LAX - MEL QF94 - No Award seats?

[mickeyd]

We have booked Award seats on QF93 Mel - LAX for August 2011, and I have been following the Qantas website each day to see the release of seats for the return leg LAX-MEL.

Seems like there is very limited Award seat availability for August 2011 - and it doesn't seem that Qantas are releasing any seats on QF94. Seems strange, as I wouldn't have thought that August would have been such a busy time to fly.

The day I want to fly back has not been released as yet. I am new to this FF thing, so does anyone have any tips? Are there likely to be more seats released later? Or should I go for what I can get, which at this stage looks like LAX-BNE-MEL.

Any advice is most welcome

 

[markis10]

There is availability for passengers with status, on the 10th there is Y, on the 23rd there is J only, also have a look at anyseat awards, plenty for around 66K , you earn at least 8000 points on that trip which brings the differential down.

 

[mickeyd]

Thanks Markis10,

I had not thought of the Any Seat option. 10 August will be too early, aiming for late Aug early Sept. Just couldn't work out why they are not releasing QF94 seats. Just have to keep checking back each day.

 

[serfty]

In relation to MEL, QF9/10/93/94 J award seats rarely appear at T-353 days.

Note the on-line award booking engine does not show award seating until 00:00UTC at 353 days (10am MEL time currently).

I have heard reports that seats are available in Oz on the day earlier than that. People shell out the extra points for "assisted award booking fee"s and call QFF early in the morning (before they become available online) and snaffle these seats.

 

[Alanslegal]

Slightly ot, but one thing that has been bugging me recently is award seats that aren't available as a single flight but are available if i end up in another city.

for example, i'm looking for some SIN-SYD awards.. so when i search SIN-SYD (eg. QF32) I get nothing in economy .... but when I search SIN-MEL it is available as SIN-SYD (on qf32) and then SYD-MEL on QFxx_x

the total points cost is the same but why?!?!

 

[serfty]

It's yield management.

Availability for any single segment can be varied with routing.