Does a released Business class award seat remain in award class if I cancel

[vt01]

Hi
As a WP, I believe and call up the FF plat desk and request a business class seat be released if there are none available.

If I then cancel my booking once the seat has been released and allocated to me, does it remain in business award availability class?

Thanks

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

As a WP, I believe and call up the FF plat desk and request a business class seat be released if there are none available.

I don't think a benefit of freeing up business class awards for QF Platinums exists, which would make your question moot.

If it really does exist, please tell me how. It is extremely difficult getting business award between NZ & US on QFF.

 

[vt01]

I don't think a benefit of freeing up business class awards for QF Platinums exists, which would make your question moot.

If it really does exist, please tell me how. It is extremely difficult getting business award between NZ & US on QFF.

I searched the QF forum and found a thread back in April where you could no longer ask for an economy award seat to be released but you could still request business or first.
M
I'm just not sure if this was the thread I was thinking about or whether there was another thread that said you could no longer request any type of award seat to be released..

But yes, if I can I will post the results

 

[GDSman]

I have had some limited success in requesting a seat be released in Business but not sure how 'official' that is.
As far as the question of what happens to a seat once it's given back, the answer is that it goes into the pool where the revenue management system takes over and tries to get as much money from it as possible. No hard and fast rule, but it's extremely unlikely it would remain as an award seat and would most likely got to 'J' or 'J and D' depending on how far in advance of departure, historical sales trends etc.

 

[vt01]

I don't think a benefit of freeing up business class awards for QF Platinums exists, which would make your question moot.

If it really does exist, please tell me how. It is extremely difficult getting business award between NZ & US on QFF.

I was able to request a business class seat.. In fact the QFF agent offered to put in a seat request for business class. It will take up to 48 hours and I have to call back on Friday. However, there is no guarantee that this request will come through. I had to 'pay' the 2500 points telephone booking fee but it doesn't really matter.

I decided not to try the booking an cancelling. What I wanted to do was to get a seat released into U inventory then cancel my booking and use my AA points to then book it. That was until I found out that AA doesn't get access to all the seats that QF release into U class. For example, I could book economy seats online, but AA could not see any economy seats available on the same flight.

So now instead of costing 35000 AA points and probably about $30 in taxes, it will cost 72000 +2500 QF points and $120 in taxes.

But that's ok.. Better to use the points then lose them

 

[simongr]

Interesting - I was assuming that you were doing this on someone else's behalf - i.e. get a seat released so that someone else could book it - maybe that could be a fee for service role that QF WP could start

 

[vt01]

Interesting - I was assuming that you were doing this on someone else's behalf - i.e. get a seat released so that someone else could book it - maybe that could be a fee for service role that QF WP could start

no - just me trying to save a few thousand FF points and fuel fines. It's my own fault, I should have called AA a few weeks ago when there were quite a few U class seats available.. anyhow, all solved now..

Hmm.. not a bad idea except they each time would cost 5000 poins in cancellation..

 

[NM]

I decided not to try the booking an cancelling. What I wanted to do was to get a seat released into U inventory then cancel my booking and use my AA points to then book it. That was until I found out that AA doesn't get access to all the seats that QF release into U class. For example, I could book economy seats online, but AA could not see any economy seats available on the same flight.

What is your status with QF? This makes a difference for economy seats and does not apply to business class seats. If you are looking on-line using a QF account with Gold or Silver status, it will return economy seats from both X and T buckets. But AA and QF Silver and Bronze members only get to see those in X fare bucket. So that may explain why you saw economy seats and AA did not.

But for business class awards, both AA members and all QF members regardless of status only see the U bucket. There is no difference in U availability for AA and QF members. If U is available, then it is available for all OneWorld members alike.

 

[futaris]

What is your status with QF? This makes a difference for economy seats and does not apply to business class seats. If you are looking on-line using a QF account with Gold or Silver status, it will return economy seats from both X and T buckets. But AA and QF Silver and Bronze members only get to see those in X fare bucket. So that may explain why you saw economy seats and AA did not.

Sorry. Which QF statuses get to see X and T buckets???

 

[Dave Noble]

Sorry. Which QF statuses get to see X and T buckets???

X is the standard award inventory and visible to all QF members and to members of QF partner airlines

T is available to QF Gold and QF Platinum members

Dave

 

[straitman]

I don't think a benefit of freeing up business class awards for QF Platinums exists, which would make your question moot.

If it really does exist, please tell me how. It is extremely difficult getting business award between NZ & US on QFF.

Kiwi Flyer,

A bit slow with this answer as I haven't been around for while and I'm not sure why no one else picked up your question.

I've recently booked a MEL - HKG & LAX - MEL award in business when there was no availability. The premium desk offered to waitlist the request with the comment that we'd have an answer within 2 days. The answer came back to the afirmative within 12 hrs for both of these.

Sometimes the planets line up for us :!:

 

[vt01]

What is your status with QF? This makes a difference for economy seats and does not apply to business class seats. If you are looking on-line using a QF account with Gold or Silver status, it will return economy seats from both X and T buckets. But AA and QF Silver and Bronze members only get to see those in X fare bucket. So that may explain why you saw economy seats and AA did not.

But for business class awards, both AA members and all QF members regardless of status only see the U bucket. There is no difference in U availability for AA and QF members. If U is available, then it is available for all OneWorld members alike.

WP status. Good to know what AA members can see..

 

[StevePER]

I had some QF U class seats on hold through AA - when I cancelled the reservation they reappeared. YMMV.

 

[Dave Noble]

I had some QF U class seats on hold through AA - when I cancelled the reservation they reappeared. YMMV.

I was trying to make an award booking for ORD-LHR/X-TIP on BA using QF points yesterday; I got as far as being asked for phone numbers and address to send the paper ticket to however it would not accept anything that I put as a phone number

I phoned QF and they tried to do a booking but there was no availability; once my booking timed out, they were able to rebook it over the phone for me as U inventory went back up

Dave