Qantas are removing the Minimum Points Guarantee when flying American

[moa999]

Do airlines even care if you fly? *nudge nudge*

until the Bank starts giving SCs, they obviously do.

Points however are becoming more and more like a cashback scheme

 

[dfcatch]

So you can spend $200 on a short haul flight, engaging with all major parts of the airline and the core of their brand - and receive nothing.

Or you can spend $200 on a bank product and receive 20,000 points without ever needing to look at the ugliness of flying.

Do airlines even care if you fly? *nudge nudge*

You might be onto something there Trippin.....

 

[JohnK]

It looks like the bad enhancements outweigh the good. The BAD's have it

Not many "real" enhancements from Qantas these days. And these days you can extend that to most airlines.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

until the Bank starts giving SCs, they obviously do.

Points however are becoming more and more like a cashback scheme

Average airline margin is 1-5% depending on the airline and class. Huge capital cost to provide the intricacies of running an airline. Highly regulated, loads of laws, safety requirements and an expensive workforce.

Average margin on selling points is 30-80% depending on the merchant. Biggest cost is sales team and servers. Virtually no regulation and comes down to leveraging your brand turning it into cash. The product you sell technically doesn't exist.

Which business would you rather be in?

Not many "real" enhancements from Qantas these days. And these days you can extend that to most airlines.

Agree. Nobody wants to do anything cool and new because it will 'be copied', or they don't know how to properly validate a loyalty model, too fixated on points/status, too many internal stakeholders wanting a piece of the pie etc. There appears to be a global shortage of business creativity of people who work at airlines.

I'm currently working with an OTA designing a new loyalty program which contains elements which will be patented and designed in such a way whereby it locks out the competition from being able to replicate it without fronting up a chunk of cash.

There is so much opportunity in this space, but sometimes - it takes a disruption to bring upon change.

 

[bad]

Well explained trippin_the_rift I keep on forgetting how thin the margins are. I look forward to this new loyalty program bring it on!

 

[TonyHancock]

...and in an office somewhere near Mascot a team of Marketing Professionals produce their first draft of an exciting new press release........

We have been listening to our valued customers and are once again delivering the enhancements you want. We realise that you don't want to mess about with all of those pesky points fixed at certain rates and would much prefer to receive the points that match the miles you fly, unless you fly long distances which we will need to enhance too. It will be much easier to keep track of your points, no more big numbers to add up for a start, we'll keep them compact so that you don't need a calculator.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

So you can spend $200 on a short haul flight, engaging with all major parts of the airline and the core of their brand - and receive nothing.

Or you can spend $200 on a bank product and receive 20,000 points without ever needing to look at the ugliness of flying.

Do airlines even care if you fly? *nudge nudge*

They answered your question when they changed the name from Qantas Frequent Flyer Points to Qantas Points.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

...and in an office somewhere near Mascot a team of Marketing Professionals produce their first draft of an exciting new press release.......

Here, I enhanced that for you.

We have been paying marketing firms to conduct focus groups so we can pretend to be listening to our formerly valued former passengers, henceforth referred to as resaleable bipedal data point opportunities.
Once again we are delivering the enhancements our focus groups were prepared to say our resaleable bipedal data point opportunities wanted, in exchange for wine and cheese and $50 gift vouchers.
We know our resaleable bipedal data point opportunities don't want to mess about with all of those pesky points fixed at certain rates. We know our resaleable bipedal data point opportunities don't want to be able to calculate the number of points they will earn for themselves.
We know our resaleable bipedal data point opportunities prefer to receive the points that match the miles they fly*, or walk, or hack the app on their iphones into reporting that they walked. Unless they fly long distances which we will enhance because after all, doesn't everyone wish their flight was shorter?
If they choose to fly another airline because we are part of an alliance with them, we know the experience won't quite measure up to the Qantas experience. So we will enhance those flights even more because, after all, who wouldn't wish those flights were even shorter?
It will be much easier to keep track of points earned, no more big numbers to add up for a start, we'll keep them compact so that our resaleable bipedal data point opportunities won't need a calculator.
And we'll give them our special online calculator which stores the special enhanced relationship between the miles they fly and the points they earn, and adds them up with our special enhanced maths.
Interested resaleable bipedal data point opportunities are invited to stand by for news of further enhancements which will ban the carrying of non-enhanced calculators in hand luggage.

*Note: If the number of miles you fly is just over a threshold for status credits we reserve the right to move Kuala Lumpur closer to Bangkok.

 

[katiebell]

It looks like the bad enhancements outweigh the good. The BAD's have it 

AS QF often announce changes to the FF programme as 'enhancments' when the reality is loss of benefits to pax the word enhancement typically relates to those changes that degrade the product.

 

[katiebell]

Here, I enhanced that for you.

I thought that "our formerly valued former passengers, henceforth referred to as resaleable bipedal data point opportunities" were self-loading freight. QF seem to think we have the mental capacity of the freight they need to load.

 

[katiebell]

Another enhancement to be aware of: if flying on QF metal with a codeshare flight number from another airline the points and SC will be at the rate for the other airline and a lot of the QF MMB functionality will be disabled (& the premium call centre cannot/will not assist in making changes eg pre-selecting meals).

 

[TonyHancock]

if flying on QF metal with a codeshare flight number from another airline the points and SC will be at the rate for the other airline...

..and thank the great god of flying for that. The bonus Avios are most welcome thank you very much when there is a BA flight number involved.

 

[katiebell]

..and thank the great god of flying for that. The bonus Avios are most welcome thank you very much when there is a BA flight number involved.

But not so good if using QF FF and flying on QF metal with an non-QF Fl number...

 

[madrooster]

But not so good if using QF FF and flying on QF metal with an non-QF Fl number...

If you're on a BA ticket why aren't you booking on the QF flight number instead of the BA codeshare? The majority of BA fares allow it. You might need an agent to do it though.

 

[TonyHancock]

But not so good if using QF FF and flying on QF metal with an non-QF Fl number...

That was me a couple of years ago.......but rather than complain endlessly about QF I chose to change my flying to maximise the benefits. I can report that the BA treats its GGL's pretty well, the BA FF program is streets ahead of QF if you are hitting high TP numbers, and I am able to complete J returns to Blighty for about AUS$4k. Now I understand that not everyone has the same flying patterns as me but it is really a case of just finding whats suits. I should add that I am also a VA WP because, since 2011, I prefer VA's domestic service.

 

[katiebell]

QF seem to be returning to 'enhancing the FF program so much that, if they keep going they will have a product similar to that which existed pre-OW but without the QFi network on which to fly. Hope this is not a prelude to leaving OW (i.e. by decreasing the earning rates to minimal the loss of OW earning will not be missed). That would be a sad day and the end of my QF FF membership

 

[TonyHancock]

QF seem to be returning to 'enhancing the FF program so much that, if they keep going they will have a product similar to that which existed pre-OW but without the QFi network on which to fly. Hope this is not a prelude to leaving OW (i.e. by decreasing the earning rates to minimal the loss of OW earning will not be missed). That would be a sad day and the end of my QF FF membership

It's not great, I agree, but complaining over multiple threads on AFF, will not change that. Frequent Flyer programs are not going to get any better. I have come to the conclusion that the way forward is to suit myself. I have absolutely no loyalty, I just milk as much as I can from whatever program suits my travel patterns. If I have a regret it is not switching to BA earlier to pursue Lifetime Gold, but there is no use dwelling on it. I have to get what I can whilst I can. No doubt BA will enhance their program and I will have to look elsewhere, but gone are the days of my whinges, it is just not worth it.

 

[Happy Trails]

It's a jungle out there.
Adapt and survive.