Pathetic [Where are the advertised extra award seats? ]

[siri]

BTW, due to HK problems so many HK transit points are opening now..

 

[drron]

No trouble finding flights to and from Perth in J.But AA awards are less than half the points and cash.

 

[Franky]

No trouble finding flights to and from Perth in J.But AA awards are less than half the points and cash.

Agree - I have been looking for months for any award seat PER-SIN in March next year with no luck, until last week when a J seat popped up for several days around the time I wanted.

Also, in reference to AA, I just opened my iPad and a headline popped up which I would normally bypass, but it mentioned AA and I had a quick read. Apparently AA has withdrawn the ability to book award flights online for Qatar and Etihad due to a system error which was producing the tickets with no baggage entitlement. It stated that online bookings will be restored once the error is fixed, but in the meantime all bookings on those 2 airlines must be made over the phone.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Agree - I have been looking for months for any award seat PER-SIN in March next year with no luck, until last week when a J seat popped up for several days around the time I wanted.

A few thoughts...

What if Qantas did release more award seats, and the demand for those seats is so high that they're snapped up quickly and therefore most folks never notice any additional inventory showing online?

Also, have you noticed some carriers (ie: MH...CX...JL...) don't show direct flights on the QF award booking engine? For example, search MEL-KUL and there will be a MEL-SYD-KUL option. But search SYD-KUL, and the direct MH flight option doesn't appear, and instead, shows a SYD-MEL-KUL, which didn't show in your previous search ex-MEL.

What if the Qantas Classic Award Search Engine does NOT show all flights, and that it looks and feels more like an ad agency than a flight redemption business. Pay more...give Qantas a better deal... get more online inventory listed.... get higher in the search results.

In fact, it may be showing flights that Qantas wants you to book instead of what is actually available. Because of the way award inventory works between airlines - Qantas could show you flights it makes a profit from, and not show other flights it doesn't make much from. Qantas may not want you to book award flights that it doesn't make much income from - ie: the realised revenue from points on non-Qantas group airlines may be less valuable than if the member were to NOT redeem those points at all.

Which brings me to the most logical question: how much do airlines pay/bid (directly or indirectly) to receive preferred listings in the QF award search engine? Why does Qantas not have to disclose preferential listings in their award search engine? Should there be a notice that certain flights are boosted/deboosted in the search results?

IMO any reasonable person who spends time analysing the classic award search results will come to a similar conclusion.

 

[TonyD]

Upto 2018 sept. seats towards europe was available with Qantas and when China market opened, suddenly all FF seats to europe via asia ( except china ) disappeared .. Qantas is playing a double game since do not go to Europe via china since airports are notorious for transit facilities.
I suggest trying one way bookings firsts and Japan and BK as transit points and also try next day transit flights since they are available.

done that - even tried via DFW but cheers

 

[TonyD]

What if Qantas did release more award seats, and the demand for those seats is so high that they're snapped up quickly and therefore most folks never notice any additional inventory showing online?
Looking the moment they are supposedly released - nothing . I dont disagree with your ideas though frustrating - when i search for multi city the pages crashes after 1 go and i have to start again . The team at premium call centre suggest the dynamics are changing and old rules dont apply . Strangely they are not aware that Emirates seats are not coming up at all after mid year

 

[Vic]

Got an email last week from Qantas to say they've just released extra premium award seats. Lo and behold there were new business awards on a route I'd been searching.
edit this is international flights

 

[sanne]

Thank you very much Vic. Your post prompted me to look at an international flight I’d been searching for since late June.

I’d make another booking with CX Just in case, but it was a much longer route.

Nothing on QF had been available until today. I managed to secure 2 J awards on my preferred flight. I am so happy. Either QF released this or maybe it was a cancelled award. Either way I’m dancing!