Is Qantas Actually Listening?

[Isochronous]

Not to mention the fact that QF has absolutely no strategy to market its services in Asia. But you can see plenty of ads in Hong Kong MTR Stations 'celebrating' the fact that Jetstar Asia has been around for 10 years (although they are so inept they have stuffed up Jetstar HK)

 

[Princess Fiona]

Not adding anything intellectual to the debate but mini-me advised me yesterday that she's not flying JQ to CNS this weekend - which is good as we are flying VA.
When asked why she said
"That stupid Banana song on the ads, why would anyone want to fly them and listen to that?"

 

[Ansett]

I remember that as well. Wasn't that long ago.

A bit like heroi_ though....

heroi_ WTF ?

 

[JohnK]

The problem John is that QFF by removing MASAs now competes directly with the other OW airlines with awards.
I just looked at SYD-LHR in J for 23rd May next year.The AA website offered me SYD-MEL in J,MEL-SIN in J and SIN-LHR in F for 80000 points and $US285.

QF offers me SYD-SIN in Y then SIN-LHR in F and 168000 points.No idea of surcharge as neither of us have enough points.
But being the generous souls they are they will offer SYD-DBX in Y with DBX-LHR in J for 98000 points plus $472.

I agree with you. Qantas needs to review their award rates and fuel surcharges levied on their award tickets.

There are some gems though that may not necessarily suit everyone. HKG-BKK-HKG one way in Emirates F and the return in Emirates J for 60,000 QFF points and ~HKD700. That is a bargain. There are also other bargains.

So do you consider QF competitive?

Not for 1 minute. I think QF is an OK airline and not as bad as what some people make them out to be.

When looking at the points required for certain awards then one also needs to factor the cost of acquiring those points. There are 2 classic examples for me in the past 12 months

- 55,000 QFF points from Christmas vouchers
- 50,000 QFF points from Platinum 2,400 SCs

There are others but no need to go into each one.

But regardless of whether we think Qantas is competitive or not does not mean that Marginal any seat awards earning SCs and QFF points should have remained.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

Not burn their points as often. Points not spent, sit as a liability on their books. Its better for them to have the points being burnt - and is probably more profitable for them than pure cost revenue.

QANTAS received a hard asset - cash - for those points. That offsets the liability.

It's not "better" for the points to be burnt, unless you an unequivocally say that the costs incurred in a redemption are less than the liability erased from the books. Anything else is simply disingenuous.

If the AFF representative population's use of MASA's constitutes a threat to QF's profitability, then surely there is enough $$ represented by the AFF population to listen to our concerns.

Wrong. A bunch of customers who are costing you lots of money are the type of customers you want to get rid of. Not listen to. Not that every mASA user is costing QF money, but it seems that, on balance, they are.

Pretty much everything you say is a self-serving logical fallacy. Sometimes it helps to think through the issue before posting this sort of nonsense.

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Hkg bkk hkg on ek j and f isnt all that expensive as a cash fare

 

[Isochronous]

MASA critics are still not able to justify why the same logic doesn't mean we must scrap all points/SC earn on Deathstar flights.

 

[amaroo]

The problem John is that QFF by removing MASAs now competes directly with the other OW airlines with awards.
I just looked at SYD-LHR in J for 23rd May next year.The AA website offered me SYD-MEL in J,MEL-SIN in J and SIN-LHR in F for 80000 points and $US285.

QF offers me SYD-SIN in Y then SIN-LHR in F and 168000 points.No idea of surcharge as neither of us have enough points.
But being the generous souls they are they will offer SYD-DBX in Y with DBX-LHR in J for 98000 points plus $472.
So do you consider QF competitive?

Hard to argue with your logic on those numbers.

However, if OZ based with the capacity to earn a truck load of points via CC, it's hard to see the sense of moving over to AA. Of course, if you have the ability to harvest those points to a LOTFAP CC - different story.

AFAIK you can only earn AA points with an Oz CC via SPG via AMEX or Diners - is this correct?

You can purchase AA points - expensive. You can purchase points in multiply accounts and transfer - even more expensive.

IMO QFF are banking on their easy to earn reputation.

FWIW I reckon SQ is the best option for an Oz based award flyer.

 

[SQ421]

MASA critics are still not able to justify why the same logic doesn't mean we must scrap all points/SC earn on Deathstar flights.

Because it is in Qantas' interests for people to fly JQ and for JQ to exhibit excellent loads c.f. QF mainline to propel the continued Jetstarisation of the brand.

 

[dajop]

MASA critics are still not able to justify why the same logic doesn't mean we must scrap all points/SC earn on Deathstar flights.

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.

 

[Himeno]

Why the focus on "MASA" when the "issue" wasn't Any Seat Awards as a product, just those that booked into the lower fare classes.

 

[AnonymousCoward]

MASA critics are still not able to justify why the same logic doesn't mean we must scrap all points/SC earn on Deathstar flights.

To buy flights on Jetstar that earn points/SCs you need to pay a fixed, unchanging, rate. If the underlying fare drops in price, the premium to buy the Plus/Max fare simply increases to match the predetermined fare. Please don't bring this up again

 

[dajop]

To buy flights on Jetstar that earn points/SCs you need to pay a fixed, unchanging, rate. If the underlying fare drops in price, the premium to buy the Plus/Max fare simply increases to match the predetermined fare.

That is incorrect - For the plus package in economy, it is a fixed add-on to the available economy fare. It varies by route, but on the same route it does not vary with the underlying fare. What you describe is correct for economy Max fares. Not sure what the situation is for the business fares.

 

[JohnK]

Hkg bkk hkg on ek j and f isnt all that expensive as a cash fare

Airfares are expensive for the dates I searched around Easter next year.

Emirates AUD896 was the best return in business and Vietnam Airlines was AUD654 with poor connections.

 

[GalaxyNexus]

Yes, the cost of Plus add-on is fixed, while Max add-on is variable (Fare+Max = Fixed). Sometimes it gets weird e.g. once the Max cost me less than the Plus (when baggage is included) when booking T-4hour.

Perhaps QF can adopt UA's method of selling "points and sc booster" pack on each flight (of any kind). That would surely bring in some money (that they need )

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Airfares are expensive for the dates I searched around Easter next year.

Emirates AUD896 was the best return in business and Vietnam Airlines was AUD654 with poor connections.

Thats cheap.

 

[eastwest101]

Hkg bkk hkg on ek j and f isnt all that expensive as a cash fare

I had a look at random dates in Sept for EK fares HKG-BKK return as well - they are very reasonable but admittedly only a 3hr flight:

J class both ways HK$5186 = AU$708
J/F mixed class HK$7220 = AU$986
F both ways HK$9266 = AU$1265

 

[TonyHancock]

Why the focus on "MASA" when the "issue" wasn't Any Seat Awards as a product, just those that booked into the lower fare classes.

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.

 

[JohnK]

heroi_ WTF ?

Once hooked it is hard to let go?

 

[Aussie_flyer]

I had a look at random dates in Sept for EK fares HKG-BKK return as well - they are very reasonable but admittedly only a 3hr flight:

J class both ways HK$5186 = AU$708
J/F mixed class HK$7220 = AU$986
F both ways HK$9266 = AU$1265

Which is why I dont think $600 value on 48k qff return (with $100 taxes) is worth it.

48000 points can be worth a fair chunk more if used carefully