Qantas fares 'post-coronavirus'

[Melburnian1]

A person I know who books many F and J fares says he had QFi J class return tickets booked SYD-NRT return that cost between $3500-3700 each for travel in July 2020.

He's either been notified by QFi that the flights are cancelled or he's somehow cancelled the tickets himself. I omitted to ask.

For rebooking about 353 days later (the maximum one can), I am informed that QFi now wants A$6285 return.

An amazing increase of about 75 per cent. Apparently same fare conditions and identical length of stay (I'm not sure how long - perhaps 21 days, definitely under 35 days).

He reminds me Mr Joyce of Qantas said there wouldn't be price gouging.

If this is typical, then that suggestion was fallacious.

I'm told that the JL return J class fare for the same dates is A$4200. It would be even cheaper on PR via Manila, but QFi and JL are both nonstops.

 

[jakeseven7]

Strange, my SFO searches (for an optimistic holiday) are coming in 3K cheaper than normal! Very tempted but not quite confident enough to pull the trigger (for 2021 Q1)

Clearly some funny supply / demand things going on here.

 

[p--and--t]

My experience not on QF, but JQ.

My flights Mel-Cns (Y) have been cancelled due to Covid and looking to book after QLD are expected to have the borders open and the fares on offer are $40 each way cheaper than I bought in a sale prior to Xmas.

My credit voucher will more than cover the trip with funds left over.

 

[Melburnian1]

Strange, my SFO searches (for an optimistic holiday) are coming in 3K cheaper than normal! Very tempted but not quite confident enough to pull the trigger (for 2021 Q1)

Clearly some funny supply / demand things going on here.

It may well vary on a route by route basis.

Importantly, my friend's two quotes/ticket prices were for almost identical dates a year apart, so probably a good comparison due to seasonality variances if the two were for different months 2020 v 2021.

 

[milehighclub]

He reminds me Mr Joyce of Qantas said there wouldn't be price gouging.

If this is typical, then that suggestion was fallacious.

I don't think anyone at any airline is looking at fares 353 days out (staff are probably stood down). It would be a normal fare, and a quick scan shows this $6200 amount typical every month at least from now until April next year.

You seem quite determined to prove that QF is gouging.

 

[Melburnian1]

I don't think anyone at any airline is looking at fares 353 days out (staff are probably stood down). It would be a normal fare, and a quick scan shows this $6200 amount typical every month at least from now until April next year.

You seem quite determined to prove that QF is gouging.

My friend, who travels extremely long distances an enormous amount (not just with Qantas), never in whY and whenever possible in F (although that's only offered on a minority of worldwide flights), believes QFi is. He's in a pretty good position to know and initiated the comment with me. It wasn't something I suggested as I had no way of knowing what QFi was charging either previously or in the future, as Japan isn't on my immediate list of nations to which I want to travel.

Mr Joyce made a particular statement. Given that the software accepts bookings 353 days out, why isn't he ensuring that such fares don't appear if as you imply there's no gouging occurring?

The staff are "probably" stood down you say. Are they, or are there still some revenue analysts working, which is what I'd expect given that we all hope (airlines and hotels in particular) that the virus won't continue to disrupt travel ad infinitum?

JL has managed to show fares at A$4200 in J SYD-NRT so I'm informed, so is QFi incapable of coming close to matching this or undercutting it?

Sorry, but I don't buy a suggestion that this is an 'error through omission.' Of course, people are free to shop around with competitors and the better informed will.

 

[jb747]

Mr Joyce made a particular statement. Given that the software accepts bookings 353 days out, why isn't he ensuring that such fares don't appear if as you imply there's no gouging occurring?

My take on that was that he was talking about domestic, in particular the monorail.

International is up in the air (well, the exact opposite).

 

[GoldCanyon340]

I don't think anyone at any airline is looking at fares 353 days out (staff are probably stood down). It would be a normal fare, and a quick scan shows this $6200 amount typical every month at least from now until April next year.

The yield management system will. I assume, be running every day though for at least the non-government subsidised flights. It can apply changes to flights without manual intervention if deltas are within defined tolerances.