The End of Cheap Status

[TomVexille]

Anyone have any idea what this will mean for people already booked in P for flights post the rumored mid-Feb change?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Anyone have any idea what this will mean for people already booked in P for flights post the rumored mid-Feb change?

If Dave Noble is correct they will be re-coded to a J fare bucket.

 

[TomVexille]

If Dave Noble is correct they will be re-coded to a J fare bucket.

Would not be impressed with that

 

[Danger]

Which begs the question: is there a case for original routing credit (of sorts)?

 

[Princess Fiona]

Which begs the question: is there a case for original routing credit (of sorts)?

I'm not sure QF would go for that. The fare cost will be the same, there's no change in route and there's no downgrade of the actual service provided.

 

[serfty]

I'm not sure QF would go for that. The fare cost will be the same, there's no change in route and there's no downgrade of the actual service provided.

Just a reduction in earn ... a bit like the theme of "Simpler & Fairer™" ...

 

[Princess Fiona]

Just a reduction in earn ... a bit like the theme of "Simpler & Fairer TM " ...

Depressingly likely I think

 

[24601]

My QF WP is in part courtesy of a run to PTY. Well, would have ended up with it anyhow thanks to MH and others, but this is bad news for me. Just when I was thinking of letting VA WP go too.

 

[UP4014]

AA was always good for me as I'm in the US a bit.

While status becomes not as a cheap Airbus is still working on the cheap seats !

Story from last year
Airbus Filed The Most Evil Airplane Seat Patent Yet | Break.com

 

[exceladdict]

I wonder if this will see a shift in AA MCE seats perhaps being considered Y+?

Extremely unlikely, but if we're calling a spade a spade... actually in that case maybe AA Dom F should be considered Y+.

 

[amp-qld]

This might be a nuisance to some people but I personally am delighted to see it. "First" class on US domestic flights is so basic that it distorts things badly. Calling it business is much more compatible with the rest of the world. One issue was that a business class RTW ticket got downgraded to economy for US domestic flights.

 

[drron]

AA domestic F is still way better than Europe shorthaul J.
And quite frankly I don't see much of a difference to QF domestic J.
Exception being the A330 sectors.but then again you can get International configs at times including 757 and 777s which certainly don't lose much to the 330s.

 

[LGW]

Personally, I'd prefer status was harder to get. It's very annoying being in a First Class Lounge full of passengers travelling in economy class eating and drinking as much as they can before they board their aircraft and head to the back of the plane.

Doing 11 domestic sectors in the USA to attain status so you can sit in a First Class Lounge on a $39 JQ ticket is of absolutely zero value to Qantas.

IMHO, all airlines would be better off only allowing those travelling in the most premium cabin on any particular flight to utilise the first class lounges. There are business class lounges for others.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Personally, I'd prefer status was harder to get. It's very annoying being in a First Class Lounge full of passengers travelling in economy class eating and drinking as much as they can before they board their aircraft and head to the back of the plane.

Doing 11 domestic sectors in the USA to attain status so you can sit in a First Class Lounge on a $39 JQ ticket is of absolutely zero value to Qantas.

IMHO, all airlines would be better off only allowing those travelling in the most premium cabin on any particular flight to utilise the first class lounges. There are business class lounges for others.

I'm not sure I know what cabin the pax are traveling in when I see them in the F lounge or why eating and drinking excessively would be exclusive to Y passengers.

I'd be inclined to agree with you about the lounge access on JQ. In fact I don't think anyone on JQ domestic tag flights should get First lounge access at all. I've said this many times in the past on here.

I think it would be commercial suicide however to restrict all highest status passengers to the business lounges. This is the difference between mid-tier and high-tier and without that there would be no incentive to go beyond mid-tier. There simply aren't enough F flights out of SYD to make it worthwhile to restrict the F lounge to those passengers. F is not a growing sector of the market.

There are airlines which do have true smaller First Class Lounges e.g. BA but even they have a separate lounge for other OW F passengers and Emeralds.

 

[JohnM]

One issue was that a business class RTW ticket got downgraded to economy for US domestic flights.

Certainly not the case on a OWA DONEx - they are upgraded to F on DOM AA 2-class birds.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Certainly not the case on a OWA DONEx - they are upgraded to F on DOM AA 2-class birds.

This might be a nuisance to some people but I personally am delighted to see it. "First" class on US domestic flights is so basic that it distorts things badly. Calling it business is much more compatible with the rest of the world. One issue was that a business class RTW ticket got downgraded to economy for US domestic flights.

The 280K Award tickets book into Y on AA Domestic unless you can get a three class transcon

 

[JohnM]

The 280K Award tickets book into Y on AA Domestic unless you can get a three class transcon

Correct. I suspect this may have been what amp-qld was referring to - but they are not 'RTW' trips.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Correct. I suspect this may have been what amp-qld was referring to - but they are not 'RTW' trips.

Guilty as charged JohnM
I often think of them as RTW trips myself !!

 

[JohnM]

Guilty as charged JohnM
I often think of them as RTW trips myself !!

It's an unfortunate bit of shorthand for the 140/280/420K awards that causes a lot of confusion.

I guess I'm attuned to it because I'm a long-term user of true RTW XONEx (paid) trips. I take a keen observer interest in the 140/280/420K award thread and get frustrated seeing them referred to as 'RTW' because it often muddles the newbies - and further complications for achieving those awards is not what is needed .

 

[Danger]

This might be a nuisance to some people but I personally am delighted to see it. "First" class on US domestic flights is so basic that it distorts things badly. Calling it business is much more compatible with the rest of the world. One issue was that a business class RTW ticket got downgraded to economy for US domestic flights.

But AA isn't calling it Business. It will still be offered and sold and all the rest as First; just the underlying fare bucket will be Business.