Upcoming Qantas Frequent Flyer Changes

[Oneworldplus2]

I would not hesitate to say most platinums are flying on corporate dime . Who would willingly fork out $16k to fly First class to London on a QF 747 rather than take the SQ/LH First class ticket for $10k??? You just wouldn't do it.

Who would willingly pat $10,$11 or $12k for a 747 skybed when you could fly Delta flat bed for $4500? If you are self funded it just doesn't make sense to fly Qantas premium. The points you get are a nonsense. The saving between the two airlines buys you a second business class ticket for free.

Lets not get too carried away here....





View attachment 2241


View attachment 2242

 

[zeiron]

Does the status bonus difference of 25% matter to you? Expecially when it's people below you getting more than before as oppose to you getting less... You just want to feel more important than the people below you and it upsets you that they're encrouching on your importance... QF value WPs... if you think otherwise because of a 25% points earning change then I don't know what to say...

I was a little "miffed" when QF dropped the SC required for silvers from 350 to 300 and requal from 300 to 250. Did it affect me? NO. Was I bothered by it? NO Would I have liked a corresponding drop in SG requirements? MAYBE. Would I have liked to see a drop in WP requirements to something resembling sliver+gold as opposed to 2xSG? DEFINITELY!! Can I change any of it? NO. Can anything be everything to everyone? Ill leave that up to you......but the sooner you learn to roll with it, the better off you'll be!

On a side note...QF should issue points based on the Km flown and not mi. What's the bet the next move is to NM!!

 

[Keith009]

Oh and one final point.... a consumer has a right to choose any product they wish to buy. Wether that be a flight on a particular airline or alliance , or membership of a particular FF program. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. if you dont like it, find one that you do. but all this whingeing and moaning that SG's get too many benefits vs the toff WP's who for some reason think they are better than everyone below them and are now horrified that there will now be people above them (P1), is IMO simply ridiculous and somewhat childish.

With all due respect, that is a patronising analysis. I'd like to reiterate that many of us "whingeing (sic) and moaning" WPs do realise that we have a choice and are going to exercise that choice by voting with our wallets. Many have in fact mentioned this in their posts - that they are going to fly alternative carriers or credit to other FFPs. In fact if you go through our posts, scattered amongst some almost 600 posts, many of us are simply arguing that the benefits of standard WP status, whilst having nothing taken away during this round of changes, have now diminished relative to what they once were and it is no longer worth flying twice the amount of SCs to get to WP status. And viewing this latest set of changes as part of a pattern of what's happened over the last 12 months, it is clear that standard WP benefits have in fact been negatively impacted.

Of course, the hysterical posts and the "get the violin out of the closet" type stories do not help. But there is nothing inherently wrong with expressing one's frustration and trying to provide Qantas constructive feedback with cogent, well-constructed arguments.

 

[serfty]

Okay OT, is the free drinks in the Y cabin a EXP benefit over PLT? Does this extend to OWE?

Definitley for EXP; YMMV for emerald.

And, it's supposedly just the one free drink and one snack.

More here from ft:

• Free Wine drink and/or minor snack for EXP in Mainline Y - Page 19 - FlyerTalk Forums
• oneworld Emerald / OWE Free drink(s) in Y? - FlyerTalk Forums

Note that on AeAgle flights this extends to Plat (and YMMV for sapphire).

 

[ozmille]

Lets not get too carried away here....





View attachment 2241


View attachment 2242

Don't forget that the QF First class fare departing Frankfurt is only AUD8348

 

[zeiron]

In fact if you go through our posts, scattered amongst some almost 600 posts, many of us are simply arguing that the benefits of standard WP status, whilst having nothing taken away during this round of changes, have now diminished relative to what it once was and it is no longer worth flying twice the amount of SCs to get to WP status. And viewing this latest set of changes as part of a pattern of what's happened over the last 12 months, it is clear that standard WP benefits have in fact been negatively impacted.

Of course, the hysterical posts and the "get the violin out of the closet" type stories do not help. But there is nothing inherently wrong with expressing one's frustration and trying to provide Qantas constructive feedback with cogent, well-constructed arguments.

You have hit the nail on the head here.....Nothing has been taken away from you!
I concede there is a reduction, relative to SG's.... But the question is, Why do you care? You are not directly impacted in anyway, shape or form, it just seems to me that WP's expect greater distinguishment from lowly SG's, because in their eyes, they are twice as important because they fly twice as much!. This is a flawed concept in that it assumes SG's are earning 700/600SC's when in fact, you can earn 1390/1190SC's and still remain SG. As for certain other "enhancements" like the removal of anytime lounge access etc, im totally with you, but whinEging (this website seems to have a preference for US spelling), that someone "lesser" than you now gets more than they used to, but still not as much as you, is IMO very bad form.

As for providing constructive feedback to QF, again i'm with you, but the "violin playing", as you put it, falls on Bose noise cancelling headphone covered ears!

 

[medhead]

You have hit the nail on the head here.....Nothing has been taken away from you!
I concede there is a reduction, relative to SG's.... But the question is, Why do you care? You are not directly impacted in anyway, shape or form. As for certain other "enhancements" like the removal of anytime lounge access etc, im totally with you, but whinEging (this website seems to have a preference for US spelling), that someone "lesser" than you now gets more than they used to, but still not as much as you, is IMO very bad form.

As for providing constructive feedback to QF, again i'm with you, but the "violin playing", as you put it, falls on Bose noise cancelling headphone covered ears!

Why care? It is an easy concept! Because twice as much is required to get to platinum over gold. Reducing the differential, relativity, removes the reward for double the flying. That's why!

 

[geoffl]

With all due respect, that is a patronising analysis. I'd like to reiterate that many of us "whingeing (sic) and moaning" WPs do realise that we have a choice and are going to exercise that choice by voting with our wallets. Many have in fact mentioned this in their posts - that they are going to fly alternative carriers or credit to other FFPs. In fact if you go through our posts, scattered amongst some almost 600 posts, many of us are simply arguing that the benefits of standard WP status, whilst having nothing taken away during this round of changes, have now diminished relative to what they once were and it is no longer worth flying twice the amount of SCs to get to WP status. And viewing this latest set of changes as part of a pattern of what's happened over the last 12 months, it is clear that standard WP benefits have in fact been negatively impacted.

Of course, the hysterical posts and the "get the violin out of the closet" type stories do not help. But there is nothing inherently wrong with expressing one's frustration and trying to provide Qantas constructive feedback with cogent, well-constructed arguments.

QF009, you are right 100%, as mentioned earlier, I have been with the Qantas Program over 20 years, the last 15 as a continuous Platinum, and it is time to reconsider alternatives as the Platinum Members keep having their benefits diluted in comparison to those flying less and paying Qantas less. I have my own small business, I probably have enough SC's for double Gold Life Time, but, I am convinced the SQ and Partners are looking good.

 

[Keith009]

Why care? It is an easy concept! Because twice as much is required to get to platinum over gold. Reducing the differential, relativity, removes the reward for double the flying. That's why!

Exactly. Where is the incentive to do double the flying for rather less than double the rewards? Standard WP benefits, the published ones at least, are in fact now little different from being a non QF oneworld emerald flying QF. I am lucky that a lot of my flying is international so I get to use the Flounge but even then a few glasses of pre-flight non vintage champagne isn't going to cut it. And the preferential award availability is useful but even when I was using AAdvantage I never had a problem getting QF awards. I now think Double Gold with both Qantas and Virgin plus BFOD is the way to go. SG status seems to be the sweet spot of the program now.

Now if Velocity comes up with a Platinum tier... my thinking again might or might not be different....

 

[connieguy]

But there is nothing inherently wrong with expressing one's frustration and trying to provide Qantas constructive feedback with cogent, well-constructed arguments.

It is more than that. It is a direct hit to the bottom line cost of flying with Qantas. Miles are MONEY and help to reduce the cost of flying to us self funded flyers. From what I have read QF seems to value the WP that gets someone else to pay for their J and F flying. Maybe one day my business will be big enough to do that. But currently I spent a lot of time comparing various options to get the best miles and SC earns at the lowest cost. Miles earned reduce the real cost of the flight. As a WP who flys discount Y, an additional 25% miles earn across 3,200 SC of flying I will do as a min this year would have offset the Loyalty loss and the increased cost of flying Business Max on JQ.

This is not about they got more than me at all. This is about the increased cost of my next 3,200 SCs worth of flying that the recent QF/JQ changes have cost me.

To put it in other terms, I will spend a LOT more money with QF doing 3,200 SCs in discount Y than a Gold or Silver will spend doing their smaller amount of discount Y flying. They get a increased rewarded (reduced cost of flying with QF from more reward miles) for their smaller spend and I get a negative reward (increased cost of flying with QF from less reward miles) for my much larger spend.

Bottom line is it about money and the effective cost of flying. QF have reduced the effective cost of flying with them for ALL of the matrix position on the Cabin/Status matrix I published

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....equent-flyer-changes-30095-58.html#post438077

EXCEPT for WPs who fly in Y or discount Y. Sorry QF but you need to rethink this decision. I mean does this suggest QF thinks WPs who fly in Y or discount Y have more money to spend on flying than any of the other matrix positions and so don't need to have their effective cost of flying reduced as QF have just done for all the others?

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Don't forget that the QF First class fare departing Frankfurt is only AUD8348

I'm having a play with the QF website and it's hard to get F all the way from LHR-SIN-SYD. It comes up with Y, Y+ and J combinations.
Having said that, LH is still charging $$$ for SYD-FRA in F.
View attachment 2243

 

[Awesom Andy]

Crystal clear. Fly J or F or find another FF program.

Last year I did 3,200 SC and earned 8 x 5,000 miles = 40,000 miles. This year if I do the 3,200 SC again and I will get 4 x 8,000 miles = 32,000 miles. Ok 8,000 miles is not a big loss but on top of the ZERO increase in the miles I will learn from the 3,200 SCs I will earn flying in Y seats, it is an insult.

3,200 SCs in Y in 1 year? Is this even possible without going insane? That's 27 round trips SYD/MEL-SIN/HKG in full fare Y per year.

 

[Keith009]

As for providing constructive feedback to QF, again i'm with you, but the "violin playing", as you put it, falls on Bose noise cancelling headphone covered ears!

Much prefer Bowers&Wilkins myself. /OT

 

[EmilyHoward]

I know many of you are keen to hear about changes we’re making to Qantas Frequent Flyer since we sought feedback from you. As a small gesture of thanks to the Australian Frequent Flyer community, we’d like you to be amongst the first to know about these changes in advance of an email later today.

Key Program Changes

Increased Cabin bonuses on all earning fares on Qantas and Jetstar from 17 May 2011.

· Premium Economy: 10% to 25%

· Business: 25% to 50%

· First: 50% to 100%


Increased Status bonuses for Silver and Gold Qantas Frequent Flyers on Qantas and Jetstar from 17 May 2011.

· Silver: 25% to 50%

· Gold: 50% to 75%


More options to earn points and Status credits on Jetstar fares from 17 May 2011.


Improved upgrade request and notification process planned for late 2011, including SMS confirmation


Platinum One - additional benefits for our most frequent flyers from 3600 status credits and beyond.


Changed Loyalty bonus from December 2011 – a Loyalty bonus of 8000 points for every 500 Status credits earned within a membership year up to 4 per year.
​

These changes are specifically designed to reward our Frequent Flyers. As you are aware, we have made recent significant investments in our lounges and check-in on the ground. In the air, we recently introduced our first AVOD equipped 737-800 on the Domestic network. These aircraft will replace 737-400s. Internationally, A380 standard product will be launched on the 747-400 later this year. We are also working on improving the delivery of the basics, to provide you with a better experience with us.

In terms of other changes, there is an increase in points required to pay for surcharges, fees and taxes on eligible Australia and New Zealand Domestic Classic Awards from 3,000 points to 4,500 points per segment, due to jet fuel prices. We are also announcing plans to create a new alliance with Optus to provide you with new opportunities to earn points, which will be launched later this year. For those of you passionate about food and wine, we are also launching epiQure by Qantas Frequent Flyer, a new online community for Members on food and wine.

Thanks for flying with us and for your input and energy in providing us with your thoughts and ideas. No doubt, you will have plenty to share with us in response to this, and we look forward to your feedback.

I think the changes that Qantas are introducing are, on the whole, good. I have been a WP for around 4 years now and have always felt well looked after.

It's great to go in the First Lounges in Sydney, Singapore and Heathrow as well. I will try and maintain my WP status as long as I can.

On getting points, I tend to use my Qantas AE card a lot to pay for everything and accrue many points there which can be used for upgrades.

 

[browski]

Regardless, just because QF feels they have the most generous program out there, doesn't mean to get all complacent now - or just do enough to keep QF flyers from moving to another carrier. And there is only one reason that QF should be thanking their lucky stars ..... and ironically that star, is Virgin Australia not yet part of Star Alliance yet.

Alan, of course Qantas will attempt to do "just enough" to keep QF Flyers from moving to other carriers. Why would they do more?

And..............you will continue waiting for a very long time for Virgin Australia to be become part of the Star Alliance. Just forget about that ever happening in the next 5 years. They may for alliances with Air New Zealand and or SQ/TG but they will never be a Star Alliance member.

 

[Keith009]

And..............you will continue waiting for a very long time for Virgin Australia to be become part of the Star Alliance. Just forget about that ever happening in the next 5 years. They may for alliances with Air New Zealand and or SQ/TG but they will never be a Star Alliance member.

I was once of the "Virgin should join an alliance" camp. But having seen how comprehensive bilateral agreements can work well for smaller carriers of Virgin's mould such as Alaskan, I am now of the opinion that Virgin is on the right path with their bilateral deals. Why bother with the expense and inflexibility of joining an alliance when you can simply leverage multiple bilateral deals to offer the same benefits to pax?

Hopefully their Asian partner turns out to be MH, which offers almost as good a product as SQ IMO at a fraction of the cost in J! *nudges crazydave98 et al*

 

[zeiron]

You have missed the point; until now it has been worth pursuing WP over SG due to the significantly better benifits.

Such pursuit does come at additional cost, more noticed by self funded members.

That is a decision that each member needs to make. I DONT find that at all. I am more than happy with SG, as it more than meets my needs. WP benefits do nothing for me, given the extra cost of attaining them.
It is my preference to hold OWS and *G than it is to hold OWE, because, IMO, that benefits me most. If WP's think OWE, is best for them, so be it. The thing that bothers me most is the WP's sense of entitlement. They ought to be aware, that from time to time, the goal posts shift, and when they do, they need to reassess their position within the new framework. If it suits them, great. if it doesn't, bad luck. I don't think there is anything to be gained by crying foul on this forum. Again, my 2p.

 

[serfty]

You have hit the nail on the head here.....Nothing has been taken away from you!
I concede there is a reduction, relative to SG's.... But the question is, Why do you care? You are not directly impacted in anyway, shape or form, it just seems to me that WP's expect greater distinguishment from lowly SG's, because in their eyes, they are twice as important because they fly twice as much!. ...

You have missed the point; until now it has been worth pursuing WP over SG due to the significantly better benifits.

Such pursuit does come at additional cost, more noticed by self funded members.

With these changes it appears to be a lot easier that it once was for me, having QFF LifeTime Gold status, to justify flying NZ/DJ or even fly QF and credit to AA where useful using oneworld lounges on my QF lifetime sapphire card.

 

[zeiron]

Exactly. Where is the incentive to do double the flying for rather less than double the rewards?

IMO, you never had double the reward for double the flying, but I must reiterate, that is IMO. This Status chasing is ridiculous. You ought to fly, because you need to (work, holidays etc), not because of the "status" that will result from it. I am truly amazed (read: shocked) by the number of people who seem to define themselves by their airline status! Arent we, as human beings, so much more than that?

 

[serfty]

IMO, you never had double the reward for double the flying, but I must reiterate, that is IMO. This Status chasing is ridiculous. You ought to fly, because you need to (work, holidays etc), not because of the "status" that will result from it. ...

Hey, I like to fly these days for a hobby. Having status can help make partaking in said hobby more enjoyable.

Yes - I will fly for flying's sake.

YMMV