year.
3) he used the yield and margin words a few times.

You're right about it being more about just the one flight.... how many flights do you book in advance again? That's XX flights you've got locked in under the guise that you thought some may be changeable if you ever needed some help from the airline. And it's not like you can just go back and re-book them all either. The problem is potentially worth thousands upon thousands for you... it's a real genuine impact on your life...!

 

[medhead]

I currently have 26 future flights booked. Tried not to get too far ahead. Only booked until the end of April.

 

[JohnK]

- Bring it in as a written benefit for Platinum One, but not for Plats.

Not picking on your post but why bother with any differentiation between Gold and Platinum?

So they can suck a few suckers in?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Not picking on your post but why bother with any differentiation between Gold and Platinum?

So they can suck a few suckers in?

Everyone and their dog is platinum these days. Between double SC, super-discounted business class sales, eAAsy status runs, status matches, lifetime status holders, free status for corporate accounts (and all employees on it) and free status from credit cards... it's not exactly all that difficult to get at least gold with va or qf.

Luckily - behind the scenes there is a score assigned to you that changes everytime you take a flight or have any points credited to your account. That score goes up and down depending how valuable you are to the airline. You could have a very high score but be a Silver member - in which case you may get upgrades ahead of a Platinum member that has a lower score.

The FF card is simply a way to make you feel good about what you've 'achieved' through flying. The airline is more interested in being able to influence how you interact with non-airline partners... your mobile phone, electricity company, bank/credit cards...

In the eyes of the airline, they already know who is important and status is only one metric to look at. For the masses they rely on more advanced BI tools which can provide some great data but totally lack in understanding a customer/metadata and that's what we see members complaining about here...

Velocity clearly isn't quite at this level yet but they're slowly making progress.

I'm rambling on a bit much today..!

 

[JohnK]

Everyone and their dog is platinum these days. Between double SC, super-discounted business class sales, eAAsy status runs, status matches, lifetime status holders, free status for corporate accounts (and all employees on it) and free status from credit cards... it's not exactly all that difficult to get at least gold with va or qf.

Spot on.

I don't care about people finding cheap airfares. The loophole is there to be exploited.

But surely they should be able to work out the difference between someone doing 12 flights to earn Platinum and someone doing 125! No? So sad.

And yes I am ranting again.

 

[anat0l]

I'd like to see if the Qantas statement given by the agent actually sticks. There's a few many agents of recent (in both airlines) who seem to be making some rather sweeping assertions that I don't believe seem to be actually implemented.

The VA Fly Ahead change alluded to in the thread title is already on tenuous truth.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

But surely they should be able to work out the difference between someone doing 12 flights to earn Platinum and someone doing 125!

Question is, which one is more important? I'd always wagered that it was the infrequent flyer that spends up big on a few flights (which actually makes a mockery of the term frequent flyer). Surely there is a difference between a frequent flyer and a J/F class flyer and each have their own advantages and disadvantages. An infrequent J/F flyer may be a huge PITA for the few times they fly, but their spend is desirable whereas a genuine frequent flyer is a PITA as they're clogging up the process without spending as much per sector, but they also know flying and how to make life easy and streamlined for the airline (as that benefits us as well)..............so who is more important? Or is it the case of neither if they don't support partners? I committed to VM along with VA status and I've experienced no better service or perks. There is no way I'd use Virgin Mobile (in it's current guise) and their insurance products are a rip off so is a genuine FFer really being discriminated against simply because they don't want to be ripped off by partner products?

 

[alleycat]

I had a Flexi fare that I wanted to change for an earlier flight Melb/Gold Coast last Saturday as finished work earlier and had to pay $188 extra

 

[carwashhair]

I had a Flexi fare that I wanted to change for an earlier flight Melb/Gold Coast last Saturday as finished work earlier and had to pay $188 extra

Can you provide any more info on this - did you request this in the lounge?

 

[alleycat]

Can you provide any more info on this - did you request this in the lounge?

No the original fare was pain for the previous Friday, for a return Gold Coast/Melb depart Tuesday 28th return Saturday 1st 3.00pm,was going to finished work early, so rang Friday pm to get early time Sat

 

[anat0l]

No the original fare was pain for the previous Friday, for a return Gold Coast/Melb depart Tuesday 28th return Saturday 1st 3.00pm,was going to finished work early, so rang Friday pm to get early time Sat

As far as I know, Fly Ahead must be requested at the airport. Likely why you paid the difference here than perhaps got it free of charge, but that said I think some here have done it successfully over the phone before anyway?