Qantas Status Credits when flying Malaysia Airlines

[jase05]

And there go my prospects of flying MH or visiting KL on a regular basis. I wonder if this is a QFF change or MH change, like the way JAL dom J was seemingly dropped to Y+ SC across all OW carriers in unison.

@trippin_the_rift not sure if you'd have any knowledge about that?

Thankfully I switched to BAEC recently.
We flew with MH a bit pre Covid and hoping to resume that soon but the earn to/from Australia is a disgrace so was one of my main reasons for swapping over

 

[MH_fan]

This is appalling. This is what will finally push me over to BAEC. I was willing to stick with QFF just a bit longer even after reaching LTG but I use MH too often to let this pass.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

And there go my prospects of flying MH or visiting KL on a regular basis. I wonder if this is a QFF change or MH change, like the way JAL dom J was seemingly dropped to Y+ SC across all OW carriers in unison.

@trippin_the_rift not sure if you'd have any knowledge about that?

Think about which airline benefits from a reduction or increase in SC earnings.
Then consider why that airline might want to make the change..

Does anyone have knowledge of the financial side of how SC's work between airlines?

With points, my understanding is that the marketing OW carrier (MH) pays QF the agreed value of the points, when a QFF member travels on their MH plane, the idea being that this passenger chose MH because of the alliance and points. It's akin to a commission or "cost of sale" for attracting that customer to MH. So it's mainly the partner carrier who determines how much to pay depending on their assessment of the value of this incremental revenue, and thus how many QFF points in the end are awarded. Routes that are directly competing with QF routes have an additional factor, generally lowering the points earn on the parnter, but I'm not sure how that works.

Is this basically the same with SC's? Qantas is awarding SC's roughly based on how much they get paid by MH for providing them this passenger? I know that SC's are a bit harder to put a dollar value on compared to points, but there much be some similar calculus done here?

Nobody pays anyone for status credits. It's up to each individual airline as to what they want to award the pax for each flight (note my prev comment above....). Points accrual 'commissions' still are mostly bi-lateral agreements but some are increasingly calculated differently (by the carrier that stands to gain more), and thus it creates BS earn rates that are anti-customer because the airlines are trying to screw each other and squeeze every last dollar out of one another.

The bigger your airline.....the more muscle you have in contract negotiations.
Loyalty members always get shafted in these situations.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

And there go my prospects of flying MH or visiting KL on a regular basis. I wonder if this is a QFF change or MH change, like the way JAL dom J was seemingly dropped to Y+ SC across all OW carriers in unison.

@trippin_the_rift not sure if you'd have any knowledge about that?

You could always go Au - SIN with QF, then take no J class 3K from SIN - KUL for cheap cheap.
Or JQ Au - SIN, if you want to slum it with their quasi J.

 

[jase05]

You could always go Au - SIN with QF, then take no J class 3K from SIN - KUL for cheap cheap.
Or JQ Au - SIN, if you want to slum it with their quasi J.

When MH is cheaper and offers a better product it’s easier to change to a different FFP

 

[SeatBackForward]

What's particularly disappointing about this is that QF doesn't compete to KL, and is pushing the SIN 3K connections.

Let's not forget this from 2013 :

Qantas has been supporting Malaysia Airlines through its alliance implementation project, as its oneworld sponsor airline, with backing from the central oneworld team.

...

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce added: “Qantas has been delighted to support Malaysia Airlines throughout its oneworld joining process, and we are very pleased now to be able to welcome another great airline on board the world’s premier global airline alliance.”

 

[LinaLee]

It looks like they are not even honouring my business class tickets from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur return taken in June 2022 as they claim it’s not eligible to earn. But it’s class “I”. Do I have grounds to get a review again?

 

[serfty]

It looks like they are not even honouring my business class tickets from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur return taken in June 2022 as they claim it’s not eligible to earn. But it’s class “I”. Do I have grounds to get a review again?

Before August, each segment between SIN KUL on MH in I class should earn 40 20 SC.

Do you have your original e-ticket showing fare bucket as well as your boarding passes?

It is not a review situation, I is what is published by Qantas - I would keep calling or otherwise keep trying to contact QFF.

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/frequent-flyer/earn-points/airline-earning-tables/earn-category-tables.html#malaysia-airlines

 

[sudoer]

each segment between SIN KUL on MH in I class should earn 40 SC.

It's actually 20 SC as SIN-KUL is 184mi. But this should absolutely earn ..

 

[LinaLee]

Ok, thanks for confirming @serfty and @sudoer. I have the very original ticke with the fare bucket but they keep changing flight times so, it’s a bit different from the boarding pass but that should not be the issue right as the flight number is the same.

 

[LinaLee]

Qantas frequent flyer got back to me after another review and points and status is now in the account.

 

[Mattg]

I wonder if it's any coincidence that the reduction in SCs on cheaper intra-Asia J fares is happening at the same time as MH is removing a row of J seats from its 737-800 fleet. Maybe they want to sell fewer lower-yielding J fares going forward?

New Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 cabin interior

Malaysia Airlines has unveiled new seats and a refreshed cabin interior for its Boeing 737-800 fleet. The first refurbished aircraft will enter service this month and over time a total of 38 aircraft will be progressively refurbished. A key change is new, "leaner" seats. MH is also removing a...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[RichardMEL]

I wonder if it's any coincidence that the reduction in SCs on cheaper intra-Asia J fares is happening at the same time as MH is removing a row of J seats from its 737-800 fleet. Maybe they want to sell fewer lower-yielding J fares going forward?

New Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 cabin interior

Malaysia Airlines has unveiled new seats and a refreshed cabin interior for its Boeing 737-800 fleet. The first refurbished aircraft will enter service this month and over time a total of 38 aircraft will be progressively refurbished. A key change is new, "leaner" seats. MH is also removing a...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

I doubt it to be honest.

MH controls the inventory of course so obviously that will put the squeeze on Discount J inventory to sell for them, but that's a yield management concern. I doubt they know or could give a satay about mileage earning rates on one or more partners (specially if the lower SC earn is a QF decision rather than a MH one).

I reckon a fair coincidence tbh (also considering it will take time to refit the MH 737 fleet too).

 

[Mattg]

I doubt it to be honest.

MH controls the inventory of course so obviously that will put the squeeze on Discount J inventory to sell for them, but that's a yield management concern. I doubt they know or could give a satay about mileage earning rates on one or more partners (specially if the lower SC earn is a QF decision rather than a MH one).

I reckon a fair coincidence tbh (also considering it will take time to refit the MH 737 fleet too).

FWIW, I've been told MH may have instigated this change and not QF. (I haven't been able to verify this, though, and ultimately QF can decide how many status credits to award etc.)

 

[RichardMEL]

FWIW, I've been told MH may have instigated this change and not QF. (I haven't been able to verify this, though, and ultimately QF can decide how many status credits to award etc.)

always possible. I still don't see the two being connected though. I mean if the intent was to curb demand for cheaper seats being sold they do that with inventory controls. It seems an odd thing to try to target demand by meas of FF earn.

Just looking at BAEC, it seems for MH they have (since 1 Oct 21) a "Business Low" category (Z class) which earns only* 100% vs 125^ of avois for the other J fare classes. So there's been a distinction there. Sadly for us the Tier Points (ie SC) earn is the same for all the J cabin fares.

of course we know the MH/QF "relationship" is.... not the best.

* "I write "only" with the full irony compared to the QFF earn.

 

[oz_mark]

FWIW, I've been told MH may have instigated this change and not QF. (I haven't been able to verify this, though, and ultimately QF can decide how many status credits to award etc.)

MH probably cut back how much they were willing to pay QF for those fare classes.

 

[sudoer]

MH probably cut back how much they were willing to pay QF for those fare classes.

That's what I had assumed but TTR's comment seems to indicate otherwise.

 

[TheTravelExperience]

That's what I had assumed but TTR's comment seems to indicate otherwise.

Hi, I could be wrong but I would venture that those two points are NOT mutually exclusive

Caveat. I am not from the industry so this is purely a stab in the dark and I stand to be corrected.

On the one hand, QF might seek to reduce the attractiveness for QFF members when flying say:
PER-KUL / KUL - PER (MH), which would be a) non stop and b) potentially cheaper vs. say PER - SIN - KUL (QF & 3K/MH). This can be considered quite clear.

On the other hand, while reducing the MH I&Z intra asean fares to Eco Flex, might have the same aim, i.e., reducing the attractiveness for QFF members when looking at say, PER - KUL - BKK (MH) vs. PER - SYD - BKK (QF),
if,
MH was QF paying less for what TTR calls "Points accrual 'commissions" then QF might also seek to make MH Business Basic Fares less attractive for QFF members seeking to build status vs say 3K which flies intra asean and does have a business max option. Hence why I would consider the two views NOT mutually exclusive.

Recently CX, made it harder to determine fare class at booking, and QFF also dropped the earn categories on some CX fare classes.

Finally, while QFF earn rates for Malaysia UK / Europe on MH are in my view, painful, the same cannot be said for BA which also serves Malaysia UK / Europe (or at least did pre 2020)

On a less related note, MH no longer assigns fare class in Y based on the ticket type. One could buy the most expensive Y fare "economy flex" and get say "Q" class which does not earn anything on most OneWorld Partners which can be seen to reduce / eliminate "Points accrual 'commissions" for OneWorld Partners whose FPP members fly MH.

 

[RichardMEL]

I would say the number of people who determine flight/carrier options based on SC earn is probably relatively small compared to those who rank on price and schedule convenience.

Now sure on THIS forum it would be very high.. but we have to remember that we're a niche group of people who care about such things. I can assure the vast majority do not.

Now they may fly those MH fares and get a nasty surprise when they review their earn post flights and get annoyed - I'm sure... but those planning specifically based on earn are probably not an overall large number of overall pax.

I think we all accept that the long standing "kangaroo route" devalued earn on MH was definitely designed to drive demand away from MH so of course that is a thing. Are regional earn changes designed to push traffic to 3K or other method? doubt it tbh. There's no direct QF competition and if one is paying for a J fare, they're likely not that interested in jetstar as an option. I think it's more to align to MH changes in fare offerings than as a demand control.

 

[Lynnelanne]

This really sucks. I purposely booked a J class PEN-KUL on MH thinking I’d get J class SC’s, and only just found out now that I only get 10 instead of 20. Bugger!