"... we'll shortly announce a major investment to improve our Frequent Flyer program"

[MikeG]

I have noticed that the qantas.com website is much nicer. Maybe they will fix the award booking issues we've had so much trouble with, such as ability to search for reward flights etc

 

[Doctore1003]

agreed
if earning DINK THEN likely CC spending points earn per annum (1 point per $) is at minimum 80,000 per year

Classic Rewards
Return Syd - London (EK) (QF metal slightly cheaper)
Points
J 318,000 = couple 636,000
F rate is 455,000 = couple 910,000 (if you can even find two F redemptions!)

Carrier Charges
Emirates - there's some open CRs for Feb/March 2025
$4,137 = at the 1.5cents = "275,000 points"
IF YOU ADD A NOTIONAL value then points needed per couple are about 1,186,000 (but the cash payment negates the need to "actually earn those points in the first place")


Classic Plus in effect is consigning you to J class instead of F as based on points needed to spend but hey at least you get a lie flat bed on the plane

on the sales price of $8,499 that's around 566,000 = couple 1,032,000
this adds an extra two years to the earning (if 80,000 per annum)

and then there's the carrier charges
if the new burn band has none (which I doubt) then on the sales fares, its close enough to CR reward of (points plus carrier charges notionally converted to points)

A couple can earn 80k points per year just from wine bonuses. Trust me!

 

[CaptJCool]

A couple can earn 80k points per year just from wine bonuses. Trust me!

Yes granted
The teetotallers unlikely

And the intention was to consider the lowest rate of earn - how many years would it take to achieve the reward if you took the slow path ?

Of course many speed up the process by bonus points

It’s a pity all the same that there’s zero QF long haul rewards redemptions available on the QFF Where can I go? Website in the coming 12 months (there’s a few EK redemptions in Feb 2025….)

 

[RichardMEL]

I have noticed that the qantas.com website is much nicer. Maybe they will fix the award booking issues we've had so much trouble with, such as ability to search for reward flights etc

Talkin' about utopia there. Think many of us would give up a lot for a website that works as expected, can do the partner rewards (and changes!) online and reticketing just works!

 

[ozflier]

Talkin' about utopia there. Think many of us would give up a lot for a website that works as expected, can do the partner rewards (and changes!) online and reticketing just works!

I agree totally !
Compare QFF with the United Mileage Plus reward engine - the latter is so good !

 

[Cloud9]

A couple can earn 80k points per year just from wine bonuses. Trust me!

Or 600k if the wife has a penchant for cases of red and bonus points...

 

[Doctore1003]

I have noticed that the qantas.com website is much nicer. Maybe they will fix the award booking issues we've had so much trouble with, such as ability to search for reward flights etc

A complete website rebuild was announced during a recent earnings release, if memory serves!

 

[RichardMEL]

A complete website rebuild was announced during a recent earnings release, if memory serves!

That depends what that means imo.

Website is still the frontend. The backend, in the main, is where many of the problems are imo.. a lot of legacy code and kludges built on top of Amadeus.

They can fancy up the website all they like, but if the backend isn't sorted out, the actual change in functionality in respect to the many known issues, would likely be minimal.

Imo.

 

[elanshin]

That depends what that means imo.

Website is still the frontend. The backend, in the main, is where many of the problems are imo.. a lot of legacy code and kludges built on top of Amadeus.

They can fancy up the website all they like, but if the backend isn't sorted out, the actual change in functionality in respect to the many known issues, would likely be minimal.

Imo.

I'd like to think, its one of those grand plans suits talk about doing and the IT department groan.

Not because they can't/don't want to do the work, but because it's usually some grandiose all in one solution that never is ideal because the scope is too big to do all at once.

 

[RichardMEL]

I'd like to think, its one of those grand plans suits talk about doing and the IT department groan.

Not because they can't/don't want to do the work, but because it's usually some grandiose all in one solution that never is ideal because the scope is too big to do all at once.

Yup. I've seen numbers of situations professionally where the desire is there, the need is real and known. The scope though, cost(a lot of this stuff would involve serious integration work) and implementation hazards can make such things really difficult.

I've also seen such projects go bellyup in a spectacular fashion too. One situation, without getting too specific, involved a need to fix integration of new functionality(much needed) into a financial system spend 18 months in development hell of various kinds - affected by internal and external factors - eventually canned as not fit for purpose. A lot of money, time and effort expended with zero change after all was said and done.

 

[hb13]

I'm struggling to see how anyone sees this change as anything but horrible news unless you're earning millions of points per year?

Assuming that Classic+ rewards may be redeemable with no added taxes/fees/surcharges and being based on 'sale fares' (two massive assumptions), we are looking at 550k - 600k roundtrip for an Aus-Eu J trip when now it is effectively half that for classic rewards. F awards will be circa 800k to 950k.

The real crux of the matter here, IMO, is the availability of seats. Finding Classic reward seats are like finding a needle in a haystack. Now, QF is surely likely to make this effectively impossible, so in reality all we'll have is Classic+ rewards. And even with that, how many Classic+ seats will be made available?

Unless QF point earning is about to become significantly easier and cheaper, this would be really bad news and it would price a lot of people out of having a shot at premium rewards.

Some people are only able to collect the required points for their dream trip over a period of 12 - 18 months. Now, you're asking them to double that period of time. And then, when they have enough points five years from now, I'm sure prices will go up again, rendering their points useless.

Vanessa Hudson has been at QF for over 20 years. I'm surprised anyone expected differently from the QF view of 'who cares about the customer' - although now it is about to get much worse.

 

[CaptJCool]

12-18 months

I think you underestimate the slow earners zzz

 

[SYD]

I'm struggling to see how anyone sees this change as anything but horrible news unless you're earning millions of points per year?

Assuming that Classic+ rewards may be redeemable with no added taxes/fees/surcharges and being based on 'sale fares' (two massive assumptions), we are looking at 550k - 600k roundtrip for an Aus-Eu J trip when now it is effectively half that for classic rewards. F awards will be circa 800k to 950k.

The real crux of the matter here, IMO, is the availability of seats. Finding Classic reward seats are like finding a needle in a haystack. Now, QF is surely likely to make this effectively impossible, so in reality all we'll have is Classic+ rewards. And even with that, how many Classic+ seats will be made available?

Unless QF point earning is about to become significantly easier and cheaper, this would be really bad news and it would price a lot of people out of having a shot at premium rewards.

Some people are only able to collect the required points for their dream trip over a period of 12 - 18 months. Now, you're asking them to double that period of time. And then, when they have enough points five years from now, I'm sure prices will go up again, rendering their points useless.

Vanessa Hudson has been at QF for over 20 years. I'm surprised anyone expected differently from the QF view of 'who cares about the customer' - although now it is about to get much worse.

Hopefully, the alternative hypothesis is the release of CRs (limited as they can be in longhaul premium cabins) returns to pre-Covid patterns (ie get in early or have WP status or better). But Classic+ will be there for the masses 3xx days out - first in best dress (despite the poor value), and then P+P for the desperate and seatless?

 

[RichardMEL]

I think you'll find Classic+ rewards will be available across the inventory spectrum ie at sale/discount/flex categories - like p+p were being displayed til recent changes. Of course your cheapest fare equivalents will be most affordable.

And sure, things like europe J/F may be out of reach (or reasonable to many) but what of other trip options? Hop to Asia? NZ? South Pacific? Not everyone wants the same thing....

 

[drron]

It turns out that on this cruise there are a couple of ex QF executives. Retired for some time but one said to me at dinner last night that the last CEO of QF that actually cared for customers was James Strong.

 

[CaptJCool]

It turns out that on this cruise there are a couple of ex QF executives. Retired for some time but one said to me at dinner last night that the last CEO of QF that actually cared for customers was James Strong.

I was a fanboy of Strong

Even met him on North terrace one year he was in Adelaide for an AGM
AND secured an autograph !

 

[downgraded]

This morning's "Qantas update from Vanessa Hudson" email doesn't say much, but this did catch my eye:



Any ideas?

In true QANTAS fashion, "shortly" had come and gone.

 

[RichardMEL]

In true QANTAS fashion, "shortly" had come and gone.

It was rescheduled. You mean you didn't get the change notification?!

 

[NoName]

I don’t quite understand all the speculation and excitement over this. Isn’t this essentially just introducing an option that functions the same way as points + pay but slightly less of a rip off? Or have I missed something completely?

 

[33kft]

I don’t quite understand all the speculation and excitement over this.

Speculation is right. The majority of discussion has been predictions of doom and gloom but a critical eye cast across what has actually been leaked to date just shows a new rewards tier that is unlikely to change much if anything (other than to soak up the excess points of those too impatient to find a "classic" CR).