Qantas refusing to fix "East Coast Penalty" on MH Business (D Class) - Sanity Check needed

[oz_mark]

It seems obvious what has happened here. When the Partner Earning Rates were updated on September 1, 2025:

• Perth/Adelaide (Zone 4): Were correctly updated to the new "Business" rate (jumping from ~50 to 100 SC).
• Melbourne/Sydney (Zone 5): Appear to have been left stranded on the legacy pre-September rates (staying at 60 SC), effectively treating "D" class as Economy/Discount Economy from the East Coast, despite Qantas's own updated table defining "D" as Business post the September 1 changes!
• Note: Qantas does not operate their own metal on this route, so "route protection" differences shouldn't be at play here.

The Partner Earning Rates Table were not updated in the way you describe. For various reasons (competitive), the Perth and Adelaide tables indicated 100SC even before that date.
What did change was that 'D' moved from earning Flexible Economy to Business. In the case of MEL-KUL, that meant you got 60SC instead of 30SC.

 

[hutch]

If I'm honest, I'd place this issue in the "pick your battles" category and forget about it.

Wouldn't fathom taking something like this to a tribunal.

Not even sure what the legal case would be.

Yes, it doesn't make logical sense - but the status is being correctly applied as per the table.

 

[SYD]

The presumption that QF doesn’t fly a route thus should earn more is a furphy that gets banded around here a lot. As others have said, the basis of the “Simpler & Fairer” (TM) earn tables haven’t generally changed much for over a decade. The main change was the improved earn on MH (that previously was a stand out oddity - unlike the relative poor earn on QR which is just a function of geography).

VA have adopted something similar under “Crueler & Nastier”….but AFAIK, don’t bestow the preferential treatment to partner flights ex ADL and PER?

 

[Berlin]

After so many years of flying out of Sydney, I’m just factoring that low earn on the first leg out of Australia into my considerations. And usually flying onto Europe and only stopping over in Asia, that’s not too big a deal for me (and I’d certainly not try to drag Qantas into a tribunal for something that is well published in advance- man, some people!).

 

[Mrmaxwell]

Qantas are protecting their entire east coast cash cow they don't care what route or partner airline they want you flying Qantas. Amazing you get any benefit flying ex-SYD/MEL to be honest..time to move on and book some DSC flights

 

[Sprucegoose]

Am I being silly for pushing this over ~120 Status Credits, or is this a legitimate case for VCAT given they are publishing contradictory value tables for the same product?

You are not silly for questioning the discrepancy, but your interpretation is wrong. The table clearly awards 60 Status Credits for Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur in Business. Whatever one thinks of the logic behind that rate, the published rules support Qantas, so it would most likely win at VCAT.

If you have never taken a matter to VCAT before, you may want to understand the time, effort and frustration involved. Pursuing proceedings over a disputed 80 SC's would, in my view, be disproportionate at best, if not silly!

Illogical, but those who write the rules aren't required to consider logic when doing so.

This is part of why I quit chasing higher status with QF this year and won't in future. It's not worth holding myself captive to a lesser, yet more expensive product in order to chase status when I could simply fly and enjoy better carriers for less without the post-flight disappointment of being nerfed.

You will need to change your handle!

 

[Vic]

Wow!!! what a journey and a pile on the OP.
Lotsa groupthink here.

Have followed up on the various aspect to make sure I understand the story given this is ancient history.

As usual Qantas Done F'ed up:

Firstly

See our points calculator for the easiest way to find out how many Qantas Points and Status Credits you'll earn.

It's pretty damn clear from the points calculator 120 SC!!!!!!!!!!

Yet the earning table says 60 between east coast and KUL. WTAF?!!!!!!

and 100 between ADL and KUL...

What does the points calculator say:



DAMN!!! 120 SC from ADL.

Love all the Qantas sycophants. But seems the Qantas source of all truth, the points calculator, disagrees with you.

Oh damn the table and the calculator are not the same. Keep apologising for Qantas guys, it makes me laugh. Also makes me want to vomit at the groupthink

 

[muppet]

Wow!!! what a journey and a pile on the OP.
Lotsa groupthink here.

Have followed up on the various aspect to make sure I understand the story given this is ancient history.

As usual Qantas Done F'ed up:

Firstly


View attachment 528312

It's pretty damn clear from the points calculator 120 SC!!!!!!!!!!

Yet the earning table says 60 between east coast and KUL. WTAF?!!!!!!

and 100 between ADL and KUL...

What does the points calculator say:

View attachment 528313

DAMN!!! 120 SC from ADL.

Love all the Qantas sycophants. But seems the Qantas source of all truth, the points calculator, disagrees with you.

Oh damn the table and the calculator are not the same. Keep apologising for Qantas guys, it makes me laugh. Also makes me want to vomit at the groupthink

The problem is @Vic, you selected QF in the points calculator rather than MH which is the airline the OP flew …. Once used correctly, the points calculator matches the OPs earning.

 

[MELso]