LTP - the $1,500,000 reality

[Kangol]

QF have done this as a obvious (but quiet) STFU to all the whingers complaining that a LTP did not exist. It now officially does and it's not marketed at them!
For all we know, there might be unpublished benefits that make it more of a LTP1 than a LTP, but hey - we would never know.

I don't want to be in the position of coming close. That's too much time spent en route.

 

[DC3]

For those that get to LTP QF could reward them with what Ryan Bingham was striving for, name a plane after you.

... and get to meet the Chief Pilot.

 

[GSP]

The best strategy really must be to ensure a very smart befriended work experience kid gets a gig at QFF.

Even if that takes $$, it would be significantly less than $1.5m and a lot quicker.... /s

...now that a cost has been placed on discussed reward.

 

[wandersen]

It really takes a special type of flyer to make it.

I’ve mentioned here before I have a friend who does weekly j returns to singapore. That’s 250 service credits a week so about 10 years to make LTP. She’ll never make it though as it just where her and the company she works for are at the moment. She’ll leave and it will stop.

I know someone else who lives in Auckland and works in Australia. Works for a consultancy - super senior so he’s traveling to “supervise” rather than work. 170scs a week plus internal J flights in aus he’ll make it for sure as he’s unlikely to leave his job.

Junior consultants often stop traveling after 5-10 years even with lots of j when they are younger they are unlikely to make it unless they get to that top level role that requires travel.

 

[Matt_01]

The whole QF revamp has seen me dramatically re-think my flying. If I actually did all my flying with QF rather than share with VA and SQ I could rack up around 8-9 thousand SC per year with QF. I maintain QF WP1, VA WP+ a bit more and SQ Gold.

Over the past couple of days I have been working through the QF changes and how they impact myself, my conclusion is that I will dramatically reduce my flying with QF as there is no reason to strive for LTP. Over the next 12 months I will see what happens with VA. Sure no life time status but I have QF LTG, the points earn rate with is x10 per $ spent and even after the 31 Dec 18 devaluation the VA earn rate and subsequent transfer to SQ is still better than the QF and QBR program. Combined with my VA business account benefits, the constant stream of VA J discounts, triple points offers etc. a VA/SQ arrangement just makes sense at this point in time, for me.

 

[dajop]

It really takes a special type of flyer to make it.

I’ve mentioned here before I have a friend who does weekly j returns to singapore. That’s 250 service credits a week so about 10 years to make LTP. She’ll never make it though as it just where her and the company she works for are at the moment. She’ll leave and it will stop.

With weekly returns to SIN, it's not necessarily a good thing to be locked into QF. SQ arguably has better soft product, but where it really shines is timetable diversity, not locked into afternoon flights to SIN, and overnights back.

 

[serfty]

Combined with my VA business account benefits, the constant stream of VA J discounts, triple points offers etc. a VA/SQ arrangement just makes sense at this point in time, for me.

Not to mention that VA / SQ generally provide a better soft product than QF in premium cabins on comparable routes.

 

[mviy]

The reality for me is I still have a long way to go to get to LTG. So long as QF doesn’t make LTG harder to get I’ll try to continue to progress towards that then re-evaluate. Once at LTG I’d probably stick with QF domestically but consider flying other airlines more for international.

 

[juddles]

....... So long as QF doesn’t make LTG harder .....

Does anyone know if Qantas could realistically change this?

 

[Himeno]

Does anyone know if Qantas could realistically change this?

The T&Cs of the QFF program allow them to with the required period of notice.

 

[DC3]

Does anyone know if Qantas could realistically change this?

Probably can do whatever they like would be the bottom line. However, some goodwill would surely come into it.

 

[Matt_01]

...... Once at LTG I’d probably stick with QF domestically but consider flying other airlines more for international.

@mviy I once thought the same thing but after hitting LTG I started rethinking my plans. It took a couple of years as I knew I would easily hit WP1 without loosing VA WP or *G. A but couple of years down the track I have little or no interest in flying QF as they seem to have reverted to the same low standards from 6-8 years ago.

If LTG is important to you lock it in ASAP then look to other carriers and do not just limit yourself to OW. As I have mentioned as have others have if VA had jumped on the *A alliance when the opportunity was available I suspect a lot of QFF members would have jumped ship at the first opportunity.

 

[dajop]

Does anyone know if Qantas could realistically change this?

They probably wouldn’t dare change the target, but don’t need to. They have in the past and could still in the future play around with status credits earn rates.

 

[mviy]

If LTG is important to you lock it in ASAP then look to other carriers and do not just limit yourself to OW. As I have mentioned as have others have if VA had jumped on the *A alliance when the opportunity was available I suspect a lot of QFF members would have jumped ship at the first opportunity.

ASAP is still several years away. If VA had some lifetime status then it would have been more tempting to give them a try (lifetime status of some sort in multiple programs is better than one).

My thoughts are LTG would get me into lounges for domestic QF flights and if I get J seats for long haul international then status isn't as important for those flights (though still helpful for short haul economy flights on partner airlines e.g. BA).

 

[cove]

Of course if you have unworthy beneficiaries and lots of money with not that much time left to spend it..........

 

[ovtraveller]

Love the discussion and calculations by all above. Guess I only care a little as I just enjoy the ride to new places, new faces and foreign adventures, preferably in a J suite. May make it to P, but then as long as I don’t have to queu at a domestic or international check in, who cares if 75,000 SC is as attainable as a Powerball win? Pleasant flying to all.

 

[Beano]

Jumping ship, as some have suggested, at my late stage is not practicable. When I started flying New Zealand -Asia- Australia in early 1990s, i would fly any carrier and in fact achieved Air NZ Gold Elite. I was also on one of the last Ansett flights which collapsed the next week and me with a business class upgarde voucher. Flyging then was mostly to Asia , and then shortly therafter became mostly Australia. At that time there was really only Qantas with its network of Qantas Clubs, Virgin did not exist, so I joined the QC and went on my travels all over Australia, became LTG and now QP for several years now.

LTP is way beyond my means and remaining lifespan so I just have to stand back and watch others enjoy it. I ceratinly enjoy the privileges (and enjoy flying , even in Y) of QP. Using my LTG won't be so bad when I retire.

 

[93Revisited]

As a retired self funded traveller, I’m struggling with the strategy associated with these changes. I have LTG and have been platinum for the last 10 years. I generally fly Qantas to help maintain platinum which in turn helps me more easily burn some of my accumulated QFF points.
With the qualifying threshold for LTP set so high, the hope of a future lifetime platinum status has transitioned to an impossible reality so it’s time to rethink where to from here.
For me, it won’t involve paid international business fares on Qantas anymore - as LTG is already locked away what’s the point?
In my case, the recent changes to Amex redemptions saw me channel a heap of points to SingaporeAir so I’m now looking forward to experiencing their product.
I’m sure the smart folks at Qantas loyalty have done their maths on how to make more $. They get to keep selling lots of points to infrequent flyers. They’ve assumed that the loyalty of their higher value customers would always continue to hold but as I now have the discretion to choose how and when I fly, these changes are the final straw for me.

 

[cove]

Today I am a LTG and WP wanting to fly to Sydney next month. VA points on their A330 one way we’re about 260,000 less than QF.
Guess who l chose. QF availability on Classic was a joke and I am not bothering making calls to get seats released when I can just go click with VA.
There just are not enough seats for 13 million frequent flyers on QF.

 

[Popeye]

I agree that this is pretty much only a thing for P1's. The maths says it - to attain LTP if you "just" do WP flying still means 75,000 / 1200 = over 60 years.

And I think that anyone who is on P1 for a decade, at insane levels like 8 - 10k SC per year, is probably someone who will not exactly extract much benefit from vanilla WP in the future.

As a P1 I am used to the level of service that the QF P1 provides, which is good. The day (very soon) I drop to WP will be difficult - I just do not value WP any more - noone does - look at all the expressed feelings like "WP is the new SG" etc.

I just cannot imagine a real-life scenario where someone who has done 75K SC in QF will get any value when at a future time they are not flying F. Entry to the F lounges in MEL and SYD?

Should be called NIMLTP .....(Not in My Lifetime Platinum)