Qantas apologises to frequent flyers with status extensions, lounge passes, points & more reward seats

[Tropic]

So we’re back in the situation where there is uncertainty whether status will be extended or we’ll have to do it the hard way again. Though I had thought now that everyone will have had a year to fly again by the end of 2022 that the status extensions would have stopped.

So need to spend (way more) money on a unneeded flight to derive benefit from the $50 gift, and about to get status extended to 31 Aug 2023 anyway with 50% sc rollover - so nothing in this for a self funded LTG WP like me... but dont think Im in target audience anyway. As someone mentioned earlier, all this status extension is just going to mean even more congested prem lounges and more comp for those reward seats...

 

[harvyk]

Anyone think that QF has analysed how many people will fall off status due to reduced work travel (amongst other reasons), and therefore dressing up status extensions as an apology?

Agreed 100%

Status isn't a way to reward their loyal flyers (why would they?), status is all about ensuring their high value pax have a set of handcuffs on.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

No idea when these magical reward seats are meant to be released but I'm sitting in North America this week (no thanks to Qantas, of course ) where it's officially past midnight in Australia on the 22nd and a quick scan of LAX-SYD as a Gold over the next **checks notes*** 11 months shows precisely nothing in J/F.

Just rehashing the obvious, but unless and until Qantas actually fixes the problems they haven't technically admitted exist, Joyce will have to be right back here in 6 months. It's as simple as that.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice? Well, I probably deserve it.

 

[cove]

With Qantas having trashed the value of frequent flyer points we have no intention of using 1.8 milliom points to go one way to London with them. Mrscove has been rocked by how many problems Qantas has so her loyalty has been shattered.
We will fly with others.

 

[dylarr]

Also forgot to mention domestic airfares increase 3% at midnight.

Ah so AJ is just running interference to distract from the price increase!

And right on cue, checking a number of domestic routes and fares have indeed increased as of midnight. “We’re sorry, blah blah blah, look over there” with across the board fare increases no more than 12 hours after this announcement.

 

[kreuky]

I believe the release is 12pm Syd time (i mean since when does QF do anything at midnight that requires human intervention (and im sure this does since their tech is garbage) lol), so a few hours to go, but the result will probably still be the same. 50% more avail on SYD-MEL in Y/J and vice versa but none for SYD/MEL/BNE-LAX/LHR in J/F and vice versa (Since 50% more of 0 is still 0 Joyce can still say he released "50% more award seats").

As mentioned above, fares will prob increase by $50 to compensate for the vouchers.

 

[VHOEJ]

People are voting with their wallet. And lotal QF FF need to do the same. These announcements don't do much given all the problems passengers have faced while paying very high prices.

Passengers need to keep booking with other carriers in numbers and continue to do it. These problems are not going anywhere.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Fares definitely up in tandem with the $50 benefit. Nice enhancement.

I recently booked a return to Queenstown from SYD for late October with the remainder of a travel pass, which necessitated having to break my current rule of avoiding QF to buy my partner a ticket to come along. I've been watching for months and the price had hovered around ~$750 return. I booked a few weeks ago when the price went down to ~$670.

$948 this morning.

Too little too late regardless. Already planned travel to secure VA Platinum and I'm done with QF. The status extension won't do much to help change that as those forward bookings are set.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I guess I should add: QF could lower fares to be more commensurate with the service they offer and then perhaps lower them a touch further to beat their competitors to actually incentivise me (and likely the general public) to choose them again but I reckon that’s about as likely as a bronze frequent flyer ever reaching the Hobart call centre.

 

[Port Power]

I just logged into my account and a message popped up offering the announced $50 and do I accept? Promo code given instantly but will also come in an email within a week. That will make such a difference to my return flights to Japan!

P.S. Guess what? There aren’t any classic reward seats in J or whY! Well, I never!

 

[Mr H]

You are correct - it doesn't degrade their service ... it does however indicate what issues they are focused on, rather than the basics.

That cuts both ways - it also indicates which issue you are focused on.

 

[justinbrett]

The SC rollover for yet another year (my membership year ends 31 Mar 23) is great news - effectively means half price platinum next year and status retained until 2025.

 

[levelnine]

Great to see there is status credit rollover with this extension. Means I can cancel a bunch of flights with QF and rebook them with the competition to get a headstart on status there.

 

[jakeseven7]

The SC rollover for yet another year (my membership year ends 31 Mar 23) is great news - effectively means half price platinum next year and status retained until 2025.

Reading through now I think I’m in a similar boat, not that I think I’ll need it now international travel is ramping up.

 

[Anna]

I'm happy with the offer. But I don't bother to collect QFF points or have any expectations of ever being able to spend them on my first or even my second preference for flights. I only care about SCs and OWE, and I'd even begun to question that seeing I'm also Star Alliance gold. I will think of the offer as the response to my unanswered complaints to QF customer care about my woeful experiences flying QFd at Easter 2022. And as an apology for every single QF sector being delayed by 45-60 minutes on my recent trip to HNL. Not to mention the general anxiety associated with booking and flying QF atm.

I'm not sure if the offer is going to help my QF SG friend though. During 2022 she booked a QF flight in order to maintain her SG status as per the previous offer. But QF changed the flight so many times she ended up giving up and cancelling it. She's so annoyed with QF that when I saw her last week she hadn't even bothered to check whether her status had dropped or not. This offer won't appease her if QF dropped her to PS - she already had LTS anyway.

 

[SYD]

Alas, missed out again on WP status extension by one month with a July renew date.

But the $50 voucher was in the app this morning…

 

[Pushka]

So we’re back in the situation where there is uncertainty whether status will be extended or we’ll have to do it the hard way again. Though I had thought now that everyone will have had a year to fly again by the end of 2022 that the status extensions would have stopped.

I thought it would be extended because of all the Work from Home rules with the latest wave. We've had many business travel booked then have to cancel as no face to face meetings. We cancelled a trip to Bali this Friday because Jetstar cancelled our flight back and the alternative wouldnt get us back to work in time. Flying is nowhere near normal and in SA anyways the only reason Flights may be full is because there aren't many of them.

Have a membership end date of April 2023 so that extension works for me with an OS trip on 30 April and another at Christmas time next year. MrP will achieve it in his own right.

 

[ferntree]

Spirit, Frontier, United…

Really?

https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/baggage/carry-on.html

Article unavailable · Spirit Airlines Support

customersupport.spirit.com

 

[aikman]

So they are giving away another free status extension. My status run to NZ will now be for nothing. At least I only purchased one trip. I hope those who purchased multiple trips are feeling ok.

 

[justinbrett]

Really?

https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/baggage/carry-on.html

Article unavailable · Spirit Airlines Support

customersupport.spirit.com

Really.

Spirit Airlines

Spirit Airlines is the leading Ultra Low Cost Carrier in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. Spirit Airlines fly to 60+ destinations with 500+ daily flights with Ultra Low Fare.

www.spirit.com

https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/basic-economy.html