Qantas FF announcement 20 June - "biggest overhaul" in program history

[JessicaTam]

Interesting times... I’ll be in the QF lounge tomorrow morning tuning in with anticipation (hopefully just big media hype without much negative changes).

I will be in MEL tomorrow morning.

 

[SeaWolf]

Prediction: They are selling it off.

I think that's a decent prediction. There was talk about it before and then it all went quiet, which could have meant they were in confidential negotiations. I'd say a partial or total sale is certainly a live possibility.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

To be fair MEL_Traveller, as a twice a year business class passenger on revenue tickets you are already being rewarded.

Doesn't feel like it when you're stuck in the QF economy class lounge in the basement of MEL airport

 

[DC3]

I think that's a decent prediction. There was talk about it before and then it all went quiet, which could have meant they were in confidential negotiations. I'd say a partial or total sale is certainly a live possibility.

… say $3-plus billion ……?

 

[2PAXfly]

Ok, I'm putting some opinions on the line. Worst I can be is wrong! Like most on this forum - major changes are unlikely to be positive for members, just positive for Qantas Loyalty. The want to make the most profitable aspect of Qantas even more profitable.

 

[2PAXfly]

Disagree. Knowing first-hand how it is done (having done it), who does it (mainly outsourced offshore now, which means its not the "A" team), QF's analytics is woefully lacking. The amount of info it has on its members should enable it to do far more clever analysis than it currently does. You'd be surprised how much of what they do is "manual"... you should see the process for crediting other oneworld airline miles and SC to QF FF accounts! You would die...
Don't let a sexy app confuse you - its all smoke and mirrors.
My FF summary page, for example, says that i have earned 250k+ this year from "phone and more".... no idea what that even means. Certainly not from my phone - I guess its the "more"?

That's how good they are at "data"....

In my experience the default position on claiming Oneworld airline miles via the online form is - you get an 'UNSUCCESSFUL - NO RECORD OF TRAVEL' until you email a copy of the booking and the ticket to them. Happened on so many occasions to me, I now just regard the initial rejection as standard!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Cheese and bacon party pies? Where do I sign?

Aye, it would have to be something that reduces their costs, but also that would not cause too much kerfuffle.
Cheese and bacon or cheese and spinach, or something for our vegan friends, something that can be frozen when made, and heated up in the oven/bain marie quickly for the masses.
This is my final one take on this, its probably something to save them money, but anyroad, I will wait and see with baited breath.

 

[boomy]

I will be in MEL tomorrow morning.

Sweet! I’ll be there from 10am.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

QANTAS CEO ANNOUNCES PIE IN THE SKY FOR FREQUENT FLIERS

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce and Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth today announced that the airline would be rolling out a dedicated bespoke cabin for frequent flyers, promising greater award availability on every flight.

The innovative new cabin, with Recaro seating based on seats in Qantas’ economy cabins, will initially be provided on project sunrise aircraft, but is expected to be rolled out to other aircraft over the next few years.

Mr Joyce said “classic award seats are here to stay, and today we’re announcing a new classic award seating area with enhanced award winning seating options”.

Qantas’ market research found that more award seats were available in economy, so the innovative new award winning seats are modelled on our existing award winning economy seats.

Ms Worth said “What could be better than flight awards in award winning seats? Our frequent flyers told us that they love our next generation, award winning Recaro seats, and now we’re providing the next generation of next generation, award winning seats in our new cabin. She added “We’re calling the new, dedicated classic award cabin ‘the Classic Room’ as a salute to our classic awards”.

The Classic Room is a bold new option that will take the self loading freight concept to the next level. Mr Joyce explained “We recently ruled out putting sleepers in the project sunrise cargo hold, and this decision freed up space for a new cabin that will eventually provide classic award seats on every flight”.

Premium cabin awards will be enhanced too. Before the changes announced today, a classic award seat in first typically cost about three times that of the equivalent economy award, even though the first seats weren’t as next generation or award winning as the economy seats. Market testing of cargo hold seating found that some passengers were less delighted than others with the dungeon-like environment in the hold.

Business and first classic award seats in the legacy cabins will now be replaced by new David Caon designed sunrise virtual window seats in a dedicated area of the Classic Room. The seats will have three times the recline of a standard economy seat, and some seats will feature an innovative virtual window based on extensive research of Emirates’ marketing material for their refreshed first class.

Mr Joyce said “I ordered simplicity and fairness, and that’s what we’re giving”. Ms Wirth added “three times the recline for three times the points - Qantas doesn’t get fairer than that”.

A wellness innovation in the sunrise seat is the unique and innovative massage feature. Each seat features a soothing massage spindle embedded in an innovative rotating seat squab, which will provide a new dimension for in flight entertainment on long flights.

The Classic Room will also feature enhanced dining options. A Neil Perry inspired wellness menu will be exclusive to our classic cabin, featuring Qantas award winning sourdough bread and wellness water served in David Caon designed boutique plastic bottles. Passengers in the dedicated premium area will also have access to an enhanced range of Neil Perry Party Pies, with a rotating menu of innovative but classic flavours, including cheese and bacon, tomato and onion, and classic potato.

“Now, our loyal Qantas frequent flyers will be able to enjoy pie in the sky, while they sit on a spindle and rotate”, beamed Mr Joyce.

———


Cheers skip

That should have been bolded, italiced and underlined, to make sure no one does a google search and finds your wordings, and then it goes out to press, people thinking the wordings of skip are from AJ and OW.
A lot of the things we type on here, do appear in google searches, hope your don't get your fingers burnt, skip.
Or the words added, this is not the actual statement that will appear on the 20th June 2019 by AJ and OW.

 

[dsotm]

Wondering if I should try and book my J RTW trip today?

 

[oz_mark]

You know how with VFF, you can use you points to pay for petrol at BP?
I wonder if QF will be announcing a similar thing (along with everything else): use your points to pay for things, like a regular currency (with select partners of course).

They already do, at Rockpool restaurants, Hoyts, Luxury Escapes. 4000 points gets you a $20 credit.

 

[Supersonic Swinger]

They already do, at Rockpool restaurants, Hoyts, Luxury Escapes. 4000 points gets you a $20 credit.

"For years now, you have been able to redeem your valuable Qantas Points for toasters in the Qantas Store. And now, you'll be able to redeem them at Woolworths for actual toast!"

 

[Doctore1003]

… say $3-plus billion ……?

This kind of thing would be announced before the share market opened at 10am, or they'd have to go into a trading halt - seems unlikely.

 

[levelnine]

These predictions of QFF being sold off crack me up.

You don't sell off the most profitable part of a business and leave yourself with all the unprofitable/barely profitable parts LOL. That's business 101.

 

[RooFlyer]

You don't sell off the most profitable part of a business and leave yourself with all the unprofitable/barely profitable parts LOL. That's business 101.

Sure you do ... if you predict the return on investment from that profitable segment is going to decline and you can get better returns by deploying the capital somewhere else. If Qantas Loyalty is on the top of its game, there's a buyer willing to pay what you want and you have a good home for the resulting funds - sell it in an instant. Shareholder returns - that's business 101.

But I don't think selling Qantas Loyalty is on the block on Thursday. But a merger with another scheme .... hmmmm...

 

[Limewood]

Wondering if I should try and book my J RTW trip today?

They have to give 3 months notice as I understand it of changes like this.

 

[DC3]

… You don't sell off the most profitable part of a business and leave yourself with all the unprofitable/barely profitable parts LOL. That's business 101.

.. We are talking QF here? You're making far too much sense.

 

[dajop]

Sure you do ... if you predict the return on investment from that profitable segment is going to decline and you can get better returns by deploying the capital somewhere else. If Qantas Loyalty is on the top of its game, there's a buyer willing to pay what you want and you have a good home for the resulting funds - sell it in an instant. Shareholder returns - that's business 101.

Depends on how strategic it is to you core business. If it is strategically important (which QFF is), it doesn't make sense to fully divest the business. However, it makes perfect business sense to sell off part ownership of the loyalty business to raise cash/redeploy capital, but retain enough ownership so you maintain effective control of the business.

Aeroplan is an interesting case study, completely divested in 2008 by Air Canada, acquired back in 2018 to regain control and prevent it from failing. By contrast, in India, JetPrivilege program is still operating (who knows for how long), as it is a separate business to Jet Airways which has failed.

 

[levelnine]

Sure you do ... if you predict the return on investment from that profitable segment is going to decline and you can get better returns by deploying the capital somewhere else. If Qantas Loyalty is on the top of its game, there's a buyer willing to pay what you want and you have a good home for the resulting funds - sell it in an instant. Shareholder returns - that's business 101.

Except neither of those conditions are even remotely true in Qantas' case.

 

[Katie]

I reckon it'll be pockets - or at least one pocket in the J pyjama pants.