Advice on best use of points

[Plane Jane]

You are best to arrive late, dressed in your finest (comfortable) flying kit and you may be considered for an upgrade.

 

[blaz]

3 things to do to use classic points for b.c. seats...1 .book one year in advance 2. limit your no. of seats to 2...any more than 2 available seats per flight is nearly impossible... 3. best to ring and speak to a real person...they have more options and can place a request .....this will cost a few extra points but it well worth the pain of trying to do it on the internet yourself.[ points are only deducted after you accept the booking ]...also be flexible about destination....frankfurt is easier than london....good luck !!!

 

[sometimeflyer]

I'd be interested to know whether the comments made so far apply equally to MEL-HKG (QF29). It's a long way out, but I'm flying that route in mid-September with my +1 and trying to work out the best way to get to J.

At the moment I'm in PE and planning a points upgrade.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but currently Qantas flies a 747 with a 4-class configuration, but with little chance of PE being seated in J. My ultimate hope was to get the points upgrade to J and then sit in the F seats, assuming they are still there.

Thoughts?

 

[pshepvic]

How the heck do you learn about J, Y, F .... I have absolutely no idea what you're referring to here (which says more about me than it does you - so don't take offence) and when I scour the Qantas website, they don't provide a legend to explain any of this.

I've been a QFF since 1993 (Gold - never made it to Platinum but I will this year) and I have always booked online, and registered for points upgrades and then hoped and prayed.

I read comments like be nice to people, ask for this or that. I've never experienced or witnessed anyone else get an upgrade just by being nice. It's all very structured and formal. I'm off to Jakarta again in April. Cost me $1600 for economy return, $160 for aisle seat guarantee, and then a request has been made for a points upgrade to business class, which they will only inform me of 5 hours before departure!

I'm confused about these letters and where to learn about them and I'm confused about these tactics with Qantas.

Rgds,
Ric

Ric - check out the abbreviations list here that may help: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....viations-and-explanations-5056.html#post69096

Also if you go to the Qantas site and check the Airline Earning table (Frequent Flyer - About the Program - Terms & Conditions) it explains what the different codes mean for points earn (eg. J is business class, Y is full economy etc).

The different codes in some cases can mean different things for each partner airline as well - check out this page and you can click on each airline to get more detail on the codes: Frequent Flyer - Earning Points - Fly - Airline Partners

As far as upgrades happen - you can get them by being nice. I once asked for an upgrade from Discount Economy to Business from Singapore back to Melbourne - we checked in quite late, smiled nicely and asked politely - the agent went and talked to the supervisor for about 10 seconds, came back, and issued two boarding passes for business class seats in the exit row on the upper deck! I wasn't even Gold or Platinum at the time - only a lowly Bronze Qantas Club member. Doesn't work every time - but you never know your luck. It is luck though - all depends on if the aircraft is overbooked in various classes, operational requirements, and even how the staff are feeling on the day!

 

[TonyHancock]

I'd be interested to know whether the comments made so far apply equally to MEL-HKG (QF29). It's a long way out, but I'm flying that route in mid-September with my +1 and trying to work out the best way to get to J.

At the moment I'm in PE and planning a points upgrade.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but currently Qantas flies a 747 with a 4-class configuration, but with little chance of PE being seated in J. My ultimate hope was to get the points upgrade to J and then sit in the F seats, assuming they are still there.

Thoughts?

I'm flying this route to LHR in July and also flying LHR-MEL, via HKG in October. I think QF29 is both sold and operated as a 4 class configuration. i.e. if you have booked PE you'll be sitting in PE and if you have booked J you'll be sitting in J. (Same for Y and F)

(In the example given by TimB the SYD-DFW flight is being sold as a three class configuration, but the aircraft is actually a four class config.)

If you are successful with your upgrade from PE I think you'll be in J seats not F.

The only guaranteed way to get to J is to book it, either paid or as an award. Upgrading with points is a lottery, although I have to say I have had more success on this route than when I travel to the UK via Singapore.

 

[Turbo-g]

My SIN-LHR-SIN experience was i had booked in PE with a J upgrade request on the A380 but due to high demand (July) i never made it, still enjoyed PE anyway, both ways!! Never have had the luck atm to get international upgrades without points, still working at it though

 

[Angela1204]

Welcome to AFF grimace! (feels odd putting a smile next to a grimace )

In my limited experience, and from what I've read here, the only way to guarantee seating in business is to purchase it (be it with cash or points). The way the QF lottery works there is never a guarantee that your upgrade will come through, regardless of status etc. I've applied for three international segment upgrades, two as a bronze (Y to J, MEL-HKG-MEL) - no luck, and one as a silver (J to F LHR-SIN) - scored it.

There are certain times of the week (mid-week I think) where upgrades are supposedly more likely to occur, but still, no guarantee.

Also, you usually need to spend more $$$ on the economy fare to get an upgradable booking class - wasted dollars if the upgrade does not eventuate.

So if you really have to fly in J (and I think that's a great idea) - then use points for an outright J award (or consider a reasonably 'priced' J any seat award, and you'll earn status credits and points for the flight as well).

Agree that the only way to guarantee business seating is to pre-purchase, but even as a bronze off I've applied for 4 international segment upgrades with points after purchasing Y class tickets, and have successfully gotten every single one (SYD-MEL-HKG/HKG-SYD, SIN-SYD, SYD-HKG). All are weekend or close to weekend (Fri pm) flights. Guess it depends on ur destination.

 

[ausi ski bum]

I had economy seats a few years ago SYD to LAX for me +1 and Daughter and booked a return upgrade to PE and got that but also was upgraded for no points on the way as well.

Recently I got some PE return seats to Tokyo using clasic points and while I was skiing got an email telling me on the way home I was eing moved to BC (seat 1a and it was as bumpy as hell). I now have return flight to LAX booked in May and I am considering requesting an upgrade coming home but looking at the seating map on the A380, PE has only a few seats left, it may be worth just leaving in the lap of the gods and seeing if demand for PE pushes me up to BC again for no points.

Thing is as a Gold flyer an upgrade (one way) is 45000 points but you get two thirds of them back on the return flight anyway. Might just ask at the Q Club in LAX for an upgrade after I book in if I dont get one.

 

[Skyring]

Upgrades do happen, and for the oddest of reasons. Maybe they rarely happen just by being nice, but I'd say that they reliably NOT happen if you are a d*ick about it.

But having said that, being nice to other people is a good strategy for life as a whole. I know that while I feel happy if I'm licking an ice cream on a hot day, or looking out on some fantastic view, or watching a good movie, what really makes my heart sing is making other people happy.

And if you can put a smile on the face of a check-in chick after she's been on the job for eight hours, that's one big tick on the human happiness meter, even if there's no tangible reward coming your way.

As a cabdriver, I always aim to end every trip with driver and passengers smiling. I've met some amazing people in my line of work, and it is pure gold to pick up someone grumpy and tired after a long day of meetings, anxious to get on the plane home, and with a bit of Mozart and a Mintie, have them soothed and smiling as I pull the bags from the boot.

After that, they are in the hands of the check-in staff and the security crew, and may fortune smile kindly on them as they rummage through pockets for every last metal item.

 

[Yorik]

After speaking with a lot of other WP's, we have discussed what we do to get upgrades more often. Here is what we seem to put down to increasing your chances of an upgrade.

• Select your seats online as early as possible and select a seat as far forward as possible
• Do not check in online prior to your flight *Important*
• When you get to the Airport, swipe your Q card. (drop off baggage if necessary)
• See where you get seated.

This seems to get us upgraded more often. The Online Check In Process seems to not get us upgraded.

 

[Skyring]

When you get to the Airport, swipe your Q card. (drop off baggage if necessary)

You mean, use the self-service terminals?