Qantas surveying members about spend-based status attainment

[33kft]

Talking about the lounge here… you fly domestically in the US and get cheap status. Then you fly a £27 fare on BA but consume a £50 bottle of champagne in the galleries First lounge.

The problem is you can build a scenario like this for Australia - flying JQ on some sale fare from the intl terminal or leveraging one of the domestic widebody services departing intl, but to suggest it is endemic is utter bs, nobody can be bothered going through the rigmorale, or tolerating JQ flights:

K

Thread 'Qantas Lounge Access on Domestically International JQ Flight'

Apr 6, 2023

Quick question - I notice that JetStar operates one flight right now that departs from the international terminal of MEL but is domestic service (i.e. JQ15 from MEL to CNS). I'm wondering if one would have access to the QF lounges if taking such flights?

The reason I ask is that I reckon it could be exceptionally good value to book one of those tickets for 120ish dollarydoos and then proceed to spend some quality time at the Qantas First lounge (e.g., as a Qantas World Platinum member). And with the reliability and on-time performance JQ is world renowned for, I wouldn't be particularly...

• kangarooflyer88
• airline lounges
• Replies: 25
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

Just because you can, doesn't mean everyone does. If QF are gonna act on the 1%, so be it.

 

[Lynda2475]

So simpler/cheaper making SCs more expensive would be to not run DSCs and remove lounge access for JQ flights; easily done as aren't OW.

Although again I think you over estimate how many JQ passengers are in the F lounge on any given day.

Noting that QF First already impose a 1 glass per person limit on the rare occasions they have something expensive like Grange on offer and also have extra menu options available for those on F tickets.

Spa treatments are a fixed cost and limited. F pax and P1s flying QF are given first choice of appointments ahead of those flying partners or of lower status in J and whY.

Having spent a couple of extended periods (5hours + due to delays on my flight) in the QF first cant say that Ive really witnessed people gorging themselves on food or drinking excessively. And I watched a lot of people come and go.

Im sure QF (and this is a QF thread) have done the maths and wouldnt be running DSC promos if they felt they needed to reduce number of elites in the F lounges.

As Australia tends to be a end/start point its Int lounges dont see the volume of pax that would visit lounges in major hubs like LHR or even HEL; as there are few connecting international flights. And QF lounges don't serve full strength coughtails or the breadth or premium wines that EU first lounges have.

 

[Sabot]

The problem is you can build a scenario like this for Australia - flying JQ on some sale fare from the intl terminal or leveraging JQ15 from MEL or whatever, but to suggest it is endemic is utter bs, nobody can be bothered going through the rigmorale, or tolerating JQ flights:

K

Thread 'Qantas Lounge Access on Domestically International JQ Flight'

Apr 6, 2023

Quick question - I notice that JetStar operates one flight right now that departs from the international terminal of MEL but is domestic service (i.e. JQ15 from MEL to CNS). I'm wondering if one would have access to the QF lounges if taking such flights?

The reason I ask is that I reckon it could be exceptionally good value to book one of those tickets for 120ish dollarydoos and then proceed to spend some quality time at the Qantas First lounge (e.g., as a Qantas World Platinum member). And with the reliability and on-time performance JQ is world renowned for, I wouldn't be particularly...

• kangarooflyer88
• airline lounges
• Replies: 25
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

Just because you can, doesn't mean everyone does. If QF are gonna act on the 1%, so be it.

It would not be difficult to solve this issue directly through the ticketing system either.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

So long as it isn't a backdoor to devalue status credit earn overall, I personally support it.

The days of frequent flyer "miles" is long dead, and I would argue even the idea of a "Frequent Flyer" and customer loyalty being seen as valuable are long dead, with the way status credit are so heavily skewed to premium seats. The system already massively tips the scales to spending over actually loyalty, so this is just calling a spade a spade. You will know you need to spend $x000 to reach gold status, and $x0,000 to reach platinum and so forth.

As someone who regularly flies to locations like Darwin, Canberra and Port Moresby with (often wildly) overpriced tickets, it would likely benefit me assuming they don't use it as a cover to "enhance" the system.

I really don't see most of the "downsides" in the article as losses; Gamification? Really?

 

[trader10]

I have no doubt QFF intends to go down this path. Look at the American Airlines and BA. As for the FIFOs most are Platinum anyway from my WA trips. I have dropped Platinum FF and now go with another carrier International.

 

[Simpic]

It's gonna happen. No matter how much people moan.

 

[elanshin]

It's gonna happen. No matter how much people moan.

I have no doubt QFF intends to go down this path. Look at the American Airlines and BA. As for the FIFOs most are Platinum anyway from my WA trips. I have dropped Platinum FF and now go with another carrier International.

Well yes no-one here doesn't believe that some form of change will happen but is it 1 year? 3years? 5years? 10 years?

All those timelines mean very different things. 10 years and most of the FF here would be LTG even if you started the game today.

So long as it isn't a backdoor to devalue status credit earn overall, I personally support it.

The days of frequent flyer "miles" is long dead, and I would argue even the idea of a "Frequent Flyer" and customer loyalty being seen as valuable are long dead, with the way status credit are so heavily skewed to premium seats. The system already massively tips the scales to spending over actually loyalty, so this is just calling a spade a spade. You will know you need to spend $x000 to reach gold status, and $x0,000 to reach platinum and so forth.

As someone who regularly flies to locations like Darwin, Canberra and Port Moresby with (often wildly) overpriced tickets, it would likely benefit me assuming they don't use it as a cover to "enhance" the system.

I really don't see most of the "downsides" in the article as losses; Gamification? Really?

I don't think QFF would be as simple to go down AA's path but maybe some other version of revenue spend in the future. There are many status programs out there and not necessarily all of them are the most profitable - it could even be that in the future some of the other airlines revert back to a points based system for status if their analysis determined it was better.

Loyalty is a big and complex thing and honestly a whole business in of itself. It probably already is QFs most profitable division and as such they're going to make sure to not shoot themselves with any major changes.

 

[kgreenuq]

I hate the idea -- I'd lose status, and without that there's no reason for me to continue to preference Qantas when I fly.

 

[justinbrett]

It’s like some people didn’t even read the article.

 

[Sabot]

I think I have made this point before but something to consider would be the impact on the international business as a byproduct of changes to domestic passenger behaviours.

Qantas has a relatively weak product in the international space and I imagine QFF loyalty helps them significantly here. It would be easy to conceive of a scenario in which domestic profitability is improved at the expense of the already marginal international offering.

 

[trader10]

Agree that Qantas I believe will go the same route as BA and other airlines. Earn per $ spent on the plane or shopping via rewards. You just have to look at the absence of Classic Reward seats on overseas flights for their “ points and pay”. I used to be Platinum and given it up for another International carrier despite being lifetime gold. Don’t forget the age of the Qantas fleet. The pointy end always costs $ on any airline . For me personally I have moved on.

 

[33kft]

I have dropped Platinum FF and now go with another carrier International.

I used to be Platinum and given it up for another International carrier despite being lifetime gold.

For me personally I have moved on.

Clearly....