Australia's Number 1 Frequent Flyer on ACA

[DTM1]

he's clearly been around for a while - Even Qantas were calling him their No.1 FF back in 2001

About Qantas - Newsroom

 

[straitman]

And he says he's averaged 500 hours for the last 30 years. (15,000 hours) So whilst it mightn't make him Qantas number 1 flyer in 2007, he's probably up there on a coughulative basis.

It's ACA remember.

I do know quite a few people with those sort of statistics but they normally sit in the very front row and log their hours.

 

[albatross710]

I was thinking it is equivalent to about 10-12 Oz-UK return flights per year.

 

[coco50]

Geez, I could barely get through the first line of guffal in the video.
"Frequent Flyer schemes can be a great way to fly for free".

Grr. No wonder no-one takes Fuel Fines seriously when guff like that is common practice!

As an economist in a former life, I can guarantee that there is no such thing as a free economic good or service. There is a cost attached and someone pays and tries to pass this cost on to someone else.

 

[NM]

my last DONE4 was 99 hours of scheduled flight time. So its only 5 of those in a year. I know one year I did at least 6 DONE4s, but they were not all at the 99 hour "optimisation" level. However, adding in all the other domestic travel I did that year, I would have well exceeded 500 hours. Thankfully I don't get close to that any more. More like the 150 hours mark now.

 

[littl_flier]

I was thinking it is equivalent to about 10-12 Oz-UK return flights per year.

I was thinking the same. I have a colleague who attends a meeting on the first Monday of every month in LON and flies BNE-SYD-LHR return monthly. The role also involves countless travel to the US, Asia and the Pillbara region. It's almost impossible to get a meeting with him. That said, I would estimate his time at upwards of 750 flying hours.

staying loyal for 500 hours a year sound pretty rough...

In this case it's all in First Class so I'm sure he manages.

 

[Standby]

I saw the story on line whilst sitting in the QF club in BNE...so I actually asked a staffer if Mel was the man..They all knew him or knew of him and swear he has been racking up those numbers for years all first class. As for the loyalty both ways I'm sure with his status within QF he wouldnt have issues finding FF seats other might not have.
even further down the foodchain its nice when you travel the same legs all the time and bump into staff wo do recognise you...funny how being pleasant to them has paid off with OPP Ups a number of times..or even getting the seat next to me blocked off..so yes loyalty has its rewards

 

[Flashback]

A load of codswallop in my opinion.

Qantas in fact paid for this piece to be aired, as a counter measure to Dave Noble's article in AFR.

 

[simongr]

In this case it's all in First Class so I'm sure he manages.

Given the variability of the QF F product if I was maintaining that amount of flying I would be spreading my flying across Emirates, SQ and QF with a smattering of BA - I just dont think QF F deserves that level of loyalty.

 

[swissbignose]

A load of codswallop in my opinion.

Qantas in fact paid for this piece to be aired, as a counter measure to Dave Noble's article in AFR.

heh

Yeah. 'Cause the audiences are the same.

 

[thegurio]

OOOh yeah - you gotta love ACA dont you? I thought it was a comedy show for a while that people have taken seriuosly...

MrsGurio wanted me to watch but aside from now finding you guys, i had to go out and what a shame - most of that stuff was a crock, as i do most of what he says anyway.

The only other thing i can say is that he doesnt mind waiting a couple of hours in an airport to get onto a QF - i bet its not a problem for him in the F lounge. What about the rest of us who dont have access to that or indeed any lounge?

I am trying to get loyal to QF but when you are paying for it out of your own pocket it is kind of difficult - having said that however my New Years Resolution to get Silver is mroe than halfway completed thank goodness!

 

[QF WP]

Mel Gottlieb is actually does have the FF number 0000001. I remember back in the old QF program newsletter where they did a story on him - I'll try and dig it up.