Qantas extends current status Until at least March 2021

[Flying mermaid]

I'm in the same boat. My membership year is 30 June, and if I had taken the expected work trip to the UK in April this year, I would have re-qualified for WP. Even with the extension to 30 June 2021, there's no chance I will fly enough before then to re-qualify for WP. But then, I'm 'only' 1,000 SC from getting LTG (and 5 years to retirement), so it's in my interest to try and get LTG, so I'll stick with Qantas, unless there is a compelling price difference.

But you still get status credits with Qatar - can fly the better airline and still get to LTG in 5 years.

 

[kookaburra75]

But you still get status credits with Qatar - can fly the better airline and still get to LTG in 5 years.

Qatar are certainly on my radar, as they were flying direct from Canberra - although we'll have to wait and see if that returns or not. But then we can use points on Qantas to get us to where we need to be, to pick up a Qatar flight.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Qatar are certainly on my radar, as they were flying direct from Canberra - although we'll have to wait and see if that returns or not. But then we can use points on Qantas to get us to where we need to be, to pick up a Qatar flight.

Yes we flew out of and into Canberra and it made it so easy!

 

[justinbrett]

But you still get status credits with Qatar - can fly the better airline and still get to LTG in 5 years.

SC earn on Qatar is pretty woeful - SYD-DOH earns 80 SCs in J - SYD-DXB (similar distance) earns 190. You can earn the same flying SYD-DRW.

 

[Seat0B]

That’s not valid. They extended status for those who ended in Feb by 12 months despite not having to worry about renewal until Feb 21. By your logic there was no need to extend their status, Qantas could have waited until 2021 to extend their status.

For people who ended in March, we got 11 months of our year pre-COVID. The vast majority would have already attained, only those who barely make it to the threshold needed the extension.

The problem for the March group is we have started our year on zero. We will be four months in before most of the domestic routes open up. We are now being told international won’t open in this membership year.

As it stands most of us have no nope in requalifying - so have a choice of giving up completely or spending thousands on unnecessary domestic travel (or other schemes like gift cards etc). For those who have held status for 15+ years consecutively it can be a big thing to lose status.

I completely understand that Qantas has bigger problems at the moment but I fully expect them to address this situation in the near future. I don’t expect it will be a straight out extension but it will require a reduction in the threshold. Perhaps our group will get a straight out extension if we attained in our own right last time. Their elites are the ones responsible for the majority of their domestic business so their ability to survive is in our hands.

Yes exactly @justinbrett. I made my requal until 31 March 2021 by earning my SC. I have now not been able to travel anywhere, have had all my flights which would have given me next year's requal (to March 2022) cancelled, and it looks like I will go back to LTG because of it. I know it's not top of the tree in the big scheme of things, and I am very sorry for the staff losing their jobs, and for the genuine struggles for Qantas in its 100th anniversary year, for those who are sick or have lost a loved one, or can't see family abroad or have financial and business worries. All these things are horrible, and some of them apply to me too but.....the way the status looks like playing out is also a pretty poor outcome for me. All these things can co-exist.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

I know it's not top of the tree in the big scheme of things, and I am very sorry for the staff losing their jobs, and for the genuine struggles for Qantas in its 100th anniversary year, for those who are sick or have lost a loved one, or can't see family abroad or have financial and business worries. All these things are horrible, and some of them apply to me too but.....the way the status looks like playing out is also a pretty poor outcome for me. All these things can co-exist.

I agree and it will will interesting to see how many people reevaluate their travel in the years to come. For me I have to travel to London and NZ multiple times per year anyway but a couple of months' downtime has made me look at some aspects of travel differently.

 

[Seat0B]

I've read comments like this over the years on this board (admittedly including by myself) and despite all the negative things QF has done to frequent flyers, VA was never able to really gain much of the premium market. VA has cheaper business class, better value frequent flyer program in terms of earn and burn (especially for WPs), easier status and still never really attracted much of QF's customer base.

I think we will continue to fly QF.

Possibly true for domestic, but when we can eventually head overseas.... I had a bit of a run in with Qantas a couple of years back, when my father died and I had to cancel a major trip that would have seen me retain status as WP, but they did not agree to a compassionate retention of status. I flew with a few other airlines in that time - Thai, JAL and Cathay. I also had a Finnair booking that was COVID cancelled. And that's despite actually earning back my WP status by flying enough with Qantas. If I lose status, I will definitely look to other airlines for my international flights, and will stick with Qantas for domestic for the LTG privileges and because there really isn't much alternative. Although, I'd even give new Virgin a chance....

 

[justinbrett]

I agree and it will will interesting to see how many people reevaluate their travel in the years to come. For me I have to travel to London and NZ multiple times per year anyway but a couple of months' downtime has made me look at some aspects of travel differently.

I agree reevaluate but perhaps we come up with different results? (assuming you are implying you'll fly less). For me I think I've taken the ability to fly overseas for granted - my last trip thinking "I'm getting a bit bored of Vegas" or "I'll stop in HNL but I probably won't leave the hotel". What I wouldn't give right now to be walking down Waikiki or the strip (let alone the places I actually want to visit).

International travel is such a privilege our grandparents never had (short of spending weeks on a ship), I won't be taking it for granted again.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

I agree reevaluate but perhaps we come up with different results? (assuming you are implying you'll fly less). For me I think I've taken the ability to fly overseas for granted - my last trip thinking "I'm getting a bit bored of Vegas" or "I'll stop in HNL but I probably won't leave the hotel". What I wouldn't give right now to be walking down Waikiki or the strip (let alone the places I actually want to visit).

International travel is such a privilege our grandparents never had (short of spending weeks on a ship), I won't be taking it for granted again.

In the next three to five years I do think my flying will reduce but only because the UK ans USA are basket cases. Once some restrictions ease I'd have no problem doing long stays in remoter locations such as Ubud. I wouldn't mind doing that right now to escape the Adelaide winter but that's an aside.

Absolutely, post C-19 there will be different ways to extract maximum effectiveness from FF programs. These may be upfront less than we are used to but 'below the line' earning such as QF Wine has increased substantially in the last three months (50 FFP per $ is not now uncommon).

 

[Flying mermaid]

SC earn on Qatar is pretty woeful - SYD-DOH earns 80 SCs in J - SYD-DXB (similar distance) earns 190. You can earn the same flying SYD-DRW.

I am not sure that’s correct - I got 160 SC going CBR to DOH in J. CBR-SYD-DOH-JFK return was 640 status credits. I have to admit SC is not a huge priority for me (already LTG), but as a self funded retiree value for money is. Qatar Q suites deliver value and 640 SC didn’t seem too bad.

 

[justinbrett]

I am not sure that’s correct - I got 160 SC going CBR to DOH in J. CBR-SYD-DOH-JFK return was 640 status credits. I have to admit SC is not a huge priority for me (already LTG), but as a self funded retiree value for money is. Qatar Q suites deliver value and 640 SC didn’t seem too bad.

It is correct, it's on the points calculator. CBR-DOH probably falls outside the defined routes so you get the full rate. Similar thing happens AUH-LHR vs DXB-LHR. You would earn CBR-DOH, not CBR-SYD-DOH because it's a single flight number.

 

[Flying mermaid]

It is correct, it's on the points calculator. CBR-DOH probably falls outside the defined routes so you get the full rate. Similar thing happens AUH-LHR vs DXB-LHR.

No idea - seems strange but there you are. Another good reason for flying Qatar ex Canberra.

 

[RichardMEL]

In reality, Qantas will lose all status flyers unless they gift another year.

ALL?

Disagree.

You've made a big assumption... well a couple but the biggest one imo is that.. everyone cares to the same extent we (a niche group) do about such things.

Remember the vast bulk of QF's status pax come from people on the company dime. They will fly (whenever things can somehow resemble what once was.. like 2023 or whatever.. sigh) when and where the company demands it and probably on the carrier. They're not paying. They'll accept the status and use it... but.... QF won't lose them, specially if they are in corporate agreements with QF.

And given new VA have said they will specifically NOT target the higher end business pax - the high yield folks QF live off - those folks more likely than not will still be tied into QF one way or another.

(of course the whole notion of business travel in the future could be so very much changed by experiences during covid with success-or not-of zoom meetings and the like - companies may just drop a lot of travel if it can be done without the costs of flights, hotels etc just to have a face to face pow wow that can happen over zoom - but that is a whole separate issue).

The other thing to me is that again not all FF's care or worry about it. I have met more than one people, and heard of others, who had Gold or Plat and honestly did not know what it meant, what perks they had etc.. so those sorts of people wouldn't care either way because to them they wouldn't be missing anything. A minority to be sure... I think most know they can get into the pub with some status and that's probably the prime motivation for some

QF certainly won't lose ALL status flyers at all.. not even a majority.

After all, if most of your travel is domestic will VA be a really viabe alternative? To some yes, to others maybe not, and the alure of the OW alliance to many will provide incentive to keep flying with QF I reckon. Sure, there could be spill to SQ/NZ.. heck AA, UA, whoever... or even QR (with their recent status offer for example) but I just can't see a majority of folks shifting based on if they did or didn't get an advantageous status extension.

imo

 

[DC3]

ALL. Much preferred when it was just called Accor.

 

[oz_mark]

ALL. Much preferred when it was just called Accor.

Bit of a random interjection

Although it is a bit of a contrived name....I'll let AJ know he's at risk of losing them!

 

[Pushka]

ALL?

Disagree.

Sure. Assumptions. However the number will come out in the wash in I guess 18 - 24 months time.

I must admit, when I turned Gold many years ago I had no idea what that meant and didn't use it much until an attendant on CX took me straight to the front of the boarding queue. Needless to say this was before I joined AFF. Mea culpa.

 

[RichardMEL]

Sure. Assumptions. However the number will come out in the wash in I guess 18 - 24 months time.

No doubt.

Of course nobody (including QF) will really know how many pax have left because of dissatisfaction with things like status, vs effects of changes in business travel spend (due to revenue, need, impact of video calls and so on) and drop in leisure travel due to restrictions, personal budgets (lack of discretionary spend) and external factors like government controls (border closures) and restrictions - such as the current bans on travellers from Melbourne) and so on.

It's pretty certain that in the medium term ALL airlines.. heck travel industry in general will see a drop due to all the above factors. Even if one assumes the pandemic will be perhaps not cured but a an acceptable level in terms of treatments or relative safety that governments and public feel OK to get out there again in the next 12-18 months that confidence level and ability or desire to travel for both business and leisure will take longer to get going. Hence the projections of companies like QF, BA and others that they do not see near normal levels till 2023. It may seem conservative but I can absolutely see where they are coming from...

and to bring back on thread i think all of these factors will lead to further changes (no, not the "e" word ) to support elites by airlines, hotels etc. The longer and crazier this gets (I just heard the WHO say this morning we're not even close to getting through this - and I think they're right no matter one's feelings on the WHO in general) the need will be there to do more - specially when nearly nobody is flying.

So rest easy everyone. I am certain there is more to happen in this space. And honestly it may not happen till much later this or next year. I would hope QF would learn from what has happened this year (and remember, even back in March when the extension was made the situation and outlook was different to what it is now, and it will be again different in September, or December this year...). I would imagine that options other than blanket extensions which has caused so much angst would be explored. We shall wait and see.

 

[Cognac]

No doubt.

Of course nobody (including QF) will really know how many pax have left because of dissatisfaction with things like status, vs effects of changes in business travel spend (due to revenue, need, impact of video calls and so on) and drop in leisure travel due to restrictions, personal budgets (lack of discretionary spend) and external factors like government controls (border closures) and restrictions - such as the current bans on travellers from Melbourne) and so on.

It's pretty certain that in the medium term ALL airlines.. heck travel industry in general will see a drop due to all the above factors. Even if one assumes the pandemic will be perhaps not cured but a an acceptable level in terms of treatments or relative safety that governments and public feel OK to get out there again in the next 12-18 months that confidence level and ability or desire to travel for both business and leisure will take longer to get going. Hence the projections of companies like QF, BA and others that they do not see near normal levels till 2023. It may seem conservative but I can absolutely see where they are coming from...

and to bring back on thread i think all of these factors will lead to further changes (no, not the "e" word ) to support elites by airlines, hotels etc. The longer and crazier this gets (I just heard the WHO say this morning we're not even close to getting through this - and I think they're right no matter one's feelings on the WHO in general) the need will be there to do more - specially when nearly nobody is flying.

So rest easy everyone. I am certain there is more to happen in this space. And honestly it may not happen till much later this or next year. I would hope QF would learn from what has happened this year (and remember, even back in March when the extension was made the situation and outlook was different to what it is now, and it will be again different in September, or December this year...). I would imagine that options other than blanket extensions which has caused so much angst would be explored. We shall wait and see.

It is going to be very tough to tell what the cause of changes has been in the short term, but I don't doubt that Qantas has the market research chops to find out. And if it is bulk dissatisfaction from status flyers, then they might think about doing something. But unfortunately I agree that most of their status flyers are most likely corporate flyers with no real alternative or a corporate agreement. And if that's true then it might simply be a case of tough bikkies.

 

[RichardMEL]

Plus VA will not be actively going after the high yielders.

It will be interesting to see with VA2 and big accounts like the AFL if those continue on or QF actively poaches those when able
(not sure of the status of such deals post the restructure)

And since VA will be weaker and the Velocity .. well who knows... QF may have less incentive to throw bones at us.

 

[Cognac]

Very good point. If VA2 actually ends up aiming to become a 1.5 tier provider rather than a true competitor to Qantas we could be waiting a while.