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

[markis10]

Qantas Advance Seat Selection Effective 13 April 2011
Qantas has extended Advance Seat Selection to offer all customers the choice to select a regular seat on Qantas international and domestic flights from time of booking.

On Qantas international flights, Advance Seat Selection is complimentary in the First, Business and Premium Economy cabins and in Economy Class for Platinum, Gold or Silver Qantas Frequent Flyers, equivalent oneworld Frequent Flyers, and for all customers travelling in the same booking.

For all other customers, Advance Seat Selection is offered at a charge of AUD20 per person per flight segment effective from 13 April 2011. Up until this date, Qantas will continue to waive this charge for Travel Agents making Advance Seat Selection requests via the GDS.

If customers have not already selected a seat, one will be allocated at check-in based on the preference stored in their frequent flyer profile.

Qantas has been working closely with all GDS providers to support the capability for Travel Agents to sell Advance Seat Selection and Travel Agents should contact their GDS directly for information. For seat selection that requires payment, Advance Seat Selection is available via selected GDS providers or online at qantas.com/ManageYourBooking.

Advance Seat Selection continues to remain complimentary to all customers travelling on Qantas domestic flights.

 

[thewinchester]

Qantas Advance Seat Selection Effective 13 April 2011
Qantas has extended Advance Seat Selection to offer all customers the choice to select a regular seat on Qantas international and domestic flights from time of booking.

On Qantas international flights, Advance Seat Selection is complimentary in the First, Business and Premium Economy cabins and in Economy Class for Platinum, Gold or Silver Qantas Frequent Flyers, equivalent oneworld Frequent Flyers, and for all customers travelling in the same booking.

For all other customers, Advance Seat Selection is offered at a charge of AUD20 per person per flight segment effective from 13 April 2011. Up until this date, Qantas will continue to waive this charge for Travel Agents making Advance Seat Selection requests via the GDS.

If customers have not already selected a seat, one will be allocated at check-in based on the preference stored in their frequent flyer profile.

Qantas has been working closely with all GDS providers to support the capability for Travel Agents to sell Advance Seat Selection and Travel Agents should contact their GDS directly for information. For seat selection that requires payment, Advance Seat Selection is available via selected GDS providers or online at qantas.com/ManageYourBooking.

Advance Seat Selection continues to remain complimentary to all customers travelling on Qantas domestic flights.

Where's the dislike button.

Sorry, but keep the unwashed masses out of our benefits and stop eroding them. And mind you, they should have to pay an coughload more than AUD20 for this privledge if they are going to sell it.

 

[djfuzz]

I'd be curious to know what seats would be available on payment of the $20 fee, compared to availability for PS, SG, WP etc.

Would $20 only open up a sub-PS batch of seats and be useless once those had been taken? Or will the payment of $20 (vs nothing from all other statused FFs) open up the entire seat map?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Where's the dislike button.

Sorry, but keep the unwashed masses out of our benefits and stop eroding them. And mind you, they should have to pay an coughload more than AUD20 for this privledge if they are going to sell it.

Seems similar to what BA have done, and 20 bucks is nowhere near enough if noobs get access to the same inventory that Plat/Gold can access.

In saying that, as a Platinum that can't access seats blocked for CL - does this mean 20 bucks and it's a free for all?

 

[TheInsider]

Hasn't this been discussed in another thread?

Once again, your benefits are not being 'enhanced'.
The same altea seating rules apply as per when the seating could only be done via a GDS or telesales.

 

[samh004]

I'd be curious to know what seats would be available on payment of the $20 fee, compared to availability for PS, SG, WP etc.

Would $20 only open up a sub-PS batch of seats and be useless once those had been taken? Or will the payment of $20 (vs nothing from all other statused FFs) open up the entire seat map?

That’s a good question. On an international flight, it’d be nearly every seat, as it is for most status pax now, but domestic it could be interesting. I have a feeling someone is going to be $20 lighter soon

Where's the dislike button.

Sorry, but keep the unwashed masses out of our benefits and stop eroding them. And mind you, they should have to pay an coughload more than AUD20 for this privledge if they are going to sell it.

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. It’s a step in the right direction, and if the seats they’re able to select are then limited a little to ensure status pax have a better choice, that’d be good too, but I don’t think we should be advocating for this feature to disappear, though maybe the price should be reduced.

 

[Mwenenzi]

So looks like paid QF club members need to pay the $20 :evil:

 

[fellb]

I [we] have a booking PER/MEL/LAX/LAS and return in May. I'm only a QC bronze. When I checked today, I was able to select all seats [flying Prem Econ MEL-LAX and return]. Only had a choice of 5 seats on QF93/94. It did allow me to select seats on the AA flight LAX-LAS and return but when I finished, it said "flight unavailable for seat request" but I was happy to have the QF flights done. Will be interesting later on if I can get better Prem Econ seats but did get 40JK both ways.

 

[kamchatsky]

Just saw this feature as well. I have an award booking SYD-HKG for next Saturday for my parent in-laws, and I (Lowly Bronze) could now select seats for them by paying $20 each. No thanks. It should just be free at the first place.

Of course, I can pay $80 for exit row as well.

 

[drron]

So looks like paid QF club members need to pay the $20 :evil:

We dont count any more.
Guess I buy my ticket with my AA number then switch to QFF when a non earning fare.
$20 makes the JQ fee to select my favourite down the back seat then check in now look reasonable-Hmmm.Another conspiracy theory?

 

[opusman]

I wonder if you can see what seats are available before paying the $20. I'd be pretty p'd off if I paid $20 and then found I could only choose from the back few rows.

 

[samh004]

Just saw this feature as well. I have an award booking SYD-HKG for next Saturday for my parent in-laws, and I (Lowly Bronze) could now select seats for them by paying $20 each. No thanks. It should just be free at the first place.

Of course, I can pay $80 for exit row as well.

Can you confirm as per this question, do you get to choose (or view) and then have to pay, or does it ask for the money up front?

I wonder if you can see what seats are available before paying the $20. I'd be pretty p'd off if I paid $20 and then found I could only choose from the back few rows.

 

[Voyages]

That’s a good question. On an international flight, it’d be nearly every seat, as it is for most status pax now, but domestic it could be interesting.

I'll be rather peeved if window or aisle seats in rows 4-6 on the 737-800 flights are gone... or the bulkhead rows on 747s or 388 for international flights.

 

[pshepvic]

I think a couple of things need to be clarified here.

Paying $20 does not give you access to ALL seats. The normal rules apply, with specific zones for CL/WP/SG/PS.

Secondly, you select the seat from the map, then pay for it after. So if you can see a seat as "available", that is what you can select, based on your FF status. Paying the $20 doesn't make more seats available.

Finally, there is no cost for PE, J or F seat selection, or for Silver and above, as shown in the original post. Therefore there is no way for a Silver or above to pay $20.

The only way a status pax needs to pay for something, is if they select an Economy Exit Row.

 

[serfty]

I wonder if you can see what seats are available before paying the $20. I'd be pretty p'd off if I paid $20 and then found I could only choose from the back few rows.

To be charged the $20, you need actually click the seat you want, so the answer is Yes.

Note that it appears NB options are not as good as those present for SG, WP or CL; similar to the way Domestic was for PS.

 

[Kendall Roy]

I think a couple of things need to be clarified here.

Paying $20 does not give you access to ALL seats. The normal rules apply, with specific zones for CL/WP/SG/PS..

But it gives the punters access to 71D/80A/80K on the A388. Maybe these seats should be rezoned to "premium". (Not exit)

 

[serfty]

But it gives the punters access to 71D/80A/80K on the A388. Maybe these seats should be rezoned to "premium". (Not exit)

This really has not changed; "Punters" could still access these seat by telephoning Qantas and asking. (They just could not do it online.)

As long as the 20%-25% allocation limit had not been reached there was generally no issue in doing this.

 

[pshepvic]

But it gives the punters access to 71D/80A/80K on the A388. Maybe these seats should be rezoned to "premium". (Not exit)

That was my suggestion in the other thread about seat allocation but I was shot down!

But yes as Serfty says, they could always access these seats by phoning up or through a TA. I guess the difference is now they know about it (whereas before less frequent flyers wouldn't have known you could call up and request a seat, as it wasn't actively promoted).

 

[markis10]

Paying $20 does not give you access to ALL seats. The normal rules apply, with specific zones for CL/WP/SG/PS..

How do we know that for sure, the recent change to open up the exit rows domestically seemed to throw the old rules out the window, as this change is yet to come online who is to say the same seating rules will apply, I suspect the exit row issue is related.

 

[pshepvic]

How do we know that for sure, the recent change to open up the exit rows domestically seemed to throw the old rules out the window, as this change is yet to come online who is to say the same seating rules will apply, I suspect the exit row issue is related.

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. And they can only select it on a 767 where row 43 is an exit (which there are only 7 aircraft configured this way).

And for Int paying the $20 doesn't give a wider seat choice - you get a seat map first, have to select what's available (with the map showing which seats are available, based on the seating zone rules) and then after you select you pay (if a NB or non-QFF pax).