Advanced Seat Selection no longer just a QFF benefit (if you want to pay)

[Voyages]

I thought we'd worked out that for domestic, the exit is only available if it is within the seating zone for the appropriate FF tier? (until T-80 when it all opens up). Silvers can't select an exit on a 737 because it is only in the CL/WP/SG seating area.

My partner, a Silver, was able to select 12C, exit row seat at T-80 on a 737-400 for his flight on Monday morning.

 

[pshepvic]

My partner, a Silver, was able to select 12C, exit row seat at T-80 on a 737-400 for his flight on Monday morning.

Which is what I've said all along - if the exit is within your seating zone you can select it anytime. If it's not in your zone (ie. Row 12 is the SG and above zone) you can select it after T-80, assuming still available.

 

[Maggs]

Being a Bronze since changes to my work, I brought a $20 seat on the A380 and was pleased to get 80K. I don't think it should be open slather to all though. Bronze get so little yet are always pay for the membership. $49 for luggage tags, puleeze. I can go without.

BA charge $35 for some of their seats.

 

[thewinchester]

Bronze get so little yet are always pay for the membership

With all due respect, that's kind of the point of a loyalty program. NB members haven't shown the airline enough loyalty to deserve anything from them, and providing benefits to higher tier members is meant as an incentive for you to move to a higher level.

And I can say this having been a long-term NB & QPNB member. You don't get something for nothing, and frankly nor should you.

 

[Rickd]

Hi,

Can you pay (or use points) to select a seat when booking a Classic Award flight (I'm only bronze)?

 

[TheInsider]

Hi,

Can you pay (or use points) to select a seat when booking a Classic Award flight (I'm only bronze)?

Yes you can, it's either $20 or points. Which would be displayed when paying i assume.

 

[niemann]

I would argue differently, surely a full service airline should have always been giving anyone that booked a ticket, regardless of status, the right to choose their seat.

The (big) problem with this idea is you get the low-value pax with time and inclination taking all the good seats.
The high value pax, who usually don't have alot of time and are not interested in wasting any of it on the intricacies of seat maps would end up with all the duds. Upsetting platinums and golds (to a lesser extent) is not good for business. Silver and Bronze are such vast groups there's really very little opportunity to make things 'special'.

 

[pshepvic]

The (big) problem with this idea is you get the low-value pax with time and inclination taking all the good seats.
The high value pax, who usually don't have alot of time and are not interested in wasting any of it on the intricacies of seat maps would end up with all the duds. Upsetting platinums and golds (to a lesser extent) is not good for business. Silver and Bronze are such vast groups there's really very little opportunity to make things 'special'.

Agree with this 100%. And to add to it - I'd say that higher tier pax probably book later as well, not in all cases, but more often than NB's. I know that despite all best endeavours, when booking my work travel it's generally only a few days before, and sometimes only the day before. It'd be a little unfair to higher tiered pax if all the good seats went to NB or non-FF members 300 days before the flight, just because they're booking as early (and cheaply) as possible.

 

[fjc]

With all due respect, that's kind of the point of a loyalty program. NB members haven't shown the airline enough loyalty to deserve anything from them, and providing benefits to higher tier members is meant as an incentive for you to move to a higher level.

And I can say this having been a long-term NB & QPNB member. You don't get something for nothing, and frankly nor should you.

Oh puleeez.

For many people, the cost of flying is still quite high. As I work 2 hours from Dubbo, I don't do many flights. The cost to fly Qantas Dubbo / Sydney Friday night, back Sunday night is between $430 to $555 for 20 SC (work that out on a cost / SC!)

Have never flown Rex, although quite often their schedules are better than Qantas.

Please don't assume that, because people are still NB, they're "not showing loyalty to the airline".

 

[blackcat20]

Please don't assume that, because people are still NB, they're "not showing loyalty to the airline".

I agree with that. I'm an NB, but when I do fly, its always with QF or JQ. So I'm loyal, I just dont get the opportunity to fly that often.

 

[thewinchester]

Oh puleeez.

For many people, the cost of flying is still quite high. As I work 2 hours from Dubbo, I don't do many flights. The cost to fly Qantas Dubbo / Sydney Friday night, back Sunday night is between $430 to $555 for 20 SC (work that out on a cost / SC!)

Have never flown Rex, although quite often their schedules are better than Qantas.

Please don't assume that, because people are still NB, they're "not showing loyalty to the airline".

There is a standard measure of loyalty used by QFF, it's called milage and class flown. The more miles you fly and the ticket/cabin class you choose determine how far you go up the chain.

Let me say it again - If you're a NB, then compared to others you've not shown any loyalty to the airline no matter how much coin you've spent with them. Subsequently you shouldn't be given privledged access to services ahead of those on higher membership tiers, who've spent real money and travel often enough for that spend to be recognised..

Advance seat selection should be a privledge reserved for those who have shown their loyalty and achieved a status level. This is a dumb move by QF, and for the reasons highlighted already it's likely to annoy their statused pax to no end if they lose access to decent seats because the airline puts cash in the bank before ongoing loyalty and recurrant revenue.

 

[extracta]

With all due respect, that's kind of the point of a loyalty program. NB members haven't shown the airline enough loyalty to deserve anything from them, and providing benefits to higher tier members is meant as an incentive for you to move to a higher level.

The point of a loyalty program is to keep people booking on your airline who would otherwise book with another airline on a cheaper or better flight. While at the same time making these people think that it is being done as a reward for loyalty when in fact it is being done as an operational necessity.

QANTAS do this very well and many people are caught in the QFF trap.

I think you will find if you go back over your posts and replace the word "loyalty" with the word "stupidity" that your comments actually make more sense.

 

[drron]

There is a standard measure of loyalty used by QFF, it's called milage and class flown. The more miles you fly and the ticket/cabin class you choose determine how far you go up the chain.

Let me say it again - If you're a NB, then compared to others you've not shown any loyalty to the airline no matter how much coin you've spent with them. Subsequently you shouldn't be given privledged access to services ahead of those on higher membership tiers, who've spent real money and travel often enough for that spend to be recognised..

Advance seat selection should be a privledge reserved for those who have shown their loyalty and achieved a status level. This is a dumb move by QF, and for the reasons highlighted already it's likely to annoy their statused pax to no end if they lose access to decent seats because the airline puts cash in the bank before ongoing loyalty and recurrant revenue.

But fjc highlights where the way status is sometimes not a reflection of your value to QF.I could work out YUPP/KUPP sectors on AA getting SCs at $5 each so spending $7000 and becoming WP.How much does QF get out of that?
fjc though could do the weekend dubbo/sydney commute 14 times,spend $7000 with QF with i guess a high profit margin for QF yet still only get 280SCs and remain NB.
And I'm sorry but spending a lot of coin with QF is showing them loyalty and is the basis of QFs survival.

 

[pshepvic]

There is a standard measure of loyalty used by QFF, it's called milage and class flown. The more miles you fly and the ticket/cabin class you choose determine how far you go up the chain.

Let me say it again - If you're a NB, then compared to others you've not shown any loyalty to the airline no matter how much coin you've spent with them. Subsequently you shouldn't be given privledged access to services ahead of those on higher membership tiers, who've spent real money and travel often enough for that spend to be recognised..

Advance seat selection should be a privledge reserved for those who have shown their loyalty and achieved a status level. This is a dumb move by QF, and for the reasons highlighted already it's likely to annoy their statused pax to no end if they lose access to decent seats because the airline puts cash in the bank before ongoing loyalty and recurrant revenue.

Completely agree. These days it's not even hard to hit Silver anyway, with the reduction in the SCs required! So if you're NB, you're definitely not flying much, with QF anyway. If people want status based on spend alone, and not mileage and segments, fly Virgin when your points are based on spend only. I got a status match last year, and earning my 7 SCs per $1 on Corporate Plus fares, I'm 2/5 of the way to retaining gold, after only 4 Mel-Syd returns. I'd hardly call that loyalty to Virgin, but that's how they're rewarding it. I fly QF much more regularly and also much longer distances for my personal travel, and I'd certainly say that's where my loyalty lies. I therefore expect to get a lot more benefits when flying QF, including preferential seating.

 

[serfty]

Note that it has already been pointed out in this thread that NB and lessor do not get access to all unallocated seats. (at least until T-80)

The seats that are available to them are still 'down the back'; even though this includes the preferred row 71 and 80 seats.

 

[markis10]

Note that it has already been pointed out in this thread that NB and lessor do not get access to all unallocated seats. (at least until T-80)

And it's also been pointed out that it's an expectation not a fact, we cannot be sure that is the case until it's introduced on April 13. (I hope its the case!)

 

[Maggs]

I booked my seat on 8 Apr and only became aware of this service when a change was made to my booking and noticed the new service.


To request a seat from the selection below, choose a passenger using the left hand panel, then use the seat map to select the desired seat. Click on the aircraft image to view more seats. Click ‘Next’ and repeat this process for each flight in your trip. The requested seat cannot be guaranteed

I had a look at my domestic flight and being a NB, seats available were only from 19 to the back of the bus, so I'll leave that one till I get to the airport. There was no charge.
Still think is should just for QFF.

 

[Groundfeeder]

Available exit rows (highlighted in red) are showing up on my T-80 seat diagram, but I've bypassed them from B738 row 19 to row 4

 

[serfty]

And it's also been pointed out that it's an expectation not a fact, we cannot be sure that is the case until it's introduced on April 13. (I hope its the case!)

I believed it had already been implemented on Qantas.com.

 

[markis10]

I believed it had already been implemented on Qantas.com.

Looks like it has and I note QF have published a FAQ that confirms zones are in place:

Will all customers have the same access to seats across the cabin?
No. Seating zones are reserved for Platinum, Gold and Silver Frequent Flyers and
equivalent across all cabins. All other customers can select a seat from those remaining
in their booked cabin class. The size or proportion of the zones varies by aircraft type and cabin.

Which makes things interesting for bassinet rows:

Customers who require a bassinet on a domestic service can select a seat in the
bassinet row via qantas.com/Manage Your Booking free of charge. Customers who
require a seat in bassinet rows on international flights can make their request free of
charge via Qantas Telephone Sales