QFF CLassic Award - First & Business Rewards

[GC_Engineer]

I have been searching for 2 first classic award flights to LAX (from either Syd or Mel) for the past few weeks for travel anytime in 2015.

I am aware that QANTAS release classic award flights at 10am BNE time 353 days in advance but it appears they have only released one first reward seat the past few days. Does anybody know what methodology QANTAS follow when releasing classic first seats? I am only bronze status so maybe this effects what I first availability I can see online? Or maybe it really is completely random between 0, 1 or 2 seats per flight.

Any info would be appreciated. I understand it is almost next to impossible!!!

Thanks

 

[MelUser]

I would have thought that with current cost cutting award seats in J and F will dry up even more.

I think qantas would prefer passengers to buy their J and F tickets!

 

[kempvet]

As others will soon tell you, QF Plat and Plat One have first choice way ahead of when you will see the seats.

 

[QF029]

As others will soon tell you, QF Plat and Plat One have first choice way ahead of when you will see the seats.

Way ahead? As gold I've been able to see P and U availavility as 353 days out although admittedly not for prime days like Friday / Saturday.

 

[anat0l]

I'm a Silver and I can see rather decent Business availability for 2015. It's a bit of a minefield as you have to watch out for the short J / long Y traps, as well as the only options on some days are partners via Asia, but apart from that, there's availability there after you try a few dates and maybe change your origin.

Apart from that, everyone else's advice about when the seats open up is pretty much on the mark. Not sure about releasing 1 seat at a time - maybe in First it might happen - though naturally it will be easier to look as a single than to get 2 seats.

 

[zainman]

I think the claim that QF elites see more award availability is not true because myself (WP) and my partner (NB) always see the same thing on the website. This is of course different to requesting award seats to be opened up as a benefit to WP members.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Personally I think the chances of getting 2 x F seats are extremely remote. I would get one F seat and one J seat and hope to snag another F seat by having an alert set up on Expert Flyer or similar for P class.

 

[zainman]

Personally I think the chances of getting 2 x F seats are extremely remote. I would get one F seat and one J seat and hope to snag another F seat by having an alert set up on Expert Flyer or similar for P class.

I've had the QFF call centre request revenue management to open up 2 F award seats on a flight where there was no F or J available on the website, I was very impressed but unfortunately I couldn't use it as the date they offered weren't suitable.

 

[amaroo]

Personally I think the chances of getting 2 x F seats are extremely remote. I would get one F seat and one J seat and hope to snag another F seat by having an alert set up on Expert Flyer or similar for P class.

FWIW I'd be taking PF advice on this. This is the person who pulled off the Herculean task of securing 6 tickets all in F or J (return) for a family trip to the USA. Hall of Fame effort!

 

[Princess Fiona]

I've had the QFF call centre request revenue management to open up 2 F award seats on a flight where there was no F or J available on the website, I was very impressed but unfortunately I couldn't use it as the date they offered wasn't suitable.

The OP is Bronze, I don't think the QFF Call centre will be able to help out there.

 

[11sjw]

Point-wise this will be way more but any thought of travelling via HKG on CX?

 

[GC_Engineer]

All very good replies...

I am flexible to travel whenever. In January I saw two first class classic rewards on Qantas for Mel to Lax Xmas 2014 but at the time I didn't have enough points for the tickets!! I was under the assumption that QANTAS usually release upto 2 tickets per flight? And assume that they would release these at the same time for everyone to see (regardless of status)... So maybe I am just too slow?

I'll keep a look out for first. With regard to business I can get 2x business rewards, especially at 353 days out... just holding out for that ellusive first rewards.

CX would be OK, but I don't quite have enough points to go first class, and the leg to HK is in business...

 

[NoName]

I'm looking at a similar requirement to the OP. Have previously seen 2xF classic award seats on the same flights to LAX but not seeing them any more. Have seen 1 seat available for each of QF11 & QF93 on the same day. Only bronze but have a few family members who are either WP or CL. Wanting people's thoughts on the likelihood of success of my strategy for getting two seats:

Book one person on QF11 and the other on QF93 on a day where 1 F award is released for each flight.
Have one of my relatives ring and request an award seat on one of these flights and book for me if it's released.
Cancel one of the originally booked awards.

I thought this might be more likely to succeed as there would only be one award being requested and also two options in terms of the flight being requested.

 

[drron]

To be fair QF is not the only one doing this.
AA has reduced the number of sAAver F awards on some sectors especially into LHR.Now usually only 1 per flight.
Can still get it using BA but found it hard online to get the BA flights up.Using say EWR or BOS where BA flies from gets the BA flights but of course with heftier fuel fines.

 

[amaroo]

FWIW I've been looking at SYD/MEL-LHR the last couple of weeks. MEL-LHR has almost daily release of 3 x P....SYD-LHR is much tighter with 2 x P released on Monday or Tuesday with an occasional 1 X P (mainly zero) for the rest of the week.

Over the weekend I amended an existing booking SYD-LHR 2 x P (MASA) for April 2015....the new seats were the only ones available for the whole month. The seats for the original booking were released back on the market and they are now the only 2 X P for the month of April 2015.

Seems not many F passengers like to fly ex-MEL to London!

 

[grussellt]

If F proves impossible (and J difficult for two) for SYD-LAX then perhaps try FJ via NAN. You have options via SYD/MEL or BNE and the taxes are less. It's not QF but the planes are new!

 

[mlob]

Not on your route but I have been seeing two F awards being released SYD- DXB.

 

[smit0847]

You say you don't have enough points but I'd be doing CX J to HKG then CX F to LAX/SFO - I'd argue they have a better J and F product than QF does....