QF early-2017 award availability - restricted to elite status holders?

[Quickstatus]

This thread scared the cough out of me. I'm an NB with lots of points from CC's. Pleased to find there are still F award seats available to me.

But why is any QF domestic connection to QF1, in Y, instead of J?

If my status was higher than NB, would the connection be in J?

More than one reason: Probably the J award connecting flight is unavailable systemwide for that flight or not available to NB but available to WP or higher.

 

[Quickstatus]

I was actually wondering the other day how do you do that on the same booking online?
Online you say "search award" so it only shows the award seats.

get the award seats on a separate booking to the revenue seat.
you will be unable to combine them into one booking but you can ring QF to let them know the two tickets are travelling together and seated together.
I do it all the time
As usual these are requests only and can never be written into stone.

 

[ETA_2022]

More than one reason: Probably the J award connecting flight is unavailable systemwide for that flight or not available to NB but available to WP or higher.

Nope. All the QF connection flights have J award seats available to me (NB), if booked separately, so it's not due to a lack of J award seats.

Perhaps a PS, SG or WP could check if their connection from Melb to Syd to join QF1 on Feb 5 2017, is Y or J.

Looking at something else, I just discovered that for a J award the domestic connection is J, but on the same flight F award has a Y domestic connection. WTF! How does that make sense?

 

[tania73]

Nope. All the QF connection flights have J award seats available to me (NB) if booked separately, so it's not due to a lack of J award seats.

Perhaps a PS, SG or WP could check if their connection from Melb to Syd to join QF1 on Feb 5 2017, is Y or J.

I am SG and it was a Y connection at 1300 or 1400. Could also get direct QF 9 flight

 

[serfty]

...

Looking at something else, I discovered that if I fly J award, the domestic connection is J, but on the same flight F award has a Y domestic connection. WTF! How does that make sense?

Maybe "Married Segments" - i.e. U (business award) is available for the route (origin to final destination) but is not on a per segment basis for either segment.

 

[Quickstatus]

Nope. All the QF connection flights have J award seats available to me (NB), if booked separately, so it's not due to a lack of J award seats.

Perhaps a PS, SG or WP could check if their connection from Melb to Syd to join QF1 on Feb 5 2017, is Y or J.

Looking at something else, I just discovered that for a J award the domestic connection is J, but on the same flight F award has a Y domestic connection. WTF! How does that make sense?

Additional to Serfty,
In that case the reason is that they are not wanting to give a U + P award for a P award points cost.
I have seen the same as a WP so cannot say whether it's status related.
I have also seen U+P as a NB.

It may be worth ringing up to see whether U+P is available. I would refrain from pressing the point though as the agent can only say yes or no.

 

[ETA_2022]

I am SG and it was a Y connection at 1300 or 1400. Could also get direct QF 9 flight

Thanks for confirming it's the same for higher status passengers.

 

[ETA_2022]

Looking at something else, I just discovered that for a J award the domestic connection is J, but on the same flight F award has a Y domestic connection. WTF! How does that make sense?

Actually I was wrong. Not the same flight.

For the same departure and arrival ports, on the same day, there was a J award with a J connection and a F award with a Y connection. Although the F award was actually a Y domestic connection followed by Y to the US, with only the US connection if F! I didn't check, but I hope it was much cheaper than the more direct all J award.

 

[big_RED]

get the award seats on a separate booking to the revenue seat.
you will be unable to combine them into one booking but you can ring QF to let them know the two tickets are travelling together and seated together.
I do it all the time
As usual these are requests only and can never be written into stone.

Awesome. Thanks for the heads up.
Might not be able to ever do this though if I go business class with points haha.

 

[TahoeSkier]

Can anyone shed light on what I would expect to be paying if I went down the 'points plus pay' path for greater flexibility?

Example....MEL-LAX in J is 96k plus taxes as a reward seat. If I was to apply 96k points to a P+P booking, how much cash would I be up for on top?

Perhaps using late Jan 17 as a case study, where Business Sale is around $2700 each way as a paid fare.

 

[Scr77]

Using that method, I estimate that your 96k points will be valued at a measly $600. Just do a dummy (paid) booking and check using the slider.

 

[straitman]

Can anyone shed light on what I would expect to be paying if I went down the 'points plus pay' path for greater flexibility?

Example....MEL-LAX in J is 96k plus taxes as a reward seat. If I was to apply 96k points to a P+P booking, how much cash would I be up for on top?

Perhaps using late Jan 17 as a case study, where Business Sale is around $2700 each way as a paid fare.

Just start a booking and quite early in the piece it will offer points & pay. You can then play with the slider to adjust points input as required.

 

[TahoeSkier]

Thanks guys

I did know about that facility, but I won't be in a position to do an accurate dummy run for a few weeks - waiting on a couple of family transfers to happen.

Hmm $600 for 100k points. Seems bad value, but booking 1x Reward seat and 1x P+P may be a useful way to get two of us into QF93 for reasonable (cash) outlay. Burning the points doesn't faze me really.

 

[straitman]

Thanks guys

I did know about that facility, but I won't be in a position to do an accurate dummy run for a few weeks - waiting on a couple of family transfers to happen.

Hmm $600 for 100k points. Seems bad value, but booking 1x Reward seat and 1x P+P may be a useful way to get two of us into QF93 for reasonable (cash) outlay. Burning the points doesn't faze me really.

I just tried a P & P booking myself and actually think you are being kind with you comment 'Seems bad value'

It seems absolutely awful value to me.

 

[TahoeSkier]

I just tried a P & P booking myself and actually think you are being kind with you comment 'Seems bad value'

It seems absolutely awful value to me.

What route? And what was the points/cash mix?

It is horrid value in terms of points, but for 2x Bronze FF wanting to fly together in Business, our options are very limited.

 

[Scr77]

Using the slider, 96k points saves $672. That equates to 0.7cents per point. It won't matter what fare you use them on, take your balance and multiple by 0.007 and that will show you your possible cash saving by using them this way.

 

[Quickstatus]

What route? And what was the points/cash mix?

It is horrid value in terms of points, but for 2x Bronze FF wanting to fly together in Business, our options are very limited.

P+P not worth it but it's your points to burn as you wish

I would do 1 U and then 1 revenue, and save your points for another occasion.

 

[TahoeSkier]

I would do 1 U and then 1 revenue, and save your points for another occasion.

Correct - only snag with this is virtually zero U avails late Jan '17, so I can't even lock in one.

I think my best course of action will be to monitor QF website and jump on 1x U if one should pop up, and book another revenue. Failing that, we book Y x2, and join the upgrade lottery.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Correct - only snag with this is virtually zero U avails late Jan '17, so I can't even lock in one.

I think my best course of action will be to monitor QF website and jump on 1x U if one should pop up, and book another revenue. Failing that, we book Y x2, and join the upgrade lottery.

Yeah - the upgrade lottery for a bronze is pretty slim pickings. Plus you have to pay a higher fare to be in the running. With the current bargain basement fares you might be better off considering a 'comfort seat' - you'd buy one extra seat which would give you a spare in the middle of you in a block of three. You don't pay the taxes on the comfort seat, so it can be reasonably economical.

 

[straitman]

What route? And what was the points/cash mix?

It is horrid value in terms of points, but for 2x Bronze FF wanting to fly together in Business, our options are very limited.

I just tried it on a domestic MEL-SYD sector.

MEL-SYD-MEL in Business was $1539 or $1188 and 50,000 points. Gives a value of $0.70 per point.