I have had a similar experience in BKK a couple of years ago, I was flying with CX (QF rewards) and was wanting to flow forward. CX didn’t want to know about it and were not being that helpful and told me to ring QF. I called QF and they said talk to CX, that was helpful as I was at just at CX checkin, standard run around stuff. After about 20 minutes I ended up calling SST to see if they could help. About 5-10 minutes after the call a CX chap approached me asked was I Mr.. and then asked which flight would I like to get on he then spoke with the checkin staff and it was all sorted. I had always wondered if SST had intervened and called someone in CX...... But when I have been flying a non-Qantas airline on a Qantas ticket, I would call the SST direct and they would fix things very quickly from their end.
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This happened today and as I had not seen any comment before - and quite possibly there has been and I have missed - just wondering what everyone's take on it is.
P1 received upgrade to PE at -20 hours JC at that time showing full. At -10 hours seats in J/C became available. As connecting from other port was in the lounge at departure -5 and asked re upgrade to be told that once upgraded your request for J/C is null and you can't re request. Attitude basically be thankful for what you have got. Called P1 desk who were slightly helpful but did say this was correct. So on this flight pax with lower upgrade category get Business and the P1 gets PE. To make this even more unpalatable on this particular flight a QF Staff member was upgraded to J. This is surely a big error in QF's upgrade allocation system.
Jeeze, I take a few months off flying and already feel way behind the eightball - but things do change very quickly, usually for the worse.
I am taking your post to mean that you purchased a ticket in Y, but had applied for a points upgrade to PE? Is this correct? I haven't attempted such for a while, but it used to be that you could apply for both an upgrade to PE and J, and would end up getting the highest available. Does this mean this is not the case, or am I missing something here?
The end result is clearly cough - you should have had close to first dibs on the highest upgrade - so I would tend to agree that their system is failing.
Correct Y ticket purchased and request for J class upgrade actioned. As J was not available at 20 hours prior to departure PE was confirmed - once this was actioned the request for J is nullified.
J seats became available and were then given to pax with lower status and in this instance at least 1 staff passenger
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I think it's a case of suck it up basically. As described the upgrade request was assessed in the correct way - at the time J was full and PE was available.. upgrade was granted (which is good), points deducted and so on and thus the request was fufilled. That more J seats ipened up at the last minute, or closer to departure anyway, is one of those things - misconnects or late cancels or whatever... it happens. As for the employee getting to sit in J - they are usually on space available standby seats and while it seems very unfair that the P1 was stuck in PE while a J seat went to a staff member or potentially lower status holders(whoose upgrades I guess were processed AFTER the P1 was).. well all I can say is that's one of those things. To me I equate this disappointing outcome with a last minute aircraft swap or the like. Obviously not the intent to screw over the paying passenger in any way, but the way it goes sometimes these things happen. And it's not like an upgrade was not granted either. Sure, not the best seat, but it's not like nothing was given. If it were me I'd chalk it up to experience an sure be annoyed but I also wouldn't jump up and down about it. Stuff Happens.
Yes chalk it up to experience as stuff does happen - goodness sounds like QF talking 'that's the way it is'. In this instance there is absolutely no benefit being granted an upgrade prior to the departure gate. If QF cannot confirm the higher class requested then they should not confirm anything and do upgrades at the gate. At least that way the higher status pax would get the best cabin available.
Fair point. Except what about choice of seats? What about the time consumed at the gate, specially if a delay, to process upgrades.. remember on an A380 you're potentially talking 10s of pax. That and the standby list.
I get it you're pissed and I would be annoyed too and you know what your ultimate choice is to take your business elsewhere (unless you're under a work travel policy or somesuch).
Tell me, at T-20 when you received the PE upgrade were you happy (enough to get that given, at that time, J was full?
Hindsight is fantastic but you and the airline can't always forsee what will happen.
In an ideal world sure, QF's system would remember your(and other) requests and say hey a J seat popped up, better give it to them and then upgrade a WP from Y into PE).. makes perfect sense.. I agree. Realistically though, given how clunky QF's systems are, and the way they process upgrades which you experienced.. these things will happen.
I remember a year or two back I was on another airline flying in the US. I had a confirmed F seat on flight X. Due to an arrival delay (on, ironically, QF) we landed right at departure time of that flight. I noticed that, even though I was a noshow for that flight (and due to being in the air had no way to contact the airline to change my booking because yes, I'd gambbled with separate PNRs and not a long enough connection time... thanks 4h delay lol) that seat actually went out EMPTY... I was really surprised that they didn't close out the flight, note me as anoshow and upgrade someone into that seat.
I wonder which would be worse? I don't know.
At the gate getting a flight ready to go agents usually have a lot of work to do, including processing of standby lists and the like. If a last minute J seat opened up due to a misconnect or cancel then that staff member got very lucky IMO.
This is not the first time I've been accused (more or less) of either working for QF or being an apologist... no... I am however a realist with a much experience as anyone in this thread, specially all our fellow P1 members.
Maybe find a constructive use for your anger? Perhaps contact QF and make your "do it at the gate" suggestion for upgrades... or alternatively take your business elsewhere (like Juddles, TonyHancock and yes even myself in some ways). We all have choices imo. Like that 4h delay which had a knock on effect for me personally but luckily worked out quite well in the end, I choose to understand sometimes you know things happen not quite the right way and life can be unfair. I also like lemonade
Annoyed maybe Pissed off maybe Anger I don't think so. I thought my comments here were tempered and constructive and to be honest didn't expect to be lectured for having the hide to question the upgrade process of the airline. I can assure you with over 47 years industry experience including half that at the airline in question I am fully aware of the processes involved in on departure upgrades. These are in fact handled by either the computer or behind the scenes in load control. The check in staff scan a boarding card get a red beep and reissue to new seat. Yes they are busy getting the flight away but an on departure upgrade is not a major problem. As to the comment take your business elsewhere I find to be childish to the extreme.
Jeeze, I take a few months off flying and already feel way behind the eightball - but things do change very quickly, usually for the worse.
I am taking your post to mean that you purchased a ticket in Y, but had applied for a points upgrade to PE? Is this correct? I haven't attempted such for a while, but it used to be that you could apply for both an upgrade to PE and J, and would end up getting the highest available. Does this mean this is not the case, or am I missing something here?
The end result is clearly cough - you should have had close to first dibs on the highest upgrade - so I would tend to agree that their system is failing.
But would miss out on lounge access, increased baggage allowance, priority check in etc.If QF cannot confirm the higher class requested then they should not confirm anything and do upgrades at the gate. At least that way the higher status pax would get the best cabin available.
Very good point. Also F host contact/spa bookings for those upgraded into F.But would miss out on lounge access, increased baggage allowance, priority check in etc.
But would miss out on lounge access, increased baggage allowance, priority check in etc.
To be fair, none of that would matter to the P1 (or even a normal Platinum)!
Yes, but the notion was for ALL requests to be processed only at the gate. That does include Golds, Silvers and below. It may not affect a P1, but there's a lot of Bronzes and Silvers who would think it was quite important that they be able to access a lounge, get extra bag entitlements etc which would work if they got the upgrade at T-24 rather than T-0.
While this is a thread to discuss P1 stuff, it is a very valid point in my view.
Yes, but the notion was for ALL requests to be processed only at the gate. That does include Golds, Silvers and below. It may not affect a P1, but there's a lot of Bronzes and Silvers who would think it was quite important that they be able to access a lounge, get extra bag entitlements etc which would work if they got the upgrade at T-24 rather than T-0.