Qantas Platinum One experiences?

[aus_flyer]

To all the newly-minted Platinum One frequent flyers out there... I'm curious to hear... what's been your experience so far?

Anything different?

Free upgrades?

... or all hype?

 

[RichardMEL]

Wait QF *trying* to be consistent?!!! OMG this is a headline surely?!

 

[Mrmaxwell]

As an interested observer of this thread it doesn't seem like P1 is all that special. I would expect to see post after post of gushing glowing reviews about how amazing and beneficial P1 is, especially after being attained with so many SCs, yet that is not the case.

 

[TonyHancock]

Wait QF *trying* to be consistent?!!! OMG this is a headline surely?!

It will soon be enhanced.

 

[nutwood]

As an interested observer of this thread it doesn't seem like P1 is all that special. I would expect to see post after post of gushing glowing reviews about how amazing and beneficial P1 is, especially after being attained with so many SCs, yet that is not the case.

It's an interesting point you raise, and one I ponder on. My feeling is that if you are genuinely flying heaps, earning the SC's almost as a byproduct, then P1 has lots to offer. If you are considering a bunch of strategic status runs to obtain P1, I would suggest it's a pointless waste of money.

 

[La Mouette]

It's an interesting point you raise, and one I ponder on. My feeling is that if you are genuinely flying heaps, earning the SC's almost as a byproduct, then P1 has lots to offer. If you are considering a bunch of strategic status runs to obtain P1, I would suggest it's a pointless waste of money.

For debate ... perhaps the issue is that P1 is positioned as something to "attain", and in fact with DSCs is easily attainable with a few long haul flights. Whereas it may have been intended more as assistance for people who genuinely fly a lot.

I think there's a threshold beyond which you stop caring about hard benefits, and simply want to retain your sanity.

I, for example, am halfway through spending 6 x 24 hours with QF over a five week period, interspersed with large periods of long distance driving in peak hour traffic to and from flights. In between, nearly every day and hour is allocated to something, and everything has to go exactly to plan for this ridiculous schedule to work. (Yes, this is lifestyle choice.)

I know most of the people who work on either end and in Singapore; I have the phone numbers to ring to let them know that I'm stuck in traffic but I am definitely still coming; they walk me to plane and let me stand in wifi range until the door absolutely has to be closed; I rarely wait for anything, even though it's usually me that's the problem; I have the same spa treatment; I sit in the same seats, on which my preferred pillow is waiting; they know that I always take a shower in Singapore, and there is always one free even if there's a queue; they have it logged on their iPads that I have a meltdown when the crew that don't know me try to raise the cabin temperature for their own benefit.

And when something does go wrong, people go out of their way to try to fix it. On the weekend, I left my contact solution on the plane in Singapore and had to go to the chemist. The restaurant host just told one of her colleague to fill in for her and proactively took me there in the staff lift, while the others around me in the lounge just gave me quizzical looks.

If you don't travel a lot, I just don't think you can appreciate the importance of this.

Sure, more hard benefits would be nice, an occasional guaranteed free upgrade, more regular flight discounts, a free holiday at home, etc.

But I don't know how QF could formally commit to these softer, but real benefits that they do provide - imagine reading on the QF website "we will help you buy contact solution in Singapore"! So it ends up sounding like platitudes that don't make any sense unless you choose to live this lifestyle.

 

[Chalkie]

For debate ... perhaps the issue is that P1 is positioned as something to "attain", and in fact with DSCs is easily attainable with a few long haul flights. Whereas it may have been intended more as assistance for people who genuinely fly a lot.

I think there's a threshold beyond which you stop caring about hard benefits, and simply want to retain your sanity.

I, for example, am halfway through spending 6 x 24 hours with QF over a five week period, interspersed with large periods of long distance driving in peak hour traffic to and from flights. In between, nearly every day and hour is allocated to something, and everything has to go exactly to plan for this ridiculous schedule to work. (Yes, this is lifestyle choice.)

I know most of the people who work on either end and in Singapore; I have the phone numbers to ring to let them know that I'm stuck in traffic but I am definitely still coming; they walk me to plane and let me stand in wifi range until the door absolutely has to be closed; I rarely wait for anything, even though it's usually me that's the problem; I have the same spa treatment; I sit in the same seats, on which my preferred pillow is waiting; they know that I always take a shower in Singapore, and there is always one free even if there's a queue; they have it logged on their iPads that I have a meltdown when the crew that don't know me try to raise the cabin temperature for their own benefit.

And when something does go wrong, people go out of their way to try to fix it. On the weekend, I left my contact solution on the plane in Singapore and had to go to the chemist. The restaurant host just told one of her colleague to fill in for her and proactively took me there in the staff lift, while the others around me in the lounge just gave me quizzical looks.

If you don't travel a lot, I just don't think you can appreciate the importance of this.

Sure, more hard benefits would be nice, an occasional guaranteed free upgrade, more regular flight discounts, a free holiday at home, etc.

But I don't know how QF could formally commit to these softer, but real benefits that they do provide - imagine reading on the QF website "we will help you buy contact solution in Singapore"! So it ends up sounding like platitudes that don't make any sense unless you choose to live this lifestyle.

I agree. I attained P1 and retained P1 because I had to fly a lot for work. I didn't need to status chase it (although once I got it, I was careful to make sure my RTW and other routings were optimal for SC accrual, without taking additional unnecessary flights). The benefits that have come with it have worked for me, especially getting extra award seats released. Other things like always being offered earlier flights ex-SYD to MEL in the same travel class have also been an excellent benefit.

But all good things come to an end. I retired at the end of 2018 and so the work travel came to an abrupt halt. I will lose P1 at the end of this year. I will retain WP for 2020 after that as I've earned enough SC already this year for that without any need for a soft landing. It will be interesting to see what happens after that. I am still in a bit of a quandary about where to accrue points/status as I am moving to Canada in May. Having become addicted to lounge benefits (although being LTG softens that blow a bit), I am still trying to work out whether to go with AA or BA (QF no good post 2019 as I won't get four squiggles being based in Canada). Or - gasp - StarAlliance!

 

[Kangol]

The benefits that have come with it have worked for me, especially getting extra award seats released.

Did you have success as P1 getting award seats released (on similar routes) where the requests were being declined as WP?

 

[calmelb]

Did you have success as P1 getting award seats released (on similar routes) where the requests were being declined as WP?

Unsure of Chalkie’s exact experience but P1 get more fare classes allowed for requests and from my experience I’ve had more come through than as a WP

 

[juddles]

Anyone else get an invite to a dining event in Brisbane for March?

 

[RichardMEL]

Funny. If we "gushed" about P1 experiences we'd probably be labeled as "fanbois"(or fangals ) or in the QF media team (as I once was, which was bloody hilarious).... if we don't.. then P1 is rubbish.

I think it's between the two. It could be much better (see GGL as example) and it could be much worse.

I think it's also very subjective. I mean, if you fly say 80 sectors on QF in a year and they all are on time with no issues and there's no need for P1 then one could argue the experience may be "underwhealming" on the other hand, if a handful (hopefully not me ) of those sectors have issues and P1 step in and assist, get one out of a tight spot, etc then it's a pretty good program....

While I'm a "DSC P1" I've also done it with zero bonus offers, so I've also done it "the hard way" and when one does fly that much it all does get a bit meh and one is probably more interested in a dull journey that gets one to where they want with no nasty surprises more than thinking "Are P1 monitoring me?"

And many benefits of P1 can also be basically nulified by class of service travel. eg if I fly J domestic or F international then I'll never see a P1 comp upgrade or get any "additional perks" sitting in Y (which, in true QF form, seem to be inconsistent anyway ) and thus the benefits of the status may only be seen in irrops.

Sure, it does not blow one away with "hard benefits" - absolutely trus - but I think all of us have experienced times when being P1 has got us out of tight spots and saved the day in one way or another.

oh and "has P1 ability to request award seats opened up that are denied to mere Platinu" is a bit difficult to prove unless one happens to know a Plat who is not flying with the P1 on the same flight trying to get the seat. My experience is that seats not showing as available being made available, at relatively short notice, have been far easier to get but I've never had a case of the same flight specifically to know.. I know my requests have been approved instantly with no waiting for any manual review process.

 

[juddles]

...... but I think all of us have experienced times when being P1 has got us out of tight spots and saved the day in one way or another.....

very much so!

 

[Hawkeye]

Anyone else get an invite to a dining event in Brisbane for March?

Nope.

Now you ask that question, and on reflection, I've not received a single invitation to an event in my time as P1.

Are these normally sent by email, phone, or snail mail?

 

[juddles]

Nope.

Now you ask that question, and on reflection, I've not received a single invitation to an event in my time as P1.

Are these normally sent by email, phone, or snail mail?

I got an email this morning. Only 2nd invite in 3 years? And the first was to something at a time and date I had booked months before to be airborne long haul with QF

 

[nutwood]

Funny. If we "gushed" about P1 experiences we'd probably be labeled as "fanbois"(or fangals ) or in the QF media team (as I once was, which was bloody hilarious).... if we don't.. then P1 is rubbish.

I think it's between the two. It could be much better (see GGL as example) and it could be much worse.

I think it's also very subjective. I mean, if you fly say 80 sectors on QF in a year and they all are on time with no issues and there's no need for P1 then one could argue the experience may be "underwhealming" on the other hand, if a handful (hopefully not me ) of those sectors have issues and P1 step in and assist, get one out of a tight spot, etc then it's a pretty good program....

While I'm a "DSC P1" I've also done it with zero bonus offers, so I've also done it "the hard way" and when one does fly that much it all does get a bit meh and one is probably more interested in a dull journey that gets one to where they want with no nasty surprises more than thinking "Are P1 monitoring me?"

And many benefits of P1 can also be basically nulified by class of service travel. eg if I fly J domestic or F international then I'll never see a P1 comp upgrade or get any "additional perks" sitting in Y (which, in true QF form, seem to be inconsistent anyway ) and thus the benefits of the status may only be seen in irrops.

Sure, it does not blow one away with "hard benefits" - absolutely trus - but I think all of us have experienced times when being P1 has got us out of tight spots and saved the day in one way or another.

oh and "has P1 ability to request award seats opened up that are denied to mere Platinu" is a bit difficult to prove unless one happens to know a Plat who is not flying with the P1 on the same flight trying to get the seat. My experience is that seats not showing as available being made available, at relatively short notice, have been far easier to get but I've never had a case of the same flight specifically to know.. I know my requests have been approved instantly with no waiting for any manual review process.

Have to agree. I suppose I'm also a DSC P1 but on a rough estimate, I'm flying 150 sectors a year on Qantas or Jetstar. I feel no need to apologise because DSC's got me over the line! I find P1 a comfortable place to be, because I'm travelling a lot. I'm of the opinion that this is actually how Qantas wanted it to be. Fly a lot with us and we'll make it as easy as we can, but there's no really solid tangible benefits for the occasional flyer.

 

[serfty]

I think it's between the two. It could be much better (see GGL as example) and it could be much worse.

TBH, I think there are P1 and there are P1.

Much like prior to the introduction of P1, anecdotally there appeared to be some types of über WP.

 

[juddles]

TBH, it think there are P1 and there are P1.

Much like prior to the introduction of P1, anecdotally there appeared to be some types of über WP.

Maybe one day a QF staff member who is an expert on the real story will retire and get involved in AFF and explain all these mysteries to us

 

[RichardMEL]

Maybe one day a QF staff member who is an expert on the real story will retire and get involved in AFF and explain all these mysteries to us

There may well be NDA's involved with some things depending on how high one s. Dunno.

just on invites.. I think I have been berift for 18 or so months. Not whining or anything just realised it had been awhile. I certainly don't judge the value of P1 to me based on things like that.

.. and I do agree, and it makes sense, there are "tiers" of value within status levels... and frankly if I'm a DSC P1 maybe only doing 2000 paid SC's vs the road warrior doing 5000 witah heaps in full Y and the like... if I were just looking at it on the surface I'd consider the other person more "valuable" to the company and thus potentially worthy of more of the non published benefits. That seems kind of fair to me.

 

[Matt_01]

Don't even know if this counts, on Sunday we were heading back to AU and it also happened to be my daughters birthday. I had sent SST a quick note to find out if they could add message to her boarding pass. MissM was chuffed when she saw it.

 

[RichardMEL]

nice! How old is she? Did that need to be blocked? I hope she did have a great flight

I tried that with the SST for my sister a few years back.... it did not work out that time. Glad it did this one!

 

[Matt_01]

nice! How old is she? Did that need to be blocked? I hope she did have a great flight
......

I probably did not need to block out the age, I just tend to cover any details when posting on social forums as she is not yet a teenager. After birthday was her name also reason for the blocked.

As for the flight, yes she enjoyed it but she also thinks J is normal. She will be in for a rude shock when she starts travelling with friends and has to fund travel herself.