Have J Award seats dried up to the Americas ?

[ozflier]

I have been sweating on getting 2 business award seats to North or South America next September.

I understand that award seats may or may not be released at the usual 350 odd day ahead point and I recognise that it is up to QF when and if they release seats at all etc. Of course they may only release one not two seats.

However , I have been following historical release of award seats for these flights for some months prior to September 2015 ( and it was't too bad).There seems to have been a drop in release in J seats for travel from the beginning of September 2015 - in fact virtually nil on QF a/c.

Maybe this is just a coincidence ,but, believe me I have looked at every option ( eg out of AKL to SCL) to get there . There are still the Cathay services out via HKK to LAX but almost impossible to see any QFF metal flights.

As I am currently in the UK, I can easily check on the post midnight release (if that happens) and I have put in requests on ExpertFlyer in case I miss anything coming up.

I would have thought that with the new A380 service to DFW and daily 747s BNE-LAX,that there would be more availability.

Am I just being paranoid here or is QFF getting even tighter?

 

[Alanslegal]

Am I just being paranoid here or is QFF getting even tighter?

There are over 7 or 8 million members and we all fight for that measly one J seat that Qantas may or may not even release. The odds of getting an award seat is almost as hard as it is to win the UK National Lottery, which is almost 1 in 14 million

 

[serfty]

September?

School holidays ... Qantas get more revenue selling those business seats for non reward economy fares than they do with point redemptions.

Other than that, check online at 10am Brisbane time 353 days before your targeted date.

Also Tue-Thu may have more chance of availability than the weekend bracketing days.

 

[ozflier]

Ta for that.

I have been doing exactly as you suggested-but to no avail.

Would be better if travelling by myself but I prefer to go with my wife - hence the need for 2 seats.

 

[MelUser]

I would say in answer to title - they've never been readily available.

 

[serfty]

True, but using what I have described I have always been able to secure business transpacific maybe a day earlier or later than hoped for ...

... and normally not Fridays or Saturdays- I search for via MEL, SYD & BNE.

Certainty 2 PAX is Harder, especially during peak travel periods like the OP desires ....

 

[BD1959]

This seems to be a growing trend in QFF redemptions: buy the partner seat rather than providing the QF seat. I'm sure it makes sense in the great revenue machine.

There are two Js back on QF16 on the 15th, that apart nothing between Oz and LAX on QF metal for the whole of September (2xJ redemption). Plenty of availability as the OP stated via HKG on CX.

If it was me, I'd go for those and ignore AJ the next he bleats that customers chose not to fly QF.

Regards,

BD

 

[amaroo]

HKG stopover + F or J over the pacific....not a bad alternative.

In my 18+ years of QFF I've redeemed >50 LH flights in F or J .... a tiny, tiny portion of those have been on QF metal.

IME nothing has changed over those 18 odd years.

 

[grussellt]

Ozflier - I have sent you a PM.

 

[TheBOSman]

HKG stopover + F or J over the pacific....not a bad alternative.

In my 18+ years of QFF I've redeemed >50 LH flights in F or J .... a tiny, tiny portion of those have been on QF metal.

IME nothing has changed over those 18 odd years.

Yeah, the major problem for QFF members is that, once they hit 330 days, they will almost invariably get snapped up by AAdvantage members.

 

[serfty]

Yeah, the major problem for QFF members is that, once they hit 330 days, they will almost invariably get snapped up by AAdvantage members.

... and of course, more recently, those using USairways DM's (at least until they merge with AA ...).

 

[TheBOSman]

... and of course, more recently, those using USairways DM's (at least until they merge with AA ...).

Yes. And QF does not often release more awards, especially not as flights get closer, unlike CX or JL. QF seems to do a fairly solid job selling TPAC in addition.

However, OP et al, do keep an eye out for QF 95 and QF 96, the new 744 flights between MEL and LAX. I've seen a handful of J award seats show up on those flights.

 

[diningdecadence]

Other than that, check online at 10am Brisbane time 353 days before your targeted date.

Also Tue-Thu may have more chance of availability than the weekend bracketing days.

is 10am brisbane time still the release time for the online QF booking tool? i'm watching a route with keen interest and hoping to jump in for first bite of the cherry, if awards are released for that day.

 

[serfty]

is 10am brisbane time still the release time for the online QF booking tool? i'm watching a route with keen interest and hoping to jump in for first bite of the cherry, if awards are released for that day.

Yip - as of thursday when I last checked.

Nufin @ 10:55am MEL time; availability existed at 11:05am MEL time.

 

[clazman]

Every time i have checked .... it has been QF business to east coast..economy across the pacific and then business to the next city..... luckily being in Perth it is just as easy to CX to Hong Kong - NY (100% strike rate)

 

[serfty]

Every time i have checked .... it has been QF business to east coast..economy across the pacific and then business to the next city..... luckily being in Perth it is just as easy to CX to Hong Kong - NY (100% strike rate)

I think a problem here is that many PER-<east coast>-LAX routeings would require the PER-<East Coast> segment to operate the day before in order to link up(not all, there are the red eyes). This means booking a day after the LAX segments become available.

Maybe with the new afternoon MEL/SYD-LAX services on varied days opportunities will increase.

 

[madrooster]

I think a problem here is that many PER-<east coast>-LAX routeings would require the PER-<East Coast> segment to operate the day before in order to link up(not all, there are the red eyes). This means booking a day after the LAX segments become available.

Maybe with the new afternoon MEL/SYD-LAX services on varied days opportunities will increase.

Wouldn't the PER-east coast sectors already be available before the east coast-LAX sectors? I assume you mean the LAX-east coast sectors, as east coast-PER wouldn't become available for another day or so.