The experts around here are wrong, and unfortunately blinded by the abstraction called status credits with all its anomolies. Effectively what status credits measure, indirectly, is your contribution to Qantas' revenue. This is of course linked to profit. Maybe it would have been all easier if they just put the expenditure requirements on the status, and done away with status credits altogether. But you know, there are anomolies there, and the answer is to go out and seek them, rather than come up with creative reasons for why you think Qantas should be awarding you for Classics or MASA fares that don't have the same revenue to Qantas.
Unfortunately, the word you used was revenue not profit. On a 737 there are 138 economy seats and 12 business seats, the revenue of those economy seats at the lowest fare on routes I take is approximately equal to the business fare revenue. As for the suggestion that I am looking for creative reasons for Qantas to given me points for classic awards and MASA; that comment is pretty contemptible, given the way it misrepresents my position that has been clearly stated on AFF a number of times. It is wrong to suggest the issue is about getting the same revenue. The issue is getting revenue that Qantas deems acceptable, as I've said MANY, MANY times if they aren't happy with the revenue they could always reprice. I HAVE NEVER said that Classic awards, as is, should earn. NEVER!
I'm not an account, so maybe someone could explain this to me.
A platinum buys $85 fares SYD-MEL and gets gets all sorts of benefits... extra baggage, priority check-in, food and drinks in the lounge, the best seats, a shadow and dedicated staff at the premium call centre. All for the same price a non status member pays. From whom does QF make more money on that single flight for the same fare?
This BS has been addressed a number of times. Some one flying MEL-SYD 120-140 times a year, that is the platinum requirement. Someone doing that type of flying does not use priority check-in - Cost zero. In fact the first interaction with a staff member might very well be at boarding when the Q card is scanned.
They have the shopper docket BP, cheaper than the cardboard BP taken by the non-status member.
the best seats and shadows (if available) cost nothing
Extra baggage is not used either - Gain to Qantas by selling freight on the flight. How much do they make from the basic 23kg of freight, versus not getting that freight capacity from a non-status member who
will check luggage.
Someone doing that flying rarely takes the on board meal, and qantas know this and can under cater the flight.
Half of their flights are in the morning, meaning they take a coffee and a muffin or a couple of bits of toast, or pancakes. What does that cost, $2? What is it in the evening? $5 in lounge food?
So we have $7 a week in cost, offset by revenue from 46 kg of freight and the saved cost of not catering on board.
It is pretty obvious that at best there is no cost difference, or that the platinum flyer provides extra revenue because their predictability allows Qantas to make money in other ways.
That is before we even get on to the fact that Qantas have millions of seats to fill every month, which means a predictable frequent flyer provides great certainly for planning purposes than a random once a year flyer.
then when it comes to overseas travel, the platinum buys a cheap economy fare not only for themselves, but sometimes their whole family as well. Or they ask for extra award seats to be released. They then have extra baggage, F lounge food and drinks, F lounge massages, the best seats, a shadow, business class wines, business class drinks, business class amenity kits, business class headphones, business class PJs, and attention from senior crew. All for the same price a non-status member pays. (and some of the benefits I suspect are to the detriment of those actually in the higher cabins, like when champagne runs out.)
Again with the BEST Seats BS, as if they cost? Is that a joke or distraction?
I can certainly say I've never had business anything while travelling in economy on a cheap red-e-deal. Another massive distraction to suggest that happens all the time when travelling with heaps of family. The rest the the items you mention are easily covered by the fact that Qantas has determined that they what to provide those services. Then with have the extra baggage, that isn't used most of the time anyway - Meaning money for Qantas from freight.
On that flight, for the same fare, who does qantas make more money off?
Yet again you're trying to make this about profit from one seat, while ignoring the fact that it is the whole flight that is important not one seat. The revenue and profit from the whole flight. which gets into you following statements. Qantas needs to fill every seat on the plane, they make the profit from the whole economy cabin. If that is full that means more profit. The cheap seats are still going to be for sale whether purchased by a platinum member or a non status member. Selling the cheap seats allows then to sell more expensive seats. The benefit of the platinums flying so often is Qantas know they can sell an expensive seat to someone else. I think you're failing to see the wood for the trees, or should that be plane for the seats.
by the time you take out the cost of the transportation, where is the benefit to QF of these types of platinums flying so often?
If platinum (and gold) could only be obtained by flying First or business class, the profit would be there to warrant the extra benefits?
