QFF Platinum requesting release of extra Classic award seats?

[ChrisMars]

I made several calls to QF today to request award seats to be released.

Ruth in Suva couldn't get her head around what I was asking.

Kina in Suva said she would put in a request and "you will hear within 2 days".

Zoe in Suva asked for my booking reference.

At least 3 calls, and none of them ended up in Hobart / NZ?

 

[Danger]

At least 3 calls, and none of them ended up in Hobart / NZ?

Six calls in total today and only one was answered in HBA. That call got me seats released.

 

[RichardMEL]

Gobsmacked success today. Thinking task impossible requested 1xF SYD-LAX for a couple of dates in Sep (I had done my research showing more than A3) and approved on the spot for both dates I suggested (so anyone hoping may try Sep 12 as that was also approved, but untaken by me) and LAX-SYD also approved sep 21. Added flights to/from MEL no trouble as one would expect.

Yes, obviously the P1 effect, but I am absolutely delighted this came through given the current environment.

HBA agent was fatastic - he was proactive and looked at a few dates for extras within the US I was thinking of but presumed were going to be nigh on impossible but he came up with some options (we ended up dismissing) on alternate dates and honestly he was fantastic to deal with in all aspects.

First international for me in well over 2.5 years should hopefully be a good one

 

[Matt_01]

When QF changed the seat bucket release rules a few years back P1s can get seats released from both A and F.

 

[RichardMEL]

When QF changed the seat bucket release rules a few years back P1s can get seats released from both A and F.

You may well be right on that but it is still going to be flight dependent I suppose.

For example one flight I asked about, QF12/22SEP is showing F2 A0 and obviously was denied, but day before F8 A7 was approved. OTOH QF11/03SEP F7 A2 - denied.

 

[Matt_01]

You may well be right on that but it is still going to be flight dependent I suppose.

For example one flight I asked about, QF12/22SEP is showing F2 A0 and obviously was denied, but day before F8 A7 was approved. OTOH QF11/03SEP F7 A2 - denied.

If you do not have kids I suspect you may not have realised the relevance of the dates and school holiday availability. We have taken our daughter out of school early for family trips however her school is used to such requests and we just have to work in with the make up classes.

 

[RichardMEL]

If you do not have kids I suspect you may not have realised the relevance of the dates and school holiday availability. We have taken our daughter out of school early for family trips however her school is used to such requests and we just have to work in with the make up classes.

oh, I did think about school hols (but no, does not affect me personally) but yes of course that is going to be a factor driving demand and thus what may or may not be approved.

 

[serfty]

I was looking for a U seat SIN to MEL in mid September.

There was a QF38 showing D9 I5 all weekend with no Business class seats selected.

Called 7:35am yesterday and call answered after one ring.

I put my request in and really proactive agent came back after about 90 seconds to say no go ("surprisingly" he said). He then tried via SYD (I4) ... nup and then via BNE (D9 I0 when I checked after) .. Yep!

Now I was surprised!

By that stage I had been contemplating plan B's involving X9 - those contemplations were no longer needed.

A really good experience and I made sure I held on to give him the highest ratings possible.

Total call time 15 minutes.

 

[brucory]

Gobsmacked success today. Thinking task impossible requested 1xF SYD-LAX for a couple of dates in Sep (I had done my research showing more than A3) and approved on the spot for both dates I suggested (so anyone hoping may try Sep 12 as that was also approved, but untaken by me) and LAX-SYD also approved sep 21. Added flights to/from MEL no trouble as one would expect.

Yes, obviously the P1 effect, but I am absolutely delighted this came through given the current environment.

HBA agent was fatastic - he was proactive and looked at a few dates for extras within the US I was thinking of but presumed were going to be nigh on impossible but he came up with some options (we ended up dismissing) on alternate dates and honestly he was fantastic to deal with in all aspects.

First international for me in well over 2.5 years should hopefully be a good one

Excellent to hear good results for once!!! There are lots of unemployed/former travel agents they could work through the HBA office, like the one you had in this example, and include work from home from around Australia... Big problem solvers and fast with results = a return to having a benefit....

 

[RealtimeY]

There was a QF38 showing D9 I5 all weekend with no Business class seats selected.

I've noticed some strange behaviour with this flight... when it was first timetabled I saw U9, X9 on one date and U0 on the rest, even though it was basically empty on all dates. The next day those awards had vanished.

 

[Virgin Bart]

I've noticed some strange behaviour with this flight... when it was first timetabled I saw U9, X9 on one date and U0 on the rest, even though it was basically empty on all dates. The next day those awards had vanished.

So have I. Something is certainly up here, I was able to book J with points at times that all other routes weren't even with checking.

 

[RichardMEL]

I was looking for a U seat SIN to MEL in mid September.

There was a QF38 showing D9 I5 all weekend with no Business class seats selected.

Called 7:35am yesterday and call answered (sounded Kiwi) after one ring.

I put my request in and really proactive agent came back after about 90 seconds to say no go ("surprisingly" he said). He then tried via SYD (I4) ... nup and then via BNE (D9 I0 when I checked after) .. Yep!

Now I was surprised!

By that stage I had been contemplating plan B's involving X9 - those contemplations were no longer needed.

A really good experience and I made sure I held on to give him the highest ratings possible.

Total call time 15 minutes.

Great outcome in the end but another data point (assuming what EF shows us is accurate, which it usually is) that the droid or whatever has some mysterious algorithms at play at times. I probably would not have even bothered to ask about the BNE flight seeing that .. so kudos to the agent. Got to love proactive and engaged agents with a willingness to find a solution rather than "computer says no"

 

[sdhog2002]

I've been waiting for a U seat to London in June 2023 and today, without checking Expert Flyer first, called after I saw the flights for June 11th were listed on the QF site (with no classic rewards available, not surprisingly). Got through quickly to the South African desk and the consultant knew just what I wanted and explained, as I knew, that specific seat classes need to be available for her to request release of a U seat, but none were available. I assumed that meant no I seats. I have now checked EF and, (apart from the fact that QF9 is not listing for June 11th yet) there are no D, nor I (nor U) seats either on most days leading up to that date (checked back a couple of weeks). On one day there were D3 on QF9 and D7 on QF1, but otherwise seldom even D1. Is it usual that there are so few D seats so long in advance (and no I seats)?

 

[RichardMEL]

I've been waiting for a U seat to London in June 2023 and today, without checking Expert Flyer first, called after I saw the flights for June 11th were listed on the QF site (with no classic rewards available, not surprisingly). Got through quickly to the South African desk and the consultant knew just what I wanted and explained, as I knew, that specific seat classes need to be available for her to request release of a U seat, but none were available. I assumed that meant no I seats. I have now checked EF and, (apart from the fact that QF9 is not listing for June 11th yet) there are no D, nor I (nor U) seats either on most days leading up to that date (checked back a couple of weeks). On one day there were D3 on QF9 and D7 on QF1, but otherwise seldom even D1. Is it usual that there are so few D seats so long in advance (and no I seats)?

Well a lack of D seats implies no I because I is a subclass (as it were) of D in the Business inventory.

I imagine YM has decided June is peak travel time to UK and they have started off with aggressive inventory release for whatever reasons (or it's a screw up). it does seem odd if/when the flights have just gone on sale but that's all I can think of. Either this, or they simply have not allocated any U (which is no surprise) at this point and they may release I if forward bookings look weak. Given it's an ongoing noted pattern it seems deliberate process than a glitch.

That's really frustrating of course.

 

[sdhog2002]

Thanks, RichardMEL

Frustrating but very confusing given that the Qantas site has seats on all those flights I looked at available for purchase, in both "Business Saver" and "Business Flex" buckets. Surely those revenue seats should appear on EF as D (or I)?

 

[RichardMEL]

Thanks, RichardMEL

Frustrating but very confusing given that the Qantas site has seats on all those flights I looked at available for purchase, in both "Business Saver" and "Business Flex" buckets. Surely those revenue seats should appear on EF as D (or I)?

hmmm... Flex would be J or C, Saver would be D (I believe) and I is usually used for Sale (happy to be corrected). Yes, see this page: https://www.qantas.com/au/en/freque...line-earning-tables/earn-category-tables.html

so if it's showing say D3 then showing Business Saver probably makes some sense.

The other thing to remember is EF availability can sometimes depend on country of purchase and things like that. It may not always be entirely accurate.

 

[Notyourbag]

Have any Qantas Gold status members ever had luck requesting J award seats via the call centre?

 

[mviy]

Have any Qantas Gold status members ever had luck requesting J award seats via the call centre?

This benefit isn't available to Gold status members. If you want this benefit you'll need to level up to Platinum, a status level which has a variety of benefits over and above what you get as a Gold member.

 

[Rangalad]

This benefit isn't available to Gold status members. If you want this benefit you'll need to level up to Platinum, a status level which has a variety of benefits over and above what you get as a Gold member.

10 mins on hold got through to Capetown. Agent advised if the seats aren’t showing on the website, they are not available nothing can be done. The agent apologised then ended the call. Didn’t even get to mention the date or route.

 

[RichardMEL]

10 mins on hold got through to Capetown. Agent advised if the seats aren’t showing on the website, they are not available nothing can be done. The agent apologised then ended the call. Didn’t even get to mention the date or route.

wow. assumption much? could be something that can't be booked online, like Origin DOH or CMB or wherever or carrier that does not show avail online.

yikes