Is there a Devaluation of Qantas Frequent Flyer Points coming?

[Deleted member]

Please don't give them ideas!

If Qantas does this, I will stop using the program.

I’m nearly there already.
I’m WP now, but will almost certainly drop to gold in my next year.
I will be looking elsewhere for my future flying.

 

[cove]

I am staying Platinum as I think it helped getting two tickets in First to LAX and back.

 

[dajop]

My bet is a revenue based system perhaps?

Isn’t it already a proxy revenue based system, that still recognises the importance of the bread and butter flyers?

Wasn’t that what simpler and fairer was all about. More closely aligning points and status credit earn to revenue?

 

[serfty]

Wasn’t that what simpler and fairer was all about. More closely aligning points and status credit earn to revenue?

To me it was more about reducing earn from pesky flyers ...

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Isn’t it already a proxy revenue based system, that still recognises the importance of the bread and butter flyers?

I’m not sure. If was, already, other airlines wouldn’t have introduced proper revenue based status.

A one way business class ticket MEL-SYD today is AUD1377, potentially more than 12 times the cost of an economy ticket, yet only earns 4x SCs. Not really recognising spend.

A revenue system might also mean there is little point people flying additional sectors, just to collect SCs.

 

[dajop]

I’m not sure. If was, already, other airlines wouldn’t have introduced proper revenue based status.

A one way business class ticket MEL-SYD today is AUD1377, potentially more than 12 times the cost of an economy ticket, yet only earns 4x SCs. Not really recognising spend.

A revenue system might also mean there is little point people flying additional sectors, just to collect SCs.

Actually, UA and AA, for example did not introduce “proper revenue based status” either (not sure about DL). Their status is earned by meeting revenue thresholds plus either through miles flown (with fare class multiplication factor) or sectors flown. Miles are earned based on revenue but revenue is only one part of earning status.

 

[serfty]

DL was the first of the USA legacy carriers to introduce Qualifying spend.

They refer to it as "Medallion Qualifying Miles" or MQM.

For Diamond Medallion, it's USD15K*: (Delta Medallion Program Requirements : Delta Air Lines )

Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) are the sum total of the SkyMiles Member’s spend on Delta-marketed flights (flight numbers that include the “DL” airline code), inclusive of the base fare and carrier-imposed surcharges, but exclusive of government-imposed taxes and fees.

*Or USD250,000 spend on a co-branded SkyMiles card (from 2019).

 

[RichardMEL]

I've considered QF to be revenue based for decades when it comes to status - in the broadest sense of SC's (and before them Tier Points) equating more or less to fare paid - at least fare class paid. When QF stopped mileage based points earn under S&F that was the other side of the coin again broadly matching the revenue equation.

Yes, UA/AA/DL are further along in terms of revenue based - at least that there are multiple ways to status earn plus mileage earn is affected by fare multipliers(plus status of course).

I think the real reason they have not all gone to a NZ airpoints type revenue system or an even tighter revenue based one is that the legacy airlines exist not in a bubble (like, for example, Southwest more or less does) where they control all the channels and have easy grasp on the revenue stream, fare paid etc. With UA for example, if I buy a ticket with UA or through certain JV partners, they KNOW how much I paid, it's equated to USD and they can do all their fare rubbish there. However say I credit ANA or SQ flights to UA it's not transparent to them.. only in the broadest sense of fare buckets(as has always been the case). Same with QF. They know your QF spend direct with them, but CX? EK? AY? Nope. Plus it gets even trickier when you factor in more complex tickets such as RTW or anything involving partners where the fare paid and revenue direct to QF is pro-rata and all that.

I think this is broadly why they still stick with things like SC's and points earn determined by the fare "levels" (eg: Disc Y, Flex Y, Business etc().. it's so complicated otherwise.

An airline like Southwest or jetBlue can manage this far more easily as, bar a few examples, they operated in a far more closed revenue environment.

IMHO.

 

[Flying mermaid]

My bet is a revenue based system perhaps? Which I think would be fairer. Those currently buying international business class tickets are getting the raw prawn... $7000 for a ticket to LAX for example but relegated to the MEL QFi J lounge

this was my whine in December - bought two $12,000 last minute J fares to SFO and then used the SYD international J lounge for the first time in many years . .

 

[love_the_life]

this was my whine in December - bought two $12,000 last minute J fares to SFO and then used the SYD international J lounge for the first time in many years . .

And the lounge is nothing to write home about; it's been getting worse for quite a while and now, depending on flights, can be the pits.

On the other hand, I think you were pleased you travelled, even at the last minute fares.

 

[BAM1748]

It would be a free kick to Virgin.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It would be a free kick to Virgin.

You’d think these things would be a free kick to competitors right? But it’s a strange world. Look at both cathay and SQ... three or four times daily to asia, at a range of flight times conducive to whatever your needs are. Until recently, far superior full-flat seating. Superb lounges. On CX, food equal to QF, on SQ, food and service superior to QF. And yet QF still continued to charge high fares on their once daily flight to Singapore or Hong Kong, with angled lie-flat seats, with poor lounges.

In a way it defies logic!

 

[BAM1748]

Sydney Japan on QF is pipping the post on profitability over the trains-pacific. East coast Australia to Sinapore is going gangbusters as well.

It will be a free kick for Virgin but they need to get it in the goal...

 

[Flying mermaid]

And the lounge is nothing to write home about; it's been getting worse for quite a while and now, depending on flights, can be the pits.

On the other hand, I think you were pleased you travelled, even at the last minute fares.

well I guess that was my point - I was quite shocked at how bad it was. We used it a lot in the past - quite a few years ago I guess and it was fine. I suppose Qantas’ attitude is that it is fine as a Qantas Club/Gold lounge and any regular J passengers are going to be platinum.

But absolutely - don’t grudge a cent of what we spent, it was totally worth going,

 

[mviy]

bought two $12,000 last minute J fares to SFO

You could probably get pretty close to P1 spending 12k if you do it during a DSC promo depending on what trips you book.

and then used the SYD international J lounge for the first time in many years . .

The international J Lounges in SYD & MEL are not as good as one would want for long haul international J but very good for economy passengers on short flights. In some ways it would be nice if there were 3 QF international lounges at these airports.

 

[Flying mermaid]

You could probably get pretty close to P1 spending 12k if you do it during a DSC promo depending on what trips you book..

Couldn’t be bothered - have given up on the whole status game . Just having fun exploring different airlines. Will unfortunately have to use the J lounge again in January when we go to Santiago for our Antarctic trip, but at least I know what to expect now!

 

[opusman]

DSC doesn't count towards P1 unfortunately.

 

[wandering_fred]

Speaking of P1 and QFF valuations.....

I need 2295 more SC to make P1 including at least 2455 SC on QF marketed flights.....



Just wandering
Fred

 

[mviy]

DSC doesn't count towards P1 unfortunately.

This is a common misconception from misreading the T&Cs. It does count towards P1. It doesn't however count towards the P1 Loyalty Bonuses (when you hit 5000 SC and 7000 SC on QF/JQ flights) which are separate milestones.

QF has changed the T&C for new versions of promos so they could change this in the future to remove the counting towards P1 but I hope not.

 

[Happy Trails]

Just to answer the OP: