Qantas 'preferred seating'

[TheInsider]

Ausbt has the below article of qantas gearing up to sell 'preferred seating' to all.

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Honestly can't see why anyone would want to pay for this considering seating is no different besides getting off early...

Qantas will roll out preferred seating on domestic and international flights, setting aside a row of economy class seats near the front of the cabin for passengers who want to be among the first to step off their flight and be on their way.

This will, of course, come at a cost: charges will begin at a lowly $5 for short domestic hops such as Sydney-Melbourne and Sydney-Brisbane, $15 for east-west flights, $20 for trans-Tasman services to New Zealand, and $45 for longer international flights.

Qantas will trial preferred seating across the second half of this year, joining other airlines such as Emirates, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines which operate similar schemes.

However, the airline says that top-tier frequent flyers who can currently pre-select the front rows of economy won't find themselves booted out of those seats.

For example, on a Qantas Boeing 737 preferred seating will be found in row 9, while rows 4 though 8 remain earmarked for frequent flyers depending on their status. (Row 4 remains the prized pick for Chairman's Lounge and Platinum Onemembers due to its extra legroom.)

 

[opusman]

What's the bet this will lead to even WPs having to pay to get towards the front of Y eventually.

 

[Astro]

Sounds like a joke. Why would you pay to sit in row 9?

 

[AIRwin]

Sounds like a joke.

Sounds like Joke-star.

 

[sudoer]

I wonder if all seats will still open at T-80, or if this change may actually benefit elites.

 

[jase05]

Why would anyone pay to sit in a row 9 with no window?

 

[jb01]

Sure enough, there it is on my upcoming BNE-NRT.

 

[Max Samuels]

I don't get those symbols on my seatmap...

 

[JohnK]

Component pricing.

Would you like some oxygen on your flight?

 

[TheInsider]

Component pricing.

Would you like some oxygen on your flight?

Well it looks like today for B737 international flights - row 8 is now the paid row!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Some people do love their window seats, me being one, and I am not too pleased if I sit on the window side, with just no window there, esp 787s of any airline, so I would pay to sit elsewhere.
Semantics, piffle, small detail in the larger scheme of life, ...
I am flying QF (AKL - BNE), in Dec, and am in a seat with a booking of one of the subclasses of J, all the (good to me) window seats are taken, big huge X marked on the 330, ((granted, they might swap my plane to a 737, who knows)), but I would have happily paid more to get a window seat (with the "privacy barrier" next to the aisle.
Currently, I am in one of those J seats that are closer to the aisle, ie, the one where the ledge is on the window side, I think 7A, but if there were 2/4/6A available to buy, I would have happily paid to change to those, but they are all taken.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Sounds like Joke-star.

Don't forget that QF still owns JQ, but no one at QF wants to admit that, in their pov its a separately run airline, but to us, its still in the end that profits from JQ go up to the QF group.
And AJ still runs the whole kit and kaboodle, so, J*/Joke-star, is indeed a good acronym.

 

[juddles]

Sounds like a joke. Why would you pay to sit in row 9?

Because people will actually pay for this.

I agree it is a "joke" when compared to frequent flyer knowledge and expectations. But they only offer this because people will pay. And I like this - the more that the airlines can make out of the suckers, the less they have to make out of me.

 

[JohnK]

Well it looks like today for B737 international flights - row 8 is now the paid row!

That's just an awful kick in the guts for frequent flyers.

How many more benefits does Qantas want to dwindle away?

 

[Lynda2475]

So assumingi if you have pre-selectedt hose seats before the change came in the setas will stick without charge?

 

[cwd]

That's just an awful kick in the guts for frequent flyers.

How many more benefits does Qantas want to dwindle away?

Preferred seats are free for Gold and above, so that doesn't seem so bad?

 

[jakeseven7]

Preferred seats are free for Gold and above, so that doesn't seem so bad?

Yes I'm failing to see the big deal?

For Silver does it have an impact?

 

[esseeeayeenn]

Two comments.
First this seems pretty poor when compared to VIrgin's economy X product - not that it is too flash either!
Second, I think both airlines are missing an opportunity,
With soaring fares for business on domestic routes, I think threre could be a real demand for premium economy especially on traqns continental routes.
If - and it's a big if - it was priced properly.
Ideally with discount, advance booking, inflexible PE kicking in at about the full flex economy fare and going upwards.
Would work well on the A330s.
The only downside is it would become pretty obvious that what is marketed as business on the 737s is really a PE hard product.

 

[TheInsider]

Yes I'm failing to see the big deal?

For Silver does it have an impact?

Not a big deal as these passengers weren't able to select these seats anyway. Now they have an opportunity to purchase them. Everyone else that is higher status is still BAU!

 

[opusman]

Is row 4 available for purchase?