Is Qantas Actually Listening?

[codash1099]

mASA = marginal anat seat award, the any seat award that booked into lower fare class. It is distinct from ASA.

Sadly there is no definition of mASA in the abbreviation and acronym thread.

We won't need it in future.

 

[Himeno]

mASA = marginal anat seat award, the any seat award that booked into lower fare class. It is distinct from ASA.

Sadly there is no definition of mASA in the abbreviation and acronym thread.

At no point did I ask what "mASA" or anything else meant.

 

[medhead]

At no point did I ask what "mASA" or anything else meant.

It is reasonable to clarify that masa are the ASA that book into the lowest fare classes given your post. The focus is on masa because they are the problem.

 

[Himeno]

It is reasonable to clarify that masa are the ASA that book into the lowest fare classes given your post. The focus is on masa because they are the problem.

Yet they appear to have removed the entire ASA option from the booking tool. Any Seat Awards as a product weren't a problem, just those booked in certain fare classes. They just needed to bar ASAs from those fare classes, and keep the option to book ASAs in other fare classes online.

 

[ketsuzei]

Yet they appear to have removed the entire ASA option from the booking tool. Any Seat Awards as a product weren't a problem, just those booked in certain fare classes. They just needed to bar ASAs from those fare classes, and keep the option to book ASAs in other fare classes online.

You mean like this?

 

[TonyHancock]

Yet they appear to have removed the entire ASA option from the booking tool.

It's still there, but referred to a points and pay.

Any Seat Awards as a product weren't a problem, just those booked in certain fare classes.

These are referred to as mASA's (Marginal Any Seat Awards) and that is primarily what is being discussed in this and other threads.

They just needed to bar ASAs from those fare classes, and keep the option to book ASAs in other fare classes online.

That is what they have done now, after initially removing mASA's from the online booking system and making them available by phone.

 

[codash1099]

It's still there, but referred to a points and pay.



These are referred to as mASA's (Marginal Any Seat Awards) and that is primarily what is being discussed in this and other threads.



That is what they have done now, after initially removing mASA's from the online booking system and making them available by phone.

Points and pay is a payment method, it's not an anyseat award. It's not an award of any kind!

 

[ketsuzei]

Points and pay is a payment method, it's not an anyseat award. It's not an award of any kind!

If you look at the language Qantas uses to describe it all, you'll find they're equally confused.

 

[dajop]

Points and pay is a payment method, it's not an anyseat award. It's not an award of any kind!

Yet in economy, internationally it can be a more valuable than a "classic" award!

Isn't points plus pay - with no pay - just equivalent to the old (non-marginal) anyseat award?

 

[serfty]

...

Isn't points plus pay - with no pay - just equivalent to the old (non-marginal) anyseat award?

NO, as you can earn points and SC's for the travel.

Cost is under 0.8¢ per point.

 

[medhead]

Points and pay is a payment method, it's not an anyseat award. It's not an award of any kind!

That is correct. But Qantas consider any seat awards and points plus pay to be the same thing. Despite that being contrary to the terms and conditions. In practical terms they are the same thing and it is possible to use points and cash, like an any seat award, in any fare class except classic award fare classes.

 

[dajop]

NO, as you can earn points and SC's for the travel.

But didn't you always earn points & SC's for anyseat awards?

 

[medhead]

But didn't you always earn points & SC's for anyseat awards?

Not originally, that was a change to AnySeat awards, possibly to make them more popular. Coincidentally, another reason to say that Any Seat awards were a deliberate design by qantas, they had experience of how the product worked and then they decided to add earning to the product.

 

[dajop]

Not originally, that was a change to AnySeat awards, possibly to make them bait more popular. Coincidentally, another reason to say that Any Seat awards were a deliberate design by qantas, they had experience of how the product worked and then they decided to add earning to the product.

Ok, yes I forgot about that!

So, any seat awards (except MASA's) from the date of that change, were effectively the same as points plus pay today with 100% points and no pay. ASAs never were awards as such (other than MASAs), they were essentially just using points to pay for commercially available fares at whatever QF decided convert $ to point at. So effectively ASA's still exist, just not MASA's.

 

[medhead]

Ok, yes I forgot about that!

So, any seat awards (except MASA's) from the date of that change, were effectively the same as points plus pay today with 100% points and no pay. ASAs never were awards as such (other than MASAs), they were essentially just using points to pay for commercially available fares at whatever QF decided convert $ to point at. So effectively ASA's still exist, just not MASA's.

ASA were awards, it's in the name - Any Seat Award. Yes these could book into any fare class commercial or not. (Regardless of the fact that the classic award fare classes were the cheapest)

The terms and conditions specifically say it can only be an any seat award if it is called an Any Seat Award. Points plus pay is a payment method as mentioned up thread. At the moment the website calls it points plus pay, not Any Seat Award - so it can't be an any seat award. But anyway they are practically the same.

 

[katiebell]

I'm indifferent, so not a critic or a supporter of MASA's, but the main reason QF offer up points/SC on Jetstar is really to provide a point of differentiation against Tiger (and Air Asia when it comes to Jetstar Asia and JQi routes to Asia), and a QFF alternative to VA on routes where it's JQ going head to head with VA, not QF. So it's something to directly motivate people to fly with a QF group airline and not the competition. I'm not sure if the ability to earn SCs on classic awards for a fee was providing that much of a competitive advantage (maybe in the CC market?) and beyond the FF community was not that well known anyway.

My take on this is that AJ is applying agent orange to QFi and to some extent to QFd so, in order to be able to use QFF points it becomes necessary to fly with agent orange as it has cleared the skies and airports of QF metal

 

[AnonymousCoward]

My take on this is that AJ is applying agent orange to QFi and to some extent to QFd so, in order to be able to use QFF points it becomes necessary to fly with agent orange as it has cleared the skies and airports of QF metal

If there's no QF metal, how are people going to earn QF points?
And frankly, if AJ simply wanted to get rid of QF metal, he could just shut down the airline, and return the money to shareholders. Doing it by stealth is probably a breach of his fiduciary duties.

 

[amaroo]

My take on this is that AJ is applying agent orange to QFi and to some extent to QFd so, in order to be able to use QFF points it becomes necessary to fly with agent orange as it has cleared the skies and airports of QF metal

Nice line.

As horrible as it sounds I think the above applies more to IR/EBA/staff.

 

[Anna]

If there's no QF metal, how are people going to earn QF points?

Credit cards, WWEDR, web searches, restaurant bookings, QF Cash - to name a few

 

[Mr_Orange]

Credit cards, WWEDR, web searches, restaurant bookings, QF Cash - to name a few

So then what do you use them on .....