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

[Doctore1003]

I suspect its been ramped up a little. Given how easy it is to earn points these days, I am not disappointed that those who fly with the airline a lot (and you have to these days with 'simpler and fairer') to get status might actually get additional redemption benefit.

I completely agree, though Bronze should still have access to some decent level of availability.

 

[Pushka]

I completely agree, though Bronze should still have access to some decent level of availability.

But heavy duty FF'ers book their seats 12 months out because their availability (eg to US) is poor. I am on the prowl for July 2017!

 

[Quickstatus]

I completely agree, though Bronze should still have access to some decent level of availability.

Therein lies the issue - what's decent availability?. There is only limited availability of award seats and especially in the pointy end. Qantas' model is as described above. Lots of points chasing few seats and everyone wants premium seats sometimes at peak travel times and often more than one award seat. Some are going to be disappointed.

 

[Doctore1003]

My point was more about the principle I believe in - that if Qantas decide to set aside award seats for elite members, they should still continue to make a few seats available each week on popular flights for bronze and silver. I know it's probably not going to happen, but from my perspective it's the right thing to do.

 

[Pushka]

My point was more about the principle I believe in - that if Qantas decide to set aside award seats for elite members, they should still continue to make a few seats available each week on popular flights for bronze and silver. I know it's probably not going to happen, but from my perspective it's the right thing to do.

And I guess our point is that Award Travel is difficult for everyone these days to obtain. And the 'popular' flights are the most difficult, for obvious reasons.

 

[Quickstatus]

But they do, its just that the the most commonly available award seat - X is also the least desirable. X seats are available to everyone and generally speaking on most if not all flights domestic and international 9according the Qantas there is no blackout periods). Obviously there are also the less common Z,U,P seats which may not be available on every flight, and not visible to everyone.

These seats are taken up very quickly on the more popular flights and flights in peak travel periods.

 

[medhead]

But as per Quickstatus most recent post, this has been in the T&C's but maybe not enforced until now.

Having said that, if I want to book award flights I have always used my partners Lifetime Gold and WP account to book.

I believe that preferential access thing has been actively used since at least 2011.

 

[Flying mermaid]

And I guess our point is that Award Travel is difficult for everyone these days to obtain. And the 'popular' flights are the most difficult, for obvious reasons.

This is true I booked for a bronze relative last year and I was literally sitting at the computer at 10am waiting for the award seats to be released so I could book for him. When I was monitoring seats for approx 2 months before I booked for him, I noticed J award seats didn't last long, paticularly out of Syd and Mel. Typically any were gone that day and on some days there were no J awards at all (I assume already taken by platinums phoning up) - BNE lasted longer. This is on routes to the USA. I was using my account to check as well as his and didn't notice any significant difference, but this was June, July last year.

 

[TahoeSkier]

Interesting that the little 'pocket' of J/F availability for Jan 23-26 remains. (MEL/SYD-LAX)

Single seats only - surprised they are still visible at all.

 

[Quickstatus]

Interesting that the little 'pocket' of J/F availability for Jan 23-26 remains. (MEL/SYD-LAX)

Single seats only - surprised they are still visible at all.

I have also noticed in the past "little pockets" of availability surrounded by the desert for transpacific and other international flight. Not sure why but speculating that for Jan23-26 is a relatively quieter period as its almost the start of the school year and when people start coming back to Australia rather than leaving???

 

[tania73]

This is really mucking around with the AA website too. Basically every QF flight out of AUS is unavailable when you click onto the payment screen. It has been a problem with F availability for a while, but now its every flight. I really wish for transparency and fairness sake, QF would put out a statement on this now saying we are restricting xx_xx_. We can then make an informed choice about whether we choose to participate in their program.

 

[Pushka]

This is really mucking around with the AA website too. Basically every QF flight out of AUS is unavailable when you click onto the payment screen. It has been a problem with F availability for a while, but now its every flight. I really wish for transparency and fairness sake, QF would put out a statement on this now saying we are restricting xx_xx_. We can then make an informed choice about whether we choose to participate in their program.

AA dont know what status with Qantas you have.

 

[Cool Cat Phil]

I have also noticed in the past "little pockets" of availability surrounded by the desert for transpacific and other international flight. Not sure why but speculating that for Jan23-26 is a relatively quieter period as its almost the start of the school year and when people start coming back to Australia rather than leaving???

Very true, plenty of peaks and troughs at the beginning of the year on flights over the pacific.

Flew out on QF93 MEL > LAX on Jan 28th this year, flight would have been only 50% full across all cabins, flight back on QF94 LAX > MEL two weeks later in Feb was 100% full, no shadows for anyone.

 

[tania73]

AA dont know what status with Qantas you have.

Agreed, but it shows that QF is releasing basically nothing to AA

 

[Scr77]

Red Roo hasn't made a post since 18 March.

 

[coriander]

Flew out on QF93 MEL > LAX on Jan 28th this year, flight would have been only 50% full across all cabins, flight back on QF94 LAX > MEL two weeks later in Feb was 100% full, no shadows for anyone.

+1.

In 2012, we flew home on QF94 departing LAX 24/01: plane was chock-full, our three kids in whY, Mrs C and I in J. I went downstairs during the flight to see how they were faring and discovered that there was a large group of chatting youngsters: turned out there were about 12 kids from our school all on that same flight : all families with same idea - fly home on last possible date before school started on 27/01 (as you arrive into MEL on 26/01). Your mid-Feb flight would be full on account university and TAFE students and families flying home (as those institutions start 3-4 weeks after schools).

 

[Pushka]

Agreed, but it shows that QF is releasing basically nothing to AA

Because the award seats are booked on QF site a few weeks earlier. QF is 363? Days out, AA is 332? Days out. So QF is a full month earlier than AA. U availability at peak times is long gone by the time AA opens up.

 

[cjd600]

Because the award seats are booked on QF site a few weeks earlier. QF is 363? Days out, AA is 332? Days out. So QF is a full month earlier than AA. U availability at peak times is long gone by the time AA opens up.

drron, I think it was, in one of the early posts noted he could see J availability on QF BNE-LAX, but same dates could not see it on his AA account (am assuming he knows the QF 353 day vs AA 330 day time lag for the dates he was checking).

So this would indicate that QF are not releasing premium cabins to either their own low-tier FF members or to their partners' FF members...

 

[andye]

drron, I think it was, in one of the early posts noted he could see J availability on QF BNE-LAX, but same dates could not see it on his AA account (am assuming he knows the QF 353 day vs AA 330 day time lag for the dates he was checking).

So this would indicate that QF are not releasing premium cabins to either their own low-tier FF members or to their partners' FF members...

Or it could be that QF are releasing seats to partners/low tiers but releasing more to status holders (as T&Cs allow)

Although it may be true, I don't think it has been definitively shown that QF has released fewer premium seats to non-status holders/partners on 2017 flights than 2016

 

[ShrinkWrapped]

This is really mucking around with the AA website too. Basically every QF flight out of AUS is unavailable when you click onto the payment screen. It has been a problem with F availability for a while, but now its every flight. I really wish for transparency and fairness sake, QF would put out a statement on this now saying we are restricting xx_xx_. We can then make an informed choice about whether we choose to participate in their program.

well I don't see it as a terrible thing since primarily my status is with QF. I do agree that the burn rates are awful compared to AA (and yes I have booked a F award from AKL -LHR on QF for NOV 2016) but it seems fair that they want to be able to award their higher tier members with seats. I mean when I was looking for the return on my SG account (to book LHR-SYD), there were wide open U and P availability for feb and early march 2017 which gave me more options as a QFF member to use my points I guess.

I mean technically they aren't breaking rules but rather enforcing rules and I don't think they HAVE to announce it even though it would be nice if they did. Maybe it's their way to restrict AA members getting a lot of seats and actually making people use qantas points and bank flights with qantas (for status) if we want to fly QF with points?

point 9 under tier benefits states:
"9. Preferential access will be provided, when available, to selected Qantas Classic Flight Reward seats for Silver, Gold and Platinum members. On selected flights, preferential access provided to Gold and Platinum members may be above the access available to Silver and Bronze members. Classic Flight Reward seat availability is limited and some flights may not have any Classic Flight Reward seats. When seats are available, preferential access is provided at qantas.com and from Qantas Telephone Sales and Qantas offices, excluding some international locations (Award Assistance Fee applies to assisted bookings)."