Qantas SC earn error?

[MarkIrving]

Hi, this is my first post so apologies if my query has been dealt with in another thread.

I usually travel Perth to Northern Tassie 3-4 times per year and typically wait for the business sale seats to go Business from PER to MEL. I have also collected 80 SC for this run which is what I expected. With the advent of COVID we have just made a quick trip on a PER to HBA direct flight. There were no specials to be had (I checked every date for the next year) and the standard price of $2400 per sector was the only thing on offer.

I had assumed that this ‘full business’ fare would attract the highest earn rate for flights > 1500 miles (95 SC) however, the standard 80 SC were again recorded. I then checked my fare class and it was ‘D’ for discount business which is why the 80 SC was awarded. However, I queried this with qantas FF (via email) as I could see it was impossible for anyone to ever get the maximum SC and FF points if their ‘standard’ (or maximum) pricing was categorised as fare type D - discount.

I have had 3 responses from 3 difference people so far from qantas and all they do is inform me I am fare class D (which I told them) and thus the points and SC earn rate was correct. They never answer the actual question of how I can earn the ‘Flexible Business’ rate and get 95 SC. In my view this is misleading conduct as they advertise an earn rate that you can never achieve.

If you look at the domestic points earning table there is no discount business only Business (80 SC) and Flexible Business (95 SC). My ‘discounted’ fares have always mapped to Business (80 SC) so the clear inference is that a non discounted fare would be the ‘Flexible Business’ category. Am I wrong here??? Thanks for any insights.

 

[serfty]

At some point in the early 2000's they wised up to this and put a coupon limit on to be 16 IIRC and lowered the booking class to a lower one,

The *O version was reduced to 20 segments and then to 16 with the introduction of mandatory e-ticketing in the latter 00's.

 

[Vic]

I'd only add that the cheaper fares the OP purchased in the past probably booked as "I" fare class.
Technically a cheaper fare than D

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Back in the day (eg 20ish years ago) there used to be the most excellent situation where Star Alliance offered RTW fares with no limit to flight coupons that could be used (the limit was on total miles a.k.a MPM of the ticket) and the economy fares used to book into the B (virtually full Y bucket) for some reason. Thus one could book onto just about any flight due to the B class booking (which also earned at full Y levels for just about all mileage earning and were also super easy to upgrade) and it was possible to construct lots of sectors, specially within the US or europe. both to get around and for status runs. At some point in the early 2000's they wised up to this and put a coupon limit on to be 16 IIRC and lowered the booking class to a lower one, Q I think which made far more sense for the RTW product. Those were the days though.

Indeed. It was especially lucrative taking short flights in premium cabins in Europe and crediting to LH or NZ due to fixed mileage earning with high multiples for premium cabin (plus status in the case of LH).

 

[RichardMEL]

I think it may have been one of these types of fares that may have inspired the infamous Baht Run. Younger readers(I back in the day. But I digress