Qantas FF announcement 20 June - "biggest overhaul" in program history

[DC3]

Is this part of the big announcement? More long-range narrow-bodies?

Qantas Orders Up To 36 Airbus A321 XLR Aircraft

 

[getluv]

I doubt they would be announcing a potential sale of QFF like this. That would be massive news, and would most likely affect the share price and would have to reported to the ASX asap.

With recent events like Points Plane, promotions withAirBNB, QF are commoditising QFF. So I would expect more hooplah around this and recognising majority of its members who engage with the program but will never be able to get past bronze/silver level. Tweeks to the P1/Gold earning privileges would not require the CEO's time.

 

[dsotm]

They have to give 3 months notice as I understand it of changes like this.

Cool. Thanks.

 

[TheInsider]

Is this part of the big announcement? More long-range narrow-bodies?

Qantas Orders Up To 36 Airbus A321 XLR Aircraft

No

 

[MEL_Traveller]

They have to give 3 months notice as I understand it of changes like this.

IIRC QF doesn't have a particularly good track record with the three month notice requirement. Couple of issues arose here on AFF and we had to remind the QF that there was this requirement (was it chauffeur drive?)

 

[AisleSeat]

I wonder if that A380 to MCO is involved somehow. That flight is exactly 7 months away. (19 Jan 2020).

 

[justin23]

Only 800 off LTG so very nervous - all that indirect and premium travel justified as “well at least i will have lounge access in retirement” ...

I'm about 400 off LTS. Honestly, the main reason I've stuck with Qantas is to ultimately get LTG. So any negative changes to LTG would likely see me jump ship. I really only fly international once or twice a year and have started to fly more premium airfares where I can afford it. Also Singapore and Qatar operate out of CBR and they generally are far more convenient for me.

 

[Vic]

These predictions of QFF being sold off crack me up.

You don't sell off the most profitable part of a business and leave yourself with all the unprofitable/barely profitable parts LOL. That's business 101.

LOL

That's exactly what Standards Australia did in 2003, sold off the publishing rights - the money earning part of Standards development. Now they can't afford to develop any more australian standards, instead relying on industry representatives forming writing panels and doing it for free or just adopting a whole IEC/ISO standard without change.

 

[RooFlyer]

Except neither of those conditions are even remotely true in Qantas' case.

Except that it is very profitable at the moment. The rest I'd venture are unknown, rather than not remotely true.

 

[Pushka]

These predictions of QFF being sold off crack me up.

You don't sell off the most profitable part of a business and leave yourself with all the unprofitable/barely profitable parts LOL. That's business 101.

Maybe but it’s what the SA Government has done in recent years then tried telling us they’d made great inroads into the budget!

 

[DC3]

… You don't sell off the most profitable part of a business and leave yourself with all the unprofitable/barely profitable parts LOL. That's business 101.

… not to mention the Poles and the Wires. Maybe throw the TAB in there.

 

[N0mad]

QFF are going crypto,

 

[Vic]

… not to mention the Poles and the Wires. Maybe throw the TAB in there.

At least they can "tax" the TAB.

 

[Borisdog]

Beaut. This won't be good.

I just made P1 for the first time last week, LTG on same flight.

I'm extremely glad they can't take that away from me. My flying is going to be pretty much non-existent from now on due to impending retirement.

I spent the majority of my points about 4 months ago on a J RTW award for me and Mrs BD.

For once in my life my timing seems impeccable.

 

[opusman]

I'm extremely glad they can't take that away from me.

Says who?

 

[CaptJCool]

Says who?

A Golden Wings membership card and 80,000 FF POINTS

 

[Mrmaxwell]

A few thoughts;

• Whatever the announcement here’s hoping we have enough time to act on the changes whether good or bad so we come out relatively unscathed
• The dominant position of the QFF program in Australia means they really can do whatever they want and still have a large group of customers happily participating
• Through various enhancements over the years a lot of great benefits have been taken away - some of these could see a comeback along with additional gems such as LTP
• The increased demand on lounges, the constant DSC promos and QFF Store sales surely means overall ‘cost’ to participate in the program will be going up

 

[Hoatzin]

I just made P1 for the first time last week, LTG on same flight.

That's awesome mate. What a great to earn LTG AND P1 in one hit. Congratulations!

And you are right. There is comfort in knowing you have LTG which one would assume they grandfather in with any coming changes to status earning.

 

[wandering_fred]

In the tone of "I'm extremely glad they can't take that away from me." There will be new QFF status levels -
QFF Iron Ore
QFF Ruby
QFF Sapphire
QFF Emerald
QFF Diamond
replace the existing categories (with cancellation of all associated "perks" with the old names) with new (read higher) qualification levels requiring at least 50% QF group status credits.

Would they? Unlikely given the adverse publicity (and associated stock price reaction) but beware of the creativity of accountants......

Just wandering
Fred

 

[RooFlyer]

Depends on how strategic it is to you core business. If it is strategically important (which QFF is), it doesn't make sense to fully divest the business.

I don't want to make a big thing of this (I don't think QFF is to be sold) but sure, you can happily sell strategic/core assets. Like WMC did its Kalgoorlie goldfield mines and Packer did Channel 9 (funny how it was the same buyer ). Any CEO who says certain assets aren't for sale at any price isn't doing the right thing by shareholders; and if you have one who, for instance, grounded the entire business without notice to solve a labour problem, then I don't think 'bold decision making' is out of the question.

But thinking some more about my idea above ... merging (in some form) with another FF program ... that would be transformative and worthy of a CEO presser.

QANTAAs AAdvantage? Anyone seen Tim Clark about Sydney recently?