"fly ahead" with Qantas?

[RichardMEL]

I chatted to the lounge person who I spoke to on the phone earlier in the morning

Because I was on a sale business fare the system would not allow her to change the flight. So she called down to the sales desk and they too couldn't force the system to change the flight either.

Looks like these sale business fares are pretty restrictive!

Possibly, they are in I class but it could also be a status thing.

Just a month or so back I was on a similar sale fare MEL-BNE, showed up early for a 7pm flight, saw J seats on the 6pm and asked the lounge angel about getting on that. No problem.. now that I think about it they did spend some extra time making it happen, but they produced a BP for it with a smile and no charge or anything.

Of course being P1 probably helped there.....
(when I checked in at the kiosk it offered me an alternate routing via CBR which amused me but did not excite me as it would have gotten me in about the same time but I did note that routing had I class, so computer was def going on class availability. Seems some agents can override though)

that's what led me to my comment above.

 

[docjames]

One saturday early in April. Had 4C on the 1700 SYD-MEL (IME suggesting loads not particularly high if I can get that seat as a SG). Arrived @ SYD at 1430.

Presented to J/WP/SG Checkin counter asked if anything earlier available (no checked baggage) as i'd "left too much time due to traffic / car rental return etc".

Happily given seat on the 1500, with whole row (17A/B/C) to self. New flight was probably at best 2/3 full.

Thanks QF.

 

[greyyy]

Similar story - Arrived at Sydney T3 super early for my flight to BNE (then connecting to NRT) in J (friend had an earlier flight via Jetsar and I came with her) and when checking in at the J counter, asked if I could pop onto an earlier flight to give me more time in BNE and she happily put my on the next flight leaving. I don't know the exact fare class I was in, but it was a sale fare.

Very happy with the result, especially after I was (unsurprisingly) denied 'fly ahead' by calling up to change in advance.

 

[penegal]

I normally ask in the lounge, and the request is usually granted.

I usually book M fares for work (Flexi Saver or whatever it's called now), but on fuller flights often only higher buckets are left when I ask to move.

FWIW, I actually often prefer to stay on the original ticketed service as I have selected a good seat. "Flying ahead" usually results in an inferior seat unless accompanied by an ODU.

 

[dk4]

This is what I think of the Qantas 30minute check in bag cut off time limit!!!

[video=youtube;0xqtIJygbJE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xqtIJygbJE[/video]

 

[RichardMEL]

Ah AN... yes

but the gist of the commercial I think still holds in general. Don't call ahead... airport control is a whole other situation and they can override fare classes and the like to make it happen.

Get to the airport and chances are MUCH higher of a seat being found earlier. IMHO

Absolutely.

 

[serfty]

booked an award ticket from SYD-MEL 5pm (as im arriving from BKK at about 1030am, just to be on the safe side).. approached the checkin counter for an earlier flight, no issue, got on the 12pm flight..

<international>-SYD-xMEL/BNE/ADL/CBD is often easy for such.

Agents in the QF seamless transfer facility at SYD T1 have a lot more discretion than most in moving PAX.

Other than that the best chances are when QF is "flow forwarding" due to circumstances such as high loads or adverse weather. In such times for example, QF would treat 11 x 738's SYD - MEL as 2000 seats, not discrete flights.

 

[JohnK]

Flying back BNE-SYD on Friday night and I was on the 6:05pm flight and wife and daughter on the 6:35pm flight as it was booked later and was considerably cheaper. Both red e-deals.

Ask at normal check-in if they were flow forwarding or possible to move wife and daughter to earlier flight. She mentioned that is usually not allowed on red e-desls but she will go and check. Spoke to a supervisor who approved request but wifes booking had not yet been ticketed and they needed reservations to issue the tickets. Flight was booked earlier that week and not yet ticketed. Qantas can be very slow with ticketing.

So asked about moving myself back a flight to be wife and daughter. Not an issue at all and they can issue boarding passes for wife and daughter. They were in row 7 and I was in row 12. They had a shadow.

Everything is poosible. Ask nicely and you never know.

 

[danielt25]

So I tried the fly forward on a business class ticket, from QF786 to QF784 BNE-CNS today, not thinking I'd be all that successful, given the price of what I paid for my ticket was $250 less than the most recent selling business ticket earlier this morning.

No obstruction from lounge agent. Personally I thought you had to be P1 to benefit.

Whereas when I have tried this at Cairns Qantas club, they call the sales desk downstairs at CNS airport, and get quoted a fare difference. Maybe the J lounge agents in Brisbane have more authority to enable fly forward

 

[RichardMEL]

So I tried the fly forward on a business class ticket, from QF786 to QF784 BNE-CNS today, not thinking I'd be all that successful, given the price of what I paid for my ticket was $250 less than the most recent selling business ticket earlier this morning.

No obstruction from lounge agent. Personally I thought you had to be P1 to benefit.

Whereas when I have tried this at Cairns Qantas club, they call the sales desk downstairs at CNS airport, and get quoted a fare difference. Maybe the J lounge agents in Brisbane have more authority to enable fly forward

P1 has the documented benefit.

However most agents are fairly reaosnable and use common sense.. specially if the class of the ticket booked (eg: I for discount business) is available it's a relatively easy swap for them.

Really it's up to each agent, and how much override authority they have, as to what to do in any particular case. Re working out fare differences etc that seems overly zealous, but it is probably to the letter of the fare conditions.

There's also an issue that if they're looking at 2 flights, the earlier one has 3 in J, and the later has 10 in J, they'd be much happier to move a pax to the light load, to give more room for standbys or upgraders(or other changers) on the 2nd flight - more or less common sense. However again, it's very much up to the individual agent - both their personal discretion, and what they have authority to do.

Obviously the higher one's status level is the better - they could justify moving a Gold or Plat vs a Bronze (some agents do have to justify when they make overrides like this)

 

[ozbeachbabe]

So I tried the fly forward on a business class ticket, from QF786 to QF784 BNE-CNS today, not thinking I'd be all that successful, given the price of what I paid for my ticket was $250 less than the most recent selling business ticket earlier this morning.

No obstruction from lounge agent. Personally I thought you had to be P1 to benefit.

Whereas when I have tried this at Cairns Qantas club, they call the sales desk downstairs at CNS airport, and get quoted a fare difference. Maybe the J lounge agents in Brisbane have more authority to enable fly forward

It's quite possible that the J fare bucket you were booked into had a seat available hence being able tyo change.

All J fares - even U class award tickets are classed as flexible ie may be changed on the day subject to the availability of that fare bucket.

It's also possible they had a 'flow forward' which would allow them to move you even if you were booked in eg D, I or U and there was only J fare buckets available.

 

[RichardMEL]

Yesterday I received my P1 renewal, and in the blurb of benefits that came with it I noticed this little bit about fly forward:

If you're travelling on a flexible Qantas domestic fare, arrive at the airport earlier than planned, and want to catch an earlier available flight, any fare differential will be waived if the same fare class is not available.

This seems to be a change, at least in writing, to me. IIRC it used to be pretty much any fare, now they're saying Flex only (granted, most business types who might be P1 would usually be on such).

In practice though I've been on discounted Y and J fares and never had an issue with changes to earlier flights, but this does seem like another "enhancement" to me (though it may have always said this to be fair, I am not entirely positive).

Anyway just a FYI.

 

[danielt25]

Thanks. Yes I read that as excluding red e deals too, I'm not about to try that myself!

 

[pagingjoan]

I read the same passage as a severe restriction, too.
(And this little P1, flying in J on domestic flights, would rarely be on a "Flexible" fare.)

 

[Simo]

I have had fly ahead with QF but mainly out of Sydney when there has been delays and they probably don't want to pay for my nights accomodation

 

[Pleb Status]

Yesterday I received my P1 renewal, and in the blurb of benefits that came with it I noticed this little bit about fly forward:



This seems to be a change, at least in writing, to me. IIRC it used to be pretty much any fare, now they're saying Flex only (granted, most business types who might be P1 would usually be on such).

In practice though I've been on discounted Y and J fares and never had an issue with changes to earlier flights, but this does seem like another "enhancement" to me (though it may have always said this to be fair, I am not entirely positive).

Anyway just a FYI.

This is not a change or 'enhancement'. Fly ahead for P1 on QF has always been 'officially' on flexible fares only.

On one of the few occasions I used fly ahead as a P1 on QF, there was a debate amongst the staff in SYD whether or not a U class fare was 'flexible' or not. They decided that 'on this occasion' they would let me change flights even though there was no U class availability.

 

[boomy]

I've done FlyAhead more times than I can remember, always on discount economy, often booking the last flight of the day (as it's usually the cheapest). On 99% of the bookings didn't have any issue. Once or twice, in ADL, they had to check with supervisor who immediately authorised the move. Probably they are less used to deal with P1s compared to other hubs with J lounges.

My favourite excuse is "oh damn, I've accidentally booked the 9pm instead of 9am, again." *wink wink*
Once they know you they don't care...

 

[Jack_OC]

I've done FlyAhead more times than I can remember, always on discount economy, often booking the last flight of the day (as it's usually the cheapest). On 99% of the bookings didn't have any issue. Once or twice, in ADL, they had to check with supervisor who immediately authorised the move. Probably they are less used to deal with P1s compared to other hubs with J lounges.

My favourite excuse is "oh damn, I've accidentally booked the 9pm instead of 9am, again." *wink wink*
Once they know you they don't care...

One day recently I was booked on the last SYD-MEL flight. Just after arriving in the J lounge they made an announcement saying if anyone who is booked on the last flight with HLO would like to move to the earlier flight, just come to the desk. I'm not sure if this announcement was made in the J lounge only, but I'm guessing it probably was, in which case they were effectively limiting this generosity to people with Platinum status or above, or companions of people with Platinum status or above.

Anyway, I would estimate that at least 20 people took them up on the offer, including myself. Even after adding us all in at the last minute, there were still numerous empty seats on my new flight, so perhaps that was a factor? Or is this a frequent occurrence coming up to the last flight of the day?

 

[boomy]

One day recently I was booked on the last SYD-MEL flight. Just after arriving in the J lounge they made an announcement saying if anyone who is booked on the last flight with HLO would like to move to the earlier flight, just come to the desk. I'm not sure if this announcement was made in the J lounge only, but I'm guessing it probably was, in which case they were effectively limiting this generosity to people with Platinum status or above, or companions of people with Platinum status or above.

Anyway, I would estimate that at least 20 people took them up on the offer, including myself. Even after adding us all in at the last minute, there were still numerous empty seats on my new flight, so perhaps that was a factor? Or is this a frequent occurrence coming up to the last flight of the day?

It's not unusual for the lounge to proactively offer FlyAhead, especially if bad weather is about to strike potentially causing delays or during peak times when some flights are more full than others. For example, I used to book the 5:45pm SYD-MEL as it was usually cheaper then 5:30pm or 6pm. Occasionally the lounge used to offer FlyAhead to 6pm and 6:30pm pax.