Article: Public Servants Spent $1 Million More on Flights During Double Qantas Status Credits

[AFF Editor]

Canonical URL

https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/public-servants-qantas-double-status-credits/

Public Servants Spent $1 Million More on Flights During Double Qantas Status Credits is an article written by the AFF editorial team:

Public Servants Spent $1 Million More on Flights During Double Qantas Status Credits

Australia's public servants booked 20% more Qantas domestic flights than the monthly average during Qantas' latest Double Status Credits promotion.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

You can leave a comment or discuss this topic below.

 

[DAC1]

Why do all of these articles fail to mention that one of the terms of the DSC promotion is “In accordance with Commonwealth policy, this offer is not available to you if you are travelling for Commonwealth purposes.”

In practice, I do not know whether those travelling on WOAG fares still earn DSCs despite that rule. The policy suggests that the traveller “may not accept” so that might mean that they can, but it is on the traveller to not accept the DSC promotion.

Given this restriction (whether it’s practically enforced or not), it’s an easy explanation for why bookings are only 20% higher (because most of them actually realise that they are not entitled to DSCs and the rest just didn’t read the T&Cs or their own policy).

 

[andye]

Why do all of these articles fail to mention that one of the terms of the DSC promotion is “In accordance with Commonwealth policy, this offer is not available to you if you are travelling for Commonwealth purposes.”

In practice, I do not know whether those travelling on WOAG fares still earn DSCs despite that rule. The policy suggests that the traveller “may not accept” so that might mean that they can, but it is on the traveller to not accept the DSC promotion.

Given this restriction (whether it’s practically enforced or not), it’s an easy explanation for why bookings are only 20% higher (because most of them actually realise that they are not entitled to DSCs and the rest just didn’t read the T&Cs or their own policy).

I suspect you are correct that some public servants are worried they aren't entitled which may explain the relatively small uptick. However, I think that those who book will, in practice, get the DSCs and the less 'courageous' will miss out. It's not their money so there is nothing for them to lose (and in the scheme of things it's a pretty trivial loss to either the taxpayer or Qantas)

 

[kpc]

As long as senior public servants eg ministers receive free CL membership, I don't begrudge any lowly paid public servant getting a few extra SCs.

I also think it is a bit ridiculous to have a whole article on this issue.

 

[bussyboy]

Could it be in the lead up to federal budget, and looking federal election, public servants needed more face to face meetings?

 

[Happy Dude]

If a public servant conjures up reasons to get status via work funded travel, a DSC promo saves the taxpayer 50%.

 

[Rabs97]

Is this really a story? It’s like saying “Public Servants buy 50% more fuel for their vehicles than usual on Tuesdays than (because that’s the day fuel is cheapest).

As the article explains government fares are usually flexible so fares don’t change much and so why not buy them when they can earn some extra SCs?

 

[justinbrett]

QF gets more government business because it has far more capacity in regional areas compared to VA. Also, WoAG gets a significant discount on public QF fares so to say VA is always cheaper is simply not true. In practice many of the trunk routes are priced the same.

 

[Virgin Bart]

As long as senior public servants eg ministers receive free CL membership, I don't begrudge any lowly paid public servant getting a few extra SCs.

I also think it is a bit ridiculous to have a whole article on this issue.

Outrage article.... Shame.

 

[dairyfloss]

Why do all of these articles fail to mention that one of the terms of the DSC promotion is “In accordance with Commonwealth policy, this offer is not available to you if you are travelling for Commonwealth purposes.”

In practice, I do not know whether those travelling on WOAG fares still earn DSCs despite that rule. The policy suggests that the traveller “may not accept” so that might mean that they can, but it is on the traveller to not accept the DSC promotion.

Given this restriction (whether it’s practically enforced or not), it’s an easy explanation for why bookings are only 20% higher (because most of them actually realise that they are not entitled to DSCs and the rest just didn’t read the T&Cs or their own policy).

That restriction is more likely specific to the double points offer which runs concurrently with the DSC offer (either or). There is no restriction on WoAG staff earning status credits on government fares. It’s reward points that are the issue, and WoAG specific fares do not attract them at all.

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[aikman]

To be fair I can't imagine it's easy coming up with brand new topics week after week after week for the newsletter.

 

[justinbrett]

To be fair I can't imagine it's easy coming up with brand new topics week after week after week for the newsletter.

There was once one about popcorn on flights

 

[CaptJCool]

Yeah
Under WOAG frequent flyer points are NOT given for govt funded travel

The Platinum lifetimers include politicians. They declare this on their pecuniary interest declaration.
Easy enough to look up

 

[DC3]

Following with interest.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

QF gets more government business because it has far more capacity in regional areas compared to VA. Also, WoAG gets a significant discount on public QF fares so to say VA is always cheaper is simply not true. In practice many of the trunk routes are priced the same.

In some cases certainly, however I know for a fact MANY APS and Defence personnel very deliberately book with Qantas specifically for the status credits. I've even heard of status runs being done to rack up a few extra SC. It is very easy to rort, just look at the flight times and say you need to be at destination by X o'clock that corresponds to the Qantas flight not the Virgin one.
The system isn't smart. Ironically I've had a harder time trying to explain in one instance the cheapest available flight was a Virgin J ticket, not the QF Y.
As always, the higher up the bigger the rorting. Some poor APS5 or corporal would be lucky to not get cut from an essential trip, meanwhile EL2/LTCOL will find any bullshit excuse for a yippee trip.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Good luck to them. If you have no objection to people getting DSCs on work travel for non-government employers, then it should make no difference when their employer happens to be the government.

 

[DC3]

Some poor APS5 or corporal would be lucky to not get cut from an essential trip, meanwhile EL2/LTCOL will find any bullshit excuse for a yippee trip.

Not everyone gets the perks.

 

[significance]

I saw the article in the Canberra Times and it included a graph showing the 20% spike. It also showed spikes of about the same magnitude during weeks without the double status credit offer, so it didn't really support the argument. Some other things to bear in mind:
- Most public servants fly economy even on long flights.
- Most public servants in positions where they are required to travel regularly don't get paid overtime and don't get time off in lieu if they get up at 4am to fly to a meeting in another city and don't get home to their families until 11pm the next day or the next week.
- Public servants don't get frequent flyer points for those flights.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

Not everyone gets the perks.

This is tax-payer money we're taking about here, there shouldn't be "perks", especially in Defence. It shouldn't be wasted unnecessarily on making a bunch of wasters in Russell more comfortable, at the expense of capability.

 

[DC3]

This is tax-payer money we're taking about here, there shouldn't be "perks", especially in Defence. It shouldn't be wasted unnecessarily on making a bunch of wasters in Russell more comfortable, at the expense of capability.

We seem to be in a parallel universe here.