Qantas T-80 no longer a thing?

[S-mac]

I'm a semi frequent flyer SYD-MEL and I'm fairly diligent in jumping into my booking 80 hours before my flight and selecting a front row where I can.

I've noticed this last couple of weeks that seats are not being released at the T-80 mark. Am I just super unlucky and these seats are already spoken for or have these rules changed?

Thinking these might have changed in the latest QFF changes, but not announced.

 

[mannej]

T-80 is not hard and fast, and can depend on factors such as the composition of status flyers on said flight.

 

[oz_mark]

Keep in mind that there is no formal T-80 rule as such when it comes to seat assignment. Over time,Qantas do seem to played around with the rules on who can see what.

 

[sudoer]

Use ExpertFlyer. I've seen it open as early as T-104 and as late as T-70.

 

[Lynda2475]

I find its best to select a seat as soon as my booking is visible online, then 24 hours prior to the flight when I go to check -in I see if anything better is available, that way I know I wont get stuck int he dreaded middle seat.

 

[eddie 73]

Like you, I am a regular Syd-Mel flyer (weekly return trip for weekends at home) and 99% of time get row 4 @T-80 or T-79. I have sat next to CL regulars who get automatic shadows in middle row but these usually end up with bum on seat.

I am OC so often review bookings earlier than T-80 and never see it open up any earlier.

 

[SRS65]

Just changed J dom seats at T52 once they opened up as a Silver QC.
Seems to vary currently as no strict timelines - knowing this is not a benefit.
Have to be checking fairly regularly to have a chance to change seats.

 

[clare1991]

It must vary my partner and I have 2 seperate booking references numbers for the same flight. His shows unlocked seats at the back while mine only shows one available seat. We are both bronze only difference being he has over 300k points. First time T-80 has failed for us but also the first flight I had to book seperate.

 

[sudoer]

@clare1991 domestic or international? Maybe worth checking which fare bucket each ticket has been booked into - yours may not allow seat selection?

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

I also am a weekly or twice weekly SYD-MEL flyer at peak times and have noticed this more lately. I fly religiously 453 and 452s and on the 453 usually no issues but the 452 return MEL-SYDs seem to have tighter seat selection controls. I'm sitting on the 452 now and due to weather I think they locked up rows 4 & 5 as nothing became free.

 

[clare1991]

@clare1991 domestic or international? Maybe worth checking which fare bucket each ticket has been booked into - yours may not allow seat selection?

Domestic, Adl-perth it was allowing me to select seats before T-80 but at T-80 they all vanished.
Managed to use their text service and get us both moved to row 7. T-80 did work for our flight to Adelaide but that booking was done together.

 

[harvyk]

I have never tried to hit the T-80 mark exactly, however I've found that even at T-70 or even T-60 there is usually a large number of good seats still available. I'm also very diligent about checking in the second the app sends me the message that I can check in, and then re-checking what seats are actually available.

I have to admit, I do tend to go for the exit rows rather than row 4 (to be honest row 4 is my backup as I prefer the exit rows). and since they charge for them now right up until check-in (P1's excluded) I've had a pretty good run of getting what turns out to be my favorite seat on the plane (14F in case anyone was wondering, when I go to log in to the QF WiFi and it asks for my seat number, that number is the only one in the remember this from last time list).

 

[SRS65]

Unable to shift J seats MEL - ADL at all from T-80 until check in.
Non status pax - noticed BP's - in row 2 so must have booked a higher fare bucket than us (ours were discounted J fare)

 

[BAM1748]

Have also come across this as well but only very recently in the last week or so. but when I boarded the flight it was full so maybe I was just too slow.

 

[AIRwin]

Non status pax - noticed BP's - in row 2 so must have booked a higher fare bucket than us (ours were discounted J fare)

Staff?

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

It looks like something to do with ex-MEL services. This week on SYD-MEL got 4C but cannot shift on the 452 back to SYD. I just moved to 4A on a BNE service later this week ex SYD.

 

[tdimdad]

I got exactly the opposite this week: MEL-SYD at about T-70 managed to nab 4C but nothing for SYD-MEL or SYD-BNE.
It's easy to concur with the generic observation: it feels like the T-80 was more consistent back in time but in recent months becoming flakier in terms of either punctuality or seat availability being released.

 

[SRS65]

Staff?

Didn't seem to be as they were all older couples.

 

[Tessm92]

I've just gone in about T-95 for a domestic qantaslink PER-BME and all rows have opened up - I was able to select row 2 (Bronze FF) in Qantas app. Checked yesterday and the front half of the plane was still blocked off. Interestingly EF shows seat next to me blocked although I was able to have selected this if I wanted in the app

 

[AIRwin]

Didn't seem to be as they were all older couples.

Staff + their partner?