Grades of Platinum

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odoherty said:
I would be interested to know if Platinums with a surname starting with A get more op-ups than a surname starting with Z!
Well my surname starts with 'E', I have been WP for a number of years, and have never had an op-up:evil: . So either there are a lot of 'A' to 'D', or the surname does not have a great effect.
 
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Optics said:
Well my surname starts with 'E', I have been WP for a number of years, and have never had an op-up:evil: . So either there are a lot of 'A' to 'D', or the surname does not have a great effect.
I believe the surname has little effect.

Mine starts with 'A'. In 12 years I have had 5 op ops in about 700 segments. Once was a Christmas eve as a QP NB (or 1994 Equiv), the other four were as QF WP Equiv. Four were WHY->J, one was J->F (MEL-PER Domestic).
 
Optics said:
Well my surname starts with 'E', I have been WP for a number of years, and have never had an op-up:evil: . So either there are a lot of 'A' to 'D', or the surname does not have a great effect.
I wish some people would stop spreading myths about the beginning letter of your surname having anything to do with seat allocation, status in a FFP or op-ups.

I don't fly as often as most regulars on this site, my surname starts with a "K" and yet I have received 3 op-ups from WHY->J when I was just a mere plebby silver with no QC access and about 500 lifetime SC's next to my name. It is all about luck, timing of check-in, whether you are smartly dressed and sitting in the right cattle class seat at the right time. I never expect one but certainly grateful when it does happen.
 
JohnK said:
I wish some people would stop spreading myths about the beginning letter of your surname having anything to do with seat allocation, status in a FFP or op-ups.

I don't fly as often as most regulars on this site, my surname starts with a "K" and yet I have received 3 op-ups from WHY->J when I was just a mere plebby silver with no QC access and about 500 lifetime SC's next to my name. It is all about luck, timing of check-in, whether you are smartly dressed and sitting in the right cattle class seat at the right time. I never expect one but certainly grateful when it does happen.
I don't know if you were inferring I was spreading the myth, but I was trying to say from my experience I don't think the surname can have an effect.

But, also by my experience, I don't think being smartly dressed or checking early can have much either. I am almost always in a suit and usually check in fairly early (to allow time for taking advantage of the QP), and as I said, I have never had an op-up. So, basically I think it is all down to luck, which is not an attribute I have ever had in great proportion:( .
 
Optics said:
I don't know if you were inferring I was spreading the myth, but I was trying to say from my experience I don't think the surname can have an effect.

But, also by my experience, I don't think being smartly dressed or checking early can have much either. I am almost always in a suit and usually check in fairly early (to allow time for taking advantage of the QP), and as I said, I have never had an op-up. So, basically I think it is all down to luck, which is not an attribute I have ever had in great proportion:( .

In my experience with op-ups, they have been arranged by the op-up gods before I have even got anywhere near the airport. Obviously, how I am dressed, or what time I check in, has no influence on this happening.

How these things are determined is anyones guess.
 
Optics said:
But, also by my experience, I don't think being smartly dressed or checking early can have much either. I am almost always in a suit and usually check in fairly early (to allow time for taking advantage of the QP), and as I said, I have never had an op-up. So, basically I think it is all down to luck, which is not an attribute I have ever had in great proportion:( .
Certainly those things (smart attire and early checkin) are not going to make it more likely to get an op-up. But being sloppily dressed may influence some check-in agents to bypass you for the upgrade if one has already been flagged. I have certainly had the comment from a check-in agent that it was a good thing I was suitably dressed when I received an op-up from Y to J on a BNE-SIN flight. So dress standard did have an influence in her mind. And when quizzed about it, she just restated that it was a good thing for me that I was suitably dressed - along with a wink.

It certainly seems to me that op-ups are handled manually, at least for international flights. So if the process is manual, it is likely to be handled differently by each person undertaking the task. But I still believe the majority of the time they look to simplify the changes, so if the ultimate goal is to seat a group together, moving people to create some spare adjacent seats is where they are likely to start. Knowing which seats are going to be required for this purpose is the part that is random and involves the luck element.
 
I reckon QF should use op-ups more often as a bit of a marketing / service tool.

I received one last year trans-Tasman, I was surprised how suddenly I had forgiven QF for all their past sins and was thinking nice thoughts about them.

Eventually I had to get a grip and remind myself that I spend $$$$ with them, year in, year out - and all they were doing was letting me occupy an otherwise empty seat. Nonetheless, I think it is a sure way to strengthen loyalty with the 'brand' and have often sat at the front of ecomony looking at the numerous empty J seats and thought it would be good business to upgrade a couple of customers (not too many or too frequently, as there is the obvious danger of devaluing J class).
 
i once had a check in agent ask to see my footwear and then she rang up her 'supervisor' and spoke to her about what i was wearing and my footwear ...

she then smiled and said i was through to the J cabin ...

so my experience has been that it can make a difference.
 
bigjobs said:
i once had a check in agent ask to see my footwear and then she rang up her 'supervisor' and spoke to her about what i was wearing and my footwear ...

she then smiled and said i was through to the J cabin ...

so my experience has been that it can make a difference.

It's sad this is the case. When flying international I am likely to be in a t-shirt or polo shirt and jeans with joggers. All very neat and clean, so IMO not in sloppy attire by any means. But it sounds like this would prevent an op-up. :-|
 
Yada Yada said:
It's sad this is the case. When flying international I am likely to be in a t-shirt or polo shirt and jeans with joggers. All very neat and clean, so IMO not in sloppy attire by any means. But it sounds like this would prevent an op-up. :-|

yeah, i agree it is a bit sad ... i usually dress like you for long hauls. i reckon my comfort is more important to me than the off chance of an op-upgrade, especially when i am travelling J anyway.

i also think that it is their plane so they can choose who they op-upgrade and so that's ok with me too and i understand that my clothing choices might put me out of the equation.
 
I always travel in jeans, casual shirt and footwear and have had op upgrades so I don't know if how you are dressed makes to much difference.
Traveling J class I notice most other travellers are also dressed casually, I think on most of my trips in J anyone in a tie would have been in the minority.
I guess thats why the track your travel and have different status levels because they are aware their most valuable customers may not always be the ones dressed in an Armani suit.
It would be unfortunate if biased staff undid the work they are trying to do in offering those customers extra benifits.
 
God bless the op-ups.
I have been very lucky.
Don't know why, but I get plenty.
Out of the last 5 domestic sectors, I got op-upped for 4.
 
Optics said:
I don't know if you were inferring I was spreading the myth, but I was trying to say from my experience I don't think the surname can have an effect.

But, also by my experience, I don't think being smartly dressed or checking early can have much either. I am almost always in a suit and usually check in fairly early (to allow time for taking advantage of the QP), and as I said, I have never had an op-up. So, basically I think it is all down to luck, which is not an attribute I have ever had in great proportion:( .
No optics i was not referring specifically to any one person especially you. I have heard the term your surname, within a status on QF, plays a big part in seat allocation and op-ups so many times now that it has lost it's relevance.

I only gave out some of the reasons I think have something to do with receiving upgrades. Not all hold true and maybe none of them. Luck plays a big part, and probably the only part. How do you explain a plebby silver receving an op-up both ways on a return flight SYD-BKK. Surely there must have been Platinums and Golds sitting on bith those flights. But if you are dressed in a t-shirt, shorts or gray track suit pants and thongs then do not expect an op-up to J or F under any circustances. If you have had an op-up dressed like that then your chances of ever winning the lottery have totally disappeared.
 
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odoherty said:
JohnK - are you confusing optics and odoherty ??
That's what happens when you are arguing a point related to the relevance of the first letter of people's names ;) .
 
I never travel in jeans or joggers. I find jeans to be too uncomfortable for long-haul travel, and find the "Never Iron" Dockers trousers to be most comfortable for me, especially if I expect to sleep. They breathe better than jeans and I don't get tangled up when rolling over or get sweaty when transiting at humid locations.

And I find my casual brown leather shoes are much more comfortable for long trips than joggers. Joggers are good for jogging, but for me they become too hot and sweaty for long trips.

And I just feel more comfortable in a shirt with a collar than a t-shirt with no collar. And I prefer a wrinkle-free shirt that will still look reasonable after 20 hours of flights and transits. And preferably one with a pocket so I can keep my passport and boarding pass handy during transits.

And I normally carry at least one spare shirt in my carry-on bag, so a non-iron type of shirt is best. This gets donned after a shower at the transit point for long trips. I am sure my fellow passengers appreciate the fact that I have a shower and a clean shirt along the way.

Such attire is never going to be the cause of me missing an op-up opportunity if I encounter an agent who believes dress standard is a necessary requirement. But I don't dress that way for the op-up chances - I dress that way because I find it most comfortable for me.
 
odoherty said:
JohnK - are you confusing optics and odoherty ??
Yes I did and I am terribly sorry. :oops: I was continuing to read the other posts while I was posting and got the names mixed up. Serves me right for answering posts while I am falling asleep.
 
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flyer4703 said:
I guess thats why the track your travel and have different status levels because they are aware their most valuable customers may not always be the ones dressed in an Armani suit.


Exactly. Have you seen the people that fly First? When I was checking in J in Syd, had a quick look left and the F passengers look like total bogans in tracksuits! I was sure that they were first time economy class pax confused where to check in, but no... Goes to show you shouldn't judge by appearances... Could have been Armani trakkies I suppose :)

I sat next to a famous American popstar in J last year, who looked equally casual as me :cool:
 
jakeseven7 said:
Exactly. Have you seen the people that fly First? When I was checking in J in Syd, had a quick look left and the F passengers look like total bogans in tracksuits!

They probably weren't track suits - they were probably the swanky "sleepsuits" that First Class customers are given when they board. Very comfortable they are, too....
 
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