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?

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

It may have been there too…there were two options

 

[serfty]

Oh, they've taken Taittinger off the LAX F lounge menu?

No, that's in front of the counter for the mere WP/Emerald hoi poloi ...

 

[jcwhizz]

P1 recognition all seems very hit and miss at the moment. Both from recent personal experience and anecdotally from others anything that involves the SIN F lounge seems to work very very well - incredibly attentive staff, decent food / wine, First host escort through security and onto the plane - all is great until being on the plane of course. Contrast my recent experience at FCO where I was directed to the Plaza Premium lounge by check-in staff (who said there was no other option) - and a 50 long static queue to get in - fortunately spotted and ducked into the BA lounge (which was almost empty) - and then boarded QF6. Hadn't been on a QF Dreamliner for a while and was very taken aback about how very very cramped and average their setup is compared to pretty much any business EK / QR flights. QFs disastrous culinary concepts as usual lukewarm / completely inedible - particularly the "pizza" (an insult to the whole concept) mid-flight snack that QF uses in place of a proper dinner service on their long haul Dreamliner flights. Zero status recognition throughout the entire QF Italian experience.

 

[RichardMEL]

P1 recognition has ALWAYS been very hit and miss.. ah, I mean Consistently Inconsistent(tm). SIN is very good though I agree. That is probably a cultural thing about following procedure closely and all that (and pride in one's work etc).

As for FCO check in, to be honest they are most likely contracted out staff who wouldn't have any idea about P1 as opposed to any other pax. I expect very little at such outstations with non actual QF staff tbh. At DFW recently, for example, I had the (very nice mind you) check in agent congratulate me on "making Platinum" - it was a gesture, if a bit puzzling.

 

[Ade]

SIN is very good though I agree.

Agree with this - as WP my experiences at SIN have always been good. Especially SIN F lounge staff have been exceptional - to the point that they somehow remember that I'm a vego and will always ask if I like to try the plant-based option of the menu OR go with my usual vegan fried rice with chilli.

contracted out staff

This is the thing with I noticed with SIN as well - especially flying on a OW carrier that is NOT QF, then the staff don't seem to understand the status thing. I usually fly Y (self-funded or work pays for Y only) and 9/10 times flying UL, status is never recognised - to the point that I was once asked by the DNATA staff manning the gate to go back to the Y queue, however, there was a UL FA at the gate and she waved me thru. Not a real issue, my boarding would have delayed by 2 or so mins. Just wanted to note that contracted staff don't really understand the status.

 

[New to this]

Had a pleasant experience on HBA trip
had reserved row 1 but when I went to check in, it put me in the middle seat several rows back
the VIP team were baffled that a P1 got ‘bumped’ but could not help within the day pf travel
Got to the lounge, more bemused comments about ‘that shouldn’t happen’
Anyway they got on the job and got me my seats back!
Thanks Qantas and sorry to whoever it was who briefly got row 1

 

[New to this]

I should add that I wasn’t that concerned about it, more curious - and would not have wished to move someone by pulling rank

However, i’d had the seats reserved for weeks and they were showing as still there right up until the moment I clicked on the check-in button.

Captain (later) said they’d had an aircraft change so maybe that was the reason.

 

[encryptededdy]

I should add that I wasn’t that concerned about it, more curious - and would not have wished to move someone by pulling rank

However, i’d had the seats reserved for weeks and they were showing as still there right up until the moment I clicked on the check-in button.

Captain (later) said they’d had an aircraft change so maybe that was the reason.

Assuming you weren't in Business, I assume you were changed from a 717 without Business class to a 717 with Business class. In my experience the Qantas system tries to keep the same seat number across an aircraft swap, so maybe it tried to but failed because row 1 is now business class?

 

[New to this]

maybe you’re onto something there.
Does the 717 have a J cabin?

There was ‘no higher cabin available’ when I put in for an upgrade beforehand. So, I assumed when I was switched to row 5 that they’d simply moved me

However, on reflection, the replacement plane did have this mini cabin at the front and the seats were slightly better than a normal economy seat (I just assumed it was a feature of the 717)

So maybe I’d blagged a free upgrade without realising!

 

[encryptededdy]

maybe you’re onto something there.
Does the 717 have a J cabin?

Yeah, it does on some aircraft. Your original aircraft would've been no J, then a last minute switch to an aircraft with J due to operational requirements. I assume they weren't selling those J seats, but presumably system would have to be manually reconfigured to allow Y pax to sit in the J seats (maybe that's what the lounge staff did).

Sounds like you got J seats for free (but with no J service). Was anyone else in the J seats?

 

[New to this]

Yeah, it does on some aircraft. Your original aircraft would've been no J, then a last minute switch to an aircraft with J due to operational requirements. I assume they weren't selling those J seats, but presumably system would have to be manually reconfigured to allow Y pax to sit in the J seats (maybe that's what the lounge staff did).

Sounds like you got J seats for free (but with no J service). Was anyone else in the J seats?

Ahh OK. Thanks
Yes. Flight was pretty full in the end. Maybe some of us got lucky then.

 

[chooms]

Quick trip across the Tasman this week included an op-up to J on the way over and impeccable service in Y on the return leg (drinks/top ups from J, warm welcomes etc). Couldn't fault QF this week.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Quick trip across the Tasman this week included an op-up to J on the way over and impeccable service in Y on the return leg (drinks/top ups from J, warm welcomes etc). Couldn't fault QF this week.

I am guessing you had a CSM with more than 15 years experience?

 

[chooms]

I am guessing you had a CSM with more than 15 years experience?

Not sure, but they were all very friendly and welcoming to not just me, but everyone on board. It was a great flight. The only pain point is/was the ridiculously cramped Gate 7 at AKL that was used for the A330. No priority boarding and a complete free for all.

 

[Andy72]

Classic reward seats x2 J to lhr return mid nov to early dec released on manual review, more convenient than the JAL flights I had so very happy

 

[flyingfan]

I posted on the upgrades thread of having two upgrades to J come through for my relative. I thought we'd get the results from T-7 days and definitely before they're meant to process upgrades for WPs from T-3 days, but they only come through about 30 hours before the flights.

I did mock cash bookings for the two legs, MEL-SIN and SIN-LHR; the first leg had about a dozen J seats I could choose from in seat selection but the second leg only had about six (I don't know how much this translates into upgrade probability and I don't have EF). I thought being P1 we'd be at the front of the queue and a very good chance of scoring the upgrade to SIN, but it'd be trickier on the longer, more desirable LHR sector. It does make commercial sense QF would do the upgrades fairly late and maximise cash revenue.

Relative was extremely stoked to get to fly J both times - first time ever as well as first longhaul trip ever - and also benefited from getting one of my passes for some Flounging beforehand (also first time in a lounge ever). It was also my first time trying to use my P1 status to upgrade an eligible family member, so happy it worked. Almost makes P1 worth it.

 

[Fergo747]

I posted on the upgrades thread of having two upgrades to J come through for my relative. I thought we'd get the results from T-7 days and definitely before they're meant to process upgrades for WPs from T-3 days, but they only come through about 30 hours before the flights.

I did mock cash bookings for the two legs, MEL-SIN and SIN-LHR; the first leg had about a dozen J seats I could choose from in seat selection but the second leg only had about six (I don't know how much this translates into upgrade probability and I don't have EF). I thought being P1 we'd be at the front of the queue and a very good chance of scoring the upgrade to SIN, but it'd be trickier on the longer, more desirable LHR sector. It does make commercial sense QF would do the upgrades fairly late and maximise cash revenue.

Relative was extremely stoked to get to fly J both times - first time ever as well as first longhaul trip ever - and also benefited from getting one of my passes for some Flounging beforehand (also first time in a lounge ever). It was also my first time trying to use my P1 status to upgrade an eligible family member, so happy it worked. Almost makes P1 worth it.

The results only come through that early if QF are processing upgrades then (same for WP). They obviously thought that there was a chance of still selling some / all of those seats so only processed them when you received them. You are still at the front of the pecking order though. Generally speaking my upgrades have come through much closer to the flight that 7 days. I think the earliest I received one was about T-48 (though this is J to F).

 

[windycityf]

I had a really great flight crew the other day to Seoul. I had a note waiting at my seat. Then was surprised by the Assistant CSM who saw my name on manifest the day before, remembered me and surprised me with some treats. I know it’s very rare but it was lovely gesture.

 

[dkr]

At LHR and have been denied access to the QF lounge on an EK codeshare (QF8004) in J as the lounge was too busy. Am travelling with a colleague who was booked onto QF2 in J, and the lounge guardian called the EK lounge to see if we could both access the EK lounge (which he thought she should've been able to being on an onwards J QF ticket, but EK lounge said no, and reviewing QF and EK lounge policies, I suspect my colleague should have had EK lounge access). The lounge entry guy agreed to let me in, but we could find no seats (and had my head bitten off by a dining area woman when I asked if I could get a table waitlisted as a P1). In the end we were forced to split up to give her a chance of finding a solo seat in the QF lounge. All round, another poor experience of Qantas' own making.

Qantas London lounge is an absolute zoo, there's clearly too many pax with status to keep reasonable numbers for an A380 and 787 service each night.

 

[sudoer]

EK codeshare (QF8004)

I would have tried my luck at the Cathay First lounge next door to QF. I'm guessing you would have been permitted entry on the QF flight number