Qantas boosts high-flyer perks, mulls lifetime Platinum status - from Ausbt

[pshepvic]

That's how it has been - they're formalising it now

Oh yes definitely, but I reckon they should formalise it internally at QF but not necessarily publish it to all and sundry. Maybe a quiet, personal invitation to those that qualify, without all this media hype (which for something like this I think is a negative - Amex don't advertise the Centurion card after all!)

 

[Robert K]

if it's all hush hush, current WPs won't know to 'aspire' to it. which is the point of WP1

 

[pshepvic]

if it's all hush hush, current WPs won't know to 'aspire' to it. which is the point of WP1

I worked in the advertising industry for long enough to know the best form of marketing is word of mouth. And that's going to be the best way to get people talking about a secret exclusive membership level.

Qantas wouldn't be able to cope if everyone aspired to be WP1. Hell they can't even deliver on the promised benefits for existing WP and SG members!

 

[Alanslegal]

they'll need to introduce really amazing perks. like a dedicated FA so every time you fly QF, you'll have someone familiar attend to you. Same reason why i like to go to the same restaurants all the time, sure, the food needs to be good, but i like seeing the same waitress and have a chat.

And instead of walking to the boarding gates from the lounge, you get chauffeured by the buggies!

Neither of these suggested perks would get my heart racing, but I tell you what ... if WP1, uber-WP or whatever its called, gets automatic upgrades to the best available (empty) seat on ANY QF operated flight .... then that's a perk that would get my heart racing.

Yes most WP, uber-WPs will fly likely fly premium anyway so this benefit won't really be enjoyed, however not only it is a perk that is easy to market, but I'm guessing it would encourage a few of us here to go for WP1 (even if it mean getting 3,560SC via AA YUPP runs and 40 sc on QF) As I know auto-upgrades to F on a discount Y ticket from SYD-LHR and back, now that would be awesome-ness as Kung Fu Panda would say!

 

[Oneworldplus2]

I was thinking assistance through immigration (or crew line benefit perhaps, if that's possible?) and also 'baggage to come out first'. But, we all know how inconsistant that is at the moment, so l wouldn't be holding my breath for that one, even if it was a listed benefit.

 

[medhead]

As Virgin completes it's morph into Qantas Mark 2, we see Qantas getting more and more protective of it's business customers with the fear that many switch, and so hence the recent spate of genuine enhancements vs years of "enhancements" that were actually stripping off value.

I would hardly call one lot of improvements a "spate". Especially when they can't even provide already published benefits.

 

[ftm]

if it's all hush hush, current WPs won't know to 'aspire' to it. which is the point of WP1

Do people know what is exactly involved in Chairman's Lounge? Or Amex Centurian? But do they still aspire to it?

I don't think WP1 and WP2 is about making Platinums aspire to the higher tier. It is about recognising those who attain the SCs. Some FF's count every SC they earn. Others don't and just wnat to be recognised for the amount of flying they do.

 

[ajca]

Do people know what is exactly involved in Chairman's Lounge? Or Amex Centurian? But do they still aspire to it?

I don't think WP1 and WP2 is about making Platinums aspire to the higher tier. It is about recognising those who attain the SCs. Some FF's count every SC they earn. Others don't and just wnat to be recognised for the amount of flying they do.

I agree 100%. Go to americanexpress.com.au and try to find information about Centurion - you won't. Even a decade after it launched in Australia. Basically, their attitude is "if you have to ask you can't afford it".

Qantas is doing the same thing with WP1 and they are absolutely right to do so.

Also, I don't buy this idea that Qantas is trying to incentivise Platinums to "aspire" to WP1. Qantas's objective here is NOT to give the people who are already arbitraging the SC system to ridiculous extents (e.g. AFF members) a further incentive to manipulate it.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with arbitraging the SC system to ridiculous extents - of course there isn't - but that I doubt Qantas is going to all the trouble to create a new tier with the intention of further rewarding this behaviour.

I believe WP1 is targeting people who spend serious $200k+ a year on flights. The people like my boss who say to his EA "I need to be in x on this day" and she calls up Centurion Travel and books it, without any regard to cost, status credits etc. If the WP1 benefits provide a sufficiently rock-star treatment, these customers might instead say to their EA "I need be in x on this day and make sure it's on Qantas".

After all, it's these people who are delivering the really big bucks to Qantas.

 

[rechoboam]

But I can call my relative who is a TA and book a flight today if I don't care about cost or SCs. Dont need Centurion which sounds like a massive waste of money (IMHO)

 

[ajca]

But I can call my relative who is a TA and book a flight today if I don't care about cost or SCs. Dont need Centurion which sounds like a massive waste of money (IMHO)

My point - which I think I made pretty clearly - is that Qantas aiming WP1 at people who spend a LOT of money on travel (like, $200k+/year), and who probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about how to best arbitrage the SC system to move up FF tiers.

Whether Centurion is a waste of money is completely off-topic and has been discussed elsewhere on this forum at great length.

 

[djfuzz]

My point - which I think I made pretty clearly - is that Qantas aiming WP1 at people who spend a LOT of money on travel (like, $200k+/year), and who probably don't spend a lot of time thinking about how to best arbitrage the SC system to move up FF tiers.

That already exists - it's called Chairman's Lounge, and it's invitation only.

 

[rechoboam]

That's in pracrical terms for the airline to get access to the decision makers, I don't think the benefits are that impressive for the invitees (I know people who go).

 

[ajca]

That already exists - it's called Chairman's Lounge, and it's invitation only.

Not the same thing. Chairman's Lounge membership has nothing to do with how much you fly (or how much you $ worth of travel you do).

 

[oz_mark]

That already exists - it's called Chairman's Lounge, and it's invitation only.

The purpose of the Chairman's lounge is different - and many of its members do not actually fly themselves much. WP1 is clearly tragetted at those who do fly.

 

[rechoboam]

Some of them fly a lot but not on commercial flights. And CL definitely don't act as their travel agents!

 

[oz_mark]

Some of them fly a lot but not on commercial flights. And CL definitely don't act as their travel agents!

They may fly a lot - but the criteria for entry is not necessarily about how much they individually fly on Qantas. WP1 and CL are different segments (with perhaps some overlap)

 

[Simo]

I think that lifetime platinum would be a great new initiative for QF to offer.If someone has done many years of flying on Qantas at a high level they should achieve lifetime platinum status.Say 21000 status credits.WP1 and also WP2 extra benefit should be something like maybe a personal contact at QF...

 

[Oneworldplus2]

l'm against a LTP, but that's just my view. Once you get LTP, why bother flying on QF or OW? You can start to build up status on another airline/alliance. LTG is a good idea and if you want to go higher (WP), you need to still show loyalty each year.

 

[Vinny]

they'll need to introduce really amazing perks. like a dedicated FA so every time you fly QF, you'll have someone familiar attend to you. Same reason why i like to go to the same restaurants all the time, sure, the food needs to be good, but i like seeing the same waitress and have a chat.

And instead of walking to the boarding gates from the lounge, you get chauffeured by the buggies!

In recent years I have rarely come across any QF FA I would ever want to meet again let alone to be a "dedicated FA'. In fact I dread coming across a number of them.

In my opinion all FAs should all be dedicated to every passenger in every class. Isn't this their job? This is one area which is on the nose with a large number of travellers.

Also I am quite able to walk to the boarding gates to the lounge. British royalty may consider it necessary but personally I don't.

 

[cwphoto]

you can use that answer for everything everyone whines about on the forum.


WPs want recognition. you can't brag about being in a secret club if no one believes it exists.

Maybe qantas needs to have someone with a big flag that says "THIS IS A PLATINUM FREQUENT FLYER. SHOW YOUR RESPECT" follow every WP that enters the airport until they get to the boarding gate, where the flag barer will yell "GET OUT OF THE WAY FOR THE PLATINUM FREQUENT FLYER. HE/SHE HAS PRIORITY BOARDING"

Now THATS a strange idea

I prefer to go under the radar myself, like a badgeless AMG C63.