Did Simpler and Fairer(tm) kill DSCs?

[serfty]

October 2004 for travel to January 2005. Requalified Qantas Silver 2nd time.

From memory there was another in 2002?

The one around 2002 was 'different'.

Yes, looking back there were some limited targeted offers - but seem to have been rare - the only one that I was able to use was this (as it included existing bookings):

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ram/double-scs-qf-flights-targeted-17202.html

This one seemed to be available for most people.

There is reference to some earlier ones:
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-flyer-program/double-scs-promotion-5887.html
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....program/offer-double-status-credits-8506.html

 

[dajop]

Apart from JohnK I think the reason is fairly simple (and maybe even fairer). After the GFC hit, business travel was drastically reduced. Qantas used things like DSC to allow more status people to be created thus giving people an incentive to direct travel to Qantas. Now that things are normalising we are going back to having to get status the hard way.

I disagree. For the first year or two after the GFC hit, demand in Australia remained strong. Instead, I belive the plethora of double status credit offers were related to the capacity war with Virgin, where QF was adding capacity 2:1 to Virgin's additional capacity to try and maintain 65% market share. Now that they have realised VA have (owners with) deep pockets, it seems that QF has moved on from the 65% market share goal, and both airlines are either reducing capacity or increasing it a much slower rate. Therefore the need to dangle carrots like 2xSCs has reduced.

 

[Flying mermaid]

I disagree. For the first year or two after the GFC hit, demand in Australia remained strong. Instead, I belive the plethora of double status credit offers were related to the capacity war with Virgin, where QF was adding capacity 2:1 to Virgin's additional capacity to try and maintain 65% market share. Now that they have realised VA have (owners with) deep pockets, it seems that QF has moved on from the 65% market share goal, and both airlines are either reducing capacity or increasing it a much slower rate. Therefore the need to dangle carrots like 2xSCs has reduced.

quite possibly you are right - I know in 2009 first class fares were plummeting as we picked up what felt like huge bargains in 2009 on Etihad ($7,000 to Europe) compared to what we had been paying and Qantas was still trying to hold the line with much more expensive fares.

However it it is the same general premise isn't it. Qantas uses DSC as a carrot in a specific period and then cuts back on them when the need to entice no longer exists. Whether that is capacity wars or economic crisis or a combination. Seems to me that DSC are now unlikely to be seen or in a much reduced way.