Best ways to get bumped up to business with Qantas?

[Stu Roughton]

Hardly relevant and this was 15 years ago but myself and my group of 6 others (family) were bumped from economy to business Birmingham to Dubai. Didn't even have to ask. It was an op up though as the plane had changed to 3 class rather than just the 2 class it was meant to be. Oh, this was EK too...

 

[Pushka]

Hardly relevant and this was 15 years ago but myself and my group of 6 others (family) were bumped from economy to business Birmingham to Dubai. Didn't even have to ask. It was an op up though as the plane had changed to 3 class rather than just the 2 class it was meant to be. Oh, this was EK too...

EK were very good to Qantas premium travellers, and we were bumped to F on several occasions. But on Qantas metal, once.

 

[Spongbob]

Your chances increase is Y is overbooked.

 

[Forg]

Will say my solo traveller friend often gets bumped to J or a Y row to herself and she travels OS at least every month.

That’s airline dependant (dependent?). My better half hasn’t flown EK this year, but certainly last year & the year before with Platinum QF status she was upped to J about 50% of the time she was booked into Y on EK. But never on QF.

 

[casanovawa]

Hi all

I'd love to get some thoughts on what are the best strategies on getting a gate upgrade from Economy to Business. What has the group tried - what worked, what didnt?

Hmmm, 2+ years you've been a member and that's your first question/contribution to the site??

 

[Austman]

EK were very good to Qantas premium travellers, and we were bumped to F on several occasions.

but certainly last year & the year before with Platinum QF status she was upped to J about 50% of the time she was booked into Y on EK.

Since EK changed their OP/UP system, it seems those days are not so common anymore... unfortunately.

 

[kermatu]

Since EK changed their OP/UP system, it seems those days are not so common anymore... unfortunately.

Thank goodness. Makes for nice quiet F cabins.

 

[Austman]

Thank goodness. Makes for nice quiet F cabins.

I suspect OP/UPs are still being done as before, but without the "priority" to Qantas status pax.

Are you inferring that Qantas status pax are loud?

 

[Happy Trails]

Thank goodness. Makes for nice quiet F cabins.

AFAIK it hasn't changed the likelihood of op-ups, just who gets them.
It went from status based to fare based.

 

[kermatu]

I suspect OP/UPs are still being done as before, but without the "priority" to Qantas status pax.

Are you inferring that Qantas status pax are loud?

Just done half a dozen F flights on EK. Cabin only close to full on one. Rest were pretty empty. J cabins were full (and on some there were EK elites in J as the pursers would go back to greet them after boarding, take the coffee and dates to them etc).

Contrast with recent QF F where cabins filled up in last few hours before a flight (mainly staff, but some upgrades - don't know if points or op-ups). Just a different approach. But another reason EK feels more premium.

That said, I have benefited from my one and only comp upgrade J to F - it was on EK, and about 5 years ago.

 

[Austman]

But another reason EK feels more premium.

Or they haven't sold enough seats lately? So no need for it?

It seems lots of Qantas status pax (including me) were upgraded from J to F or Y to J in the past. That would not have happened unless they were oversold.

 

[kermatu]

Or they didn't sell enough seats lately? So no need for it?

It seems lots of Qantas status pax (including me) were upgraded from J to F or Y or J in the past. That would not have been done unless they were oversold.

I think they also had a push to try and lure QF pax over to the Skywards program. I certainly used to be acknowledged as a Platinum and even occasionally as a Platinum One (which is not on the BP) onboard or at the EK lounge and sometimes subtly asked about the Skywards program. That hasn't happened for ages. In fact I was acknowledged in EK F twice last month as a Skywards Platinum - which I am not.

 

[Austman]

That hasn't happened for ages.

I had it a few weeks ago on EK. It's still alive!

But it is a very intriguing relationship, from a status pax point of view, between Qantas and Emirates!

 

[kermatu]

I had it a few weeks ago on EK. It's still alive!

Acknowledgement, or being lured?

 

[Austman]

Acknowledgement, or being lured?

Just acknowledgement ...

 

[Pushka]

I always get a Welcome Back from Qatar. Not a member of their FF scheme. Must be from Qantas FF.

 

[amaroo]

I've witness a couple of academy award winning attempts at the counter ..... fortunately they failed. Stump up the points - unless you know AJ.

 

[Pushka]

I've witness a couple of academy award winning attempts at the counter ..... fortunately they failed. Stump up the points - unless you know AJ.

We had one of those in Dubai. The guy ahead of us pleaded for an upgrade. Clearly he was speshul. Crew didn’t agree. Move along. We then gave her our BP. Red light. Upgrade. Delicious.

 

[LadyC]

The last time I got an upgrade was from economy to premium economy on the way home from LAX to MEL. The flight over, MEL to LAX, I accidentally over-exuberantly ripped open my corn flakes packet so it landed all around me and on some fellow passengers. I am sure that is why I got the upgrade on the next flight

 

[kermatu]

I always get a Welcome Back from Qatar. Not a member of their FF scheme. Must be from Qantas FF.

Yes, OneWorld definitely different for me. Almost always greeted and visited by some senior person and mostly recognised not just as OWE but also as a P1 too (AY, CX, BA and AA from memory - although a couple of years ago now).