Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

[medhead]

I don't understand their rationale on this. Do they think the world is going to end if someone finds out? Does it some how stuff things up for JQ further down the track if a pax has been checked in domestically not via their own system I wonder?



I wonder what the reason is you "have" to get a new boarding pass from JQ in SYD? Is it just the 'D' sticker issue or will the ground swallow up a person holding a QF boarding pass for a JQ flight. I seem to remember somebody having that issue back in July last time there was a Flounge run when they had a QF boarding pass for the JQ flight & when they went to board JQ said "oh we've been paging you to give you your boarding pass". It's possible that the checkin process looks incomplete from a JQ stance in this scenario.

I really don't know what the deal was, they did say they would get in trouble because some who see their name if I used the BP. But they was no problem at all. SYD bus transfer people put on a D sticker no worries. F lounge had no problems and it scaned fine getting on the plane. In fact the only question was customs who looked at the BP and got me to confirm that I was going to Melbourne. Restrained myself from saying "well that's why the D sticker is on there".

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Because the QF ground staff have informed me many times that they have been explicitly told NOT to hand over a JQi boarding pass when checking in a QFd passenger, even if the QFd and JQi flights are linked.

Just like QF and JQ will not interline bags, unless you are a WP, link the flights and ask "Please All Mighty Qantas Sir, Take Pity On A Poor WP". Sorry but this is just totally QF BS, just like non ATA (as if a WP or WP1 would rip off QF), denial of non domestic priority boarding until we put up a fight and all the other WP "Enhancements". Someone in QF has a problem with delivering real customer service. Sort of like the Master in Oliver Twist's school.

QF & JQ do interline from a QF dom flight to a JQi flight but obviously when the JQi flight is only within Australia one begins to tread in murky waters. You don't have to be WP to have your bookings linked you don't even have to be a frequent flyer at all eg if you have a BNE/DRW QF dom flight booked thru QF website & a DRW/SGN JQi flight booked thru JQ website just tell them at checkin you want your bags checked from BNE to SGN & you will more than likely also get boarding passes for the JQ flight also.

I wonder who has explicitly told QF ground staff to not do it - QF or JQ. In the words of Maggie Thatcher to George Negus "who are they and what are their names"? :shock: :shock:

Hi Ozbeachbabe - sorry I haven't figured out how to post with quotes yet. I went to the manual check in at BNE and asked if my bag would go on to the deathstar flight. Answer was no. Although the girls did try hard to override the system.
They said it is just not possible. And so did the guy in the j lounge.

Luckily the QF flight from BNE was an hour late anyway so by the time I got to deathstar in SYD it was time to line up. I just jumped in the short (on line check in) line and it took 5 minutes. much to the disgust of other passengers. I also got yelled at by other passengers in the customs area when I took the orange D line and ended up in front of everyone. "sir there is a line here!" (I am not a "sir" although I ain't no lady either...) My reply "I am in a different line". And went straight through. In time for a feast in the Flounge with Medhead.

Fun day, but not worth dealing with deathstar bogans.

Were the bogans going O/S or just to MEL? I can see this kind of thing happening if the published WP benefit of (real) priority boarding is ever delivered. Some people have a real inferiority complex about anyone other that them using prioirty queues of any kind despite having earned the right & being fully entitled to use them.

Wonder what they'd do if you said you had a bottle of Veuve Cliquot waiting to be consumed in the First Class lounge, followed by a massage & a 3 course meal? They'd just about choke. If you're skating on thin ice, you may as well dance!

As for the JQ Online checkin queue the irony of this situation is that having done the OLCI bit you are fully entitled to use it, yet you will get bogans who are not entitled to use that queue incorrectly lining up there & when asked "have you checked in online" reply "yes I booked online", no "have you checked in online" & again "yes, I booked online!!! :shock: :shock:

PS to multi quote AFFers posts just hover the mouse in the bottom right hand corner of the post where it says quote & you will see something that says "multiquote message" so when you click on that it will put a tick there so when you click on "reply to thread" it will automatically paste all the quotes into your reply field.

 

[QF029]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I'm thinking of taking one of these flights MEL-SYD for a work trip. If I book with QF, does that (a QF flight number) make it any easier of harder to get early check in and more time in the lounge?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[serfty]

Did not think you could get a QF flight number on a standalone/single-segment booking for JQ metal?

[EDIT]

Yes you can, as a classic award booking.​

[/EDIT]

Please post how you go; I am booked on one of these in three weeks.

I started this thread in relation to an international booking; I hope to have better luck with domestic (non exit row).

 

[straitman]

Did not think you could get a QF flight number on a standalone/single-segment booking for JQ metal?

[EDIT]

Yes you can, as a classic award booking.​

[/EDIT]

Please post how you go; I am booked on one of these in three weeks.

I started this thread in relation to an international booking; I hope to have better luck with domestic (non exit row).

I used this on a MEL-SYD on 30th Nov. I had all the thoughts of this thread wandering through the back of my brain and was considering the best option.

I arrived at the airport about 3 hrs before the flight and started by wandering around to find the JQ checkin counters. On arrival I found checkin was just opening and there was only a handful of people in the line. The easy option then was to join the line and simply wait my 5 min and I was off.

On going through the big silver doors I found there were too many people in the regular queue, so I rustled through my bag, found an express card and went that way as that side was empty. Once on the express side I put the card away for another day and continued without being asked for it again.

 

[serfty]

That's easy enough to do if the international counter counter for your check-in is actually open; it's when I ended up doing in relation for the genesis of this thread.

The issue is to get a BP if you are at the airport 5 hours before your flight so you can go through customs and access the Flounge.

It seems easy enough to do at SYD T2¹, trying to do similar at MEL.

¹ Although they suggest you take a domestic flight instead. :shock:

 

[QF029]

Mission successful. I checked in online and arrived at the service desk 4 hours before my flight. I asked for a reprint of my boarding pass and was told fine but wait until check in opens.

I politely but firmly insisted that as I was checked in they could do it now. And they did. The whole thing took about 5 minutes. The lady insisted on weighing my carry on though!

 

[serfty]

Mission successful. I checked in online and arrived at the service desk 4 hours before my flight. I asked for a reprint of my boarding pass and was told fine but wait until check in opens.

I politely but firmly insisted that as I was checked in they could do it now. And they did. The whole thing took about 5 minutes. The lady insisted on weighing my carry on though!

Thanks ... which service desk?


... and where did you get your orange D sticker?

 

[QF029]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

Thanks ... which service desk?


... and where did you get your orange D sticker?

The JQ inernational service desk. I'm not sure how it would work when they are closed. They had a stock of D stickers.

 

[serfty]

The JQ inernational service desk. I'm not sure how it would work when they are closed. They had a stock of D stickers.

TBH, I am not sure exactly where that is. Is it a permanent one or another desk that is open at the end of a row when they are checking in for other flights.

 

[QF029]

On my last few trips JQi checkin is on the back wall. The service desk is to the left (at right angles). It seems to be permanent but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I'm thinking of taking one of these flights MEL-SYD for a work trip. If I book with QF, does that (a QF flight number) make it any easier of harder to get early check in and more time in the lounge?

Any advice appreciated.

Mission successful. I checked in online and arrived at the service desk 4 hours before my flight. I asked for a reprint of my boarding pass and was told fine but wait until check in opens.

I politely but firmly insisted that as I was checked in they could do it now. And they did. The whole thing took about 5 minutes. The lady insisted on weighing my carry on though!

Did you book the JQ flight via JQ website then OLCI which gives you a print out saying contact airport staff for your boarding pass or something along those lines?

I don't know how you'd be able to checkin for a JQ flight if booked on QF website as you can't use QF pnr to checkin on JQ site. Your JQ pnr appears somewhere in the QF pnr though so you'd need to call QF first & ask them for "my JQ confo number".

 

[QF029]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I booked through the AMEX corporate system and there was no QF codeshare so I booked JQ.

 

[markis10]

QF code shares are only available on the various visit Australia passes AFAIK!

 

[serfty]

OK, Using the QF029 philosophy I was able to get my BP [SUP]1[/SUP]/[SUB]2[/SUB] hour "early".

Check in for QF7 had finished and I approached the service desk - I was told to wait 30 minutes for check in to open.

I politly pointed out that I had already checked in, I just needed a BP. Still no go. I then again mentioned that I had no checked bags. The agent rechecked my paperwork and relented. I was referred across to another counter and received my BP - seq 7.

I was in the Flounge 15 minutes later.

See how I go at T2 SYD tomorrow.

 

[djfuzz]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

OK, Using the QF029 philosophy I was able to get my BP [SUP]1[/SUP]/[SUB]2[/SUB] hour "early".

If this method for JQ 7 / JQ 29 is to become AFF doctrine, can I please plant a flag for naming rights for having demonstrated it back in August? Then again, I took part of my cue from markis10 and gowatson as well...

 

[LiamR]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

If this method for JQ 7 / JQ 29 is to become AFF doctrine, can I please plant a flag for naming rights for having demonstrated it back in August? Then again, I took part of my cue from markis10 and gowatson as well...

I'm pretty sure I was the first to prove that OLCI could be done for JQi flights.

 

[djfuzz]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I'm pretty sure I was the first to prove that OLCI could be done for JQi flights.

Indeed. It can be our Leibniz-Newton method.

 

[medhead]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I don't know how you'd be able to checkin for a JQ flight if booked on QF website as you can't use QF pnr to checkin on JQ site. Your JQ pnr appears somewhere in the QF pnr though so you'd need to call QF first & ask them for "my JQ confo number".

I've noticed that the My Flights iPhone app will show the JQ PNR in the section with the ticket number.

 

[reductionist]

re: Strategy to get "Early" JQ check-in for International

I approached the service desk - I was told to wait 30 minutes for check in to open.

I politly pointed out that I had already checked in, I just needed a BP. Still no go. I then again mentioned that I had no checked bags. The agent rechecked my paperwork and relented. I was referred across to another counter and received my BP - seq 7.

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel awkward about repeatedly persisting with the BP reprint line?

I've tried this strategy a couple of times but after the second knock-back it just gets weird.

If you have a lot of time to kill it's worth trying I guess?

Note: this is not a comment on serfty's approach specifically. Just a general observation about awkward interactions occurring because we (frequent flyers) sometimes know more about the capabilities of these systems than staff do.