QF, Blocked Seats and Expert Flyer

[lovetravellingoz]

Hi All,

I have just taken free 5 day Trial of Expert Flyer to havea look at my flights

MEL LAX JFK Oct 31
JFK LAX MEL Nov13

Flying in O in economy. So in theory not upgradeable.
Travelling with my wife. Both are NB, but both are long-term QC.

Looking at the seat plans J is only half full or less.
However many seats are "Blocked".

Economy is stilla third or more empty too.

PE is full in the assigned are..but the second zone is blocked out.

QUESTION: With the "blocked seats" Is this just becuase QF hope to sell them to last minute flyers? (ie why showing blocked and not just vacant?).

Being inside 60 days I am hopeful that as QC that I wil be offered to upgrade my O fares (note normally) upgradeable...and/pr to be given an upgrade being QC (though onlyNB).

As I have enough points I would probably accept a points upgrade rather than chance it on the day.

Thoughts?

 

[notzac]

Hi All,

Looking at the seat plans J is only half full or less.
However many seats are "Blocked".

Preferred seats are generally blocked for Qantas Club members and pax with status.

 

[drewbles]

Preferred seats are generally blocked for Qantas Club members and pax with status.

minus the Qantas Club members. PS and above only AFAIK (I know I didn't have access to them when I was QP only. When I became PS I managed to get far better seating requests processed on International flights).

 

[Flashback]

minus the Qantas Club members. PS and above only AFAIK (I know I didn't have access to them when I was QP only. When I became PS I managed to get far better seating requests processed on International flights).

I have access to preferred seating as a QP NB and in fact have 40G for example on my MEL-SIN which puts me in the bulkhead with the nice cut-out

 

[serfty]

minus the Qantas Club members. PS and above only AFAIK (I know I didn't have access to them when I was QP only. When I became PS I managed to get far better seating requests processed on International flights).

Mrs Serfty as a QP member was able to access preferred seating back in 2006.

Since later that year, she has been PG so it may have changed.

 

[jpk]

I have access to preferred seating as a QP NB and in fact have 40G for example on my MEL-SIN which puts me in the bulkhead with the nice cut-out

I am surprised you got that as a NB - it is one of the sweetest Y seats in the fleet.

 

[serfty]

I am surprised you got that as a NB - it is one of the sweetest Y seats in the fleet.

As posted, QP us about the same level as PS in QFF hierachy; and yes - a QP NB does get access to preferred seating.

Probably not as good as it used to be with the recent introduction of the Altea system.

 

[tuapekastar]

As posted, QP us about the same level as PS in QFF hierachy; and yes - a QP NB does get access to preferred seating.

Probably not as good as it used to be with the recent introduction of the Altea system.

IME, not as good as before Altea. As a QP NB pre-Altea, if booking several months out, I could often get the first row of Y in a 737 TT. Now as a QP PS post-Altea, in four bookings have not been able to get forward of row 8. Could be coincidence of course, and maybe they all (including middles) were taken, but I doubt it.

 

[jpk]

As posted, QP us about the same level as PS in QFF hierachy; and yes - a QP NB does get access to preferred seating.

Probably not as good as it used to be with the recent introduction of the Altea system.

That's what surprised me - I thought post-Altea that the best preferred seats (eg: row 40) were for WP/SG only. Guess I was wrong.

 

[estate]

If a flight isn't full, and blocked seats still aren't taken once check-in opens (whether 24hours out or just at the desk), can pax with no status then select those nicer seats? By then any high status passengers will have had the opportunity to choose them, so surely QF would open them up once check-in opens?