Your QFF Program (Actual) Enhancements Wishlist

[harvyk]

What's the difference?

Please don't get me wrong I am not trying to be smart, but for an airline that's on the ropes, what's the down side to going down that path?

As long as it's coupled with the same burn rate, eg 1 point per $20 spent, 1 point = $1 discount on airfares (so effectively giving a 5% discount), I've seen stores (such as hardware stores) do this somewhat successfully.
(Edit: for the record I am against this idea)

 

[ReLoad]

If you piss off your customers, you won't have any.

Compared to now how?

Again, they are on the ropes, they need to make it fair for both parties, them and us, how will it not work?

 

[Colster]

1) Recognition that I have a choice of which airlines to use and as such I do expect a bit more thanks for choosing qantas. Retain WP with 5 months to go, but no chance of P1.. What's the point of not flying on VA/Star for the next 5 months. Qantas needs to recognise that I want more than lip service to stay with them for the next 5 months.
2) SC bonus for WPs for y domestic (take them back to the pre enhancement days)
3) upgrading WPs into otherwise empty seats (catering not guaranteed) on QFi long haul.

 

[V1213]

How about points upgrades on oneworld and partner flights?
Star Alliance can manage this on a large scale, yet we can't even get it with close QF partners like EK or AA...

 

[maroonone]

Family pooling would be great but an easier one may be to allow a partner to revert to the other's anniversary date. In my case I would willingly go from 31 Aug back to SWMBO 30 Apr. I would therefore forego any loyalty bonus I might have earned and if I hadn't retained WP (I won't let that happen) I would go back to SG. Win-win for QF and a longer term win for me.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

1) Recognition that I have a choice of which airlines to use and as such I do expect a bit more thanks for choosing qantas. Retain WP with 5 months to go, but no chance of P1.. What's the point of not flying on VA/Star for the next 5 months. Qantas needs to recognise that I want more than lip service to stay with them for the next 5 months.

That's what the 2400 SC level is supposed to incent you for, with Partner Gold, 50,000 points or valet parking as the carrot. Whether that's a good enough carrot is another matter.

For me - I'd like the return of MASAs. (Yeah, I'm dreamin'.) If Qantas is really worried about people overusing these (supposedly people using them to hit P1 was a factor in their axing), then limit their use to one or two per year. The ability to tactically leverage MASAs caused me to spend a lot more money with Qantas. Their removal has caused me to spend less.

 

[suparockin]

All I want is an option to use more points to get an instant upgrade confirmed.

Say SYD-NRT upgrade from PE to J is normally 30,000 points but you go into the lottery, you make an option to have instant confirmation if you pay 45,000 points.

Surely there is a number of points that would make it worthwhile for Qantas?

 

[ketsuzei]

4) Ability to shamelessly rort the system and thereby attain a status not commensurate with my true station in life

I'd like the return of MASAs. (Yeah, I'm dreamin'.) If Qantas is really worried about people overusing these (supposedly people using them to hit P1 was a factor in their axing), then limit their use to one or two per year. The ability to tactically leverage MASAs caused me to spend a lot more money with Qantas. Their removal has caused me to spend less.

Limiting their use to international flights could also have worked well.

Now that I lose MASA access, I start re-evaluating everything points-related, which means I'm less likely to make frivolous Epiqure purchases or have my family fly QF so I can steal their points later... I also now have a credit card that gives me the option of sweeping to QF *or* elsewhere. Just generally less likely to participate in the whole ecosystem.

 

[ketsuzei]

The ability to purchase reasonably priced one-way fares might also persuade me to spend more cash on QF.

[I've done seven triangular trips from Australia to the US to Japan and back home in the past few years.

The first few I just purchased JAL J fares, because it was the easiest way. So one leg was just a several-hour stopover in NRT.

Then I started buying JASAs for the Australia-US and Japan-Australia legs, and finessing my way from the US to Japan, once with a QFF Classic Award. More money to QF, surely.

From this month it's back to JAL.]

 

[wandering_fred]

The ability to credit (year round) Qantas points earned on Qantas metal international flights from PER. (and ADL)

The ability to earn equal SCs on OW partner airlines when compared with QF on a destination pair.
Offset perhaps by status requiring half the SCs for each level coming from QF group marketed flights in earning fare classes.

Also still waiting for UL to fly to Australia. And BA to code share on QR 900/901

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[Isochronous]

If QF were smart, they would setup a codeshare agreement with UL where they would have complementary services to CMB and then codeshare on UL from CMB to India.

 

[pjm99au]

Allow WP's and above to checkin for J* international flights at the star class check in counters

Another vote for status partnering with a hotel chain as Virgin do with HH

 

[drron]

No more "enhancements".

 

[SQ421]

Allow WP's and above to checkin for J* international flights at the star class check in counters

Another vote for status partnering with a hotel chain as Virgin do with HH

While checking in for JQ1/JQ35 at SYD I haven't had any problems checking in at the Star Class check in counters.

 

[pjm99au]

While checking in for JQ1/JQ35 at SYD I haven't had any problems checking in at the Star Class check in counters.

Nooo really? All these times I've queued and I didn't need to. Is it official policy or is it like priority boarding and unpoliced

 

[harvyk]

That's what the 2400 SC level is supposed to incent you for, with Partner Gold, 50,000 points or valet parking as the carrot. Whether that's a good enough carrot is another matter.

For me - I'd like the return of MASAs. (Yeah, I'm dreamin'.) If Qantas is really worried about people overusing these (supposedly people using them to hit P1 was a factor in their axing), then limit their use to one or two per year. The ability to tactically leverage MASAs caused me to spend a lot more money with Qantas. Their removal has caused me to spend less.

Well the answer is simple, allow the use of mASA's and allow them to earn SC's towards status. The catch is however that there is a minimum actual spend on QF metal to actually earn status. So for example if you earnt 3,000 SC's but all except for 200 of them was via mASA's and other OW carriers, then you'll stay firmly planted in NB land... Much like QF does with P1 and the minimum requirements of 75% QF metal.

Perhaps have a minimum spend on QF metal, for example 50% of your status must come from actual paid travel. This means that if you earned 700SC's from OW / mASA travel at the beginning of your year, you need to then earn 700SC's via actual paid travel before you'd get WP.

 

[ketsuzei]

I think we can safely say that very few J/F international Classic awards ultimately go unsold.

If QFF were to allow an add-on "package" to earn SCs it would earn them extra revenue. Then they just have to make sure that the price of that package is commensurate with the "cost" of the proportion of status it confers.

If someone were still able to make P1 from international flights + packages, they would have had to have so many points that they should be considered an important customer of the whole QFF ecosystem anyway.

So for example:

SYD-NRT Classic costs 72,000 points + (say) $400 and earns 0 SCs.
SYD-NRT Classic + QFF S&F Package costs 72,000 points + $400 + X and earns 120 SCs

Just make sure X is high enough to meet the "cost" to QFF of someone earning 1/10 of WP renewal.

 

[mannej]

Where do you start with wishlist? Some changes that I would imagine be handy are;

• Upgrades on EK metal for ports such as PER and ADL.
• ~ on all QF flights (including Classic Awards) Medhead did have a good suggestion with the Plus packs for the Classics which caught QF by surprise I think
• Complimentary Seat Selection for QP members on intl flights. Available seat selection for QP members have dropped dramatically since the introduction of Online Seat Selection. Would be nice not to have to pay for International Selection.
• Either offer Mixed Class redemptions at the appropriate level (the price of the Y Leg + the price of the J Leg) or abolish the misleading mixed fares currently on offer. It would also be a great paid fare option as well.

Other items that would be nice

• The option to select J Meals on transcons J flights. Seemed a bit underwhelmed by the Main Plate options on Tuesday night.
• Suitable catering options for those not wanting "Cafe Breakfast" - this seems to be on the cards
• Confirmed upgrades at time of booking (Perhaps a surcharge for those not wanting to go into the lottery).

I will add to the list when more come to mind - however I am realistic.

 

[dajop]

Agree with this as well... In fact I would call the single F SYD-LHR flyer not a frequent flyer at all. Prob is that in terms of actual $$$ spend, the single F SYD-LHR is going to spend more than the weekly SYD-MEL flyer on a discount Y. As far as the airline is concerned, that single F fare is worth more than the weekly flyer.

The single F flyer certainly generates more $$$, but do they generate more profit? They take up a lot of real estate on the aircraft (and aircraft aren't cheap), they consume more expensive food and beverages and have more crew time dedicated to them. On a per mile basis, a $13.5 k return fare between SYD & LHR, is equivalent to a $270 fare one way SYD-MEL!

 

[harvyk]

• Confirmed upgrades at time of booking (Perhaps a surcharge for those not wanting to go into the lottery).

100% agree on this... I've only done the lottery a few times, and whilst I have a pretty good success rate not knowing until the day before departure can be very irritating.