Is Qantas too generous in its points upgrade rates (according to EK)

[RooFlyer]

As reported in AusBT, this could be a bit worrying:

However, according to The Financial Review, Emirates CEO Tim Clark is now considering whether to allow [Emirates] upgrades with [Qantas] points.

That said, Clark appears not entirely comfortable with the current points-based upgrade rates.

“What we found was perhaps – and this is no criticism of Qantas – they were a little bit more generous in the number of points you could use to upgrade" Clark said at the International Air Transport Association annual meeting in Doha, Qatar.

Tim: We'd love to do this Alan, but your scheme is a bit generous.

Alan: But we'd like to make QFF an even more attractive scheme for our customers. How can we do this?

Tim: Well, you'd have to increase the number of points needed for upgrades, across the board - then we would align.

Alan: Damn! Why didn't I think of that! - Lesley! We've got some enhancing to do! (rubs hands together)

 

[Mr_Orange]

Great! As if QF need any more reasons to enhance/simplify/make fair their FF scheme. Shut up Tim Clark.

That said, if the QF/EK alliance/JSA/tie up/whatever it is was any good, this would have been available from the get-go and vice versa.

 

[albatross710]

The international airline industry is so hard to pin down. Would this kind of behaviour be allowed under the ACCA between two enterprises domiciled in Australia?

A price fixing cartel occurs when competitors make written, informal or verbal agreements or understanding on pricing

I know that I've paraphrased a litle, i know the points are strictly 'prices', but the behaviour doesn't seem right.

Alby, end of morning rant.

 

[SydneySwan]

I agree very concerning and we could do without another 'simplification'.

However don't most of the people on AFF implicitly agree with him? Maybe Tim Clark has been reading the posts as well and has noted how many times contributors have recommended that the best use of points (highest return in cents per point) is to buy an economy ticket and upgrade it with points?

 

[Pleb Status]

An easy way to solve this issue is to have a separate flight upgrade table just for EK flights.

Considering a J PER-BNE/SYD/MEL upgrade is 20000 pts ow and a full J award ticket is 32000 pts ow, if the J upgrade is 62.5% of the J award ticket price, how much higher does EK want it to be?

 

[cmon0005]

Sadly, every time QF 'enhances' something I look for what other things I value in the program/QF to see whether I will stay loyal to QF or not, fortunately enhancements while irritating, there has still always been something left in the program that I value, but now with fare class simplifications, 1st July changes, removal of MASA, less partner airline SC's, loyalty bonus only on QF flight # changes, devaluation of WP, fuel surcharges.etc.etc, there is probably heaps more that I can't think of!
Points upgrades at a fairly reasonable rate is one of the only things left that I see value in, if that is enhanced then there is nothing left, really.

So please QFF for the sake of yourselves don't go down this road, there are some of us that are holding on by a few threads to the program any slight severance of these thread and they will break!

 

[Pleb Status]

An easy way to solve this issue is to have a separate flight upgrade table just for EK flights.

Considering a J PER-BNE/SYD/MEL upgrade is 20000 pts ow and a full J award ticket is 32000 pts ow, if the J upgrade is 62.5% of the J award ticket price, how much higher does EK want it to be?

Some fishing around on the EK website would appear to indicate that the EK J upgrade to J award ratio is somewhere between 62.5% to 70%. So compared to EK, QF is about the same or higher (A QF SYD-LHR upgrade is 75% of the J award).

 

[moa999]

SCs on EK code flights would be my first preference.
After all they do it for FJ.

 

[RooFlyer]

An easy way to solve this issue is to have a separate flight upgrade table just for EK flights.

Considering a J PER-BNE/SYD/MEL upgrade is 20000 pts ow and a full J award ticket is 32000 pts ow, if the J upgrade is 62.5% of the J award ticket price, how much higher does EK want it to be?

That would certainly be 'simpler' and 'fairer' - but not in the sense that Qantas apparently uses the words

 

[TomVexille]

Surely Tim is just trying to con Alan into driving loyal QFFers to Skywards :shock:

 

[SQ421]

Why would I punt on a points upgrade with QF when I'm currently on a 33% op up rate on EK?

 

[SpudOz]

Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

Just read an article on the Australian Business Traveller website that Tim Clark, CEO of Emirates is considering allowing QF points upgrades on Emirates.

I hope so.

 

[Orca]

Re: Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

Just read an article on the Australian Business Traveller website that Tim Clark, CEO of Emirates is considering allowing QF points upgrades on Emirates.

I hope so.

A true enhancement

 

[ReLoad]

Re: Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

Now that would be simpler and fairer

 

[dairyfloss]

Re: Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

Except, somewhat concerningly, one of the comments noted from Tim Clark at EK was “What we found was perhaps – and this is no criticism of Qantas – they were a little bit more generous in the number of points you could use to upgrade"... Now will we look forward to the next Loyalty e-mail about how Qantas has made the points required to upgrade from Y to J & J to F 'Simpler & Fairer', and more in line with their partners...

Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades - Flights | hotels | frequent flyer | business class - Australian Business Traveller

Cheers.

[EDIT: Just realised this had all been said before in another thread on the same... Ooops! ]

 

[JohnPhelan]

Re: Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

Probably what Clark had in mind was the difference in points for upgrades between DXB and European ports - e.g. for DXB-LHR upgrades are 15,000/24,000 points on QF, but 25,000/32,500 on EK.

 

[CaviAck]

Re: Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

I wonder if Clark has considered that a QF point might be worth more than a EK point. Just because they're numerically earned by the number of miles flown doesn't necessarily mean the airline places the same value on each point (EK may seem each point as a 1c cost on the books while QF may see it as 1.5c). (Well after simplification day QF's value changes all again).

 

[markis10]

Re: Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

I wonder if Clark has considered that a QF point might be worth more than a EK point..

I would suggest he is looking at the value of the points in $$$, based on what QF would pay him after their take.

 

[codash1099]

Re: Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

Probably what Clark had in mind was the difference in points for upgrades between DXB and European ports - e.g. for DXB-LHR upgrades are 15,000/24,000 points on QF, but 25,000/32,500 on EK.

Of course it's easier to earn points with EK. They actually fly to quite a few places.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Re: Emirates may allow Qantas points for business class upgrades

Of course it's easier to earn points with EK. They actually fly to quite a few places.

I think you'll find QF actually fly to more ports than does EK!