Platinum release of QFF seats in PE/J at short notice

[simongr]

Hi Guys

I may have to travel to the UK for a funeral next week and I was wondering how reliable/easy the WP "please release a seat for me" gamble is.

For all sorts of reasons I don't have the cash spare at the moment for a last minute booking but I do have 250Kish of points lying around that I could use for this and was wondering if I could call QFF and ask them to release seats at such short notice.

I wouldn't play up the bereavement angle - just the WP.

Any thoughts? The reason for asking for PE/J is that I will literally fly up and back and then fly again the following week on a business trip. I would probably need to work on the flights as well.

S

 

[ejb]

Hi Guys

I may have to travel to the UK for a funeral next week and I was wondering how reliable/easy the WP "please release a seat for me" gamble is.

For all sorts of reasons I don't have the cash spare at the moment for a last minute booking but I do have 250Kish of points lying around that I could use for this and was wondering if I could call QFF and ask them to release seats at such short notice.

I wouldn't play up the bereavement angle - just the WP.

Any thoughts? The reason for asking for PE/J is that I will literally fly up and back and then fly again the following week on a business trip. I would probably need to work on the flights as well.

S

Simon,

I have had luck within 30 hours for dom travel. However you can only request J seats.

Good luck.

ejb

 

[anat0l]

You can always try - if they can't get you a seat straight away (or you can't find one online), see if you can put in a Platinum request to yield management. They may budge, but then again they may not.

If you do get a seat over the phone, you will be up for the assistance fee, but a minor issue if you need and can get the seat.

My approach is:

• Try online first. This you probably have done already...
• Call Qantas Premium ask them for a seat (i.e. as if you haven't tried going online yet). You can be honest with them (funeral, need to work, etc.); don't use it as a "butter up" but they may make small talk about how soon the booking is, so just make conversation that way. It works just like "buttering up" but less grovelling and more effective
• If that doesn't work, then ask them if it is at all possible to put in a request for a seat (this is almost begging but not quite)

 

[simongr]

Thanks guys.

I might just flick across the 114K I have sat in my amex account at the moment so I can jump on this tomorrow - I am not actually sure when the funeral is.

 

[docjames]

Thanks guys.

I might just flick across the 114K I have sat in my amex account at the moment so I can jump on this tomorrow - I am not actually sure when the funeral is.

Agree with the others.

You dont need to play up the fact it's for a funeral, but if they give you the "it's very late" then that's the time to explain why you've left it late and why you're asking (ie. to attend a funeral). If they still wont budge, then ask them to put in a request to yield management.

Edit: I should have added my condolences, never fun having to travel all that way for something like a funeral.

 

[trooper]

I can't help with any advice... but I can say.. Good Luck and best wishes....

 

[MelUser]

Premium Desk will help with J seats and they do have a better chance at getting yield to release one in the 72 hours before (but more than 24 hours before when all the points upgrade shenanigans which are talked about on here so much start).

Please let us know how you get on and any inside into you glean from talking to reservations staff.

 

[dajop]

Simon,

I have had luck within 30 hours for dom travel. However you can only request J seats.

Good luck.

ejb

With international travel can request seats in all classes. Rough rule of thumb I heard somewhere there needs to be Q class available for whY and D class for business to be able to request. Looking at flights next week QF29 ex-MEL on Mon 17 is showing D9 I9 so imagine that would be the best chance for a successful request. Other days variable availability in D, FRA seems to be OK - so that maybe a consideration get there and onwards to UK if possible. Also MEL-SIN and SIN-LHR seems to have better availability than SYD-SIN, SYD-LHR or MEL-LHR (QF9).

 

[simongr]

Thanks - I will find out more details tonight and check availability - good to know re Q/D availability - what is the PE equivalent of Q/D?

I wont be flying until later in the week as well I think.

 

[NM]

It would be worthwhile checking loads on flights (via EF or similar). I am not sure how the catch-up from the volcanic ash disruptions is affecting loads. The only way they will release an award seat is if they believe they will not be able to sell it as a revenue seat. If you have any flexibility, then choose a day of the week likely to have lightest loads (such as mid-week).

 

[Danger]

Simon,

I have had luck within 30 hours for dom travel. However you can only request J seats.

Good luck.

ejb

While this was my understanding, too, I was successful around January or February of this year in getting Qantas to release a Y award seat PER-SYD mid-week in late November. There was not one Y award seat available on any of the direct services (possibly for a day or two either side also, if I remember correctly).

As for Q availability, I have be informed of this also. See my post 24 here http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...-program/wp-booking-qf-award-tix-14696-3.html.

 

[ejb]

With international travel can request seats in all classes. Rough rule of thumb I heard somewhere there needs to be Q class available for whY and D class for business to be able to request. Looking at flights next week QF29 ex-MEL on Mon 17 is showing D9 I9 so imagine that would be the best chance for a successful request. Other days variable availability in D, FRA seems to be OK - so that maybe a consideration get there and onwards to UK if possible. Also MEL-SIN and SIN-LHR seems to have better availability than SYD-SIN, SYD-LHR or MEL-LHR (QF9).

While this was my understanding, too, I was successful around January or February of this year in getting Qantas to release a Y award seat PER-SYD mid-week in late November. There was not one Y award seat available on any of the direct services (possibly for a day or two either side also, if I remember correctly).

As for Q availability, I have be informed of this also. See my post 24 here http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/com...program/wp-booking-qf-award-tix-14696-3.html.

Well I stand corrected then.

Having only used the Plat desk when looking for Dom flights I was unaware there was a different rule for Int travel.

You must have been lucky to get Y dom as I have actually requested it once for family member and was told no we only open J, they flew J.

ejb

 

[Danger]

You must have been lucky to get Y dom as I have actually requested it once for family member and was told no we only open J, they flew J.

Yes, I think I was lucky. When I originally made the request the agent had to put me on hold first to see if it would even be possible to request the Y seat. She came back a short time later and said she would put the request in. When I called the next day to see if it had come through the male agent was surprised to learn that a Y request had been sent.

 

[mikew]

I was sucessful in getting a seat opened for MEL-HKG in business at about T-29hours. I already had a booking on the 9AM CX but wanted to go on the QF 23:55.

I had been trying for a few months with a no go at all times. It was a Sat night so yield mgmt would have been closed also so was obviously an electronic request which failed the same time the night before.

Just keep trying is all I can say.

 

[serfty]

Six months out I was unable to move an existing September U class award booking forward 3 days.

The Auto request was made, but no go. The agent tried several other options/flights with still no success.

The Flight in question was showing J9 D9 I9 ... and E/F was showing just 2 seats allocated in the 388 J cabin.

 

[dajop]

Six months out I was unable to move an existing September U class award booking forward 3 days.

The Auto request was made, but no go. The agent tried several other options/flights with still no success.

I have a theory (or well more a hunch) that once you have a confirmed seat between two destinations that's it, the system won't take kindly to you making requests for seats on that sector, even on different dates. Or maybe that's just Murphy in operation. Be interesting to try it under a different name to see what happens.

 

[serfty]

I have a theory (or well more a hunch) that once you have a confirmed seat between two destinations that's it, the system won't take kindly to you making requests for seats on that sector, even on different dates. Or maybe that's just Murphy in operation. Be interesting to try it under a different name to see what happens.

In any case, I bit the bullet and booked upgradeable revenue fares SIN-MEL for SGD599 each (~AUD490), cancelled the award booking and was refunded each SGD249 and 55K QFF points (nett). So I'll earn 7500 qff points and 30 SC's (less 40K if the Upgrade come through - which is likely).

 

[simongr]

I was pretty unhopeful having looked at EF this morning and seen either 0 or C in pretty much every class on very possible flight I could take next week.

However I am now booked on BA10 in WT+ on Monday evening and Back via NRT in JL Y+ LHR-NRT and J NRT-SYD (straight back and into the office). All up 235K points + A$490 in taxes (a good chunk being the APD from the UK).

Just now deciding on whether to pick 11J or 14B in BA WT+...

No option to pick seats on the JL flights at this stage...

 

[QF WP]

Nice to see that it has worked out for you simongr. Oh, the conundrum of which seat

 

[serfty]

...
No option to pick seats on the JL flights at this stage...

There won't be.

Call JAL and ask (JAL Planning Your Flight - Reservations and Inquiries)