Introducing Platinum One

[anthropologist]

Well on the bright side I now have my status match with VA after earning 2650 SC with QF last year.

I will now be splitting the flights between VA and QF and hopefully still maintain WP on both, which isn't a bad outcome for me.

Once again the problem for Qantas is the large number of WPs in WA with fifo jobs - I regularly travel Perth to Newman, Karratha and Port Hedland and to Kalgoorlie
and the number of WPs on flights is phenomenal and is something those outside WA, except maybe Qld may not be aware of.

There are some flights I travel when almost all the passengers on a flight are wearing
orange or yellow reflective shirts. The same for the Perth QP every morning from 0500 onwards.

 

[arrow]

Extra upgrade seats
Exclusive access to extra seats for Flight Upgrade Awards+,where available, on Qantas operated domestic and international flights (with a QF number on your ticket), when you contact the Platinum One Special Service Team during business hours.

Red Roo - Does the above mean that WP1's can request an international upgrade outside of the waitlist process?

 

[astrokid]

I believe that for anyone to reach 3600 SC's are worthy of the P1 rewards. What Qantas has done is a lovely gesture.

Now, I hope to see Qantas align their Platinum tier with Virgin's Platinum benefits. As it stands, I personally know people who have already made the switch to Virgin with their status match due to lower attain SC levels and the extra benefits they offer such as family pooling, hotel / car hire elite status and 4 comp upgrades per year and all the rest! I also know others who are considering the move and others that are sitting on the fence.

I sincerely hope that Qantas will announce their new Platinum benefits to hopefully get back the members that they lost to Virgin as a result of their introduction to the Platinum Tier!

Hope you are reading Red Roo....

Israel

 

[Alanslegal]

Red Roo - Does the above mean that WP1's can request an international upgrade outside of the waitlist process?

Not that it applies to me, but will a WP1 say, be able to request an upgrade from Y straight to F as well? If it did, that would be kind of cool. Gives the WP1 a new kind of upgrade potential.

 

[Alanslegal]

Re: Platinum One announced

I agree with you. If travelling with a P1 member, they should get the same priority; otherwise, the priority should be based on their FF status. I see this as another slow erosion of standard WP benefits....

I agree, it's totally uncool for a WP1's family or friend to be on a higher upgrade priority list than a 2600 something QF SC WP.

 

[Reggie]

I have a large dilemma. I currently (well end of next week) will have 3455 SC's with the ~ covered as well, if not for a recent employment change, i would have already easily made the 3600's.


Is it worth the cost to go for WP1, and how do I best acheive it out of Perth?

 

[rockyroad]

Re: Platinum One announced

I agree, it's totally uncool for a WP1's family or friend to be on a higher upgrade priority list than a 2600 something QF SC WP.

Well something has to give as there are only so many benefits to go around. One might wonder if the QFF WP1 team needed to make the WP1 benefits cost neutral?

 

[rockyroad]

I have a large dilemma. I currently (well end of next week) will have 3455 SC's with the ~ covered as well, if not for a recent employment change, i would have already easily made the 3600's.


Is it worth the cost to go for WP1, and how do I best acheive it out of Perth?

Maybe indulge in a JASA worth 145 SCs?

Perth to any major city rtn in J is worth 160 SCs.

 

[serfty]

Well something has to give as there are only so many benefits to go around. One might wonder if the QFF WP1 team needed to make the WP1 benefits cost neutral?

Assuming you need an additional 145 SC's only you might like to check this thread out (and even add to it): http://www.australianfrequentflyer....frequent-flyer-program/jasa-ex-per-33490.html

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Re: Platinum One announced

This is not cool :!: it is almost impossible to get an international upgrade as it is at the moment and now this

:evil::evil::evil:

QANTAS says that 70% of upgrade requests are successful at the moment (for WPs), so someone must be getting their upgrade requests through.

 

[amaroo]

Well on the bright side I now have my status match with VA after earning 2650 SC with QF last year.

I will now be splitting the flights between VA and QF and hopefully still maintain WP on both, which isn't a bad outcome for me.

Once again the problem for Qantas is the large number of WPs in WA with fifo jobs - I regularly travel Perth to Newman, Karratha and Port Hedland and to Kalgoorlie
and the number of WPs on flights is phenomenal and is something those outside WA, except maybe Qld may not be aware of.

There are some flights I travel when almost all the passengers on a flight are wearing
orange or yellow reflective shirts. The same for the Perth QP every morning from 0500 onwards.

Yep, status match has provided me with VA WP and I'll also be changing my routine & maintain dual WP status in the future. Not interested in flogging myself for WP1 - more than happy to enjoy the experience on multiply airlines. VA out of MCY in stead of that pox of an airline J* will be a very, very welcome change.

The erosion of WP benefits seems to be a QF crusade.

 

[Red Roo]

Extra upgrade seats
Exclusive access to extra seats for Flight Upgrade Awards+,where available, on Qantas operated domestic and international flights (with a QF number on your ticket), when you contact the Platinum One Special Service Team during business hours.

Red Roo - Does the above mean that WP1's can request an international upgrade outside of the waitlist process?

Hi Arrow,


Platinum One's should use the normal procedure for requesting an upgrade but they will be advised of success up to 7 days prior to departure (earlier than other tiers). If, however, a WP1 is travelling under certain circumstances and requires confirmation outside the normal process, they can call the Platinum One Special Service team for help with this.

Cheers,
Red Roo

 

[Storyteller]

Re: Introducing Platinum One and the new upgrades experience

Today we announced further details of Platinum One as well as a change the Flight Upgrade Awards.

..snip...
And on domestic flights, from early 2012:

• We'll be introducing a domestic registration process for Flight Upgrade Awards on Qantas operated flights (with a QF flight number on your ticket), where your Flight Upgrade Award request can not immediately be confirmed. Confirmation of a successful domestic Flight Upgrade Award from the point of booking, as well as the ability to request 'on departure' Flight Upgrade Awards will remain available.

Platinum One and change to Flight Upgrade Awards have been based on your feedback and I look forward to answering any questions about the changes.

Cheers,
Red Roo

Not sure I understand the nuances of these 2 sentences. Is there a typo, and should read "can now immediately be confirmed"?

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Introducing Platinum One and the new upgrades experience

Not sure I understand the nuances of these 2 sentences. Is there a typo, and should read "can now immediately be confirmed"?

I don't think it's a typo. It means that, as at present, domestic upgrades will either be confirmed or denied immediately. If it can not be confirmed immediately, there will be a registration process.

 

[Red Roo]

Re: Introducing Platinum One and the new upgrades experience

Not sure I understand the nuances of these 2 sentences. Is there a typo, and should read "can now immediately be confirmed"?

Hi Storyteller,

Currently for domestic upgrades, when you request one, you find out immediately if it is confirmed or not. If when you request one there are no seats available, you get an automatic decline.
This part of the process has not changed, you can still apply for and get an upgrade confirmed immediately.

What we are changing is that if your upgrade is not confirmed in the current system, you will be able to register for one (like you do currently with international). That way you do not have to keep going back in and trying to get an upgrade. Once you register, we will let you know when/if one becomes available.

Hope that clarifies things a bit.

Cheers,
Red Roo

 

[Storyteller]

Re: Introducing Platinum One and the new upgrades experience

Hi Storyteller,

Currently for domestic upgrades, when you request one, you find out immediately if it is confirmed or not. If when you request one there are no seats available, you get an automatic decline.
This part of the process has not changed, you can still apply for and get an upgrade confirmed immediately.

What we are changing is that if your upgrade is not confirmed in the current system, you will be able to register for one (like you do currently with international). That way you do not have to keep going back in and trying to get an upgrade. Once you register, we will let you know when/if one becomes available.

Hope that clarifies things a bit.

Cheers,
Red Roo

You can tell I don't do Dom upgrades! - didn't have the right understanding to understand the changes.
Thanks for the clarification here.
Cheers, Storyteller

 

[Jobu]

Red Roo,

It's hard to give alot of feedback before the launch on the announced changes, I'd like to see how the special dedicated team makes a difference in practice. I would like to offer some preliminary feedback as a very frequent flyer though.

What is really important to someone that spends hundreds and thousands of hours on airplanes and in airports? Is it really about being able to spend points more easily? It is definitely about being looked after when things don't go smoothly - but I would suggest that QF already does a pretty good job for it's platinum members in these situations, at least in my experience. I would suggest it is more about:

- being able to get a guaranteed business class seat (like a platinum member can get a guaranteed economy seat)
- receiving automatic upgrades when there are spare seats available on departure (that's great service)
- being able to get consistent/superior, or at least better than average service from your partner airlines (and other partners), especially as QF relies on them heavily beyond a handful of international destinations
- being able to be escorted or processed quickly through immigration, customs and security so we can arrive later at the airport, check in later, leave earlier and spend less time in airports
- ways to make the journey before and after the flight smoother and quicker - e.g. car transfers, luggage service
- consistent treatment for travel companions

Are there any benefits for P1 members in the air?

I have experienced parts of the above suggestions with your different competitors. It would help set P1 apart and make a difference for very frequent flyers in my humble opinion. I'm not sure that the new P1 announcement will encourage travellers to consolidate their travel with QF.

Cheers,

J

 

[TonyHancock]

.....2/ A WP1 will have a gazillion points, so can simply use "Preferential Award Availability" to "buy" the family member a premium seat.....

I'm not sure that is true. I'll hit the heady heights of WP1 in April and I scrape around to earn 800,000 points a year. Whilst this is a reasonable number it is not a gazillion. In a really good year I'll pick up 500,000 from flying.

I have a large dilemma. I currently (well end of next week) will have 3455 SC's with the ~ covered as well, if not for a recent employment change, i would have already easily made the 3600's.


Is it worth the cost to go for WP1, and how do I best acheive it out of Perth?

I'm in a similar boat. I need 240 SC's by the end of October.....based on what I have seen so far I won't be doing an SC run.

I would like to think that 2950 SC's of travel on QF flights would be enough to get "looked after". :-| Given the failure to respond to "feedback" or respond after six weeks with generic answers I fear it isn't enough!!

My current booked flights will place me in the WP1 level in April 2011, passing the 3600 SC level with exactly 2700 SC's. My primary goal now will be to retain VA WP. I'll be unlikely to book any further QF/oneworld travel until after July next year. With the soft landing from WP1 to WP I may not bother with QF at all next year!!

 

[QFMEL]

Re: Platinum One announced

The gist I got from the QFF CEO lunch was that P1 is aimed squarely at those who simply spend far too many hours flying, especially on QF flights. It's not designed for something to be 'aimed' for, simply a 'we'll look after you *because* you fly that much'. It's designed to make those truly excessively frequent flyers lives easier, not encouraging people to reach 'loftier heights'.

If that's the case, are QF planning on revealing the commercial arrangements they have in place with SQ for licensing the PPS club?

This "don't aim for uber elite status, just be uber elite" approach would amount to an astonishing amount of foregone revenue at the 2400+ part of the bellcurve.

I'm on track to make WP1 with hundreds of SCs to spare, and that's having done plenty of longhaul on EK, SQ and other non-OW metal this year owing to work-dictated travel requirements on certain routes where OW options are impractical. I doubt I'll be offered WP1 ad interim on account of having earned just on 3000 in the past twelve calendar months, so I might not be able to try before I buy.

I've got up to 1000SCs or more in domestic flying this membership year could just as easily be diverted to Virgin precisely because QF have made it clear there's nothing to see here, and half that again in longhaul J that QF are encouraging me not earn with them.

It's just another wasted opportunity, and it's quite disappointing. And it's pure spin if they say this won't have a dollar impact.

 

[Jobu]

NM - does this ring a bell from back in May?

Perhaps one benefit could be upgrade requested confirmed up to 7 days before travel.

You should have asked for more...

Platinum One members will have their successful International upgrade requests confirmed where possible from up to 7 days prior to departure (available from December 2011), which is earlier than all other Qantas Frequent Flyers.