Any tips or tricks to get an award flight from MEL-BKK-MEL

[gidxg03]

As I have never upgraded from Y to J before I'm not 100% sure how this works. Am I guaranteed the upgrade to J if I purchase top up points and select the option below or does it depend on availability and if other passengers with higher status apply?

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Thanks for all the advice RooFlyer88. I've booked the flights and QF23 is available to upgrade for 54,500PTS per passenger. I am just 25K points short for all 4 of us so going (seem the only option offered is to upgrade all passengers) to see if I kind find a quick way to up my balance rather than purchasing the points from Qantas which worse care would not be bad ($803 and then all 4 of us have seats in J).

No problem, I've certainly been on the other side of this conversation back in the days I was flying United.

One point I will bring up but which I don't have the answer for (but reckon the AFF community does) is what is the best upgrade strategy for this trip? Should gidxg03 keep all passengers on the same PNR and request an upgrade for all 4 passengers using points or would it make more sense to split out the PNR by passenger and request the upgrade one by one? I'm not sure how QF handles upgrades priority when it's multiple passengers on the PNR and when there might be say only 2 seats available for upgrade in J at the gate. Are there other strategies they can use to up their odds?

In terms of purchasing QF points, that's certainly your option but realize upgrades for international flights are not guaranteed upon request. These are cleared closer to the departure time, depending on your frequent flyer status and availability on the flight. Certainly a QF flight with a J9 availability 2 months out doesn't look too bad but it's no shoe-in either. There may be other folks in a similar situation as you looking to upgrade and if the upgrade list is too long your chances may be very limited indeed.

I should also point out that there may be other options to accrue the points rapidly, namely collecting points at Woolies, the Qantas eStore, and through credit card sign up bonus offers, the latter of which can be quite lucrative.

-RooFlyer88

 

[gidxg03]

through credit card sign up bonus offers, the latter of which can be quite lucrative.

We have a sign up bonus from Westpac due shortly so might be worth holding off instead of purchasing points to top up? Will waiting degrade our chances of an upgrade?

 

[TeaKozy]

We have a sign up bonus from Westpac due shortly so might be worth holding off instead of purchasing points to top up? Will waiting degrade our chances of an upgrade?

From what others have mentioned, the time of upgrade request seems to no longer hold much weight in deciding upgrade priority (rather based on status and PCV/your spend on Qantas).

As to splitting up the bookings into multiple PNR's and requesting each separately, it could certainly increase the likelihood of one in your party managing to snag an upgrade if there was insufficient seats to process all four (upgrades are an all or nothing proposition), however keep in mind that unless P1 the status of each passenger will be used in assessing priority, rather than the status of the person requesting it.

 

[gidxg03]

From what others have mentioned, the time of upgrade request seems to no longer hold much weight in deciding upgrade priority (rather based on status and PCV/your spend on Qantas).

As to splitting up the bookings into multiple PNR's and requesting each separately, it could certainly increase the likelihood of one in your party managing to snag an upgrade if there was insufficient seats to process all four (upgrades are an all or nothing proposition), however keep in mind that unless P1 the status of each passenger will be used in assessing priority, rather than the status of the person requesting it.

Thanks for the reply. How do I go about splitting PNR's? Your going to tell me I have to call the call centre aren't you?

 

[encryptededdy]

Thanks for the reply. How do I go about splitting PNR's? Your going to tell me I have to call the call centre aren't you?

There's actually a split button in Manage My Booking! Of course, if it's not there, then you know the drill

 

[kangarooflyer88]

From what others have mentioned, the time of upgrade request seems to no longer hold much weight in deciding upgrade priority (rather based on status and PCV/your spend on Qantas).

As to splitting up the bookings into multiple PNR's and requesting each separately, it could certainly increase the likelihood of one in your party managing to snag an upgrade if there was insufficient seats to process all four (upgrades are an all or nothing proposition), however keep in mind that unless P1 the status of each passenger will be used in assessing priority, rather than the status of the person requesting it.

There's a few pieces of info I think we would need from gidxg03 before making any recommendations regarding upgrades then:

• What QF status do they hold? What QF status do those travelling with them hold?
• Who made the booking for the ticket (if QF is anything like UA, the upgrade priority assigned to each traveller based on status would be the greater of the status that traveller holds or the status the one making the booking who is travelling holds)
• What fare code did the flights book into? A high code like a Y would be more likely for an upgrade to clear versus an E fare, similarly a V fare will have slightly better odds than a G fare.

In terms of splitting the PNR then it would really depend on those status levels to some extent and also whether those travelling are comfortable with the prospect of being separated into different cabins.

One other thing to consider are the upgrade avenues available to you. To my knowledge there are at least two ways you can upgrade an international flight on QF internationally. First using the classic upgrade award you mentioned. However, another, less known method is via the bid upgrade program. I can't comment on upgrade success using classic versus upgrade awards, I'll let others comment on which is the best strategy (or if there is another better approach).

Regardless of how you slice it though, and I think this bears repeating, the upgrade request is just that, a request, it's not a guarantee. And I say this as someone who has had my fair share of wins and losses playing the points upgrade lottery with United. In one instance I was flying SIN to SFO on United, and my Global Services friend sponsored an upgrade request to Polaris J meaning I would have the highest priority for an upgrade on the flight (since Global Services members spend ~$50K+ USD annually on United fares). Despite this, my upgrade request did not clear. Turns out the prior day's flight was cancelled and so they had to reaccomodate a lot of people onto that day's flight. Second story, I was flying London Heathrow to Sydney on United (connecting at LAX) and spent $1200 AUD return on the cheap economy fare. I requested a Polaris upgrade for the outbound flight which was 35,000 points + $650 USD in taxes & fees. I receive notifications that both segments (LHR > LAX and LAX > SYD) were successfully upgraded during check-in (this was the last Saturday in January 2020 for those curious). Morale of these stories? You win some, you lose some. It's all part of the game we play!

-RooFlyer88

 

[encryptededdy]

Who made the booking for the ticket (if QF is anything like UA, the upgrade priority assigned to each traveller based on status would be the greater of the status that traveller holds or the status the one making the booking who is travelling holds)

On QF only the passenger flying's status matters (except when a P1 makes the upgrade request on their behalf)

However, another, less known method is via the bid upgrade program. I can't comment on upgrade success using classic versus upgrade awards, I'll let others comment on which is the best strategy (or if there is another better approach).

Per QF, bid upgrades are processed after all classic upgrades.

Bid Now Upgrade offers will be considered after requests for Classic Upgrade Rewards^ have been processed and confirmed.

 

[gidxg03]

There is a "separate" function under my bookings so I can avoid the call centre!

Kangarooflyer88 to answer your questions..

• What QF status do they hold? What QF status do those travelling with them hold? No status I'm afraid. I made the booking and am bronze.
• Who made the booking for the ticket (if QF is anything like UA, the upgrade priority assigned to each traveller based on status would be the greater of the status that traveller holds or the status the one making the booking who is travelling holds). Again me but I'm bronze.
• What fare code did the flights book into? A high code like a Y would be more likely for an upgrade to clear versus an E fare, similarly a V fare will have slightly better odds than a G fare. This was hard to find but class is "L" which I am pretty sure is "Economy Saver ".

 

[kangarooflyer88]

There is a "separate" function under my bookings so I can avoid the call centre!

Kangarooflyer88 to answer your questions..

• What QF status do they hold? What QF status do those travelling with them hold? No status I'm afraid. I made the booking and am bronze.
• Who made the booking for the ticket (if QF is anything like UA, the upgrade priority assigned to each traveller based on status would be the greater of the status that traveller holds or the status the one making the booking who is travelling holds). Again me but I'm bronze.
• What fare code did the flights book into? A high code like a Y would be more likely for an upgrade to clear versus an E fare, similarly a V fare will have slightly better odds than a G fare. This was hard to find but class is "L" which I am pretty sure is "Economy Saver ".

Given no one holds QF status, your best bet is to split up everyone's PNR that way QF will be able to assign whatever upgrades they have available, should your names somehow end up in the pecking order. An L fare on iternational itineraries is fairly low on the pecking order (just above an E and G). Theoretically this would mean that you are at the bottom of the pecking order for upgrades. However, one big unknown is just how many J seats are available. As I mentioned earlier ExpertFlyer is showing a J9 meaning there are at least 9 business class seats available. Your flight will be on an A330 meaning no Premium Economy seats but there is some 28 business class seats available, so there is still a chance one or more of you can get upgraded.

One other thing I will mention that may be useful in the future is that if booking for more than one party as a cash fare, sometimes it is cheaper to book each person separately. The reason I say this is if you book together with multiple people, QF's booking engine must find a fare that has at least x seats available in that fare code, which often results in a more expensive fare being shown. It may not have played much of a role here given you were issued an L fare, but something to consider nonetheless. The only time it would really make sense to book multiple parties under one itinerary is if someone has status that could be shared with other travellers (i.e. extra baggage allowance, lounge access, upgrade priority, etc.)

One thing that might make sense before splitting off the PNR is to request the classic reward upgrades on everyone else travelling before you make the split. That way you can at least secure the request in using your points. And again, I throw it back to the AFF community as well: what's the best strategy for securing a QF International upgrade: bid upgrade or classic flight award (or something else)?

-RooFlyer88