Heads up about program changes

[Supersonic Swinger]

Just going from my vague recollection of the announcement. I seem to recall some restrictions on qantas not using asia to europe, or some such.

There are no restrictions, only financial incentives for QF to route passengers through Europe via Dubai. Which is why the BA JV was ended, the AF codeshares were ended, and multi-stop bookings on the QF website will route you HKG-DXB-LHR and not the CX or BA directs.

 

[Awesom Andy]

that is because EY owns a big chunk of AB

I forgot about that.

This forum really needs a smiley depicting myself hitting my head against the wall.

 

[Anna]

Perhaps not the best choice of words. What i was trying to say was that the earn required of OWE status with CX seems to be a lot higher with CX than many other OW carriers. Therefore it is more likely that a QF WP will end up OWS with CX and not be able to reach OWE status. Thereofre if already LTG with QF there is no advantage to being OWS twice and, therefore, better to look elsewhere for top tier status

Ah, I see what you mean.

I'm getting off the hamster wheel of status-seeking now I've got LTG so I think Asia Miles will be a good fit for my main aims of being able to earn and spend points more easily and cheaply. I spent a decade as OWS and was always pretty happy with it. Time will tell whether AM suits me or not

 

[samh004]

Ah, I see what you mean.

I'm getting off the hamster wheel of status-seeking now I've got LTG so I think Asia Miles will be a good fit for my main aims of being able to earn and spend points more easily and cheaply. I spent a decade as OWS and was always pretty happy with it. Time will tell whether AM suits me or not

I will echo those saying Marco Polo is hard to get status. Just for starters, you can't just head straight for Diamond (OWE), but at each level your year resets and you start from zero again, so that's 30 + 60 + 120 to simply get to the top. 210,000 miles!!

If you are Diamond one year and fail to hit even Gold there are no soft drops either, so you could drop all the way to Silver or Green.

That said, they treat their elites well, and some do well out of the program. My dad has been Diamond for several years now. Doesn't have an issue retaining. Somehow.

 

[moa999]

They just give away a hard to earn status for a few $$s (Centurion)

 

[ketsuzei]

They just give away a hard to earn status for a few $$s (Centurion)

How few? 5k or so?

 

[Anna]

I will echo those saying Marco Polo is hard to get status.

I'm not even joining MPC. Only AM It's an experiment on my part. Maybe I will come running back to the QFFP. But after yet another frustrating experience trying to spend points yesterday, I doubt it.

 

[samh004]

I'm not even joining MPC. Only AM It's an experiment on my part. Maybe I will come running back to the QFFP. But after yet another frustrating experience trying to spend points yesterday, I doubt it.

Oh, then you can't earn status with them. Just miles.

 

[OATEK]

Oh, then you can't earn status with them. Just miles.

Anna said being LTG she had decided to try AM, so presumably relying OW recognition of QF LTG for status. It will be interesting in a year or so to see how it has worked out.

 

[SeatBackForward]

Anna said being LTG she had decided to try AM, so presumably relying OW recognition of QF LTG for status. It will be interesting in a year or so to see how it has worked out.

So how would that work in terms of booking and creditting? The booking would be made using QFF number and OWS status and it would be these details used to gain lounge access etc, but then when would you change details to include AM (or any other program) against the flight? In the departure lounge itself?

 

[Anna]

So how would that work in terms of booking and creditting? The booking would be made using QFF number and OWS status and it would be these details used to gain lounge access etc, but then when would you change details to include AM (or any other program) against the flight? In the departure lounge itself?

For dom flights it's probably not going to be an issue for lounge access because either they will be red edeals so will credit to QF anyway, or I will have a boarding pass on QF stock and a card and the lounge dragons are unlikely to enquire further than looking cursorily at them.

My first int Y booking is for Oct and shows my current OWE status (which will be my status until end of 2015). I haven't decided yet whether to change to my AM number at the lounge after any op-up chance has been extinguished, or to change it beforehand and to try flashing the OWE card with the Y boarding pass at the Wing F lounge in HKG and see what happens

Most future bookings are likely not to be in Y, at least for long-haul, so I will get class-of-travel benefits

It's all an experimental work-in-progress at this stage. One experiment being, if I'm already in the lounge when I change to my AM number, if they then ask me to leave the lounge :shock:

 

[Awesom Andy]

One experiment being, if I'm already in the lounge when I change to my AM number, if they then ask me to leave the lounge :shock:

Most likely not, unless it's already boarding time.

 

[Buzzard]

It's all an experimental work-in-progress at this stage. One experiment being, if I'm already in the lounge when I change to my AM number, if they then ask me to leave the lounge :shock:

I think once you're in..... you're in
Good on you for giving all of this a go.

 

[Flashback]

I think once you're in..... you're in
Good on you for giving all of this a go.

That's correct. Mal does that with his OWE card (using F lounge) which he then changes to his BA number (not OWE). No issues staying in.

 

[Mal]

That's correct. Mal does that with his OWE card (using F lounge) which he then changes to his BA number (not OWE). No issues staying in.

Indeed. The comment I had from the BA lounge dragon last week was interesting... 'I've changed your ff number to your SAPPHIRE status". But no issues. Usually I change ff number earlier via Web or checkin and just show card. When that happens, I just show my QF card and BA type furiously in a field on their screen for exception reason.

With Cx no dramas doing it when entering the F lounge as well, as occurred a few weeks ago. Again a strange look but no issues.

All moot when I become BA Gold, but that's a little while away yet.

 

[Danger]

So how would that work in terms of booking and creditting? The booking would be made using QFF number and OWS status and it would be these details used to gain lounge access etc, but then when would you change details to include AM (or any other program) against the flight? In the departure lounge itself?

For dom flights it's probably not going to be an issue for lounge access because either they will be red edeals so will credit to QF anyway, or I will have a boarding pass on QF stock and a card and the lounge dragons are unlikely to enquire further than looking cursorily at them.

My first int Y booking is for Oct and shows my current OWE status (which will be my status until end of 2015). I haven't decided yet whether to change to my AM number at the lounge after any op-up chance has been extinguished, or to change it beforehand and to try flashing the OWE card with the Y boarding pass at the Wing F lounge in HKG and see what happens

Most future bookings are likely not to be in Y, at least for long-haul, so I will get class-of-travel benefits

It's all an experimental work-in-progress at this stage. One experiment being, if I'm already in the lounge when I change to my AM number, if they then ask me to leave the lounge :shock:

I've had a lot of experience with this. I crept up the AA ladder by booking, checking-in and accessing lounges with my QF status. About 30 to 20 minutes prior to boarding I'd go to the lounge reception and ask them to remove the QF number and insert only my AA number. A good seven times out of 10 they would stuff it up, leaving the QF number in there as well as the AA number. On every one of those times I've needed to call QF to rectify, usually as I'm rushing to the gate and trying to juggle my hand luggage and boarding pass and the PNR scribbled on my hand.

As I noted elsewhere, in about September of last year I was directly challenged by a lounge agent who told me what I was doing couldn't be done. At that time I was still oneworld Sapphire with AA and was trying to access the J lounge. It was something like Perth-Canberra-Sydney where I'd changed the number in prior just prior to leaving and presented my boarding pass with AA credentials, along with my QF Platinum card to the Canberra J lounge. The agent told me that what I was doing (using one and crediting to the other) had never been possible. I was angry but back in Perth I spoke with the lounge manager who confirmed that there was no issue with what I was doing and "we're happy to have you". That incident came within 48 hours of QF issuing a memo to staff about Qantas Club members using their membership to access EK lounges but crediting to EK, rather than QF. And it seems that has now come full circle with the change announced (or actually not really announced at all) in the past couple of days.

As a result of these Qantas Club and EK changes I fully expect it to become more difficult to do what I've been doing, even though I'm now Emerald with AA as well as QF meaning the benefits, at least for domestic travel, are essentially the same. Interestingly, I've long lost my Platinum shadow. Even though I book with the QF number and leave that in there until the last minute, I haven't had a shadow for at least my last 30 flights, domestic and international. Also of interest is the fact that on the last three occasions I've made the change, the lounge agent (and one of those occasions a help desk agent) has had difficulty in changing the number. It's taken a good two or three minutes.

Indeed. The comment I had from the BA lounge dragon last week was interesting... 'I've changed your ff number to your SAPPHIRE status". But no issues. Usually I change ff number earlier via Web or checkin and just show card. When that happens, I just show my QF card and BA type furiously in a field on their screen for exception reason.

With Cx no dramas doing it when entering the F lounge as well, as occurred a few weeks ago. Again a strange look but no issues.

All moot when I become BA Gold, but that's a little while away yet.

I also noted in January of last year that BA had absolutely no issue - on three occasions - with me accessing the LHR T5 F lounge with my then AA Sapphire membership against my boarding pass but by presenting my QF Emerald card.

Good luck, Anna. Please report how you get on.

 

[rogerkambah]

I also noted in January of last year that BA had absolutely no issue - on three occasions - with me accessing the LHR T5 F lounge with my then AA Sapphire membership against my boarding pass but by presenting my QF Emerald card.

From my understanding of the OW system, I thought that an OWE card trumped whatever was printed on your boarding pass, and so long as your flight was OW you could access a OW Flounge.

Based on this premise I'm hoping to access the QF Flounge and the Wing HKG flying on a CX E ticket (SYD-HKG-BKK//HKG-SYD).

Inside this route is a AY J BKK-HEL-BUD//LHR-HEL-BKK. I haven't decided yet which FF program to have on my boarding pass, and have no status other than QF, but believe its immaterial whether I credit points to QF AM, AY, AA or USDM (or any OW FF program via my boarding card FF number) and can access Flounge using my QF plat card.

Is this correct?

 

[Austman]

That incident came within 48 hours of QF issuing a memo to staff about Qantas Club members using their membership to access EK lounges but crediting to EK, rather than QF. And it seems that has now come full circle with the change announced (or actually not really announced at all) in the past couple of days.

As a result of these Qantas Club and EK changes I fully expect it to become more difficult to do what I've been doing,.

I can't see that the Qantas announcment has anything to do with using one FF status for airport benefits while crediting to another FF. The Qantas announcement related to the flight number booked (not the FF scheme used): a QP will not get lounge access on an EK flight number but will on a QF flight number.

I've used one FF status for airport benefits while crediting to another FF program for 20 years. Rarely a problem. No need to do last minute switches.

 

[mannej]

I can't see that the Qantas announcment has anything to do with using one FF status for airport benefits while crediting to another FF. The Qantas announcement related to the flight number booked (not the FF scheme used): a QP will not get lounge access on an EK flight number but will on a QF flight number.

I've used one FF status for airport benefits while crediting to another FF program for 20 years. Rarely a problem. No need to do last minute switches.

Danger is not referring to the latest changes with QP membership, this occurred last year from memory.

 

[Danger]

From my understanding of the OW system, I thought that an OWE card trumped whatever was printed on your boarding pass, and so long as your flight was OW you could access a OW Flounge.

Based on this premise I'm hoping to access the QF Flounge and the Wing HKG flying on a CX E ticket (SYD-HKG-BKK//HKG-SYD).

Inside this route is a AY J BKK-HEL-BUD//LHR-HEL-BKK. I haven't decided yet which FF program to have on my boarding pass, and have no status other than QF, but believe its immaterial whether I credit points to QF AM, AY, AA or USDM (or any OW FF program via my boarding card FF number) and can access Flounge using my QF plat card.

Is this correct?

I agree, it shouldn't matter. You have the status, use it whichever way you like. As I mentioned, BA had no issue with it. In my experience, it's only been Qantas.

I can't see that the Qantas announcment has anything to do with using one FF status for airport benefits while crediting to another FF. The Qantas announcement related to the flight number booked (not the FF scheme used): a QP will not get lounge access on an EK flight number but will on a QF flight number.

I've used one FF status for airport benefits while crediting to another FF program for 20 years. Rarely a problem. No need to do last minute switches.

Danger is not referring to the latest changes with QP membership, this occurred last year from memory.

As mannej points out, I was referring to the changes that occurred in about last September. But as I noted, I do wonder if that change didn't go far enough in QF's eyes and so lead to the change this week.

And I must respectfully disagree about no need for last minute switches. The big one is to preserve the Platinum shadow for the most possible time. Now that I've lost that, the only thing left is the 0.01% chance of an op-up. But at the very least I need to keep my QF number in there until I've checked in. If I don't, I have to queue in the 'priority' check-in line (the one used for Platinum One, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Business, Qantas Club, oneworld Emerald, oneworld Sapphire, oneworld Ruby 'priority' line) to check-in.