QFF Platinum requesting release of extra Classic Reward seats?

[sudoer]

Also, when I mentioned something about being charged for the booking he was very clear in saying that because this could not be done online there would be no service charge. Finally, after mentioning this he indicated that this function (i.e. requesting award seat release) would be made available online in the future. He was then very coy when I probed a little further. Let's see what the future holds on this front.

As convenient as this sounds, the cynic in me sees this leading to either less award availability as the benefit becomes widely publicised, or Qantas finding a way to monetise it e.g. cash/points fee for releasing seats. Or both.

 

[RichardMEL]

As convenient as this sounds, the cynic in me sees this leading to either less award availability as the benefit becomes widely publicised, or Qantas finding a way to monetise it e.g. cash/points fee for releasing seats. Or both.

oh gee that is a very valid concern.

Sort of a half way between the "new" ASA's and Classic Rewards.... Request for 5k points if successful or even the "cost" to request being tied to the seat to release (eg: more for F SYD-DFW than for PE on SYD-HKG).

hmm. I can definitely see that as a possible extention of the idea. yikes.

 

[hossein_au]

ssshhhh... don't jinx it guys!

 

[Solid]

Another request and another fail today. Still yet to get one through!

 

[travellerqff]

Requested PER SYD JNB CPT in J for 3 consecutive dates July next year and my first choice was approved.

2 x J awards for 2 x WP

JNB CPT is a BA sector and there just happened to be award space

Taxes $545~ pp. 138k points pp.

 

[travellerqff]

Re: QFF Platinum and request release of extra Classic award seats


How likely are you to find I class when there are only 28 seats in business?

How successful have people been getting business class seats released on A330 services?

It depends on how many seats have been sold on the flight already. Then they will revaluate closer to the flight. So often I request twice if not successful the first time.

 

[mrsterryn]

I managed to totally stuff up a rewards booking yesterday. Included in Qantas fixing it up for me was my first request for a seat to be released
It was auto granted
Very happy with that

 

[cardiology]

Got 3 Business class request from HND to SYD, got 2 approval almost instantly and then the third an hour later. Happy.

 

[Pushka]

I was a fail the other day for HNL to Sydney. I’d requested it months ago and had completely forgotten about it and had booked an alternative flight out of SFO. Award seats are rare on this route on Qantas as I’d constantly tracked it. Anyway received an email for me to contact them. Oh, I had it! Nup, I had to call them and queue just to find out they’d not been granted. Why not just email me the bad news?

 

[kevrosmith]

I was a fail the other day for HNL to Sydney. I’d requested it months ago and had completely forgotten about it and had booked an alternative flight out of SFO. Award seats are rare on this route on Qantas as I’d constantly tracked it. Anyway received an email for me to contact them. Oh, I had it! Nup, I had to call them and queue just to find out they’d not been granted. Why not just email me the bad news?

IME, if you ask them for the shell PNR when you submit the request, you can track the outcome yourself online. YMMV

 

[sudoer]

IME, if you ask them for the shell PNR when you submit the request, you can track the outcome yourself online. YMMV

The reference number they provide you to call back with is the PNR:

Wiki - QFF Platinum requesting release of extra Classic award seats?

 

[Kangol]

IME, if you ask them for the shell PNR when you submit the request, you can track the outcome yourself online. YMMV

It automatically shows up in manage your booking, so no need to ask for the PNR...

 

[Pushka]

It automatically shows up in manage your booking, so no need to ask for the PNR...

Mine never showed up in my profile.

When I got the email I inserted the PNR with CheckMyTrip and it showed as the Syd-ADL leg as being confirmed and the HNL-Syd as being something else. Can’t remember. I just assumed it hadn’t synced yet.

 

[Berlin]

I just accepted a job offer in New Zealand which means all of a sudden a lot of flying back and forth between Auckland and Sydney. Exactly the kind of thing that some QF points on hold suddenly come very useful for!

For most dates I could find regular award seats even pretty last minute which I was pleased about but on some I had to go for rather creative routings via MEL or BNE to get to SYD or couldn't get any at all so I thought let's call and request some. As Platinum status, of a total of 6 flights requested, I got 2 confirmed which is better than nothing.

I had checked on Expertflyer before but thought I give it a try regardless of whether there are I class seats showing up or not. While the lady on the phone made the process sound much more involved, I can confirm that the ones I got approved where the ones that still had plenty of I class seats showing up, all the ones that were declined either had none or only 1 o 2 I class seats left.

 

[Quickstatus]

Yes that is my experience as well on other routes.

 

[sudoer]

Have tried a few times to get 2 x F seats released on HKG-SYD in early Jan, keep getting declined despite EF showing F9 A9.

Has anyone ever been declined but then approved closer to the flight date?

 

[Quickstatus]

No because the seats are then given to those upgrading with points and there are always a lot of them

 

[travellerqff]

Have tried a few times to get 2 x F seats released on HKG-SYD in early Jan, keep getting declined despite EF showing F9 A9.

Has anyone ever been declined but then approved closer to the flight date?

Yes I’ve been approved many times closer to departure date. Just keep trying.

 

[sudoer]

I ended up getting my 2 x F seats, but the way it happened was very unusual.

Called QFF on Friday to request award space again. The rep happily lodged the requested but it returned a "load factor exceeded" response - no luck. Loads were F8 A8 according to EF with no P availability showing.

After the call I thought to do a classic award search on the QF website to see if anything was showing on Cathay, as they occasionally open space a couple of weeks prior to departure.

To my surprise, two F seats on QF128 showed up on the date I requested - despite the space not being visible to the rep, award request getting declined, and EF showing P0.

I snapped them up as a new booking, ticketed within 15 minutes and loads on EF were updated to F6 A6. I've since called Qantas and asked them to cancel my existing J booking - I asked them to waive the cancellation fee given the circumstance (would've settled for charging a change fee instead) which they said they'd do.

So the lesson is - don't rely solely on EF for availability. The booking engine has some magic ability to convert A or F inventory into awards so its worth searching (while logged in of course) if you are looking for an award close to departure. I can still see this occurring - for example three (!) F seats available on QF128 for 7 Jan:



Yet EF shows:

 

[madrooster]

So the lesson is - don't rely solely on EF for availability. The booking engine has some magic ability to convert A or F inventory into awards so its worth searching (while logged in of course) if you are looking for an award close to departure. I can still see this occurring - for example three (!) F seats available on QF128 for 7 Jan:

EF can't see QF-only inventory. That would've been inventory that was only made available to QF members.