Article: What I Value Most About Qantas Platinum Status

[snabbu]

Sorry for the second newbie question in a week, but what is a DONE4? Something to do with One World I assume, but I'd appreciate either clarification or a point to relevant thread - the only one I could find is from 2008 and is closed.

What is a Donex/Done4/Done3 and how can it help me keep gold??

hi there, i was reading an old post about one world explorer for sc's and would love some advice ..I'm not sure what a donex/done3 is but it seems that it could be useful in our situation? we're about to fly to uk with our newborn (8 weeks today) daughter and are planning a few days in...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Seat0B]

Emirates First class lounge in Dubai. Priority line to Qantas. And, that's about it really.

These

And I also value the First lounge in Sydney. Plus, on arrival lounge access domestically, especially on long single day work trips, or when waiting for check in time at a hotel. And also love the ability to request release of J award seats. I've only asked twice and received both requests.

Oh and I now just take for granted the luggage allowances that a WP flying business gets. Has been very handy for taking household items to Seat Son in Dubai and for taking ski luggage for the whole family when some travelled whY

I also had 4 years as a P1 courtesy of work travel, and will never reach that again, but I loved the dedicated team where nothing was ever a problem eg I left a treasured shawl on a flight in Darwin, and it was located and express posted to me within a day. My husband bought a fold up commuter bike on a whim in Tokyo, and nothing was a trouble - just turned up at the airport with bike in hand and the team there packaged it and arranged everything. Free tickets to the Bangara Dance company, do good....but I will never personally pay enough for travel to attain this level again.

Post automatically merged: Mar 3, 2023

What is a Donex/Done4/Done3 and how can it help me keep gold??

hi there, i was reading an old post about one world explorer for sc's and would love some advice ..I'm not sure what a donex/done3 is but it seems that it could be useful in our situation? we're about to fly to uk with our newborn (8 weeks today) daughter and are planning a few days in...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

thanks for that quick reply - that's the thread I found - it only lets me see three posts. I think I will let my fingers do the walking around the internet to see what I can learn! Maybe it's time for a new thread?

 

[Port Power]

Sorry for the second newbie question in a week, but what is a DONE4? Something to do with One World I assume, but I'd appreciate either clarification or a point to relevant thread - the only one I could find is from 2008 and is closed.

I’m glad you asked, because I was wondering too. Now I can proudly say I have booked a DONE4 as well! OneWorld Explorer fares are so much cheaper, but of course the routing has to suit your needs.

edit: My booking might be a DONE5 as they seem to count Australia twice (departure and arrival).

 

[dairyfloss]

thanks for that quick reply - that's the thread I found - it only lets me see three posts. I think I will let my fingers do the walking around the internet to see what I can learn! Maybe it's time for a new thread?

It's the oneworld explorer 4 continent RTW fare, booked in business [D] class. 'DONE4' is the fare basis code/type that the agent uses to book it

Check out this thread for chatter about the fares and how to plan and book:

"oneworld" award (132.4K/249.6K/318K/455K) Planning - The Definitive Thread

Note that this is not exclusively a "Round The World" Award. While it can be so used, it can also be used for "Round Trips", "Circle" Trips or even "one-way trips" without actually going "Round The World". Also note the following from the T&C review that comes up on Qantas.com if you have...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

EDIT: Sorry - the thread above is about how to book the award version/s of the same... still, gives you some insights

Cheers,
Matt.

 

[Seat0B]

These

And I also value the First lounge in Sydney. Plus, on arrival lounge access domestically, especially on long single day work trips, or when waiting for check in time at a hotel. And also love the ability to request release of J award seats. I've only asked twice and received both requests.

Oh and I now just take for granted the luggage allowances that a WP flying business gets. Has been very handy for taking household items to Seat Son in Dubai and for taking ski luggage for the whole family when some travelled whY

I also had 4 years as a P1 courtesy of work travel, and will never reach that again, but I loved the dedicated team where nothing was ever a problem eg I left a treasured shawl on a flight in Darwin, and it was located and express posted to me within a day. My husband bought a fold up commuter bike on a whim in Tokyo, and nothing was a trouble - just turned up at the airport with bike in hand and the team there packaged it and arranged everything. Free tickets to the Bangara Dance company, do good....but I will never personally pay enough for travel to attain this level again.

Plus I also agree with people mentioning the ability to use First Class check in and also the former (?) fast track security and customs lanes. Now I lay all this out, I think maybe I have WP handcuffs after all. Even though I also have LTG, I think I will really miss all these bells and whistles when the music stops and I have to grab a chair as an LTG.

 

[Pushka]

Plus I also agree with people mentioning the ability to use First Class check in and also the former (?) fast track security and customs lanes. Now I lay all this out, I think maybe I have WP handcuffs after all. Even though I also have LTG, I think I will really miss all these bells and whistles when the music stops and I have to grab a chair as an LTG.

Once we have completed trips in December and January, to your favourite part of the world, Dubai, aiming for another NYE fireworks display - our first attempt was stymied by the hotel fire near Burj Khalifa a few years ago, we could see the fire from the top of the Sheraton, fireworks, not so much, plus a rollover end of April, and a quick trip to Singapore we will be done and dusted for WP to April 2025.

 

[Seat0B]

'DONE4' is the fare basis type that the agent uses to book it

So you can't book this yourself, you have to use an agent? As in a Qantas/OW call centre consultant or a travel agent? To bring back on topic, the call centre is a scary proposition if you're not WP!

 

[RooFlyer]

So you can't book this yourself, you have to use an agent? As in a Qantas/OW call centre consultant or a travel agent? To bring back on topic, the call centre is a scary proposition if you're not WP!

I always got my travel agent to do it, but I think you can - or could - do it yourself. There is - or was - an on-line tool that you could plan out and select each flight and it monitored 'rule compliance' along the way. I never went to the next stage, but I think it was payment. @JohnM did it that way, I think.

I put the past tense in because I've seen some things that indicated to me that that planning/booking tool is no longer available.

EDIT: this looks like the current version Enjoy great savings on your Round the World flights with oneworld.

EDIT: Another version, maybe better rtw-site

 

[dairyfloss]

I always got my travel agent to do it, but I think you can - or could - do it yourself. There is - or was - an on-line tool that you could plan out and select each flight and it monitored 'rule compliance' along the way. I never went to the next stage, but I think it was payment. @JohnM did it that way, I think.

I put the past tense in because I've seen some things that indicated to me that that planning/booking tool is no longer available.

EDIT: this looks like the current version Enjoy great savings on your Round the World flights with oneworld.

There wasn’t any payment option on the oneworld RTW tool, at least not for an AU port of origin. It just said you needed to take the validated itinerary to Qantas or a travel agent to book.

 

[flyingfan]

What I value - separate business lounges, near the front of Y seats, First lounges. First check-in at Mel/Syd is great but I've only been able to use it once in ten years of WP. Express passes sometimes.

 

[JohnM]

There wasn’t any payment option on the oneworld RTW tool, at least not for an AU port of origin. It just said you needed to take the validated itinerary to Qantas or a travel agent to book.

That is incorrect. I did it several times. Always an AU port of origin.

 

[dairyfloss]

That is incorrect. I did it several times. Always an AU port of origin.

Ok - not when I tried! It just gave a pop up saying they couldn’t ticket anything, and have a link to download a copy of what to take to the agent. Was it ticketed by Qantas? oneworld itself is not an agent, to my knowledge (it’s been some years since I’ve done it)

 

[JohnM]

Ok - not when I tried! It just gave a pop up saying they couldn’t ticket anything, and have a link to download a copy of what to take to the agent. Was it ticketed by Qantas? oneworld itself is not an agent, to my knowledge (it’s been some years since I’ve done it)

Ticketed by QF. Once the itinerary came up valid, select 'price it' and it defaulted to QF and priced in AUD because I am in Australia. Straightforward and seamless.

I don't know what's happened post Covid.

 

[Port Power]

I always got my travel agent to do it, but I think you can - or could - do it yourself. There is - or was - an on-line tool that you could plan out and select each flight and it monitored 'rule compliance' along the way. I never went to the next stage, but I think it was payment. @JohnM did it that way, I think.

I put the past tense in because I've seen some things that indicated to me that that planning/booking tool is no longer available.

EDIT: this looks like the current version Enjoy great savings on your Round the World flights with oneworld.

EDIT: Another version, maybe better rtw-site

I also booked my own in January. It started with a multi-city but swapped over to the designated OneWorld site (IIRC). I could also save the itinerary until my required dates became available to book. Then continued to payment. However a TA can actually hold the flight segments for weeks while waiting to complete, so I leave it to him now.

 

[JessicaTam]

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Cough. "Thread title". Cough
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[serfty]

Gold? Old Silver became new Gold? Blue became Silver and White became Bonze…. Or something like that.

Nothing, Blue (20 flights), Silver (50 Flights), Gold (80 flights)*.

Only Gold gave lounge access.

Then Tier Credits kicked in September 1998.

Around the turn of the century, the criteria was tightened further but Silver changed to allow lounge access. Tier Credits were (effectively) renamed Status Credits.

In 2001 Platinum was introduced renaming Gold, Silver was renamed Gold, Blue became Silver and nufin' became Bronze.

*There was an alternative distance criteria before them, but it was beyond my means.

 

[qreality]

Benefits of Platinum only matters, at least to me, if you fly International:
- Just love the better quality selection of wine and champagne and food and shower offered at First lounges.
- Tranquility of F lounges... (well, debatable as Qantas F lounges do get crowded, but in comparison to J lounges... miles apart). I find CX and AY F lounges never felt too crowded.
- Easier access to reward seats.
- Competent call centre agents (well, a bit of a mixed bag for me, say 80/20, with 80% of my call sent to competent agent)
- Just better services flying economy on other oneworld carrier. I can do own-pocket paid J maybe once a year but I am not convinced it is worth the money to do it that often - so I am more economy/premium economy kinda guy.

Domestically, it is another story. I find being Platinum doing domestic route is just NOT WORTH IT AT ALL. It is like, everybody is a Platinum or higher - look at how crowded the Business lougne is in Domestic terminals and how long the queue was boarding the plan for the supposedly 'Platinum/Gold passengers'. The Qantas staff working on domestic route (ground staff as well as FAs) seem to be so 'used to seeing Platinum' that there is such an indifference in their attitude. So yeah, if your flight pattern is mostly domestic, honestly, not worth chasing Platinum. But if you do international, then yes, it matters.

I would also say choose your international airline wisely - Qantas international staff are barely ok, EXCEPT their staff at F lounge in Sydney and Singapore - the only group of Qantas staff that I find do their job properly. The rest.. meeeehhh... There are many better oneworld airlines out there.

 

[Sprucegoose]

I've gotten op-up's on both CX and UL while travelling as OWE

Yes, same; I believe CX will process their program members first, then head down the OW Status list. CX used to oversell quite significantly on some short-haul regional routes, and where there were empty J cabins on these runs, they usually ran pretty full when they left the gate.

I am not sure of the processing priority, say in the case of CX, but I would be confident airlines will look after their elites first; but would an OWE trump a CX Gold? (If not a Silver?)

Op-ups are a real benefit. The only trouble I received getting exit row seats assigned with LATAM, (rejected every time as an OWE), was my Anglo-Celtic surname not lending any credibility that I could manage an emergency (from exit seats) assuming I have no proficiency in either Portuguese or Spanish to bark instructions, which is simplistic thinking. (I know an OWE who speaks those languages proficiently but has an English/Scottish surname). In the alternative, OWE pax have a higher degree of familiarity with procedures than Manuel, who qualifies.

Challenge for you to beat the record...

257 kg ........in the early planning phases!

 

[arrow]

So yeah, if your flight pattern is mostly domestic, honestly, not worth chasing Platinum. But if you do international, then yes, it matters.

Totally agree, I used to fly largely domestic and platinum didn’t seem to make a difference.
- J lounge vs QP: Marginally better slop
- No difference in priority boarding
- Seat selection similar to SG unless you're P1

But now that I travel internationally
- F lounge vs J L lounge: Sheep stations ahead when you look at QF (SYD, MEL, LAX, SIN), CX HKG, JL HND, EK DXB lounges
- First check-in at T5 with BA / Flagship First check-in US (esp. in Miami)
- Priority boarding Dom US flights
- Unlocking International award seats by request (I know it applies to Domestic, but international F/J awards are much rarer and hence the benefit is more noticeable there)

 

[JessicaTam]

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