QFF Ideas & Suggestions

[Standby]

Finally one thing that I don't think has had as much debate/discussion is the removal of prioritisation for upgrades based on status - it used to be that even if I requested my upgrade as a WP at T-48 I trumped all the golds and below. That was a significant benefit of WP that has been removed without fanfare or warfare It has actually steered me towards other carriers.

I'm surprised by that comment, as far as I know (but will followup with a mate at QF and appologise if it has changed) The upgrade process and clearing normal waitlists is all done by status level top down . I can certainly say it worked for me coming back from MEL on a flex fare last week. I was waitlisted along with a work mate (I'm Gold ,he is bronze) both on the same fare ,I got my waitlist cleared ,he stood by to get on....which he did at the airport,i got an OP up on a very full flight

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

Emirates do confirmable upgrades at booking. It is not just AA. I believe Emirates is reported to have quite a decent product and service and is quite profitable and is able to confirm upgrades. This is not an unreasonable request.

I also expect that people are asking for every seat to be upgradeable but that if requested then the upgrade is confirmed or denied at that point which relieves uncertainty and may influence routing/timing.

I believe you can be instantly upgraded on request if there is U class availability. Otherwise, you are making an upgrade 'request'. Why would they give away a premium seat for a x,000 points when they can make good revenue on the seat?

Finally one thing that I don't think has had as much debate/discussion is the removal of prioritisation for upgrades based on status - it used to be that even if I requested my upgrade as a WP at T-48 I trumped all the golds and below. That was a significant benefit of WP that has been removed without fanfare or warfare It has actually steered me towards other carriers.

If that is true, the conditions of the programme haven't been updated:
16.3.5 Flight Upgrades will be awarded to Members according to their Qantas Frequent Flyer status levels in the following order: Platinum Members first, then Gold Members, then Silver Members and then Bronze Members.
(Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions)

 

[samh004]

I wonder where red roo has gone?

I would wager on red roo lurking in the background :shock:

Red Roo last was seen today at 10:54AM, so in the background would be right

 

[simongr]

I believe you can be instantly upgraded on request if there is U class availability. Otherwise, you are making an upgrade 'request'. Why would they give away a premium seat for a x,000 points when they can make good revenue on the seat?

But that at least is better than QF's system

If that is true, the conditions of the programme haven't been updated:
16.3.5 Flight Upgrades will be awarded to Members according to their Qantas Frequent Flyer status levels in the following order: Platinum Members first, then Gold Members, then Silver Members and then Bronze Members.
(Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions)

The view here is that it is first based on fare basis of the original fare.

 

[dfcatch]

I believe you can be instantly upgraded on request if there is U class availability. Otherwise, you are making an upgrade 'request'. Why would they give away a premium seat for a x,000 points when they can make good revenue on the seat?

If that is true, the conditions of the programme haven't been updated:
16.3.5 Flight Upgrades will be awarded to Members according to their Qantas Frequent Flyer status levels in the following order: Platinum Members first, then Gold Members, then Silver Members and then Bronze Members.
(Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions)

What people are asking for is the old QF system, which is the same as the domestic QF system, which I believe is the same as the AirNZ system etc etc.

That is:

You can confirm an upgrade immediately if there is U availability. If not, you can waitlist (or try an ODU in the QP if domestic).
That way, if waitlisted, premium status pax are still at the front of the queue. And QF can still try and sell their premium seats for revenue.
If not sold, they can be released for the waitlist.

It's certainly not unreasonable, and used to work perfectly fine for QF and it's passengers.

 

[TonyHancock]

Red Roo last was seen today at 10:54AM, so in the background would be right

I have often seen Red Roo browsing threads, so there is no doubt in my mind she/he is lurking.

It is a good thing that QF is seeking feedback here. Regardless of outcome it has to be better than no presence here.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

The view here is that it is first based on fare basis of the original fare.

That hasn't been my experience. Are you suggesting an NB/QC/PS on a full Y would get an upgrade over a WP on a upgradable red e-deal? If so, has this been proven?

 

[tuapekastar]

An upgrade request is just that - a request. One is never 'guaranteed' an upgrade, and to expect this of the programme is a little unrealistic. Your points value collected for an upgrade request doesn't come anywhere near the revenue they could make off the premium seat if they sold it.

Those who extoll the virtues of the AA instant upgrade fares fail to note that their First domestic product isn't even as good as the QF economy product IMO (although provides good status run opportunities...). Not to mention they're nearly bankrupt.

If you wish to have a guaranteed seat in a premium cabin, buy a ticket, or avail of some of the good JASA (business any seat award) opportunities.

They are called 'premium' cabins for a reason...

I'm quite happy that people are getting upset at Qantas lately, means more award seats and room in the J/F lounges for me haha.

I could have worded my post better.

I wasn't expecting a guaranteed upgrade no matter what, just wishing, as others have suggested, that the upgrade could be known to be available (or not) prior to forking out extra money for an upgradeable fare.

I flew RTW a few months ago and got two J to F miles/points upgrades. With the AA one, I simply saw that there was A2 availablity on the flight and rang and got the upgrade (and availability quickly dropped to A1). With QF I put in the request via the standard channel and (pleasantly surprised ) got the upgrade - points disappeared from my account maybe the day before the flight.

Domestically on QF if there is business class award seat availability, then you can purchase an upgradeable fare and request and have confirmed the upgrade immediately (or at least that's how it was last time I did it - a while ago admittedly). I'd like to see something similar on QF international. Or, if they won't do that then I'm quite happy (well, maybe not entirely happy) to make a 'request' and go into the lottery, but if I had to do that, I'd prefer to be able to do it on the cheapest fare, which currently is not always possible.

I have a couple of JASA bookings for an NZ trip next month.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

I wasn't expecting a guaranteed upgrade no matter what, just wishing, as others have suggested, that the upgrade could be known to be available (or not) prior to forking out extra money for an upgradeable fare.

By buying an upgradable fare, you have increased your chance of an upgrade by 100%

 

[tuapekastar]

By buying an upgradable fare, you have increased your chance of an upgrade by 100%

It certainly helps.

 

[medhead]

Ok here is a big idea, maybe not good for statused frequent flyers but it is seriously making me want to fly with Singapore Airlines.

Fix you stuffed up flight booking system!

I'm trying to get from ADL to SIN, I know the dates I want, I know the flights I want. I can get those flights by using the multi city booking engine - but that puts me onto O fares. The thing is I want an upgradable fare - which just isn't an option using multicity booking. Ok switch to the simpler ADL-SIN return booking process and it offer me a domestic option that connects to the SYD-SIN flight that I want 70 minutes before the international departure. Or I can fly with Jetstar in the morning. On the return my perferred flight doesn't even show up. Instead there are morning flights via SYd or PER - I want an evening flight, or QF10 to MEL might be ok, or 5! options using Jetstar. At least I can pick a fare class higher than "O", shame it isn't on a convenient flight, or even with Qantas. (yes, Jetstar is a totally separate airline we all know that )

I could book ADL-SYD, SYD-SIN separately for a higher cost with Qantas, or a not as much higher cost using the competition. Or I can ring up and book for a $60 fee. Or I could fly Singapore Air direct ADL-SIN :idea:
All for something that the Qantas website can not do.

Sorry very rambly. In summary if you want me to spend more money why can't I choose to buy a more flexible more expensive fare using the multicity booking tool?

 

[Red Roo]

Confirming Red Roo has been lurking and is still around. Thank you all for an interesting discussion and your suggestions.

We're having a look at the the points raised; please understand that our competitors are here, so there are some things I can't comment on

Thanks again!

 

[TonyHancock]

Confirming Red Roo has been lurking and is still around. Thank you all for an interesting discussion and your suggestions.

We're having a look at the the points raised; please understand that our competitors are here, so there are some things I can't comment on

Thanks again!

Good to see you are still here RedRoo! You have competitors :?::shock:

 

[Red Roo]

Finally one thing that I don't think has had as much debate/discussion is the removal of prioritisation for upgrades based on status - it used to be that even if I requested my upgrade as a WP at T-48 I trumped all the golds and below. That was a significant benefit of WP that has been removed without fanfare or warfare It has actually steered me towards other carriers.

Just to clarify, we have not changed our policy in this regard.

Upgrades are allocated according to your membership level: Platinum Frequent Flyers first, followed by Gold, Silver and then Bronze. When using your points to upgrade an eligible family member, the upgrade will be awarded according to the eligible family member's priority not the status of the Qantas Frequent Flyer whose points are being used.

Unfortunately I'm not able to post a link yet, due to post count, however you can find this at qantas.com, under Frequent Flyer -> Using Points -> Flight Upgrades -> About Flight Upgrades

 

[Red Roo]

Ladies and gentlemen. Today you are reading a post from an AFF member who has learnt a lot from the board and likes to contribute when he can. Subtly, everyone’s opinions and frequent flyer programs are different. That’s why it’s important that you review this post. At the very least, run through this quick, possible Qantas Frequent Flyer incentives checklist:

I must say, I had a sense of nostalgia just reading through that Very cleverly written, put a smile on my face!

Thank you, Red Roo, for actively seeking feedback. No doubt you're making a lot of people very happy and engendering value simply by playing a part on this site and even posing questions.

Thank you for your kind comments and to the wider community for your contributions.

 

[TheInsider]

Confirming Red Roo has been lurking and is still around. Thank you all for an interesting discussion and your suggestions.

Thanks again!

Welcome back Corporate Communications! I mean Red Roo!

 

[el_rooto]

Confirming Red Roo has been lurking and is still around. Thank you all for an interesting discussion and your suggestions.

We're having a look at the the points raised; please understand that our competitors are here, so there are some things I can't comment on

Thanks again!

Good luck handling the work you'll all have over the next few weeks.

 

[simongr]

Just to clarify, we have not changed our policy in this regard.

Thanks for the clarification - but could you also clarify whether it is still time based or fare based.

I.e. does a t-89 days D class fare beat a t-50 day J class fare.

This does have an impact on timing/ticketing of bookings for me. If fare basis is not as important then I will book as far in advance as possible to maximise my upgrade chance.

 

[TheInsider]

Here is an idea and suggestion. Let staff on staff travel use the Q bag tags, you don't have to give them one, but allow them to use it especially if they are willing to pay for it.

 

[pauly7]

Good to see you are still here RedRoo! You have competitors :?::shock:

Who is the competitor ?