TL;DR
Points like Krisflyer can offer better award availability because of their hard expiry date policy but the policy shouldn't be too harsh and there should be exemptions for people with genuine excuses.
Beware. There is a reservation fee and a cancellation fee. I bet these cost more than the value of 500 points.
I have no idea why you would reserve a ride from an airport when you have no control over the time you will get to the Uber pickup point after getting off a flight.
So the taxi drivers are rejecting a guaranteed Uber booking in exchange for the possibility that the customer may take a taxi instead?
Sounds like too much of a gamble to me and doesn't make commercial sense.
It can be put down to simple statistics.
Qantas has 2 flights a day. Jetstar has over a dozen. If a passenger was going to create a scene then statistically it will probably be on Jetstar.
On my last Uber trip from CNS to the CBD, my driver asked me if I was using a discount because he said the fare was really low and it wasn't really worth his time. I said I wasn't using a discount, which was true. The fare was $24.
Nah. It only benefits those who can lock in their flights 12 months in advance and disadvantages those who are not able to.
Random releases are best. Fair level playing field for all. Nobody has an advantage. No discrimination.
Jetstar has a better procedure for this situation. They are upfront in telling you to find your own hotel, transfers and meals and they just reimburse you. Worked perfectly for me recently in Tokyo.