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

[burmans]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

A little courtesy goes a long way guys!!

Well that goes both ways. Some would suggest training your staff and not treating your customers as idiots goes a long way too!

 

[sumthinfornuthin]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Why plant blackberries where none existed. And then throw stones to scare the fish. It wasn't broken. Your analogy not withstanding

If ever you have tried fishing in those types of suituations you find no opposition and plenty of fish

Open grassy banks have plenty of other people with a line in the water catching the fish

I would prefer the old system but I can see that the NEW system will thin the ranks making it possibly easier to hook the bookings

no one likes change but after a while it seems second nature HOWEVER I would still prefer to be able to SURF for hours just looking.

 

[Deleted member]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

If ever you have tried fishing in those types of suituations you find no opposition and plenty of fish

Open grassy banks have plenty of other people with a line in the water catching the fish

I would prefer the old system but I can see that the NEW system will thin the ranks making it possibly easier to hook the bookings

no one likes change but after a while it seems second nature HOWEVER I would still prefer to be able to SURF for hours just looking.

The ranks may thin. But I suspect so will the availability.
This theory was put forward some time ago. The thinking was : what better way to ( eventually) remove ASA's, than announce they have become less popular . Make it difficult. So that only the die hards keep trying, and make it less visible so that the newbie points spender doesn't even know what and ASA actually is.
I understand why it's changed. I just don't just don't like being treated like a mushroom.

 

[opusman]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

The thinking was : what better way to ( eventually) remove ASA's, than announce they have become less popular . Make it difficult. So that only the die hards keep trying, and make it less visible so that the newbie points spender doesn't even know what and ASA actually is.

If they wanted to remove them they would just remove them.

 

[Anna]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Maybe behind the scenes "they" aren't united about mASAs. Maybe Red Roo and QF Loyalty are screaming we need to keep them and QF Beancounters are screaming mASAs are marginally profitable and don't meet some sacred KPI or other that needs to be met. QF Beancounters probably had more say in the IT enhancement which took them offline, but QF Loyalty managed to retain an ability for us to book them by phone, against QF Beancounter pressure.

Of course Red Roo will never be able to tell us what is really going on in the QF conference rooms about mASAs.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I can relate most things in life to fishing, guess I am scarred in both my passions in my quest for points and also fishing

Can to pm the date I need a boys weekend. It'll be totally worth it.

You two need need to combine your love of fishing with a JASA to DRW.

You could always compete in the Barra Nationals or Barra Classic. Friends of mine did that one Easter which coicided with Anzac Day that year with a Dawn Service on the Daly River.

You could also hire one of the Mary River Houseboats on Corroboree Billabong about 90 mins drive from DRW.

 

[vertisol]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Maybe behind the scenes "they" aren't united about mASAs. Maybe Red Roo and QF Loyalty are screaming we need to keep them and QF Beancounters are screaming mASAs are marginally profitable and don't meet some sacred KPI or other that needs to be met. QF Beancounters probably had more say in the IT enhancement which took them offline, but QF Loyalty managed to retain an ability for us to book them by phone, against QF Beancounter pressure.

Of course Red Roo will never be able to tell us what is really going on in the QF conference rooms about mASAs.

I suspect the bean counters would have already won out if that was the case. Killing them off wouldn't rate a mention in any mainstream media.

 

[puppysparkes]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

You two need need to combine your love of fishing with a JASA to DRW.

You could always compete in the Barra Nationals or Barra Classic. Friends of mine did that one Easter which coicided with Anzac Day that year with a Dawn Service on the Daly River.

You could also hire one of the Mary River Houseboats on Corroboree Billabong about 90 mins drive from DRW.

I've done the Mary River house boats and the south alligator river in kakadu, stunning is an understatement. I'll be back soon with a new rod for sure. Crab Claw island (although not an island) also has some great spots.

 

[Deleted User]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Flying to Perth last week the J cabin was less than half full, had me wondering what all the fuss was with at Qantas limiting xASA's...? I would have thought any revenue would be better than none...?

Not going to happen, but yes I also wish these returned on the website...

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Flying to Perth last week the J cabin was less than half full, had me wondering what all the fuss was with at Qantas limiting xASA's...? I would have thought any revenue would be better than none...?

Not going to happen, but yes I also wish these returned on the website...

A lot of FIFO workers use points for ODU's on trans-continental flights but they may have been away on school holidays last week.

Seems logical to me to allow people to book JASA's which are still a J class revenue seat, than to have to op-up pax ftom whY to J when in busy times flights are oversold in whY yet have available J seats to cover the oversale.

Worse still, have flights go out with empty J seats when there are plenty of pax willing to burn points on JASA's which is easy to do when ppl have the ability to book those fares themselves on-line.

 

[drron]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Well I have just done our first booking of a JASA by phone using Mrsdrron's WP number.
Asked for an JASA at marginal rates and had no real problems.
BNE-SYD-NRT next year.The only slight problem was the agent couldn't understand why we would want to get to SYD at lunch time!
Minimum rate came in at 60000 each as against 72000 for a classic and $120 extra in "taxes"per person.

 

[marki]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I am just beginning to understand that this is the way to go now. Forget classic bookings !

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Well I have just done our first booking of a JASA by phone using Mrsdrron's WP number.
Asked for an JASA at marginal rates and had no real problems.

BNE-SYD-NRT next year.The only slight problem was the agent couldn't understand why we would want to get to SYD at lunch time!

Minimum rate came in at 60000 each as against 72000 for a classic and $120 extra in "taxes"per person.

So much for the old "in most cases ASA's are more expensive than Classic Awards" line. Are you able to say what the 'taxes' were?

Another example of Classics being more than JASA's was HNL/SYD/DRW - 112,000 for a Classic Award (fare basis UBP) plus taxes of AUD310.00ish vs 72,000 for the JASA (fare basis UBPASROW) plus taxes of AUD450.00ish.

 

[drron]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Taxes for 2 on classic ~$552
JASA-$793.

 

[tm.smile]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I made a number of calls over the last 2 days to check and make new ASA bookings (got an email with 50% bonus status credits incidentally) to rebook for next month. On all occasions (total of 5 calls to check for seat availability and making the bookings), I was able to successfully find out the ASA seat availability (U class with correct points cost) with each and everyone of the operators. The only time I hit any sort of snag was that one of the CSRs insisted that they were booked online. With a little push in the right direction and some insistence that they are no longer bookable online, she eventually was able to book it for me (all up took about 20-25mins).

In the end, I booked the SYD-TSV-DRW and return (via BNE in between each flight).

SYD-BNE-TSV cost 86,373 all inclusive points
TSV-BNE-DRW cost 91,173 all inclusive points

Not the most convenient, but if availability of the X,Z,U or P fares improve, then its not all bad.

 

[sumthinfornuthin]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

You two need need to combine your love of fishing with a JASA to DRW.

You could always compete in the Barra Nationals or Barra Classic. Friends of mine did that one Easter which coicided with Anzac Day that year with a Dawn Service on the Daly River.

You could also hire one of the Mary River Houseboats on Corroboree Billabong about 90 mins drive from DRW.

Went up to the Limmen River Bight in the Gulf 2 years ago with 5 other guys for 10 days. we caught 126 Barra, can only keep 5 each so most went back in if we were not going to eat or keep. bioggest in the boat was 80+ cm, biggest to the boat about a metre but he got off....plus 3 snakes in the boat too, now THAT is exciting. ! I agree the NT is great

 

[sumthinfornuthin]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Maybe behind the scenes "they" aren't united about mASAs. Maybe Red Roo and QF Loyalty are screaming we need to keep them and QF Beancounters are screaming mASAs are marginally profitable and don't meet some sacred KPI or other that needs to be met. QF Beancounters probably had more say in the IT enhancement which took them offline, but QF Loyalty managed to retain an ability for us to book them by phone, against QF Beancounter pressure.

Of course Red Roo will never be able to tell us what is really going on in the QF conference rooms about mASAs.

How can they NOT be profitable. I am going to do one to keep my PLATINUM as I am 200SC short. If I was paying full whack then no way but ASA I am happy to burn the points and pay the taxes so QANTAS get a seat filled that otherwise would be vacant and get some of the points liabilities off their books.

Not to forget the money the made selling the points to the card companies etc that I earnt them with

 

[Deleted User]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Received a 50% SC bonus offer email... looks like another opportunity to participate in the xASA lottery

Edit: as a data point this will be my 5th MASA since June 26th

 

[cove]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

I have that extra 50% SC offer too but nothing for Mrscove so I may do an east coast run on a JASA/ MASA as I can get to Long Term Gold quicker.

 

[JasonG]

re: Has anyone had success with the call-up method for "Marginal" xASA's?

Hi All,
I've been reading this forum for many months now, very informative and humorous at times, but my first post on this issue.

I'm a QF WP and was really disappointed when any seat award bookings were removed off the website.

Good news is I just got off the phone and John knew exactly what I wanted, referring to the old way of booking so I could earn the points and SCs. I'm doing JFK-MEL in November, wanted J at 128k points + taxes.

Was able to book this as a classic award about a week back on EK metal (and flight numbers) via Dubai which I was happy with. No J availability with QF via the usual LAX routing.

Cutting to the chase, Premium Economy available for 148k points all inclusive or 96k+ $600 as ASA or 96k+$418 as a classic award. No brainer really, even John (QF phone rep) said it made sense to spend the extra $200 to net points and status.

So I need some advice - do I stick with my original J booking on EK via Dubai or refund and go for the ASA in premium?

Would love the points and SCs but at the same time I'm a fussy flier. Have looked at dates within a week and no J availability, including the original EK availability. I must have got the last (and maybe only available award seat).

Thanks
Jason