Qantas' New Flight Reward Finder Tool

[opusman]

At least it easily shows the lack of QF premium seats on offer

Yes makes it really clear how without Emirates there'd be basically no premium award seats at all.

 

[MelbFlyer]

As good as this new tool is, it is a bit of an own goal for Qantas as it very quickly highlights how little international reward seat inventory they release. If they care or not is to be seen.

Or, it could highlight that they're all already snapped up and / or Qantas can then be like "our frequent flyer program is great and our members love being able to use points to redeem award seats on our flights.." etc.

 

[madrooster]

So they just bought out a scraping tool and it's not even linked to the actual live availability via a login?

Pretty slack effort from Qantas.

Tell me you don't understand system resource management without telling me you don't...

Gyoza and others are using the API backend of what drives the QF website. It's not what I'd call screen scraping. These third parties have simply been a lot smarter about how they use aggregate data.

These region by region searches are very resource intensive to be doing live GDS searches for each and every search triggered by a user which is why they don't do it.

 

[DejaBrew]

Or, it could highlight that they're all already snapped up and / or Qantas can then be like "our frequent flyer program is great and our members love being able to use points to redeem award seats on our flights.." etc.

Perhaps, but the sheer lack of CR on QF metal (vs partner flights) is a sight to behold. A quick look shows me that QF metal appears only 18 times in the first 80 listings of Australia to Anywhere in the world direct (i.e. 22.5%). Take out QF metal to NZ and Pacific Island destinations and that leaves you with 6 out of 68 listings (i.e. 8.8%). Given we're talking anywhere in Australia to Anywhere in the world direct, that isn't much of an offering. Not that this should be surprising to anyone.

 

[DejaBrew]

Just got the formal email re: the new tool.....

 

[levelnine]

Tell me you don't understand system resource management without telling me you don't...

Gyoza and others are using the API backend of what drives the QF website. It's not what I'd call screen scraping. These third parties have simply been a lot smarter about how they use aggregate data.

These region by region searches are very resource intensive to be doing live GDS searches for each and every search triggered by a user which is why they don't do it.

To be fair to the original poster, they are broadly correct. All Qantas did is contract with Gyoza, which is basically a 'scraping tool' (scraping doesn't necessarily mean screen scraping), to slap their branding on their tool.

 

[LoungeAttack]

I just did a ‘australia to europe’ for feb next year… 14 pages of results!! All classes wide open!

but all on emirates

I am sorry but I am not sure how do you search by region?
I could only choose Anywhere to Anywhere.
If I click Australia or Europe or whatever region in the drop down menu, it just opens up to the individual airports...
I have tried typing it in without success too.

 

[henrus]

"Elite status frequent flyers with access to early release classic reward seats, will still have to use the qantas.com platform or request seats via the call centre."
I'm guessing this is referring to WPs ,among others, but maybe I am missing something, but how am I supposed to use the "current platform" to access "early reward" seats ??

First time ever of a written reference saying you can request seats in a call?

 

[DejaBrew]

I am sorry but I am not sure how do you search by region?
I could only choose Anywhere to Anywhere.
If I click Australia or Europe or whatever region in the drop down menu, it just opens up to the individual airports...
I have tried typing it in without success too.

Like this -:

 

[ChrisMars]

I am surprised the search result is not poluted by CR+. For how long?

 

[DejaBrew]

I am surprised the search result is not poluted by CR+. For how long?

Must admit I too was expecting to see a shedload of CR+ listings.

 

[am0985]

Is there usually this much EK J (or even F) inventory or do we think this has all come online because of reduced bookings from the ME crisis?

EK are running a fairly sizeable schedule but I am guessing a lot of travellers will be reluctant to book, especially business travellers.

That said their fees still make it a poor value choice unless flying in F.

 

[Youfah Mizzum]

Hmmm not sure I like the democratisation of this information. Now the unsavvy points whales will be able to hoover up all the award seats with relative ease.

Careful who you're referring to there!

I just found this tool thanks to a QF email. Came here to see what the discussion is like.
I did a quick SYD-HND and vice versa as Japan is an annual trip for me each Feb (gotta get that Japow in!!).
It's a great tool on face value.
Next request would be to add an alert such that if currently CR seats aren't available, when they become available we are alerted.
I subscribe to seats.aero for that feature but be great if I didn't need to spend $99USD annually.

Unfortunately much like what Point Hacks does, this will continue to erode availability of premium seats as it's made it "easier" to search for reward seats.

And I thank QF for doing that! Although I frequent AFF forums, I'm a lowly NB and always keen to find the best/easiest way to locate those elusive CR seats. Earning my points on the ground via cc churning/spend I guess you could refer to me as a points whale.
Last HND trip I succumbed and nabbed the only rewards seats I could find - alas only CR+.

For next year, it was only last week that I stumbled across CR seats in whY outbound.
Return I am still keeping an eye out and this tool will make it easier.

But if only I could be alerted without manually checking...

 

[burneracc]

Agree on being able to filter on operating carrier

we can filter by emirates, what do you mean

 

[flyguy77]

Is there usually this much EK J (or even F) inventory or do we think this has all come online because of reduced bookings from the ME crisis?

Who would book Emirates right now?

Ridiculous fees & flying through a war zone.

That's your answer.

 

[MelbFlyer]

Who would book Emirates right now?

Ridiculous fees & flying through a war zone.

That's your answer.

There's countless people on Facebook groups asking if it's still okay to book QR / EK / EY flights and / or whether flights are still running.

I guess some people don't watch the news, but it would be very far fetched to not know about this current issue.

I think unless you've got family in the Middle East area or there's literally no other option but to transit via that area now, you'd be crazy to even consider any one of those airlines at the moment.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

It's impossible to search for flights within Europe.
If I select Paris I can't choose any destination within Europe.
Even though there are plenty of flights available on partners including BA, IB, AY & AF.
This is one thing I commonly use points for as availability is good and the value isn't bad.
Last year I flew CDG-LHR return and LCY-GVA with BA, CDG-NAP return with AF, and ORY-MAD return with IB.

Except for a few AF & KL flights to Asia, all I can see leaving Paris are flights to or through the MIddle East with EK, QR, RJ & WY.
It's even showing me flights to Tel Aviv!
Absurd.

 

[SYD]

I am surprised the search result is not poluted by CR+. For how long?

The MC search doesn’t throw up CR+ either - fortunately. But you do need to side step the occasional turds JQ “J” flights.

 

[kamchatsky]

I am surprised the search result is not poluted by CR+. For how long?

Must admit I too was expecting to see a shedload of CR+ listings.

Don't worry, enhancement is coming.

Your feedback is now heard, and a ticket has been raised in our system to implement it.

The IT Team

 

[DejaBrew]

Your feedback is now heard, and a ticket has been raised in our system to implement it.

Phew! You had me worried there for a moment, but fortunately for us, if the interns are at it then we know for a fact it won't work as intended