Status Runs using Multiple Seats

[logicallysynced]

So I was doing some late night googling about flights in general, and I came across an interesting page:

Extra Seat (EXST) for Personal Comfort

Customers can purchase extra seat/s on Qantas operated and marketed flights for their personal comfort. If travel includes any codeshare or interline flights, please contact the operating airline for further information.

www.qantas.com

Basically the page details that passengers can book extra adjacent seats for “personal comfort” and explains how to book it from a travel agent perspective. There’s technical information there for how to book it for each booking system too.

In particular, this stood out to me:

“Qantas Frequent Flyers can earn Qantas Points and status credits for each seat purchased.”

So the question then must be asked - If you were planning to do a status run, does this mean you could book an additional “comfort” seat on each leg (assuming QF marketed flight) and earn double status credits, potentially quadruple if during a double SC promotion?

Doing this would obviously double increase the cost, but if you were planning to do multiple back and forth legs, this could potentially be a useful shortcut.

 

[KSC]

Pretty sure special charters don't generally earn points or SC's.



#PartyPooper

Solution would be not charter just book out seats on a regular flight. Probably easier to do with a travel agent, or at auntie Vanessa’s house

 

[nic0]

Pretty sure special charters don't generally earn points or SC's.



#PartyPooper

i fly on one of those regularly and we do get SC, but only 3/4 of sale fare, which ends up being 1/3 as normal flights are always booked flex fare. This is a recent development though, i think before covid there was no SC earn on them.

 

[Ade]

we do get SC, but only 3/4 of sale fare, which ends up being 1/3 as normal flights are always booked flex fare

So when you book a Flex fare on the FIFO/Charter flights, you end up getting only 1/3 of the SC that a regular Flex fare would earn? Say a Flex fare earnt 30SC, your booking, although Flex, only earns 10SC?

 

[dylarr]

SC and points on charter flights depends on whether or not your company has negotiated this with QF.

 

[TY24]

SC and points on charter flights depends on whether or not your company has negotiated this with QF.

This is spot on.

My employer generously pays for full flex fares on our charter flights, so we earn the full 20SC and 1200QP despite being charter flights, some companies aren't as generous.

 

[Ade]

Hello everyone, sorry to open an older thread. This is re EXST

Trying to book an EXST with my work TA. I understand that the cost of EXST is just the base fare and no taxes/airport fees etc. However, my TA says that taxes and airport fees etc are being charged? Any idea how to overcome/by pass this please?

The itinerary is MEL-DEL flying Y.

 

[Mattg]

Hello everyone, sorry to open an older thread. This is re EXST

Trying to book an EXST with my work TA. I understand that the cost of EXST is just the base fare and no taxes/airport fees etc. However, my TA says that taxes and airport fees etc are being charged? Any idea how to overcome/by pass this please?

The itinerary is MEL-DEL flying Y.

Sounds like you need a better TA?

There should be no taxes payable on the second seat because the airline only has to pay the third-party taxes on a per-passenger basis. Is your TA able to see this basic logic or is it one of those useless ones you're forced to use with work?

 

[madrooster]

There should be no taxes payable on the second seat because the airline only has to pay the third-party taxes on a per-passenger basis. Is your TA able to see this basic logic or is it one of those useless ones you're forced to use with work?

This is not quite correct.

For taxes that are a % of ticket, eg. AU GST, Indian sales tax and others, those are still applicable on the second seat. The other government/airport per pax taxes are not applicable.

 

[Mattg]

This is not quite correct.

For taxes that are a % of ticket, eg. AU GST, Indian sales tax and others, those are still applicable on the second seat. The other government/airport per pax taxes are not applicable.

Thanks. That's what I meant, I should have been more clear and not said "no" taxes

 

[Ade]

Is your TA able to see this basic logic or is it one of those useless ones you're forced to use with work?

The latter - so many recent changes to rules on which TA to use - can't use any external TAs, have to go with the agency/company ones. Making it effectively challenging to take benefit of the promos And this year personal trips are also less, so yea!

This is not quite correct.

For taxes that are a % of ticket, eg. AU GST, Indian sales tax and others, those are still applicable on the second seat. The other government/airport per pax taxes are not applicable.

Thank you for this info @madrooster Guess I'll have to travel on one seat only ...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thank you for this info @madrooster Guess I'll have to travel on one seat only ...

The major component is likely to be the security fees and charges and carrier charges.

If your TA is entering in the extra seat and getting al, the taxes, they might not be doing it right?

IIRC there’s a qantas agency connect page that states taxes and surchages don’t apply, and informs the the TA how to complete the booking.

 

[dylarr]

Any idea how to overcome/by pass this please?

Share this link with them:

https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnec...ing/extra-seat-exst-for-personal-comfort.html

 

[Ade]

The major component is likely to be the security fees and charges and carrier charges.

If your TA is entering in the extra seat and getting al, the taxes, they might not be doing it right?

IIRC there’s a qantas agency connect page that states taxes and surchages don’t apply, and informs the the TA how to complete the booking.

Share this link with them:

https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnec...ing/extra-seat-exst-for-personal-comfort.html

Thank you @MEL_Traveller and @dylarr - I have emailed the link to my work TA. Let's see how it goes.

 

[KSC]

My questions still lies can I get a travel agent to book me 250 extra economy seats to London. Lifetime Platinum in one go .

Qantas would probably resell 248 of my seats booked seats and make a killing on the flight lol.

 

[madrooster]

My questions still lies can I get a travel agent to book me 250 extra economy seats to London.

Each pax is only allowed one EXST.

 

[p--and--t]

One for the brains trust.

Say I wanted to try and get a good sleep (at least lie down undisturbed) and go to the loo unimpeded whenever I want and some personal space on an international long haul and J is out of my budget - Eg $8-10k to LHR

Contemplate buying discounted Y in a combination of 3 seats together xA + EXST + xC. This could in some sales maybe $1,500 x 2 + say $800.

But as I understand it, you can't book two fully paid seats on the same flight in the same name. Is this correct?

Even if I got past the booking process for two seats plus EXST (by perhaps getting a ticket for Mr Spare) how do you get all three ticketed as you have to supply a passport number and other details for an international flight and this will get picked up somewhere in the system if duplicated?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

One for the brains trust.

Say I wanted to try and get a good sleep (at least lie down undisturbed) and go to the loo unimpeded whenever I want and some personal space on an international long haul and J is out of my budget - Eg $8-10k to LHR

Contemplate buying discounted Y in a combination of 3 seats together xA + EXST + xC. This could in some sales maybe $1,500 x 2 + say $1k.

But as I understand it, you can't book two fully paid seats on the same flight in the same name. Is this correct?

Even if I got past the booking process for two seats plus EXST (by perhaps getting a ticket for Mr Spare) how do you get all three ticketed as you have to supply a passport number and other details for an international flight and this will get picket up somewhere in the system if duplicated?

Agency connect suggests additional seats can be secured using the surname/seatpaid method.

You are correct, you are not buying two separate seats under separate reservations for the one passenger… that’s going to be considered a duplicate and could get cancelled or no show.

Interesting to note too that taxes and fees should be applicable to the passenger only, except for Aussie domestic flights where GST applies to the seat itself.

 

[DC3]

Might have been answered already, but this comfort seat booking, can't be done online.
So, you have to phone QF up to make the booking.
Have done it WLG - MEL, phoned up QF and at that time, years ago now, was able to speak to a QF rep without an accent, ie, Aussie English.
This was of course pre covid.
Now, these days, if you phone QF up, you might have to explain yourself, as most likely, as has been mentioned, you would most likely get the outsourced overseas QF call centre.

I can see that you are right onto this, Poochie.

 

[Quickstatus]

But as I understand it, you can't book two fully paid seats on the same flight in the same name. Is this correct?

You can only book one seat with one name. An extra /comfort seat is visible only as an EXST notation and attached to your booking.

Remember an EXST does not have any passenger sitting in it. It is just a notation indicating the reason a "vacant" seat is blocked off.

Remember too that as a result, they can take it back if for example a passenger needs to be on loaded, though usually they will ask the EXST passenger first.

 

[p--and--t]

You can only book one seat with one name. An extra /comfort seat is visible only as an EXST notation and attached to your booking.

Fully understand that, alluded to it obliquely.

But the posed question is how to get three seats together for one person especially long haul as there are not so msny checks domestically