QFF Platinum requesting release of extra Classic award seats?

[muppet]

1/1/23 - QF94 LAX-MEL I9 requested one U seat - droid said no.
2/1/23 - QF94 LAX-MEL I9 requested one U seat - droid said yes.

I may have missed another thread but there has been regular transpac award availability opening up over the last week. I managed to get a standard aware on QF93 a few days before xmas.

Good result. Are you WP or WP1?

 

[QF029]

Good result. Are you WP or WP1?

WP. I've updated my post.

 

[Captain Halliday]

01DEC QF25 SYD-HND I6->U3 declined.
01DEC QF79 MEL-HND I6->U3 approved.

Fingers crossed I can get it ticketed and the other 11 sectors hold!

 

[RichardMEL]

01DEC QF25 SYD-HND I6->U3 declined.
01DEC QF79 MEL-HND I6->U3 approved.

Fingers crossed I can get it ticketed and the other 11 sectors hold!

Getting U3 is very good to HND imo.

 

[mviy]

Getting U3 is very good to HND imo.

I agree. I would go further and say that getting U3 to anywhere is very good imo.

 

[Captain Halliday]

I agree. I would go further and say that getting U3 to anywhere is very good imo.

I requested leaving Mrs H or Miss H at home to make finding award seats easier. Declined.

 

[smckay]

I requested leaving Mrs H or Miss H at home to make finding award seats easier. Declined.

... by the droid or manual intervention????

 

[RichardMEL]

I requested leaving Mrs H or Miss H at home to make finding award seats easier. Declined.

Not a status level high enough to get that request approved!!!

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Not a status level high enough to get that request approved!!!

Respectfully disagree. I hear Chairman's Club members get an hour with Uncle Alan every month to act as a couples counsellor with their significant other! All that travel really takes a toll!

 

[Ade]

15/12/2022 - called around 2110 to request 1xY MEL-CBR return for 18/12-19/12. No availability online. Call answered within 1 min, agent from AKL, her name was Lina. Super helpful. Request was put in for MEL-CBR, took a bit longer than usual, but approved. CBR-MEL 19/12, advised that all fares are commercial and a request cannot be attempted. So booked MEL-CBR only.

Re : points required - was told 8k + 3.5k award assistance fee. I told that the 3.5k won’t be applicable as there was no reward seat available on QF website for pax to book. Checks some documentation, and says that I’m right. 8k points + $62 paid. Eticket landed in 20 mins.

Booked a JQ CBR-MEL commercial on 19/12.

 

[liamg]

No reward seats showing SYD-MEL 21/12, but QF482 was showing I6. A lovely guy in Hobart got me an U seat released.

The ticket is for my sister-in-law who is flying down to attend a funeral, so not having to pay last minute pre-Xmas fares is a relief.

Happy WP here.

 

[RichardMEL]

No reward seats showing SYD-MEL 21/12, but QF482 was showing I6. A lovely guy in Hobart got me an X seat released.

The ticket is for my sister-in-law who is flying down to attend a funeral, so not having to pay last minute pre-Xmas fares is a relief.

Happy WP here.

Well I is a Business Class fare bucket, but X is a Y reward seat bucket.. so was the reward seat released in Business or Economy? just curious.

(but good outcome to get a seat at reasonably short notice at a peak period - even if it is their most served routes)

 

[liamg]

My bad. Yes, it’s U.

 

[kpc]

Hoping for a J award release from Hkg to Syd in Sept hols next year....

The most wonderful N.... in Hobart Call Centre couldn't get a J award on Qf128 released but got Hkg-Mel-Syd released in J...so now have Ay Hel to Hkg, Qf Hkg-Mel to Syd all in J for +1 for Sept next year....couldn't believe my luck!

 

[levelnine]

Anyone have any luck requesting release of award seats for December 2023?

It's been a while since I've made a request. Can you request a release of award seats if you don't yet have the points in your account? I'd like to request the release of some seats and only transfer from Amex US if the request is successful.

 

[sudoer]

Can you request a release of award seats if you don't yet have the points in your account?

Good question - in my experience the agent doesn't calculate the points & taxes cost until the seats have been successfully released, so I'm guessing the answer is yes, unless the droid has some built-in checks.

December would likely depend on how close to Christmas/school holidays you want to fly, and to which destination.

 

[Rangalad]

Called in today to request 1xY CBR-MEL on 17/12, ended with 1xJ CBR-MEL 17/12 and MEL-CBR 1xY 20/12

First call - answered immediately by CPT (going by accent) - explained what I was after, request put in for 1xY seat CBR-MEL. On-hold for 3 mins, agent comes back that "the route you are requesting is operated by codeshare flights, QantasLink, so we can't request reward seats on codeshare flights, sorry". I politely replied "I have done this route quite a few times by requesting reward seats and I'm not sure how it is different this time around. Anyways thank you for trying and your time" HUCA

Second call - answered immediately by a lovely agent - explained what I was after, request put in 1xY CBr-MEL, on-hold for 5 mins, came back saying "No seats available in the date you want. Are you flexible with your date?". I was not flexible, kinda need to be MEL on 17/12 ... so I said "No, it's not flexible unfortunately, sorry, is there J seats available as reward". Goes back, another couple of minutes, come back and says "I can get 1xJ on a flight out of CBR". All good, booked and instantly reflected in the QF app.

She then proceeds, how about return, do you want me to book that as well. I was like "sure" and makes a return booking, link to the onward PNR, payment done, e-tickets to be issued within 24 hours.

Now, going by the accent, I'd have guessed this agent was based in CPT of Fiji (she had a very strong Indian accent) ... but she was from AKL !!! her name was Bathul.

I was very happy and thanked for her assistance ... survey results - 5,5,1

Update: e-ticket landed in 5 mins post call

Call answered by Cape Town, advised no seats available. Asked for a seat to be requested.
Initially advised that is not possible. I explained it a benefit available to Platinum and above.
Agent advised will check with the supervisor, call disconnected.

Second call, also answered by Cape Town. Again advised no seats available.
Made a request to have a seat released, advised this benefit is not available "during school holidays".
Asked to check with a supervisor, after a bit of a hold, was advised no seats available, and nothing can be done.

Third call, answered by Cape Town.
Politely advised I dialled the wrong number.

Will try later this arvo, hoping to get through to HBA.

 

[jpp42]

Made a request to have a seat released, advised this benefit is not available "during school holidays".

Isn't this part correct? Although presumably that's part of what the bot would check, so they really should just submit the request rather than assuming?

 

[Matt_01]

Isn't this part correct? Although presumably that's part of what the bot would check, so they really should just submit the request rather than assuming?

IME this is not correct, we only travel in school holidays and have success getting seats released for Mrs&MissM over the years.

 

[dylarr]

Yeah that isn’t right. I called the other day and got some seats released for travel next week (domestic) which was successful and that is during school holidays.