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?

 

[njba]

I've given up to be honest. The most I have had from the P1 team is a couple of polite emails. None of the things I have raised have been investigated or treated any differently to when I was just WP.

It seems inevitable that the gloss would continue to come off P1 (although at this stage the gloss has gone and now we're down to the chipped substrate).

It seems QF's stance is to do a few cheap things (a bottle of champagne, a very small handful of corporate hospitality tickets, maybe a very rare upgrade) rather than offer what many P1s would natural expect (and arguably deserve) which would probably cost QF time and real effort.

 

[RichardMEL]

Now MEL-ADL is a pretty trivial flight tbh but the principle remains that in no universe should a Bronze dislocate a P1 (and one could argue a P1's commercial value to QF outranks all but a CLPO and that a CL shouldn't displace one either, but that's separate). I bet that NB had no idea they were taking a seat allocated to a P1. If it's OK for QF to "proactively" move a P1 for a CL they should (ie that lounge angel) have been able to move that NB to the middle seat.

What's the point if one gets shafted like this? (I've never had an experience like this personally)

 

[JohnK]

It is just another sign that P1 is a make-believe status with very inconsistent benefits, where even the simple things (don't move a P1 without first making contact - how hard is that?) can't be relied upon. At least for 3rd class P1s (also like me!).

I'm only only a lowly [-]Platinum [/-] Gold and I wouldn't accept a boarding pass for 4E if my original boarding pass had 4D on it. They would need to give me 4D back.

Looks like someone has done someone a favour moving them to 4F without thinking about the consequences of moving a Platinum One to 4E.

Not good enough.

 

[Matt_01]

I seem to be having a good run, this morning was the third week in a row to be upgraded from Y to J on the early QF MEL-SYD run. I suspect the fight was oversold in Y.

 

[Dmac6345]

Ok, so this may well be the worst first P1 trip on record.
As you all know about my reassigned seat from Monday, this happens:
Taxiing out on QF2274 PLO - ADL yesterday at 1820
We then turned around and started heading back to the terminal. Pilot came over the PA and announced there was an warning light to do with the rear cargo door.
After 1.5 hours the ground staff announced the flight would be cancelled and the next flight will be at 0920 am. Everybody rushed to the service line and began the complaining, yelling etc. Not enough accommodation was the feedback from the CSO.
Quickly rang P1 team to advise I needed to get back to Adelaide last night. A- for an early morning meeting and B- for my flight home today at 1100 am.
P1 team knew nothing about the delay claiming that they don't monitor Qantas Link flights :shock:.
There was a REX flight leaving at 1930, so my intention was to try and get a seat on that aircraft. In the process, other passengers had the same idea.
I managed to get a seat $278.00 later and then contacted the P1 team. Not much they could have done in this instance on such short notice, but I was advised to send in the invoice for the REX flight for a refund.

Now, after discussions with P1 this morning, they said they would only refund a portion ($130.05 of the QF booking that wasn't taken. I would have to take the issue up with Customer Care to see if they will look at doing something with the outstanding amount for my REX flight. Are the P1 team not customer care?

I must say, this is a horrendous start to my first P1 itinerary.

 

[pjm99au]

Ok, so this may well be the worst first P1 trip on record.
As you all know about my reassigned seat from Monday, this happens:
Taxiing out on QF2274 PLO - ADL yesterday at 1820
We then turned around and started heading back to the terminal. Pilot came over the PA and announced there was an warning light to do with the rear cargo door.
After 1.5 hours the ground staff announced the flight would be cancelled and the next flight will be at 0920 am. Everybody rushed to the service line and began the complaining, yelling etc. Not enough accommodation was the feedback from the CSO.
Quickly rang P1 team to advise I needed to get back to Adelaide last night. A- for an early morning meeting and B- for my flight home today at 1100 am.
P1 team knew nothing about the delay claiming that they don't monitor Qantas Link flights :shock:.
There was a REX flight leaving at 1930, so my intention was to try and get a seat on that aircraft. In the process, other passengers had the same idea.
I managed to get a seat $278.00 later and then contacted the P1 team. Not much they could have done in this instance on such short notice, but I was advised to send in the invoice for the REX flight for a refund.

Now, after discussions with P1 this morning, they said they would only refund a portion ($130.05 of the QF booking that wasn't taken. I would have to take the issue up with Customer Care to see if they will look at doing something with the outstanding amount for my REX flight. Are the P1 team not customer care?

I must say, this is a horrendous start to my first P1 itinerary.

My suspicion on the changes in seating assignment on your first flight is that you were given an upgrade and your original seat was subsequently assigned to someone else. The upgrade was then overridden and they needed to slot you back into Y. Rather than move the other person they put you in the middle seat.

All round poor treatment. I find the P1 seat assignment process works well until under airport control where all sense of customer value seems to go out the window. A refresher course on customer value for the check in staff is needed IMO

 

[RichardMEL]

I'm not entirely sure the P1 team can have ANY influence over refund policies and the like. On the surface it seems reasonable to refund the unusued portion of the ticket due to QFLink cancelling that sector. As far as I know QF have no interline or other agreement with Rex, so they probably couldn't have just put you on that flight without worrying about all this stuff...

Bad experience? yes definitely. frustrating... totally... P1 team responsible??? Not too sure.

 

[La Mouette]

As far as I know QF have no interline or other agreement with Rex, so they probably couldn't have just put you on that flight without worrying about all this stuff...

This is going back a few years (before P1 existed) but I've been on a cancelled QF flight where they automatically put everyone on the Rex flight leaving at the same time. They just handed us all new boarding passes. I think that would be cheaper than putting everyone in a hotel. But a few years is a long time in this industry ...

Anyway, really bad service by the P1 team. I can't believe they don't monitor QantasLink flights.

 

[RichardMEL]

This is going back a few years (before P1 existed) but I've been on a cancelled QF flight where they automatically put everyone on the Rex flight leaving at the same time. They just handed us all new boarding passes. I think that would be cheaper than putting everyone in a hotel. But a few years is a long time in this industry ...

It could also be a local agreement at whatever the station was, or something else.(for example, the specific operator of that QFLink flight) or just that things have changed. These days Rex is in bed with VA for sure.

 

[danny09]

Ok, so this may well be the worst first P1 trip on record.

P1 team knew nothing about the delay claiming that they don't monitor Qantas Link flights :shock:.

I think someone is telling porky's here, have had multiple delays on QFLink flights & have always had them monitored & other arrangements made.

Just a typical P1 experience that goes to show P1 is not worth the effort of flying. The amount of money saved by not going for P1 will buy these experiences & much more. Ok, maybe except the occasional F upgrade.

 

[Spurs10]

Have to say my experience of P1 for the last 9 months has been generally positive. The champagne is a nice touch, as was the invitation to the wine awards in Melbourne last year. I can take or leave the welcome from the CSM. Big benefit I have seen is quick help in the case of disrupted flying, and op-up's.. My travel is 95% international in J, and in my last 4 flights to Europe I have been upgraded J=>F on at least 1 segment in 3 of the flights.. (4th flight was paid F). I never expect it and figure if it happens bonus....

 

[kermatu]

I think someone is telling porky's here, have had multiple delays on QFLink flights & have always had them monitored & other arrangements made.

Just a typical P1 experience that goes to show P1 is not worth the effort of flying. The amount of money saved by not going for P1 will buy these experiences & much more. Ok, maybe except the occasional F upgrade.

Agreed. But I too have had offers of help / proactive notice of disruption when travelling on QF Link.

Think I must be on a ****list somewhere.

Have flown 26 legs since the new year, all fully flex without a single comp. Flight 651 yesterday had 4 spare seats in J as well.

Perhaps we need a "P1 Rejects" thread of our own?

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Think I must be on a ****list somewhere.

Have flown 26 legs since the new year, all fully flex without a single comp. Flight 651 yesterday had 4 spare seats in J as well.

I hope things have changed, but this is the exact reason I dis-engaged with Qantas and P1.

100's of segments as P1 - not 1 free upgrade.

 

[cove]

Just use points as freebies seem to be off the table.

 

[ReLoad]

Freeby upgrades have definitely dried up. I was sitting at about 1 in 10 but my last 30 has seen none. :/

Even my points upgrades have struggled to get confirmed.

Maybe gone are the days....

In saying that we all know to expect to travel in the class we paid for right?

I'm a long way up on previous years flying patterns, Maybe those forward booking AY long hauls instead of QF have pissed them off

 

[Princess Fiona]

I think someone is telling porky's here, have had multiple delays on QFLink flights & have always had them monitored & other arrangements made.

Just a typical P1 experience that goes to show P1 is not worth the effort of flying. The amount of money saved by not going for P1 will buy these experiences & much more. Ok, maybe except the occasional F upgrade.

I have also had plenty of flights on QFLink and been updated by the P1 team.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Just use points as freebies seem to be off the table.

Works for me

 

[cove]

Yes CLs and P1s are head of the food chain when it comes to upgrades on points. We stay as WP even though we are LTG to be close behind.

 

[RichardMEL]

I hope things have changed, but this is the exact reason I dis-engaged with Qantas and P1.

100's of segments as P1 - not 1 free upgrade.

Feel free (pun intended) to flame me but....

since when have comp upgrades been a published benefit of P1? Never.

My last one didn't even have a message from the P1 team so I have no way of knowing just why it was given (but I got one... which I half expected due to the specific flight I booked tbh).... but if I didnn't get it I wouldn't have cried and gotten pissed off.

It could well be that if one flies during peak times and/or heavy business travel markets with paid premium fares the chances of a comp upgrade will be less obviously. My experience have also been that P1 type upgrades usually (well I've had I think 3 in 3 years so it's still been pretty rare) have been done 24h prior to flight, and they have been like saturday arvo type flights with basically zero in J. Those are easy for P1 to throw a bone to since it costs them pretty much nothing to do... but I could see for example not doing that for a 7am MEL-SYD on a Monday morning.

Before people think I'm defending P1 or QF I'd note that I absolutely can understand being annoyed specially when half rate P1's like me comment to getting the odd comp upgrade (only on short dom sectors mind you.. some have reported transpac and LHR-SYD J-F which is pretty damn good)... I can appreciate being annoyed that some seem to get it but not others..

I see it like the event invites and stuff... I think I had a couple over the past 2 years.. one to the footy and one to a ballet thing.. both of which I couldn't use. Do I expect them? No. Is it nice to get an offer? totally!!!

I think far more important is if the apparent priority of P1 is not being met in terms of upgrades being confirmed(points) or other types of priority service that are published... In my time I've had them all happen as expected with no issues so I'm fairly happy from that point of view.

I just don't know that the lack of a non published benefit is a reason to be annoyed.

my thought

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Feel free (pun intended) to flame me but....

since when have comp upgrades been a published benefit of P1? Never.

And this highlights a down to the general upside of a forum such as this: the sharing of information is fantastic but people are disappointed when it doesn't happen for them. Much like life really.

The real focus of ire should be towards failing of the *published* benefits such as the SST, of which there has been much discussion in this thread. I'm not inferring the SST is broken, far from it as this forum may not be representative as a whole. But there should be praise when the published benefits work too.

I haven't read every post in this thread but how many reports are there on flow forwarding and the success or otherwise of requests? Not being a big domestic flyer this won't apply to me much but surely this is a major advantage of P1?