losing my business class virginity on QF?

[Albert Hoffman]

first post. be gentle.

hi there, so i've decided to its about time i tried this business class thing for the first time and live it up. i have lots of confusing questions to you guys so please bear with me I usually fly AirAsia X between London and Oz so this whole Qantas freq flyer thing is new to me.
i've done a bit of research and as far as i can tell my options are thus.

OPTION 1
- Get an award bussines class ticket London - Melbs for 128k points.

OPTION 2
- Buy a return economy ticket and try and upgrade to business class with award points.
I have heard that there is only a 50 to 70% chance my request will be approved, is this true? When will they let me know if i can be upgraded, by email beforehand?
If my request is nixed can I turn up at the airport and ask to be upgraded with points or for free ? what are the chances of success? I will have 115k award points is that gold status and does gold status get you upgrades at checkin/boarding???
The qf site says that For International flights, classes B, G, H, K, L, M, S, V are not upgradable. Does that mean if i purchase a walkabout fare, i won't be able to upgrade it to business class..?

Obviously I want to experience the 'real' business class on the airbus 380.

Possible Option 3
- I have read on this site that if one buys a premium economy fare on the 747-400 , one flies the óld business class. Is this still true? If i buy a Prem Econ fare from London to Singarpore/Bangkok on the Boeing do i get to fly Business Class?

Thanks for your time, I've been lurking for a few years so its good to finally post a question. Live Long and Prosper

Flux

 

[drewbles]

first post. be gentle.

hi there, so i've decided to its about time i tried this business class thing for the first time and live it up. i have lots of confusing questions to you guys so please bear with me I usually fly AirAsia X between London and Oz so this whole Qantas freq flyer thing is new to me.
i've done a bit of research and as far as i can tell my options are thus.

Welcome to AFF!

OPTION 1
- Get an award bussines class ticket London - Melbs for 128k points.

OPTION 2
- Buy a return economy ticket and try and upgrade to business class with award points.
I have heard that there is only a 50 to 70% chance my request will be approved, is this true? When will they let me know if i can be upgraded, by email beforehand?

If you hold no elite status with the QF Frequent Flyer program, this sounds about correct. You will find out if your upgrade has been successful around 5-24 hours prior to boarding.

If my request is nixed can I turn up at the airport and ask to be upgraded with points or for free ? what are the chances of success? I will have 115k award points is that gold status and does gold status get you upgrades at checkin/boarding???

The only way you can upgrade if your upgrade request is declined is to pay the difference in fare from your original to a business class fare, plus any fees and tax changes. Note that you would also need to be booked on an economy class fare that allows changes within 24 hours of scheduled flight departure.

The qf site says that For International flights, classes B, G, H, K, L, M, S, V are not upgradable. Does that mean if i purchase a walkabout fare, i won't be able to upgrade it to business class..?

As I have no idea what a 'walkabout' fare books into, (I'm assuming Q class) I'm not sure, but I'm guessing it's not upgradeable. Upgradeable are usually substantially more expensive than the cheap cheap fares.

Obviously I want to experience the 'real' business class on the airbus 380.

Possible Option 3
- I have read on this site that if one buys a premium economy fare on the 747-400 , one flies the óld business class. Is this still true? If i buy a Prem Econ fare from London to Singarpore/Bangkok on the Boeing do i get to fly Business Class?

It depends on which flight you take and also when. The cabin re-definition is only temporary, and the more recent trend has been to re-define first class to business class, and leave economy and premium economy alone. That could mean though, that if you do use points to purchase a fare, or get upgraded, you may end up in a first class seat on a 747.

Thanks for your time, I've been lurking for a few years so its good to finally post a question. Live Long and Prosper

Flux

Once again, welcome

 

[harvyk]

Hi Albert Hoffman

Firstly, welcome to AFF...

Second I was in your position this time last year, I wanted to try J (business class) and thought points where going to be a good way about it.

If you do lots of flying on QF (esp between SYD - LHR) then simply put in an upgrade request if your able to, but don't do anything different otherwise you may be paying double or triple what you had too and you still end up in a Y (eccon) seat.

If you don't think you'll do much SYD - LHR flying on QF, purchase the return flight in J with points. (This is what I did to experience J for the first time). That way your guarenteed on getting a J seat.

I'm not sure if your asking if your gold or stating that you are, in either case remember that 115K points means nothing when it comes to status, it's the status credits (which can only be earnt by flying) which decides your status. SG (Gold Status) will certainly put you high in the food chain, but if they can sell a seat rather than giving it away free as an upgrade they will. So you can be WP (Platium status) and yet still miss out on an upgrade.

Either way, enjoy J, but remember there should be a warning attached with your first J flight, once you've experienced J you won't want to go back to Y.

 

[wizzy]

Either way, enjoy J, but remember there should be a warning attached with your first J flight, once you've experienced J you won't want to go back to Y.

Welcome Albert Hoffman! I am a newbie too so can't really help you unfortunately but I agree wholeheartedly with harvyk...It's very hard to go back to Y having experienced J.

 

[jakob]

Hi there,

from the sounds of it you are a bronze member as you say the frequent flyer thing is new to you. Points don't equal status credits. Then unfortunately you will be at the bottom of the upgrade que, and i reckon that gives much less than 50% chance of economy to business points upgrade. Thats option 2 from your list.

I think the only way to make it likely is to book a points (or paid but you haven't mentioned that option) J class fare up front, otherwise you are likely to be dissapointed. So thats your option 1.

i don't think option 3 is happening anymore but happy to be corrected if i'm wrong...

And also enjoy.... but as has been said it will spoil you for life....

jakob

 

[ejb]

Hi,

As others have said, with no status I would be using points to get a J ticket. Booking Y and hoping for an upgrade is a risky business even for WP's let alone a NB.

However you go about it I am sure you will enjoy the J ride, although it is hard to go back to whY.

ejb

 

[Andyzx]

Hi and welcome. As you have been lurking around you will see many of the great responses, try searching for a few different things to see what others have found.

My 2 penny's worth
Option 1. QF J class return is 256k points so I guess you are going one way and air Asia on the other. Otherwise it’s a very expensive one way tkt.
Option 2. Good luck, let us know how you get on. I tried this on silver status last year may-June and got the SYD HKG leg and that was all but hey better than nothing .

Option 3 Premium econ tkt, if you go on the A380 fat boy, then you will probably enjoy the experience (see other posts) but its still not J. Also generally an expensive option compared with below.

Option (mine) look at J or F class points to HKG there are usually a few options via Sydney, Melb etc and see recent comments on CX J class. This can be either a one way or return. Then via an online or airline website look at your options for buying a J class HKG-LHR return or what I did HKG-LHR and MAN-SYD on a multi city flight. Return is approx $4-5k and multi city around $6k. BA was the cheapest but Air NZ and CX seem to be cheaper at the moment both have excellent J class and like BA have flat beds. I tried the exit Oz on points and paying from SIN and BKK but didn’t seem to make a lot of difference in cost to paying ex Oz

Have fun looking and enjoy the experience.

PS sear AFF for how to enjoy J. There are lots of great tips

 

[Albert Hoffman]

Thanks very much guys for the kind welcome and advice...!

Looks like i have to go with option 2 and buy a one way ticket london-singapore with award points, and then I will sample the new lie-flat seats on airasia x to melbourne.

Unfortunately there are no qf award flights avaible on the airbus380 ... grrrrr!!!! :shock: that means i get the cough business class, looks like my first time won't be that memorable... I have some more questions...

Is the BA business class superior? I understand i can also book this with my QF points...
Do you guys have any information on which flight numbers qantas is upgrading people to first class if they have a business class ticket?
I'm a last minute kind of guy, can a person reschedule award tickets to another award flight at a later date? Or is it locked in?

I read here, that there are sites you can go to where you check how many seats are still avaible on a paticular given flight, (flightcounter or something.. ?), Can i use this to increase my chances of getting a first class upgrade?

Once again thanks for the welcome and advice guys!

 

[jamesatfish]

Unfortunately there are no qf award flights avaible on the airbus380 ... grrrrr!!!! :shock: that means i get the cough business class, looks like my first time won't be that memorable...

If you're flying QF J for the first time, then even the 747s will be enjoyable compared to the same trip in Y. Although the 747 seats don't lie completely flat they do fold to 180º (or close enough) - just not parallel with the floor. I didn't have too much trouble sleeping in those seats, especially if you enjoy the food & booze service beforehand.

The bubble in a 747 (which is one of two Business sections) is also a special experience - a great mini-cabin which is a nicer environment than the larger J cabin in the A380.

Is the BA business class superior? I understand i can also book this with my QF points...

Some people don't like the rear-facing seats in BA business class, but they do offer improved privacy if you're travelling alone. If you get an aisle seat, especially on the upper deck of a 747, then it's almost like having an individual suite if you raise the seat divider.

Do you guys have any information on which flight numbers qantas is upgrading people to first class if they have a business class ticket?

Note that it's not an 'upgrade' as such - they're just not selling First on some flights so people with Business tickets can be allocated seats in the F cabin. This means you'll get the bigger seat & lie-flat bed, but J service (so the same food & booze as in the regular J cabin, J amenities, no doona service etc).

Flying from LHR I believe it's the routes to & from MEL that saw the F cutbacks, with selected 747 services until June receiving the changes. The A380s aren't affected, nor are any of the service to & from SYD.

I'm a last minute kind of guy, can a person reschedule award tickets to another award flight at a later date? Or is it locked in?

Award tickets can be rescheduled (with a 2500 point booking fee) at any time prior to departure (not sure about T-24), but award availability (or lack thereof) makes this less useful in the real world. You'll have very little chance of finding a last-minute award ticket, especially in J, if you change your plans. If you want a flexible Business fare, you'll have to pay cash.

I read here, that there are sites you can go to where you check how many seats are still avaible on a paticular given flight, (flightcounter or something.. ?), Can i use this to increase my chances of getting a first class upgrade?

ExpertFlyer is the main site I use for this purpose. You can use that site to see flight loads in different classes - for points upgrades you want a high D or J number (indicating a large number of free Business seats), and preferably low Y numbers (indicating a full Economy cabin).

If you see a 747 service with A0F0 that might be a sign that no First cabin is being sold on that flight - in which case check the Seat Map and you should see the First cabin appear under the Business seat map.

 

[harvyk]

Unfortunately there are no qf award flights avaible on the airbus380 ... grrrrr!!!! :shock: that means i get the cough business class, looks like my first time won't be that memorable... I have some more questions...

I'd hardly call the B747 J cough. The main difference is that the seat lies flat, but at a slight angle to the floor.

The AFAIK service is the same between both the B747's and A380's.

I'd try to go for the upstairs cabin. It's IMHO a nicer experience than down on the main deck.

Enjoy your first J experience, but as I said once you have experience J, you'll never want to fly Y again...

 

[Alanslegal]

If you have 282,500 points, why not go for a QF multi-flight award redemption in business class (for routings less than 35,000miles). Then you can fly multiple carriers, try out multiple products and then decide which is the best one (in your opinion).

 

[sunbeamrapier]

I have a few tips for you, having travelled Business on points for some years now...

1. Where are your points? Already in QFF? If so, then you are limited. If not, then there are better airlines than Qantas - Virgin Atlantic being the obvious one...

2. Qantas Business Class on the Airbus380 has flat beds - on 747 flights they have sloping seats which are not in the same league. If you cannot get an A380 flight, and you have only QFF points to use, fly BA...

3. If you meant to buy an economy ticket and upgrade to business at checkin using points, you will quite possibly miss out - and have to fly economy. Yuk!

4. QFF flights on the Kangaroo route are in very limited supply. In fact I have not been able to book a return leg from London on that route for some years, despite booking 12mths in advance. I end up travelling via the USA usually...

5. If you are flying on a 747 choose a seat in the bubble upstairs - it is much quieter and the window seats have bins along the side under the windows (the cabin roof slopes in so the seats are further inboard. These are wonderful - you can rest a tray on them and keep everything close to hand instead of in the overhead lockers.

6. Time your sleep to work with your arrival time. If you are arriving in the morning, try and sleep for most of the 8-10 hours before arrival. I generally get a mild sleeping pill script from the doc before I fly. Then you arrive refreshed. If you arrive at night, sleep earlier so that you are sleepy again when you arrive.

Virgin Atlantic have the best lounges and much better service - the crew are much happier I feel - Qantas cabin crew are ok, but VA crew are in another league. The seats in VA are arranged individually and fold fully flat.

I used the Virgin Atlantic roundworld ticket once, via the USA, and using Air New Zealand on the Auckland-LA link. They have the same seats as VA in business. World Explorer or something I think it is - check the VA UK site, and then book through an agent or VA by phone. Its a good deal if you are planning a return trip.

 

[tobago]

I have travelled J class SYD to LHR a number of times using FF points.

In my experience the only way to do it with FF points is to book it many months in advance. Sometimes by going via SIN or BKK or NAR to find a ticket. Many times it will be on BA as they have many more FF seats available than QF.

Last time I went SYD - BKK on J class BA in a 747. Don't like the seats facing each other and since I want a window seat it means you sit backwards which I don't like. On this flight the food was inedible and the service non existent.
Then BKK - LHR in PE with BA on a 747 here the service was = to BA economy which is pretty poor and worse than QF's economy.

Coming back LHR - SIN in QF J class 747 which is way superior to BA's and met my expectations of previous flights in this class with QF. SIN - SYD was in QF PE 747 where the food and service was not much short of J class. The seats don't lie flat but I cannot sleep in a plane so it was no big deal not to have a flat bed. For half the points of J class I reckon the QF PE is the best deal going at present.

Agreed if you are going J class on a 747 the upstairs cabin is the best position to be.

Have bought a PE seat to LA on the A380 in a couple of months so will be interesting to compare this service.

 

[sr81]

I think Virgin Atlantic is VS?

Anyway, have you thought about just paying a fare with a cheaper carrier? I know Royal Brunei always seem to have very cheap J but....... no booze.

I would also look at going OZ-SIN/HKG/BKK on a paid ticket and trying for points into Europe. Don't forget to include FRA in your search. ASIA - Europe is the long sector so both ways in points that way can be good. The down side is that you know a Y trip to OZ is waiting for you.

When doing a multi-city redemption booking you can include transfers at the same cost if the layover is less than 24 hours. EG. if you can find a seat to FRA from SIN then the connector to LHR on BA would be included in the cost if the layover in FRA is less than 24 hours.

 

[Rambo]

I have been lucky and got Business Class a couple of times on Sydney to London using QF points on both Qantas and BA.

Generally the BA planes are older than Qantas but service and food is basically the same. Usually BA is easier to obtain than Qantas but would happily fly BA.

Regarding the Premium Economy I feel there is a major difference between Qantas & BA with Qantas being much better. BA the only difference I can see is a slightly larger seat the Premium Econony Qantas Seat wins hands down.

But as many have said very hard to move back down the plane after getting a Business seat.

 

[mosanator]

Agree with what the others have said particularly around booking Award seats way in advance. I rang QF and tried to do a phone booking for Dec 2010 and the guy was useless. So I went on-line and managed to get CBR - AMS (via HKG) in J, first leg QF, second CX and then returning from Frankfurt in late Jan 2011 all QF in J.

After much searching ! I got those 12 months out. I had my trip over sorted, and just kept looking for my return as the windows opened. I was lucky I guess.

So keep your options open as to available European airports to fly into. LHR in J is next to impossible (at least in the dates I was looking at) it seems and I would rather fly into AMS any day.

You might try out of MEL to Europe, there was heaps more availability from there when I was looking, including PE, and even F :shock:

 

[austrider]

So I went on-line and managed to get CBR - AMS (via HKG) in J, first leg QF, second CX and then returning from Frankfurt in late Jan 2011 all QF in J.

Sorry to hijack the thread but did you redeem CX using QFF and did you do it online? If so can you please share how? I've always had to call up to get partner (e.g. CX, JL) award redemptions. Thanks!

 

[mosanator]

Sorry to hijack the thread but did you redeem CX using QFF and did you do it online? If so can you please share how? I've always had to call up to get partner (e.g. CX, JL) award redemptions. Thanks!

Yeah no problem, as I said I tried by phone, originally to try into LHR or Venice or Rome, with no luck and a guy who didn't seem to want to spend anytime looking at options, for my 2500 points per px.

So I just started searching CBR to anywhere in Europe. Eventually found dates to suit into AMS. All online, and one booking, not seperate (perhaps I didn't explain that bit, sorry). Cost a little more points I think @26K to go with a partner but it was all done on-line, including seat preselection on the CX leg. Not that I am actually expecting to get the first row, J, upstairs on 747 as only an SG (we must know our place, you know ), but hey put it in there and wait for some higher status CX/OW customer to bump me !

Have I been able to do something strange? I must say HKG likes me, last time through there got Op Up'd (overbooked in Y) to J for wife (NB), son (NB) and myself (SG) to LHR .

 

[dilbert]

Even if you can't go the whole way, consider upgrading just the final leg to Business - to maximise the chance of arriving rested. You might need a travel consultant to help with that tho?

At 6'0 (183cm) the non-flat hooded seats are too short for me anyway. As a QFF, I had to pay an extra 5,000 pts (above the QF pts) to fly on a partner airline - Cathay (BNE-HKG) but got their fully flat seats (all forward facing) on an A330. Loved it. Only booked 1 month before (despite flying on the day before Chinese New Year!). Business class was <25% full!

Enjoy!

 

[Albert Hoffman]

Wow how time flies, got lost in a vodka haze for a few months in poland then slummed it back to oz on airasia x premium. Great seats for the price and a match for many '2nd tier' full service airlines. The guy sitting next to me said he switched from Malaysian as he just couldnt justify paying 3x more and its the seat and not the fawning service that matter, an attitude that will become more mainstream with time and for has spooked MAS. It did annoy me slightly to pay for water etc, broke my bubble of feeling special :mrgreen:

I concur with a previous poster that the sloping lie flat seats are uncomfortable for tall people so i will wait till the new qantas seats are available on ff points before i have a 'proper' busiiness class experience.

for taking the time to post on my first thread
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