Qantas rolls out Classic Plus Flight Rewards

[Franky]

Just makes it increasingly easier to become a free agent, as I reminded myself yesterday while searching for a single open seat in the International Business "lounge" at SYD before being relegated to a barstool wedged between another pax and the sparkling wine station. Premium.

Aahh - but will you do it????

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Aahh - but will you do it????

I already have.

I won’t spite myself to spite QF (like this trip where QF was cheaper than NZ to Wellington and timing was better), but I wont blindly book with them or even OW solely for the sake of status or points — and Classic rewards that QF withholds from its own.

 

[kamchatsky]

I did not think this could get worse. Qantas are making classic award seats available to oneworld partner airlines while forcing QFF members to use Classic+ for the same flight. See here for Wed. May 6th; Qantas, American AAdvantage and Alaska Atmos.




I can get X on the directs with Qantas if I wangle a bit with multi city on an international itinerary.

What about VA on the same date? Do they have plenty of award availability? That will provide a true comparison for Australian customers as most people are not members of AA/AS.

 

[stm1sydney]

What about VA on the same date? Do they have plenty of award availability? That will provide a true comparison for Australian customers as most people are not members of AA/AS.

Stacks available on VA all day 6 May:

 

[Youfah Mizzum]

I just can't fathom the bad publicity and poor public perception that QF ignore in the hope of raising some kind of profitability. It's not like QF are drowning in negative P&L. Isn't it considerably better to have customer satisfaction (and to the point of the last few posts in this thread, actual CR availability) which generates warm & fuzzies and therefore raises revenue fare purchases just through that...and improved customer service in the call centres.

I'd have thought it's a no brainer to have CR availability like pre-COVID, great phone support and have a massive outpouring of public support for our national carrier. The revenue would roll in surely!

 

[aikman]

Despite all the anti-customer things that QF have done over the years, millions are still loyal to and shackled to the QF ecosystem.

Only offering classic plus rewards on capital city domestic routes is hardly going to change that.

 

[kamchatsky]

Actually what QF doing is very smart financially. From a calendar point of view, QF can say that they provide CR seats everyday on MEL-BNE and it is true. They will meet their press release of "CRs are provided everyday for popular routes".

What QF did not promise is the CR seats in most convenient time of the day, or most direct flight, or exclusively on QF metal only. The customers when searching, they would assume that someone else has taken those CR seats due to popularity (which is false in this case), and were forced to make a choice to picking CR+ seats, or weird times, or JQ, or connections, which suits QF, as they can keep the popular time flights for cash/CR+ bookings.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Many carriers restrict access to their cheapest reward seats to their own members, but has anyone ever seen the reverse that QF is now doing, where partner programs get better access to QF’s own inventory?

Wild scenes.

I’d love to put this to them but I still would fully expect they’d just cut access for all in response.

 

[CaptJCool]

So we need to alter our expectations.

It’s a low supply high demand system which Inflates prices and accelerates the pricing upwards the closer to flight date

Red-E deals have at least 8 price points so you can see how people are paying more for booking late

Often I found CRs are available early morning or late night.
There’s nothing to stop people booking these and lingering longer at their destination

Alternatively, short haul JQ is fine ex Adelaide cause I can load up on champagne and lunch/dinner with a Chivas regal neat and get onboard for the one hour flight to Melbourne
After all, these CR fares did see a price reduction AND DURING September lots of availability in the weeks ahead of the AFL Grand final
On two weekends there were no footy games in Melbourne

As I mentioned previously I’m content to fly JQ out of Adelaide but not into Adelaide (no nearby lounge in Sydney/Melbourne

 

[flyguy77]

So we need to alter our expectations.

Why should the paying public alter expectations to receive an inferior product or less availability?

If the demand is so high Qantas needs to stop throwing so may points around or offer more seats.

Simple.

And i'm 100% aware they won't do either as limited competition & it's all about squeezing every last $$$ from people.