Is Qantas Platinum Status too easy to earn?

[Markmat]

To get to Platinum for the average traveller is quite an effort. Most companies choose cheap fares and are now moving towards best fare of the day, so the traveller often does not choose unless there is a valid reason. I have flown more Qantas than Virgin as the schedule is better and I have found reason to fly Qantas, but I have had more control recently with the recent Sabre disaster at Virgin and with booking issues was able to get them to move all my flights and other frequent flyers to QF. With BFOTD I was still able to achieve Platinum with both Virgin and Qantas within about 10 months, but that amount of flying is not exactly something I enjoy and the benefits of being Platinum, although diluted is something that makes it easier. We also spend a enormous amount on travel (We may book lots of cheap flights, but we also have a number of last minute bookings which are full price) so I think for Qantas it is something that they want to ensure it is achievable for a heavy duty traveller. I think the bar is where it should be in the current environment

 

[ReLoad]

There is a fair bit of DYKWIA about this thread, that's for sure!

At the end of the day, if you don't feel spesh enough being a WP become a WP1 where you can feel even less spesh after spending a truckload more than a WP.

QF can do whatever the hell they want and give WP to whoever they want, it's not some exclusive old boys flog club.

At the end of the day you still arrive on the same plane with every other schlep.

If you want the ritz treatment then you need to pony up for J and F, simple really.

As a WP all the extra fluff adds up to something that is worth achieving even though;
I only fly QF Y (cheap as I can)
Fly CX J long haul (superior and cheaper to QF)
And when In the US, always use KUPPs because the thought if Y in the US makes me stab my own eyeballs out with a spork.

Am I valuable to QF? Probably not, but by the same token, are they losing money on me? No way.

 

[oz_mark]

My suggestion was 2,100 SCs to attain Platinum and 1,800 SCs to retain Platinum which is 50% above current levels.

Quite an increase you are suggesting. Would you be able to achieve it?

 

[Aussie_flyer]

Quite an increase you are suggesting. Would you be able to achieve it?

of course he will just do another 3 tpe-hkg-mnl-hkg-tpe's

 

[SeatBackForward]

The way I see it: WP is compensation for a lot of flying, not a reward. I'd rather the time on the ground with my kids.

 

[medhead]

The way I see it: WP is compensation for a lot of flying, not a reward. I'd rather the time on the ground with my kids.

I'd modify that slightly to WP is compensation to make a lot of flying bearable.

 

[ReLoad]

I'd modify that slightly to WP is compensation to make a lot of flying bearable.

I'd modify your modification slightly;

WP is an attempt at compensation to make a lot of flying bearable.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

I only fly QF Y (cheap as I can)
Fly CX J long haul (superior and cheaper to QF)
And when In the US, always use KUPPs because the thought if Y in the US makes me stab my own eyeballs out with a spork.

That's pretty much my flying preferences too, although QF had some very attractive D class fares to HKG two weeks ago that would have, probably, compensated for the Mk I.

 

[TonyHancock]

There is a fair bit of DYKWIA about this thread, that's for sure!

There can never be enough!

 

[GDV 747-24/7]

It is called Qantas Platinum and not OW Platinum with 4 x QF "~"s.
So to fly the flag I suggest the following:

To Obtain QF Platinum:
700 SCs on QF/JQ METAL and 700 SCs on whatever else QF gives out SCs for.

The problem with insisting on QF Metal is that QFi have drastically reduced their number of international destinations. I fly to India regularly - no longer possible on QF Metal, despite India being 2nd only to China in terms of long term growth potential....

 

[eastwest101]

The problem with insisting on QF Metal is that QFi have drastically reduced their number of international destinations. I fly to India regularly - no longer possible on QF Metal, despite India being 2nd only to China in terms of long term growth potential....

That is a whole other argument depending on where you live, if you live in Australia then it shouldn't be too difficult to get 4 domestic metal QF flights per year to requal as a WP, if you mainly reside overseas - then yes you have a legitimate gripe.

 

[eastwest101]

That is a whole other argument depending on where you live, if you live in Australia then it shouldn't be too difficult to get 4 domestic metal QF flights per year to requal as a WP, if you mainly reside overseas - then yes you have a legitimate gripe.

I agree that QFi treatment of India as well as some other big economies in Asia is pretty pathetic, but if you do want to stick with OW then hopefully CX and MH have you covered way better than QFi ever would anyway.

 

[GDV 747-24/7]

That is a whole other argument depending on where you live, if you live in Australia then it shouldn't be too difficult to get 4 domestic metal QF flights per year to requal as a WP, if you mainly reside overseas - then yes you have a legitimate gripe.

I wasn't referring to the 4 flights requirement, I was instead referring to another poster's suggestion that WP should have a relatively high "QF Metal only" 700 SC requirement.

 

[eastwest101]

I wasn't referring to the 4 flights requirement, I was instead referring to another poster's suggestion that WP should have a relatively high "QF Metal only" 700 SC requirement.

My apologies - I can see the posts you were referring to know.

 

[JohnPhelan]

The problem with insisting on QF Metal is that QFi have drastically reduced their number of international destinations. I fly to India regularly - no longer possible on QF Metal, despite India being 2nd only to China in terms of long term growth potential....

Quite true that QF is no longer flying to India (for which I'm told many QF crew are grateful, but that's another story).

But this line that circulates about QF "drastically reducing" international destinations is simply not true. India has gone. A few others have switched to codeshares (e.g. Fiji). Some have been swapped from one city to another (e.g. Santiago). But the number of destinations now is almost exactly the same as a decade ago.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Of course VA didn't want to re-clean the J toilet and so, to stop them doing some work and getting their hands dirty cleaning the J toilet, they told the blind guy from 3C to piss in the aft toilet.
Happened outbound and inbound.
Showed them my VA Plat and my wife's VA Gold card card.
Made NO DIFFERENCE.
Was told, take your blind uncle to Piss in the aft toilet.

In the circumstances, the crew should have allowed your uncle to use the forward toilet. (Was it obvious to them that he was blind?)

However, flashing the Platinum card should have made no difference at all, and possibly even made them more likely to deny the request. It seems to me that too many Platinums seem to expect all the rules to be waived for them, when it suits them. Platinums in Y should not be able to use the J toilets or stow their gear in the J bins. If you want J privileges, fly on a J ticket.

In the case of your blind uncle, the toilet rule should have been waived - but not because you're Platinum.

 

[dfcatch]

Re: [Repudiated by QF] QF removing Any Seat Awards (ASA) from 08 April

15-20 will punish those who fly infrequently, on premium classes. They are fantastic for QF - higher revenue/profit, with very little burden on the system.

Yes - but these flyers are still receiving almost all the benefits through Class-of-Service.

And if they're flying often (but not often enough on QF) - then maybe they should be joining the program of their home airline.


For those that are only flying say 4 x F flights per year on QF - that's great for QF - but they already have almost all the perks by virtue of their F ticket.

IF - QF were to raise the bar - I would much prefer to see them increase the ~~ requirements, than the SC requirements.

 

[dfcatch]

Re: [Repudiated by QF] QF removing Any Seat Awards (ASA) from 08 April

I agree to an extent, but to an airline FF programs are High-Revenue Flyers first, Frequent Flyers second. They are guaranteed to favour the flyer flying to HKG rtn in J three times a year than another flyer on the cost-equivalent amount short hops in Y-.

That's why SC's are calculated with a class-of-service weighting.

But someone who ONLY does 3 x J rtn to HKG per year may not be a 12/16/20 segment flyer (and therefore WP under a higher requirement), but they are a 3 x J rtn to HKG flyer (who receives lounge access, free baggage, priority checkin, cabin bonus, some level of status bonus).

Someone like this could still be PS/SG....

The simple question for the thread IMHO is - IF the qualification was increased, thereby making WP a little more exclusive - would it prevent further dilution of benefits?

And for QF - would it encourage FFs to spend and fly more to attain the minimum ~~ to attain/maintain status?

No doubt QFF have no shortage of Excel sheets assessing exactly that

 

[JohnPhelan]

Re: [Repudiated by QF] QF removing Any Seat Awards (ASA) from 08 April

Mine is Paid for by me, so I value the status more I think than if someone else paid

I really don't get this. It's like those people who choose to fly F or J when work is paying, but are adamant they would never pay for more than Y when they're paying for it themselves. I don't expect my employer to treat me better - or worse - than the way I treat myself.

 

[Hvr]

Re: [Repudiated by QF] QF removing Any Seat Awards (ASA) from 08 April

I really don't get this. It's like those people who choose to fly F or J when work is paying, but are adamant they would never pay for more than Y when they're paying for it themselves. I don't expect my employer to treat me better - or worse - than the way I treat myself.

Agree, in fact I always flew a higher class on my own dollar.