Is Platinum the Holy Grail?

[serfty]

... (i did a search on PCV but came up empty handed) ...

Hint: Search for "proactive onload" - that's discussion on op ups and has reference to sat allocation. (Obvious isn't it )

 

[ReLoad]

Hint: Search for "proactive onload" - that's discussion on op ups and has reference to sat allocation. (Obvious isn't it )

Thanks serfty! a proverbial "platinum mine" of information, pardon the pun.

So to bring this back into the topic's origin, is WP really the holy grail?

Like posters above, I am defiantly a person B, Lots of low value flights

So here are my pro's and cons to WP, and please feel free to add or debate others:

Pros's
Lounge access (only when i need to use it 90% of the time i arrive just b4 flights and go direct to the gate)
International travel F lounge access. (only once or twice a year used)
When things go wrong, do WP get looked after?
Better seat allocation in whY

Cons
It is no different to SG apart from the better lounge.
Twice the SC's to get it over SG.

Not used:
Any seat any flight feature.
OP-UP's given I am a type B person flying on routes full of Type A's and i will be at the bottom end of the OP-UP tree.
Status bonus on FF points, given im flying sectors that fall well short of the 1k minimum rule.
F class checkin - i never travel with luggage unless OS.

So is WP the holy grail for someone like me? - dont get me wrong, im going to get it anyways its somethign i have always aspired to and it will be a milestone for me to do so, but i think its a valid question.

 

[JohnK]

When things go wrong, do WP get looked after?

Yes Platinums get looked after a little better than lower status frequent flyers.

Better seat allocation in whY

Can be very handy if you get in early and pre-allocate seats at booking time, T-80 hours and OLCI at T-24 hours.

OP-UP's given I am a type B person flying on routes full of Type A's and i will be at the bottom end of the OP-UP tree.

I am definitely the type B person and there have been many flights where I have been the highest status frequent flyer on the flight. I have had 2 op-ups this year and 6 op-ups last year on QF domestic as well as 2 op-ups to First Class from business class on CX. Not a great record but better than nothing.

Luck also plays a big part.

 

[simongr]

Pros's
Lounge access
International travel F lounge access. (only once or twice a year used)
When things go wrong, do WP get looked after?
Better seat allocation in whY
100% bonus points rather than 50% for SG

Cons
It is no different to SG apart from the better lounge.
Twice the SC's to get it over SG.

Not used:
Any seat any flight feature.
OP-UP's given I am a type B person flying on routes full of Type A's and i will be at the bottom end of the OP-UP tree.
Status bonus on FF points, given im flying sectors that fall well short of the 1k minimum rule.
F class checkin - i never travel with luggage unless OS. Not sure why the luggage question is raised - I travel without luggage and still see value in F check in

Added a couple of comments

 

[burrco]

The little things do add up. As a newly minted plat (about three weeks now) things I've noticed and liked, based in two separate weekend leisure trips.

# J lounge is better. A lot more pleasant than the QP during the weekends.
# Economy is economy but being in the front row is far better than being further down the plane.
# Anytime access = defacto arrivals lounge. Call in after getting off the plane for a quick drink or snack - then downstairs and luggage should be ready for collection.
# Able to snag row 16 for some upcoming 747 trips.
# Calls to Qantas have been answered straight away, with no waiting.
# Not something I care about but first time in Y I've ever been addressed by my name.

So nothing really earth shattering but little things that do add up to a better experience.

 

[ReLoad]

ok thats all cool, how about another type of Person, Person C.

He does his 4 QF sectors, say MEL/SYD return, then flies of to the USA in discounted whY, but does a status run in F with AA and gets WP.

Whats his PCV worth? where does he sit in comparison to A and B?

Is it less because the ratio of $ per SC isnt there? or is it more given AA in F adds some value into the equation?

 

[simongr]

# Anytime access = defacto arrivals lounge. Call in after getting off the plane for a quick drink or snack - then downstairs and luggage should be ready for collection.

I have never done this - as soon as I get off the aircraft I want to get in the car and get home...

 

[JohnK]

At a guess I would say the value to Qantas would be Person A, followed by Person B and then Person C. Person A does not fly that much and you are unlikely to find them in economy anyway, Person C does not fly much with Qantas so they are not a worry which would make Person B the one that benefits the most from their Platinum status.

But there is no one size fits all. I would be somewhere between Person B and Person C.

By the way all of this is hypothetical and unless you can get first hand account of what happens at Qantas yield management or get your hands on the Altea implementation guide for Qantas then it will always be speculation.

 

[ReLoad]

By the way all of this is hypothetical and unless you can get first hand account of what happens at Qantas yield management or get your hands on the Altea implementation guide for Qantas then it will always be speculation.

Totally dig where you are coming from, and couldn't agree more, what I guess I am trying to do is say that Platinum is in fact a very different beast for different people with different situations.

As you suggest, being a mid "B-C type", I am right now in the B type, but will probably shift to a "B-C type" When I get my WP in a couple of months (after a US status run, about 60% of my SC's will be from QF, the rest AA, and of my 60% QF ones they will all be from discounted whY and full whY.)

I will be very curious to see what the difference is and if my flying changes in any perceivable and noticeable way, I guess in the absence of any definitive documentation the only way to find out is to use a real world example, and I'm as good a guinea pig as anyone.

QF 400 Next monday morning! SG awaits!

 

[serfty]

Nore that your PCV varies from flight to flight. Things like the bookedfare bucket, "who" you may be traveling with may be taken into account.

 

[taswegian77]

For me short answer is Yes with a provisio.
Yes - I have now held WP for 5 years and the benefits I have received have been well worth it. As I do basically all my travel international I get massive benefits from the F lounge spa service and dining options. Also the F check in is worth it, along with express immigration arrival/dep cards. Also the better chance at op-ups (IMO), higher ranking for points upgrades and quick phone customer service, 100% points bonus is also nice, WP for me is worth it.
Provisio 1 - I will achieve life time gold by the end of June this year and to me that is the holy grail. It will mean access to lounges for the rest of my life regardless of status.

 

[dajop]

I have never done this - as soon as I get off the aircraft I want to get in the car and get home...

Never done it coming home, but going out yes can be useful if time to spare before meetings. Used to all the time in CBR, particularly in winter when being a little conservative to allow for fog delays

It will mean access to lounges for the rest of my life regardless of status.

or for the rest of the life of the QF. Or the QFF program as we know it. Whichever of the three things finishes first. Things change, look at AN ..... But agreed it is a goal worth shooting for, as I suspect QF will be strong for a little while yet.

 

[simongr]

For me short answer is Yes with a provisio.
Yes - I have now held WP for 5 years and the benefits I have received have been well worth it. As I do basically all my travel international I get massive benefits from the F lounge spa service and dining options. Also the F check in is worth it, along with express immigration arrival/dep cards. Also the better chance at op-ups (IMO), higher ranking for points upgrades and quick phone customer service, 100% points bonus is also nice, WP for me is worth it.
Provisio 1 - I will achieve life time gold by the end of June this year and to me that is the holy grail. It will mean access to lounges for the rest of my life regardless of status.

Is you int'l travel in J or whY?

Never done it coming home, but going out yes can be useful if time to spare before meetings. Used to all the time in CBR, particularly in winter when being a little conservative to allow for fog delays

I generally go straight from the aircraft to the car to my first meeting followed by my next 6 meetings, back out of the office whilst stalking to my staff there and get in the car...

 

[JohnK]

# Anytime access = defacto arrivals lounge. Call in after getting off the plane for a quick drink or snack - then downstairs and luggage should be ready for collection.

I know I keep saying a lounge is just lounge but anytime access is great when you have a lot of waiting to do for luggage, someone to come and pick you up, the next coachtrans bus, airtrain etc. Why wait outside when you can wait inside the lounge?

 

[taswegian77]

Is you int'l travel in J or whY?

For work it is normally in J or *class, for leisure it is a mixture of both depending on where I go and cost. So whilst I am in my current job (touch wood been in it 18 years) I do not have many issues with lounge access but if heaven forbid I change jobs that no longer requires travel, life time access for leisure trips will come in handy when I do eventually drop from WP to NB as i cannto see myself attaining Plat or maybe even gold on leisure travel alone.

 

[QF WP]

I generally go straight from the aircraft to the car to my first meeting followed by my next 6 meetings, back out of the office whilst stalking to my staff there and get in the car...

simongr, I'm sure that was merely a slip of the keyboard

 

[bossreggie]

Well I have no idea what my value to QF is.

EVERY single status credit I have earned with them has been on a QF flight number. I was reviewing my travel so far for the past year.

6 x Return MEL - AKL all J
1 MEL - BKK (Deathstar *Class)
2 x MEL - BNE all J
3 x MEL - SYD all J
2 x MEL - NAD J

I will consider using QF for 1 of my long haul trips if I needed to to retain WP otherwise I will stick with EK.

 

[ejb]

Well I have no idea what my value to QF is.

EVERY single status credit I have earned with them has been on a QF flight number. I was reviewing my travel so far for the past year.

6 x Return MEL - AKL all J
1 MEL - BKK (Deathstar *Class)
2 x MEL - BNE all J
3 x MEL - SYD all J
2 x MEL - NAD J

I will consider using QF for 1 of my long haul trips if I needed to to retain WP otherwise I will stick with EK.

Similar situation here. All my 6000+ SC's have come from QF Domestically and I now travel J.

However as I burn lots of points I would think that QF would not consider me too highly as more than half my flights are awards.

ejb

 

[taswegian77]

Similar situation here. All my 6000+ SC's have come from QF Domestically and I now travel J.

However as I burn lots of points I would think that QF would not consider me too highly as more than half my flights are awards.

ejb

I hope that QF treat all WP the same. It would become quite hard to have an internal pecking order within platinum. You mgiht use points for awards, but you still purchase flights that earned those points remember. I always use my points basically to upgrade with the rare award flight. i prefer comfort on board as opposed to free travel.

My spend with QF through work and leisure - just for my flying is somewhere near the 100k mark a year and i am sure they treat a platinum that spends 20k the same way, well i hope they do as all platinums deserve to be treated equally IMO.

 

[ejb]

I hope that QF treat all WP the same. It would become quite hard to have an internal pecking order within platinum. You mgiht use points for awards, but you still purchase flights that earned those points remember. I always use my points basically to upgrade with the rare award flight. i prefer comfort on board as opposed to free travel.

My spend with QF through work and leisure - just for my flying is somewhere near the 100k mark a year and i am sure they treat a platinum that spends 20k the same way, well i hope they do as all platinums deserve to be treated equally IMO.

I agree with the idea that they should treat all WP's equally but I am quite sure they do not.

Just with the provisio of the "Air" magazine we can tell they value WP's differently as I have received a couple of issues but not all.

ejb