What's happened to award availability on SYD to JHB route?

[Jen4205]

It's been a few years since I booked an award flight to Johannesburg via Sydney in December but it was always pretty guaranteed that if I logged in exactly 353 days in advance there would be availability in economy class for my family. I am trying to book this exact trip for December 2019 and there have been no seats via Sydney released - and it's now 336 days. All of the available seats are via Hong Kong, Dubai etc. Does anyone have any information on what has happened? I'm wondering if they've just stopped releasing flights via Sydney because it's such a popular route and they can sell them all!!
Thank you.

 

[Mattg]

Welcome to AFF.

What status do you have with Qantas? If it's Silver or Bronze, that would explain why you're not seeing any seats. It could also be that the SYD-JNB route is blacked out for your dates, which would not at all surprise me.

This article may be of interest: The Qantas Award Availability Black Hole

 

[Jen4205]

Thanks for your response. I do have Silver membership but I thought I could see Economy seats with that? Either way, I have a friend with higher status and he checked and said there is nothing. They must've introduced the December black hole in the last couple of years. I used to always be able to get economy seats

 

[Dr Ralph]

Has been a problem with availability on this route for some time. Take the alternate offerings is my advice.