Has anyone had success with the call-up "Marginal" xASA's?

[serfty]

What is your destination

MEL or ADL?

 

[kimrschonfeld]

adl
mel is only in there for a few extra status credit and the layover in bne is far too long considering the state of the lounge.

 

[Buzzard]

I rang Q and was quoted 270,930 point for tsv - bne - mel -adl -bne -tsv in J for 2 pax, online classic is 144k + $368 odd for fees/taxes/etc, paying $500 as a co payment to the 270k would bring it to around 200k odd, is this suitable value/amounts or have I gotten the lingo and request wrong?

1. Avoid going via MEL as it will cost more being priced as 2 seperate flights.
2. Way over the top in cost as ADL-BNE-TSV-BNE-ADL is only 48,000 + ~ $350 each for 240SC. I would assume that if the starting point is TSV the cost should be the same. If not I would look at booking 2 one way flights and see what that does to the cost structure.

 

[raleyoz]

anyone have the spreadsheet link? Ta

 

[Mr_Orange]

anyone have the spreadsheet link? Ta

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...U3k1MThWMF9SVGh0cHp5RWdVeXc&usp=sharing#gid=0

 

[JessicaTam]

anyone have the spreadsheet link? Ta

And then post any successes here:

ASA Reference thread

 

[Danger]

My experience today was not good.

I phoned to get an indicative price of a PER-xMEL-LHR in J. I'm looking to do this in April 2015 so I found a date where there were flights in 2014, purely to get an idea as to how much I need to save in the meantime, should I go ahead with next year's.

At the outset I should say that I phoned the regular premium line, not the 1300 number. My limited experience with these is the 1300 number still sees you end up in the premium call centre anyway. And I've also had one equally poor experience from the 1300 line.

I asked for a quote on an ASA and gave the dates I knew there were availability. A not insignificant wait ensued before I was quoted 248185 points all in. I then asked for the minimum points/maximum cash combination. Another hold before being quoted 164k + $901. I asked why it wasn't 128k, which is the price if I do just a classic award. She didn't know so back on hold. Eight to 10 minutes passed before she came back to say, 'still working on it'. During that time I'd figured out the problem: it was being priced with a stopover in MEL (hence the additional 36k) which I didn't want. The agent remarked "It's great when you're on the ball" before being put back on hold.

Another several minutes before being told "You're right, it was pricing out as a stopover. However, the published fare in this ASA fare class is only for a stopover in MEL. It is different to the FF classic award so it will always price at 164k as the minimum points."

Me: So I’m being penalised because I’m from Perth and Qantas no longer flies internationally from Perth?

Agent: You could get an Emirates fare.

Me: So you’re saying it’s possible to get an ASA on Emirates?

Agent: Oh gosh you seem so much more informed than me. Let me check . . . Yes . . . Oh, no. You can’t. Uniform class doesn’t come up. Not as a wholly FF seat.

She put me back on hold to investigate further with a supervisor.

Agent: Yes, in a nutshell you are being penalised. But my supervisor is sending off a request to have that reviewed. That can take up to two weeks . . . We’re not in any position to tell you what might be or what the powers that be might decide . . . They might actually change it [the rules] in light of the fact that they cut services."

I concluded by adding that it was lucky I was only looking for an indicative price because if I really wanted those seats there was next to no chance that they'll be available in two weeks time when QF "investigates" and gets back to me.

Wow. Some 46 minutes, at most five of which were spent actually talking to the agent. She did encourage me to send feedback and was certainly polite and patient throughout. (I've almost never had a problem with a QF agent being rude or unhelpful; lacking knowledge, yes, but not one that provides poor customer service.)

I will follow up with an email to customer service but can anyone confirm that the information I've been provided is actually wrong and I should only have to pay 128k as a minimum? I'm quite sure that on the classic award QF wouldn't allow me to have a stopover in MEL for the same 128k; they'd flog me 164k which is one of the reasons I think the agent is on the wrong track.

It beggars belief that there are still issues with premium agents knowing almost nothing about these fares, several months after those of us who knew how to use them lost the ability to not clog up the Qantas phone lines.

 

[JessicaTam]

Whilst I can't provide a definite answer off the top of my head I would think that the agent is wrong. I would wait till late afternoon (your time) and try again. Hopefully you will get a different call centre and therefore different supervisor. If you get the same answer then wait two weeks for the response to the request, as well as ask Red Roo to investigate.

P.S. Based on the Great Circle distance (PER-LHR 9009 miles) should it be 112,000 points in J?

 

[kevrosmith]

I phoned to get an indicative price of a PER-xMEL-LHR in J. I'm looking to do this in April 2015 so I found a date where there were flights in 2014, purely to get an idea as to how much I need to save in the meantime, should I go ahead with next year's.

I asked for a quote on an ASA and gave the dates I knew there were availability. A not insignificant wait ensued before I was quoted 248185 points all in. I then asked for the minimum points/maximum cash combination. Another hold before being quoted 164k + $901. I asked why it wasn't 128k, which is the price if I do just a classic award. She didn't know so back on hold. Eight to 10 minutes passed before she came back to say, 'still working on it'. During that time I'd figured out the problem: it was being priced with a stopover in MEL (hence the additional 36k) which I didn't want. The agent remarked "It's great when you're on the ball" before being put back on hold.

Another several minutes before being told "You're right, it was pricing out as a stopover. However, the published fare in this ASA fare class is only for a stopover in MEL. It is different to the FF classic award so it will always price at 164k as the minimum points."

I will follow up with an email to customer service but can anyone confirm that the information I've been provided is actually wrong and I should only have to pay 128k as a minimum? I'm quite sure that on the classic award QF wouldn't allow me to have a stopover in MEL for the same 128k; they'd flog me 164k which is one of the reasons I think the agent is on the wrong track.

Here's the routing rules from EF:

I reckon the line I've highlighted means that you should be able to get a JASA from PER-MEL-LHR all on QF at the proper rate... It seems to the be the logic that people are applying for Domestic routing rules for connections... e.g. the Routing rules allow CNS to ADL via BNE, so CNS-ADL is allowed as a 'proper' JASA.




Here's the domestic comparison:


As best we can work out, seeing the rules indicate the connections allowed, this means that a JASA via one of these ports can be priced at the CNS-ADL direct rate.

 

[kevrosmith]

I rang Q and was quoted 270,930 point for tsv - bne - mel -adl -bne -tsv in J for 2 pax, online classic is 144k + $368 odd for fees/taxes/etc, paying $500 as a co payment to the 270k would bring it to around 200k odd, is this suitable value/amounts or have I gotten the lingo and request wrong?

Routing rules only allow a connection via BNE... anything else will be priced as separate sectors...



TSV-MEL via BNE is allowed, so possibly they are pricing TSV-(BNE)-MEL + MEL-ADL + ADL-(BNE)-TSV

Reducing down to minimum points, that would be (per person) [36K + 16K + 36K = 88K] points for [120 + 40 + 120 = 280] SCs

1. Avoid going via MEL as it will cost more being priced as 2 seperate flights.
2. Way over the top in cost as ADL-BNE-TSV-BNE-ADL is only 48,000 + ~ $350 each for 240SC. I would assume that if the starting point is TSV the cost should be the same. If not I would look at booking 2 one way flights and see what that does to the cost structure.

Edit: Ah, is TSV-BNE-ADL only 24K... even better then..

[36K + 16K + 24K = 76K] pts for 280 SCs

 

[kimrschonfeld]

Have booked J 2pax

tsv - bne -mel - adl -bne -tsv

152k points + 1107.86c co payment including cc fee.

if we had taken out the bne - mel - adl and made it direct tsv - bne - adl - bne - tsv cost would have been 96k points + $743.44c incl cc fee

but the wifey couldn't bare to spend over 4 hours in the Brisbane lounge.

total flight cost in $ over $6500

 

[cove]

I did not know about a 3 hour ticketing safety margin so this morning my attempt to wake up and book and fly on a Marginal Any Seat status run thru Brisbane and Melbourne and back to Adelaide did not fly (so to speak).

 

[Danger]

P.S. Based on the Great Circle distance (PER-LHR 9009 miles) should it be 112,000 points in J?

I think they take the distance from MEL to LHR, not from PER to LHR, given I'm travelling via MEL on a separate flight number.

Here's the routing rules from EF:

I reckon the line I've highlighted means that you should be able to get a JASA from PER-MEL-LHR all on QF at the proper rate... It seems to the be the logic that people are applying for Domestic routing rules for connections... e.g. the Routing rules allow CNS to ADL via BNE, so CNS-ADL is allowed as a 'proper' JASA.

Thanks for that. I'll be sure to point that out when I have another go.

 

[ketsuzei]

I think they take the distance from MEL to LHR, not from PER to LHR, given I'm travelling via MEL on a separate flight number.

That's not how a standard xASA works. Which is why, for example, AKL-SYD-LAX or NRT-SYD-BNE are attractive options.

Getting the points right will be a good sign they're getting the booking right.

 

[Lonely Flyer]

Can you book on weekends as well? I note that it is not restricted now to business hours but the "sticky" still only mentioned Mon-Fri.

 

[DC3]

My experience today was not good ....

... It beggars belief that there are still issues with premium agents knowing almost nothing about these fares, several months after those of us who knew how to use them lost the ability to not clog up the Qantas phone lines.

I feel for you. Pretty poor, isn't it? And it's now nine months since QF took away booking JASAs on-line, I believe.

 

[benjy]

Can you book on weekends as well? I note that it is not restricted now to business hours but the "sticky" still only mentioned Mon-Fri.

You can book on weekends and late nights but the consultants aren't 'trained' as well as the weekday consultants

 

[ketsuzei]

A local trip returning after using a voucher SYD-BNE. 40 status credits confirms WP for another 12 months.

Mar 14 | Apr 14 | J | BNE-SYD | 16,000 | $105.99 + $7.00cc | ? | ? | 40

Classic co-pay is $36.49 if you'd like to include it.

 

[rogerkambah]

Wow. Some 46 minutes, at most five of which were spent actually talking to the agent. She did encourage me to send feedback and was certainly polite and patient throughout. (I've almost never had a problem with a QF agent being rude or unhelpful; lacking knowledge, yes, but not one that provides poor customer service.)

I'm not sure I agree with you about agents not providing poor customer service.

Sure, they are very polite and helpful, up to the limit of their knowledge, but the limit of their knowledge is appalling, when the clients know more than the CSRs and have to question them, when the advice given appears or is incorrect. I think that an inability to provide correct advice is poor customer service. Poor training is the problem.

 

[Lonely Flyer]

Booked my first ASA in U and X classes. Agent answered the phone quickly and it took about 15 minutes to complete. I believe that the software could be more intuitive but is this in QF's interest.

Well OOL-SYD JG at $78.50 including 1000 points and 10 SCs then SYD-BNE-TSV for 24000 points in J and 100 SCs and finally TSV-BNE for 12000 points in Y with 15 SCs and a further $269.00. Just 5 points shy of Gold.