There is a "separate" function under my bookings so I can avoid the call centre!
Kangarooflyer88 to answer your questions..
- What QF status do they hold? What QF status do those travelling with them hold? No status I'm afraid. I made the booking and am bronze.
- Who made the booking for the ticket (if QF is anything like UA, the upgrade priority assigned to each traveller based on status would be the greater of the status that traveller holds or the status the one making the booking who is travelling holds). Again me but I'm bronze.
- What fare code did the flights book into? A high code like a Y would be more likely for an upgrade to clear versus an E fare, similarly a V fare will have slightly better odds than a G fare. This was hard to find but class is "L" which I am pretty sure is "Economy Saver ".
Given no one holds QF status, your best bet is to split up everyone's PNR that way QF will be able to assign whatever upgrades they have available, should your names somehow end up in the pecking order. An L fare on iternational itineraries is
fairly low on the pecking order (just above an E and G). Theoretically this would mean that you are at the bottom of the pecking order for upgrades. However, one big unknown is just how many J seats are available. As I mentioned earlier ExpertFlyer is showing a J9 meaning there are at least 9 business class seats available. Your flight will
be on an A330 meaning no Premium Economy seats but there is some 28 business class seats available, so there is still a chance one or more of you can get upgraded.
One other thing I will mention that may be useful in the future is that if booking for more than one party as a cash fare, sometimes it is cheaper to book each person separately. The reason I say this is if you book together with multiple people, QF's booking engine must find a fare that has at least x seats available in that fare code, which often results in a more expensive fare being shown. It may not have played much of a role here given you were issued an L fare, but something to consider nonetheless. The only time it would really make sense to book multiple parties under one itinerary is if someone has status that could be shared with other travellers (i.e. extra baggage allowance, lounge access, upgrade priority, etc.)
One thing that might make sense before splitting off the PNR is to request the classic reward upgrades on everyone else travelling before you make the split. That way you can at least secure the request in using your points. And again, I throw it back to the AFF community as well: what's the best strategy for securing a QF International upgrade: bid upgrade or classic flight award (or something else)?
-RooFlyer88