Qantas Platinum One experiences?

[La Mouette]

not sure what involvement they have, I always thought it was the revenue management people that made the decision.

Reservations can release the seats up to a certain level - from my experience this is if there are e.g., A fares left in F. If they can't do it, they escalate to the SST. There's a certain time each day you need to get your request in by, after which the requests go to yield management. I always email the SST to ensure reservations has passed on the request correctly, as they didn't once.

They can also do more complicated things like booking via another city if that's available and waitlisting your preferred route.

 

[calmelb]

Flew LHR-MEL a couple days ago in J (QF10) and throughout the whole journey was met by the first hosts (except in Melbourne when there was no sign of anyone) and when they couldn’t meet me they came and apologised in the lounge (Perth). Found out that it was because I was the only P1 on the entire flight. Was a very nice touch to have that recognition even if slightly pointless

 

[GoldCanyon340]

This is what I find interesting. I have always been under the impression that it was the loading or revenue teams that made the decision.

A few weeks back I was talking to the WP reservations team as I am trying to organise some RTW F rewards and outside of QF some of the other carriers were proving problematic, e.g. cannot find reward F seats, not showing up in expert flyer or awards nexus, inventory available via BA or AA and not QF, all the usual issues. The agent advised that SST are being trained in reservations and I should send a proposed itinerary with options and SST could contact their equivalents within the other carriers and try and get the seats. I had not heard of this before and not sure if it actually works.

I've always made F award requests through the SST. It's a better use of my time to email a proposed itinerary and see the response than have to call Res, explain things over the phone and wait for a callback. Admittedly in the past the SST has usually confirmed with Yield Management but to the end user it's a fairly seamless process.

 

[RichardMEL]

Is anyone actually SURE the SST make revenue management decisions such as award seat release? It always USED to be the bean counters in revenue/yield management who made the manual calls on award release for both WP and P1 when "Computer Says No" (personally I've been lucky and never had it say no so the res agent could do them on the spot for me but when a manual decision is required my understanding was that was done by revenue/yield management(take yur pick on that one ).

SST is, or used to be anyway, a part of QF Marketing and while they do have some control with res and can do some stuff I'm not certain they have the authoritity to make those sorts of decsions,.. However more than happy to be corrected.

(noting that if one emails or calls SST asking for an award they may make it happen if computer says yes for them as per res, but it may not indicate they are doing any specific overrides).

I've always just gone right to res and never bothered SST for such things... or rather never felt the need to since res sorted it.

 

[RichardMEL]

Had an interesting/positive experience at BNE over Easter.

I checked with the service desk outside the J lounge to get a BP issued, as I did not have one (and entry agent waved me through with my P1 card ) but I like a BP to add to my collection. Anyway that was all fine. QP was closed for some reason so J was quite busy (lucky for all those normal QC users imho) but I still had a seat with no real issue

(side note: heaps of thongs and the like in sight.. not that I care but QF if you're going to have rules.. be.. dare I say (groan).. consistent??)

Anyway so minding my own business about an hour later the same agent I checked in with approaches me, greets me by NAME (!) (this is an hour or so after I just asked for a BP) and apologises for the busy lounge (!) and asks if there's anything she can get for me like a drink or whatever. I replied no as I was about to head for my flight, but thanked her.

Now it's a little thing, but I was quite atomished to be honest that she clearly noted who I was (there's a semi DYKWIA in reverse?) and specifically found me, or perhaps noticed me while passing around the lounge, and asked if I needed anything and made a note of apologising for the busy lounge (again, unusual imho).

I was really taken aback and impressed (or should I be a bit concerned that I am so well known in BNE they want to keep tabs on me? kidding )

 

[calmelb]

Had an interesting/positive experience at BNE over Easter.

I checked with the service desk outside the J lounge to get a BP issued, as I did not have one (and entry agent waved me through with my P1 card ) but I like a BP to add to my collection. Anyway that was all fine. QP was closed for some reason so J was quite busy (lucky for all those normal QC users imho) but I still had a seat with no real issue

I have a feeling that the QCs were closed over the Easter period to save on staffing costs

 

[Per_Travels]

I've always made F award requests through the SST. It's a better use of my time to email a proposed itinerary and see the response than have to call Res, explain things over the phone and wait for a callback. Admittedly in the past the SST has usually confirmed with Yield Management but to the end user it's a fairly seamless process.

Is this a recent change? I used to email the SST but then, maybe a couple of years ago was told by the SST that I had to phone up the reservations people. Personally I much preferred being able to email the SST.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Is this a recent change? I used to email the SST but then, maybe a couple of years ago was told by the SST that I had to phone up the reservations people. Personally I much preferred being able to email the SST.

I'd get back to emailing them if it's more convenient for you. Bear in mind though I email them about lots of stuff, even errors I find on the website. There's probably a picture of me in the office with the banner 'Problem Customer'

 

[RichardMEL]

It's quite funny (to me anyway) that some people use the SST for everything and some others for more or less nothing like me. Not at all a dig at all. I understand convenience, specially if the call centre is a PITA or one is out of Oz and in another timezone and all that. Absolutely. To me though all I "use" the SST for has been very rare requests (like msg on boarding pass or when I had an issue with a gifted P1 lounge invite) and anytjing related to the odd invite - ie things I consider stuff that P1 should deal with. Oh, I have also emailed compliments on (a very few) staff I've come across that I wanted special note of made.. but if I need res i just call them, or whatever.

Only other time I have called direct has been an issue with a long delay affecting a separate booking and it was time critical so I felt they would be best to help(and they were).

Again this is not in any way having a negative view of how others see/use the SST just a different view as to what they're there for I guess.

I'm the one with the lack of picture on the wall under the heading "who"?

 

[La Mouette]

Is anyone actually SURE the SST make revenue management decisions such as award seat release?

I am SURE that the SST DO NOT make revenue management decisions. When the computer says no, the SST get the requests, and they send them to yield management every afternoon. You have to get your request in by the deadline if you want it considered that evening - they'll tell you the deadline if you ask them. A couple of hours after the deadline, if you're successful, your booking is updated. If you're not successful, the SST will keep chasing it for you, find alternative routings, etc.

In theory, it shouldn't matter if you contact reservations or the SST first en route to the computer says no. But I've had issues with reservations not knowing the process, so I contact reservations and then send a follow-up email to the SST.

 

[RichardMEL]

In theory, it shouldn't matter if you contact reservations or the SST first en route to the computer says no. But I've had issues with reservations not knowing the process, so I contact reservations and then send a follow-up email to the SST.

Perfect sense. And yep Yield Management (I always get the two mixed up in my mind )

I certainly did not think the SST team themselves made the decisions, just acted as a go-between more or less, but at least they all would know the procedure(and deadlines) that some res agents may not know - as you say.

thanks!

 

[amaroo]

Maybe the request via the SST carries more weight with the YM team.

 

[RichardMEL]

Maybe the request via the SST carries more weight with the YM team.

why would it? YM can see the status of the pax making the request. I don't think a SST team member putting a note in "Please help out my P1" or something with the PNR would make a difference?

To YM they're just looking at loads, predicted sales, history and basically number crunching.

No doubt in extra special mega VIP celebrity CL type situations extra "special handling" probably happens, but for run of the meal P1's I doubt it would make a difference once it gets to the right people.

 

[amaroo]

why would it? YM can see the status of the pax making the request. I don't think a SST team member putting a note in "Please help out my P1" or something with the PNR would make a difference?

To YM they're just looking at loads, predicted sales, history and basically number crunching.

No doubt in extra special mega VIP celebrity CL type situations extra "special handling" probably happens, but for run of the meal P1's I doubt it would make a difference once it gets to the right people.

Who knows!

If status was all that was needed why would they bother routing the request through the P1 team? Just seems like a pointless step....

 

[RichardMEL]

Who knows!

If status was all that was needed why would they bother routing the request through the P1 team? Just seems like a pointless step....

By "they" who do you mean? Res route to yield management when computer says no.. or are supposed to. I'm a little confused by this comment tbh (perhaps not enough coffee even though apparently the aircraft has great coffee too... blurgh!)

 

[amaroo]

By "they" who do you mean? Res route to yield management when computer says no.. or are supposed to. I'm a little confused by this comment tbh (perhaps not enough coffee even though apparently the aircraft has great coffee too... blurgh!)

For my very recent requests to release 6 F and 8 J seats, twice when the bot said no to the plat/prem? (131211) agents - I was told and I quote "I'll send this to the P1 team for further action"

If the P1 team has no role to play why bother informing them - just send it to the YM team. I've no idea if they sent it to P1 or not.... but that's what two agents told me.

Good news - all my requests were approved by midday the following day, and I didn't need to send an email or call anyone else.

 

[nutwood]

.... apparently the aircraft has great coffee too... blurgh!)

Actually "..your aircraft has great coffee...". Not so sure about mine!

 

[GoldCanyon340]

By "they" who do you mean? Res route to yield management when computer says no.. or are supposed to. I'm a little confused by this comment tbh (perhaps not enough coffee even though apparently the aircraft has great coffee too... blurgh!)

Big night last night? Is this a legitimate need for a double shot?

 

[RichardMEL]

For my very recent requests to release 6 F and 8 J seats, twice when the bot said no to the plat/prem? (131211) agents - I was told and I quote "I'll send this to the P1 team for further action"

If the P1 team has no role to play why bother informing them - just send it to the YM team. I've no idea if they sent it to P1 or not.... but that's what two agents told me.

Good news - all my requests were approved by midday the following day, and I didn't need to send an email or call anyone else.

ah I see. I suspect either an agent error in terms of the procedure, or perhaps they thought saying P1 team was more customer friendly/understandable than "Yield Management" (which wouldn't mean much to non airline geeks)?

Obviously it's hard to know what actually happened but good news on ALL those seats being released. That must be some sort of record

 

[RichardMEL]

Actually "..your aircraft has great coffee...". Not so sure about mine!

Gosh darnit it's been 5 days since my last flight and I have sinned (actually I cringe at that line)

but I digress (as usual)