Does anyone have experience when QF release last minute Classic Intl Awards?

[m535607]

Hi Does anyone have experience when QF release International last minute classic reward seats. We know that QF often reviews loadings a number of weeks out from the flight date and then release classic award seats. I am trying to work out how far in advance eg 4 weeks 6 weeks etc that QF does this

 

[Mattg]

I don't think there is any particular pattern here. They don't tend to release last-minute premium seats, anyway, as these seats are used for upgrades.

 

[Quickstatus]

...We know that QF often reviews loadings a number of weeks out from the flight date and then release classic award seats.

I’m pretty sure they don’t.

The closest I’ve come was 1 U seat released about 5 weeks out but that was a request from me to them to release a U seat for the SYD-SFO about 4 years ago (which had 0 award seat visibility at the time). The ability to request a release of U (business classic award) seat is a non guaranteed official WP1 and unofficial WP perk.

Other than that I’ve never seen them release classic awards so close out.

 

[The man with no name]

There definitely are classic award seats that become available as the flight time approaches. Usually they appear from around 2 weeks out but as you can see from these screenshots, they can be further out

 

[jinks485]

I've never been able to discern a pattern here. Generally, though, QF doesn't release that many last minute award seats.

 

[VPS]

I recently had to take a last minute trip to the UK for a funeral in May and found reward flights about 10 days out. One interesting fact which I've never come across (I was looking for J but sort of resigned to doing some of it in Y) was that it had no availability in J but did in Y. When I looked at it the ADL PER was Y and PER DXB and DXB BHX were in J - winner.

 

[Quickstatus]

But I don’t think they release classics late in the game. Likely those seats were there all along due to overall lower demand.

Anecdotally another scenario is a classic might be given back to airline late in game due to cancellation and the airline then releases the seat in the same fare bucket.

 

[eric2011]

I've got a reward F and a reward J BNE-AKL (same day return) in the past on the EK 380 metal, QF ticket one day before the flight day. Doubtful you could do it with the QF flights now days

 

[Silvia]

EK tends to release last minute (approx 2 weeks prior flight) but I wouldn't take this as a guarantee.
As other members mentioned, most times QF would hold them for potential points upgrades and bid upgrades.

 

[Isochronous]

Tends not to happen - EK and CX do though

 

[Franky]

Tends not to happen - EK and CX do though

Agree on that - had the benefit of 2 x J releases on CX a week or so out last January..

 

[ozfflyer]

I've never been able to discern a pattern here. Generally, though, QF doesn't release that many last minute award seats.

they seem to release a lot last minute BNE/SYD/BNE. I had a day trip to SYD a week out so I booked Qantas BNE/SYD & then all I could get back was 2100 on Qantas, but got on 1800 Jetstar. Jetstar cancelled & had a choice that day of about 4 or 5 Qantas flights earlier than the 2100 that was originally showing as the only seats on classic award

 

[Martin J Cowling]

But I don’t think they release classics late in the game. Likely those seats were there all along due to overall lower demand.

Anecdotally another scenario is a classic might be given back to airline late in game due to cancellation and the airline then releases the seat in the same fare bucket.

I am assuming that because I have picked up last minute business frequent flyer seats to or from Asia (one was the week of travel and one was the day before)