Who says QF Silvers have no sway?

[Dave Noble]

Well NOT moving someone to an earlier flight is just plain bad training on the part of Qantas.

No it is not, it is a sensible business model. All QF domestic fares allow changes up to day before departure ( free for those with flexi savers or higher and AUD35/38.50 for super savers/red-e-deals ) . On the day of departure, only flexi savers / fully flex can be changed. If you want the flexibility to turn up and hop on the next available flight, then you need a flexible ticket otherwise you can expect in normal situations to wait till the booked time

If you want to travel at 5pm on a friday, cannot find a 10pm flight that is cheap and then hop on a peak service

Much more sensible business wise, imo, than the US approach

Dave