QFF Platinum requesting release of extra Classic Reward seats?

[HirafuHeartAttack]

Both QF1984 and QF1914 approved for release. Thanks again.

No worries, glad someone got some use out of my EF membership

 

[Captain Halliday]

PSA for those requesting a seat release into an existing booking.

I had ticketed Oneworld Classic Flight Award for which I wanted to improve routing. This required a seat release on a QF sector.

I made a request which was declined and didn't think anymore of it.

A couple of weeks later my flights disappeared from the QF App.

I checked via desktop and my ticketed flights were still showing.

I assumed - incorrectly - there was a limitation on the number of flights the app could display because I'd just added a number of work flights.

Then last week a bunch of EF alerts about flights in my ticketed booking alerted me something was wrong.

By this time the flights had also disappeared from my account when logged in via desktop.

Turns out the whole PNR had been accidentally cancelled by the agent who made the seat request.

I was fortunate to get through to HBA and the agent explained what happened.

Apparently, when requesting a seat release for new booking, agents typically add an "auto-cancel".

This auto-cancel kicks in if the PNR is not ticketed by the TTL.

As I understand it, this saves the agent a bunch of steps to manually delete unsuccessful requests.

For existing PNR's they are not meant to add the auto-cancel.

In my case, the auto-cancel was accidentally added to my ticketed Oneworld Classic Flight Award when I made the seat release request.

For those requesting a seat release for an existing booking I would strongly suggest being alert to this.

For the record a supervisor in HBA is attempting to rebuild the booking.

 

[madrooster]

I made a request which was declined and didn't think anymore of it.

Who actioned the request?

 

[Captain Halliday]

Who actioned the request?

Pretty sure it was HBA, but can’t rule out another location.

 

[BrianQQ]

Just a dumb question. I can only make requests for myself and other guests, and not for just my brother-in-law?

Just got to plat (first-time plat)

 

[madrooster]

Pretty sure it was HBA, but can’t rule out another location.

I would've thought HBA would know better... it is an extra step of its own to add an auto cancel and it is not part of any automated procedure.

 

[Captain Halliday]

I would've thought HBA would know better... it is an extra step of its own to add an auto cancel and it is not part of any automated procedure.

I’ve checked my notes and the last time I encountered the agent in question I bites it as JNB, so perhaps it wasn’t HBA.

Either way, major stuff up.

 

[vhojm]

Just a dumb question. I can only make requests for myself and other guests, and not for just my brother-in-law?

Just got to plat (first-time plat)

No you can make requests for family members just as you can use your points for their flights.

 

[BriarFlyer]

Successfully requested 1 x U LAX-SYD for next March for my sister last week. Most dates were I9, Sundays rejected, weekdays successful.

 

[dairyfloss]

Just a dumb question. I can only make requests for myself and other guests, and not for just my brother-in-law?

Just got to plat (first-time plat)

No you can make requests for family members just as you can use your points for their flights.

Correct - @BrianQQ just get your BIL to transfer you the points, and then you (try to) make the booking

 

[Point Ventures]

PSA for those requesting a seat release into an existing booking.

I had ticketed Oneworld Classic Flight Award for which I wanted to improve routing. This required a seat release on a QF sector.

I made a request which was declined and didn't think anymore of it.

A couple of weeks later my flights disappeared from the QF App.

I checked via desktop and my ticketed flights were still showing.

I assumed - incorrectly - there was a limitation on the number of flights the app could display because I'd just added a number of work flights.

Then last week a bunch of EF alerts about flights in my ticketed booking alerted me something was wrong.

By this time the flights had also disappeared from my account when logged in via desktop.

Turns out the whole PNR had been accidentally cancelled by the agent who made the seat request.

I was fortunate to get through to HBA and the agent explained what happened.

Apparently, when requesting a seat release for new booking, agents typically add an "auto-cancel".

This auto-cancel kicks in if the PNR is not ticketed by the TTL.

As I understand it, this saves the agent a bunch of steps to manually delete unsuccessful requests.

For existing PNR's they are not meant to add the auto-cancel.

In my case, the auto-cancel was accidentally added to my ticketed Oneworld Classic Flight Award when I made the seat release request.

For those requesting a seat release for an existing booking I would strongly suggest being alert to this.

For the record a supervisor in HBA is attempting to rebuild the booking.

I hope your seats are reinstated quickly. I actually ran into a similar issue last month, and only found out by accident when my flights disappeared from the Qantas app.

It turned out QF2 had a schedule change, and because of that, all award flights on the same booking with partner airlines dropped off. Qantas tried to get the other carriers to reinstate the seats, but they refused.

After nearly three weeks of back and forth with a Supervisor in Hobart, Qantas ended up covering the cost themselves, around $7,000 on flexible commercial fares.