Restricted QFF seat availability PER-SIN 2nd half Dec 2012?

[jukebox333]

I was looking at plans for next Christmas that included a flight to SIN around the 17th Dec then onwards to points North a few days before Xmas, returning in the New Year. The QFF online engine shows seats cease to be availbale for PER-SIN after Dec 12, 2012, yet if I do a dummy booking PER-HEL, for instance, I can get a flight via SIN on the 17th Dec (but no stopover).

Is this normal for the holiday period? I'd like to book my trip as far out as possible, but the way it is playing out now, I'll have to nix SIN as a stopover, and just use it as a transit point. I'm only NB, but would using the call centre make any difference?

Ironically, when I did some dummy bookings in Nov 2011 for Xmas 2012, to test out miles needed and connections, I was having no trouble getting a flight 30 days out off the site...

 

[jukebox333]

Just an update on this thread:

Did some more checking, and it seems all inbound to SIN 12th-28th Dec from Australia are showing unavailable. Yet Bangkok and Hong Kong have broad availability across the open dates. Strange!

I'll put a call in to the 131313 number - tried this morning but the delay was too long and had to bail out.

 

[allie]

Hi There
Had similar problems getting from Adelaide to Auckland 12 months out. Having to go via two domestic routes to get to the international. Last year checked and there were dozens of almost direct flights, now there is nothing on offer. Assume Qantas is reducing seats on the FF scheme. Pretty frustrating. Did a few dummy runs myself to work out FF points etc for the whole family.
Another thing is that when you want to book Business - it does the domestic side business and the international flight economy..... yet charges you business points all the way through. Rang Qantas, said its their new computer system and someone is looking at it. Sounds to me like a complete rip off of peoples points, if they don't pick up that the longest leg is economy that they are paying business for.... ggrrr.
Qantas are making it more and more difficult to use FF points. Or send you via crazy routes, charging more points.
I've been using the system for 15 years and its only now (since their new computer system) that using FF points is almost impossible. I would think booking 12 months out, you would have your pick of flights and dates, but it appears not. Qantas need to sort out this new computer system or provide a service that allows you to use points without having to travel all over Australia before getting to your international connection.
Plus the whole - we will charge you business but send you economy. Would be pretty annoyed if you found the Adel to Syd leg was business and the Syd to London leg was economy - and you paid full business points. Whilst they sort this out, they are ripping people off big time... Disgusting.:-|

 

[serfty]

That issue with the Domestic sector in Business and the internatonal one in economy has been arounf for a year or longer - it's not new.

 

[jukebox333]

The immediate soloution will be to book the flight SIN-HEL-ROV-HEL-PVG-HKG-PER as a OneWorld award and stump up for one way PER-SIN flights on the date required. I'll save $1,000 in taxes apparently - Unfortunately it's the same FF miles as if I originated in PER.

The reaosn for this pain: if we flew PER-HKG-HEL... etc the PER-HKG flight leaves at 11:00 - a time that wastes most of the day just getting to HKG; the connection in HKG is six hours, and the AY flight doesnt leave till 1.15am, arriving in ROV early afternoon local time the day after we have left PER. I'll have three small kids in tow, and honestly, it's just not worth the aggravation putting them through that. So I'll stump up the extra and buy my way PER-SIN, ironically on SQ as they are a few hundred $ cheaper than QF.