Using Qantas points to fly First Class on domestic routes on international flights?

[Mal]

Re: Using Qantas points to fly First Class on domestic routes on international flight

Check my trip is not making any sense. Can anyone with access to expert flyer look for, and post results of, a seat map for QF74 on 6 Jan 2008 and how many seats are actually allocated rather than just blocked off? Availability is wide open in all booking classes.

EF can't show the seat maps either. "The requested information could not be retrieved or is not available. This is likely due to invalid input criteria or lack of access to the information from the airline. Please revise the search parameters and try again."

Definately weird. Still plenty of fare availability at this stage.

 

[NM]

Re: Using Qantas points to fly First Class on domestic routes on international flight

I will stand by my original statement that seats are not pre-allocated for international flights on purely domestic itineraries but then Mal and others have had a different experience. It must be just me!

I pre-allocated my favourite seat on QF175 SYD-BNE for yesterday. So I can categorically confirm it can be done.

Check my trip is not making any sense. Can anyone with access to expert flyer look for, and post results of, a seat map for QF74 on 6 Jan 2008 and how many seats are actually allocated rather than just blocked off? Availability is wide open in all booking classes.

For my QF175 flight on Saturday, about a week before the flight the seat map changed to something that looked quite screwy. I have seen this before. Before that it was looking like it made sense with some seats blocked, some occupied and some free. After the change, it showed seats that do not exist as being there are blocked (like 1E, 1F, 1G on a 744).

Note that the domestic segments of QF73/74 are normally operated by 2-class 744 aircraft that continue to/from QF25/26. There is a change of aircraft for the continuing QF73/74 to/from SFO which are 3-class services of course.

 

[JohnK]

Re: Using Qantas points to fly First Class on domestic routes on international flight

I pre-allocated my favourite seat on QF175 SYD-BNE for yesterday. So I can categorically confirm it can be done.

Did not say that it cannot be done just so far I am 2 out of 2 for not getting automatic pre-allocation of a seat on an international flight for a purely domestic itinerary.

 

[Mal]

Re: Using Qantas points to fly First Class on domestic routes on international flight

I did some checking on other QF74 flights - and seat maps weren't available. (but were on eg QF175 on similar dates). To me, this appears to be a QF74 specific thing. Perhaps a change of aircraft is coming up at some stage and they don't want to reassign seats?

A good place where you can normally check whether seat allocation is still open is via Expedia. Choose the flight you want and they have a button for 'Check Seat Availability".

Not totally accurate for certain reasons, but should give a a good idea

 

[NM]

Re: Using Qantas points to fly First Class on domestic routes on international flight

Did not say that it cannot be done just so far I am 2 out of 2 for not getting automatic pre-allocation of a seat on an international flight for a purely domestic itinerary.

I was automatically allocated 2J (showed on my itinerary from the TA) and called QF on the reservations hotline and had it changed to 23D.

I have ever taken such a flight once before and cannot remember if I was auto-allocated or not.

All other such flights have been with direct onward connections to/from international flights as part of the same international itinerary.

All have been in the J cabin.

 

[serfty]

IME, Automatic pre-allocation of seating for such flights is rare.

A WP can generally fix this by call Qantas - try to ensure you get 'priority' staff.

 

[JohnK]

IME, Automatic pre-allocation of seating for such flights is rare.

I must be extremely unlucky then.

I was informed, corrected, earlier on in this thread that AFFers on the QF175 SYD-BNE party flight for the FT AGM have had seats automatically pre-allocated even a QC Silver!

 

[serfty]

IME, Automatic pre-allocation of seating for such flights is rare. ...

I must be extremely unlucky then.

I was informed, corrected, earlier on in this thread that AFFers on the QF175 SYD-BNE party flight for the FT AGM have had seats automatically pre-allocated even a QC Silver!

If a QP/PS/WP/CL books SYD-AKL on QF43 a Seat is normally pre-allocated with no further ado.

If a QP/PS/WP/CL books SYD-BNE on QF175 a seat is rarely pre-allocated; they need to call Qantas to get this done.

So I suggest you call Qantas and request a seat. BTW; it is quite normal for seat maps to be unavailable for Domestic sectors of international flights.

 

[serfty]

A little more ... if you look at the posts on FT here regarding the QF175 'party' flight in February it can be safely assumed the seat pre-allocations mentioned were obtained by calling Qantas and requesting them.

Sometimes Qantas.com won;t show you seat pre-allocation; however www.checkmytrip.com generally does.

 

[Mal]

Re: Using Qantas points to fly First Class on domestic routes on international flight

A little more ... if you look at the posts on FT here regarding the QF175 'party' flight in February it can be safely assumed the seat pre-allocations mentioned were obtained by calling Qantas and requesting them.

Nah not too sure about that. My understanding (including my booking) is that most were automatically allocated.

Previous "domestic" international flights for me have normally had seats pre-allocated as long as I book early enough. Last minute bookings don't tend to have seats allocated in my experience.

 

[serfty]

My posts above were based on experinces of over a year ago. I haven't had the opportunity to fly on these flights so much recently.

Maybe things have changed.

I was at least a monthly regular QF188 SYD-MEL flyer until mid '06 and generally always I had to call to get seats on those flights pre-allocated.

 

[littl_flier]

A little more ... if you look at the posts on FT here regarding the QF175 'party' flight in February it can be safely assumed the seat pre-allocations mentioned were obtained by calling Qantas and requesting them.

Sometimes Qantas.com won;t show you seat pre-allocation; however www.checkmytrip.com generally does.

I was informed, corrected, earlier on in this thread that AFFers on the QF175 SYD-BNE party flight for the FT AGM have had seats automatically pre-allocated even a QC Silver!

I preume that's me John- I was definitely pre-allocated 26A on the QF175 party flight without ringing Qantas. It just appeared in my booking straight after the eticket was issued.

On a slightly separate note, seat allocation (for flights with QF numbers below QF400) have been showing since July for me.

 

[JohnK]

I preume that's me John- I was definitely pre-allocated 26A on the QF175 party flight without ringing Qantas. It just appeared in my booking straight after the eticket was issued.

I am glad this has worked for you. Just wish there was some consistency in the way seats are allocated for international flights on purely domestic itineraries.

On a slightly separate note, seat allocation (for flights with QF numbers below QF400) have been showing since July for me.

Except for the 2 purely domestic bookings, QF74 both times and also QF73, I have been able to see seat allocations for QF, BA and AY flights since April and not necessarily with a QF flight number. AA seat allocations do not show.