No J classics online / JASA costs [temporarily] jumped dramatically

[Princess Fiona]

I can't see anything decent at all in terms of JASA's. It looks to me as though all of the JASA's I have looked at have become similar to points plus pay the only difference being a higher minimum points requirement if searched for through award booking tool. :shock:

 

[medhead]

You know I've had a thought. Dangerous! But my limited investigation says that award fare classes can no longer be used for ASAs and there seems to be a clear link between cash fare and ASA points required. Perhaps this is the easy solution to ASAs posting zero points. No longer sell ASA in classic award fare classes.

 

[ozmille]

if this "enhancement" is permanent then it is one important reason to jump ship to another operator of crisp white aircraft with something red on the tail...

 

[jdlover23]

if this "enhancement" is permanent then it is one important reason to jump ship to another operator of crisp white aircraft with something red on the tail...

if its permanent - that will prob be the nail in the coffin for me earning with Qantas

 

[medhead]

Not sure if anyone else has noticed but there is now a QF sale. The YASA points cost dropped and I managed to pick up a return YASA ADL-SYD (27 May) for less than it was on Tuesday and only slightly more than a classic award.

 

[dwwarlow]

Not sure if anyone else has noticed but there is now a QF sale. The YASA points cost dropped and I managed to pick up a return YASA ADL-SYD (27 May) for less than it was on Tuesday and only slightly more than a classic award.

Just had a look at that one, 12k classic and 16185 , but the J is still 99705

BNE-SYD is around 86k in J as well

 

[ozmille]

It seems like very strange timing with Virgin Australia launch this week that QF would go and put UP the prices of ASA's. You would think that especially this week they would try to tie their FF's to them.

Some very strange logic at QF.

 

[medhead]

Just had a look at that one, 12k classic and 16185 , but the J is still 99705

BNE-SYD is around 86k in J as well

Basically, I think we can kiss JASAs goodbye. As Serfty noted, and it seems to be the case from my searches, ASAs are not using the award fare classes. My observation, albeit from limited samples, is that the points cost is related to the dollar cost of the fare by a pretty consistent factor. There has been a bit of discussion about the ongoing issue of ASAs mostly posting with zero points.

My hypothesis is that ASA have now been changed to only use paying fare classes. This makes it easy to make sure they get points. In fact there are probably a few advantages of this:

• 
  [1]automatic points crediting
  [2]ASAs don't take classic award availability
  [3]increases return to Qantas hence justifying paying points and SC (yes thinking from that airline POV)
  [4]makes the fare conditions more clear :?: Thinking of issues that people have had with refunds/cancellation of JASAs
  [5]maybe 1 and 4 are part of this point, it removes confusion between a classic award and a ASA in the award fare classes (X, Z, U)
  [6]following on from 5 it also avoids confusion with upgrades

Now obviously it also disadvantages the customer as per the pervious situation. But, to be fair I don't recall qantas ever saying that we're going to give you super easy ways to get status. I also think that all of us might have been frustrated or commented about one of the above points, as some stage.

Anyway, I'll be happy for my hypothesis to be false. I am ultra disappointed if this is permanent. But I can also see that it is a move that addresses issues that people have raised. If this is permanent that the potential use of ASAs has moved to red-e-deals when there is a sale happening, IMO. No doubt QF are happy to give away minimal SC at the low end on restricted fares.

It seems like very strange timing with Virgin Australia launch this week that QF would go and put UP the prices of ASA's. You would think that especially this week they would try to tie their FF's to them.

Some very strange logic at QF.

Yes, but look at some other recent changes* that have had the effect of pushing loyalty away.


* ATA - I mentioned the war once but I think I got away with it

 

[Gorbo]

I also think it is a permanent, It is a fairly big policy shift though so an official notification or statement would be appreciated. If this is indeed official i personally will switch loyalty programs, each to their own, but an official statement would be nice, so at least we can make a decision.

 

[medhead]

I also think it is a permanent, It is a fairly big policy shift though so an official notification or statement would be appreciated. If this is indeed official i personally will switch loyalty programs, each to their own, but an official statement would be nice, so at least we can make a decision.

Unfortunately, I don't think it is a policy shift. As ASAs are still available and have always had variable pricing. I'm not sure there was ever an official policy or announcement that ASAs would book in classic award fare classes. My recollection has been they were always advertised as converting the cash fare to points. Unfortunately.....

 

[dk4]

I've already booked a JASA (U) for next month, I hope that I'm not going to have to battle for my status credits (& points), if there has been an unannounced policy change.

 

[docjames]

I've already booked a JASA (U) for next month, I hope that I'm not going to have to battle for my status credits (& points), if there has been an unannounced policy change.

+1 (times 4 flights that are all JASAs).

 

[equus]

... ASAs are not using the award fare classes.

..My hypothesis is that ASA have now been changed to only use paying fare classes. This makes it easy to make sure they get points. In fact there are probably a few advantages of this

Unfortunately, I don't think it is a policy shift. As ASAs are still available and have always had variable pricing. I'm not sure there was ever an official policy or announcement that ASAs would book in classic award fare classes. .

I am not quite so pessimistic. ASAs have always booked into the award fare classes (X, U, P, and I forget the PE one off the top of my head). What has appeared to change is the underlying fare availability which can be accessed to generate the pricing to start with.

The advantages you propose would rely on the ASA actually booking into the underlying fare class - not just accessing it for pricing. That would be a fairly big change - and should be visible as soon as someone actually books a new one. I suspect this is not too likely to be the case, especially given all the rewording of the T&C to cater for the variable treatment within the current award buckets.

I've already booked a JASA (U) for next month,

And there are many booked out for considerably longer. I have a JASA booked for March 2012, into U class (and used underlying classic U fare for the pricing). A change to actually use an underlying class for the booking wouldn't be a quick fix, as all of these forward bookings would need to work through the system.

Given the minimum point floor of the classic award cost for the segment, the ASA system will continue to be entwined with the redemption costs in any event.

I am hoping that this is nothing more than glitches with changes being made, and will be rectified and the previous behaviour restored.

 

[djfuzz]

I agree with your logic medhead (but hope to be proven wrong).

As mentioned by others, this would probably be the end of the usefulness of ASAs - valuing points at 0.84c/point makes the cash alternative far more viable, unless one has a substantial stash of unused points that they can't / don't want to try to use on a far better valued classic award.

Seems like a missed opportunity for DJ/VA not to make some positive announcements about some real Velocity 'enhancements' while QF keeps shooting itself in the foot. :-|

 

[Gorbo]

i would disagree with the "no policy change"

It states clearly in the terms and conditions of ASA that classic awards can be purchased as ASA, i dont believe that this is still available.

Anyway we are getting side tracked, weather it is policy change or not it impacts alot of QFF members, it makes sense to clear up or announce any changes that will impact a large amount of QFF IMO.

 

[nlagalle]

+1 (times 4 flights that are all JASAs).

Just looking at MEL-SYD flights for june, and the red edeals ASA's are around 12k which is about what they were before, but the JASA are 78k.. forget it for that price! I hope QF fix this as I will consider my loyalty even more (still not happy about the SC bump to 2400)

 

[medhead]

I am not quite so pessimistic. ASAs have always booked into the award fare classes (X, U, P, and I forget the PE one off the top of my head). What has appeared to change is the underlying fare availability which can be accessed to generate the pricing to start with.

The advantages you propose would rely on the ASA actually booking into the underlying fare class - not just accessing it for pricing. That would be a fairly big change - and should be visible as soon as someone actually books a new one. I suspect this is not too likely to be the case, especially given all the rewording of the T&C to cater for the variable treatment within the current award buckets.

It is not entirely correct to say that ASAs have always booked into the classic award classes. It is just very rare that they do because most normal people will not book expensive ASAs. However, I had an ASA last December that was in E and the return ASA I did today is in O. My guess is that the back end has been change such that ASA ignore award fare classes. This would not be a policy change but a functional change. There would also be no need to change the T&C because those refer to the terms Classic Award and Anyseat Award rather than particular fare classes. In the case, of an anyseat award it is still an ASA regardless of fare class - the thing that changes is the points cost.

BTW, I think Z is the PE award class and I forgot P

 

[medhead]

i would disagree with the "no policy change"

It states clearly in the terms and conditions of ASA that classic awards can be purchased as ASA, i dont believe that this is still available.

Sorry I've missed that in the T&C. I'll have another look later (just about to get a plane)

 

[yohy?!]

Right...fingers crossed it's still IT related....waiting.....

 

[drron]

Obviously we just got in in time getting JASA's BNE-SYD return at the end of March.Going down tomorrow and back at the end of June.Each was 20948 points not over 86000 as now.
Another enhancement without even warning or an explanation.