QFF Platinum requesting release of extra Classic Reward seats?

[Matt_01]

3 months! I knew Blackout dates +/- a week or two around school holidays, but three months is a lot!

I am pretty sure it ties in with the Northern Summer.

 

[levelnine]

Anyone know the blackout dates for Christmas period? Is it similarly large?

 

[encryptededdy]

Anyone know the blackout dates for Christmas period? Is it similarly large?

I've booked Late November / Early December on QF11/12 just fine, so probably not multiple months of blackout.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Anyone know the blackout dates for Christmas period? Is it similarly large?

I believe it is 30th November to January 17th for this upcoming Xmas period.

I’m unsure if that covers all markets but my understanding is that they cannot request manual seat release from Yield Management during this timeframe.

None of this is published anywhere / public knowledge that I’m aware of.

 

[Matt_01]

I believe it is 30th November to January 17th for this upcoming Xmas period.

I’m unsure if that covers all markets but my understanding is that they cannot request manual seat release from Yield Management during this timeframe.

None of this is published anywhere / public knowledge that I’m aware of.

IME the northern summer and our summer period (Xmas) I seem to have worked out. 100% agree with your final comment, I have been at the same status level as you for near on 10 years and have never been able to get an exact answer. The old SST (now) VIP agents do not even seem to know the answer, I have asked and or alluded to on several occasions in the hope to get the answer but have come up with blanks.

 

[Kangol]

3 months! I knew Blackout dates +/- a week or two around school holidays, but three months is a lot!

It was about the same amount (blackout dates) for this year's European summer season.

 

[levelnine]

Thanks to you both. Must say it makes the feature a lot less valuable if it can't be used at the times when it would be of greatest benefit.

 

[MrJetset]

IME the northern summer and our summer period (Xmas) I seem to have worked out. 100% agree with your final comment, I have been at the same status level as you for near on 10 years and have never been able to get an exact answer. The old SST (now) VIP agents do not even seem to know the answer, I have asked and or alluded to on several occasions in the hope to get the answer but have come up with blanks.

There was a PDF for agents a few years ago instructing them not to request the droid for certain dates, which I have seen. It indicated school holidays but also certain days of the week.

 

[Mrmaxwell]

Thanks to you both. Must say it makes the feature a lot less valuable if it can't be used at the times when it would be of greatest benefit.

IMO who cares about black out dates...they are not published and should have no effect on my request. I will always call and ask for seats regardless of the period and question QF when they say sorry without a reason. OBV busy times such as school/Xmas holidays is a numbers game but blocking 3 months for European summer has to be a joke!

 

[levelnine]

IMO who cares about black out dates...they are not published and should have no effect on my request.

IMO every WP/P1 should care. Having over 1/3 of the year unavailable for request is quite a caveat! Makes my decision to start divesting away from QF all the more correct though.

 

[MrJetset]

IMO who cares about black out dates...they are not published and should have no effect on my request. I will always call and ask for seats regardless of the period and question QF when they say sorry without a reason. OBV busy times such as school/Xmas holidays is a numbers game but blocking 3 months for European summer has to be a joke!

The benefit is unpublished. Questioning them will have no affect whatsoever.

 

[sudoer]

I tend to agree with @MrJetset , the benefit is unpublished for WPs and Qantas have every right to decline the requests, so I don't think there's any right to complain.

I much prefer QF being upfront and open - while "don't bother requesting Jun-Aug to LHR as it won't be approved" isn't the desired response, it's better than spending hours making requests to the bot and questioning the capability of the operator you're speaking to because everything is coming back declined.

 

[ChrisMars]

I am of the opinion that requesting a seat to be released is the implementation of the published benefit with respect to classic rewards: "On selected flights, preferential access for Platinum members may be above the access available to Gold, Silver and Bronze members."
Sure, there is the 'may', there is the 'selected route', but overall, WP should in theory get a few more seats available than Gold, and it s current implementation, it s done via the droid.

A bit annoying we can t requests seats on this LHR route in Jun Jul Aug, that s life. Let s hope we get some options with QR, CX at some points.

 

[MrJetset]

I am of the opinion that requesting a seat to be released is the implementation of the published benefit with respect to classic rewards: "On selected flights, preferential access for Platinum members may be above the access available to Gold, Silver and Bronze members."
Sure, there is the 'may', there is the 'selected route', but overall, WP should in theory get a few more seats available than Gold, and it s current implementation, it s done via the droid.

A bit annoying we can t requests seats on this LHR route in Jun Jul Aug, that s life. Let s hope we get some options with QR, CX at some points.

This is what you see when you login. WPs see different availability to everyone else.

The droid and ability to request remains an unpublished benefit.

 

[ChrisMars]

This is what you see when you login. WPs see different availability to everyone else.

The droid and ability to request remains an unpublished benefit.

Ah, my bad, I thought that Gold and WP see the same availability.

 

[encryptededdy]

Ah, my bad, I thought that Gold and WP see the same availability.

I thought they did... do WPs really see more?

 

[dylarr]

I thought they did... do WPs really see more?

It's not common, but there are definitely occasions where I've been able to see availability on the Qantas site as a WP that my parents (SG) have not been able to see.

 

[Kangol]

A bit annoying we can t requests seats on this LHR route in Jun Jul Aug, that s life. Let s hope we get some options with QR, CX at some points.

Where did you get that info about no award requests to LHR for June 2023?

 

[sudoer]

Where did you get that info about no award requests to LHR for June 2023?

Probably here.

 

[Kangol]

Probably here.

Ah thanks, overlooked it - whoops