Seating priority - QP specifically

[Undercover Brother]

Gday guys,

I'm new around here and have been trawling through the many, many pages on the site, information overload really, but all good stuff!

I am QP NB, probably PS by years end.

My question in is relating to seating priority with a QP membership (I always use mobile check-in, pretty much as soon as check in opens). Before I had this membership, I used to be in the middle/back of plane, whilst always getting my preference of a window seat. It seems most of the time, I am now getting row 4 or 5 with a spare seat in the middle, sitting next to people that seem to travel all of the time.

My question is, is this a function of my QP membership kicking in, the fact that my travel with QF has increased, or maybe that I have had a J ticket here and there? I can't seem to understand the logic behind it all.

Cheers!
Undercover Brother

 

[thewinchester]

Welcome aboard Undercover Brother, and there's a five letter answer to your question - Altea.

Altea is a big piece of software produced by Amadeus, and sits at the heart of Qantas' airline operations. It manages flights, seating allocation and assignment - and most importantly exists to help the company maximise their revenue - based on a set of business rules and information 'inputs' (data) selected by the carrier.

In terms of seating allocation, such information inputs include variables like the value of the passenger to the airline, class/cabin flown and frequency of travel. These information points along with other bits of information in the system (such as status of other passengers aboard, aircraft loading, special needs pax, weight assumptions - both pax and luggage) are used to determine where you're seated, how you're treated, and how likely you are to be upgraded. This was discussed in the science of op-up thread started back in late 09' (information discussed there is still valid today).

As someone who's been in virtually the same customer scenairo as you, I know firsthand that the more often you fly the better seating allocation you'll receive as a QFF member, and potentially as a paying QP member as well.

I noticed that within a period of three months of doing a serious block of flying (seven segments within three months), my first seating allocation went from the backend of Y towards the almost front of the end of Y.

On a spate of recent flights, where I was still QPNB and unable to check-in due to OLCI having a fit which Res couldn't explain, my seating allocation was in the first five rows, with a spare seat next door if loads allowed.

Altea also plays a major part in determining who gets upgraded when there's a need to do so as part of the boarding process. Again, all the business rules and information comes into play, and these determine who gets bumped forward a cabin.

Now that I'm QPPS with room to spare (130SC over &above qualification) for the first time, I'm yet to make a few flights to see how the seating allocation plays. I won't have a chance to try this out before OzFest in DRW at the end of May.

PS: A wink, smile, a nice attitude and a member of staff with 'access' are usually all that's needed to overcome how Altea allocates seats and upgrades. My positive attitude and assistance to a QF Delays team member scored me Y to Y+ to J upgrade on a SYD-NRT service.

 

[sambo517]

I'm been a QC Life Member since 1998..
In the last few years, I've been allocated up front economy rows my-self...
On 737-800s usually rows 4-7 A-F, on 767's rows 23-25 A,B or J,K, on 717s rows 1-3 A,C & on A330's rows 23-26 A,B or J,K.........
Maybe its my life membership as I've only done 3 return domestic trips out of PER during all of 2010,& still get up front......

Hope this helps

 

[Sprucegoose]

I'm been a QC Life Member since 1998..
In the last few years, I've been allocated up front economy rows my-self...
On 737-800s usually rows 4-7 A-F, on 767's rows 23 A,B or J,K, on 717s rows 1-3 A,C & on A330's rows 23-26 A,B or J,K.........
Maybe its my life membership as I've only done 3 return domestic trips out of PER during all of 2010,& still get up front......

Hope this helps

Could also be high value tickets and lack of high value pax.

It's a relative thing

 

[Rebekkap]

Sometimes the whole thing seems random to me. I'm doing pretty much the same flights weekly. Sometimes I get front row of economy, sometimes three or four rows back is the best I can get.

I am on there doing seat selection at exactly T-80 and online checkin at -24.

 

[thewinchester]

Sometimes the whole thing seems random to me. I'm doing pretty much the same flights weekly. Sometimes I get front row of economy, sometimes three or four rows back is the best I can get.

I am on there doing seat selection at exactly T-80 and online checkin at -24.

As Sprucegoose said before you, and I said regarding status of other passengers on the flight:

Could also be high value tickets and lack of high value pax.

It's a relative thing

 

[JohnK]

I am QP NB, probably PS by years end.

My question in is relating to seating priority with a QP membership (I always use mobile check-in, pretty much as soon as check in opens). Before I had this membership, I used to be in the middle/back of plane, whilst always getting my preference of a window seat. It seems most of the time, I am now getting row 4 or 5 with a spare seat in the middle, sitting next to people that seem to travel all of the time.

My question is, is this a function of my QP membership kicking in, the fact that my travel with QF has increased, or maybe that I have had a J ticket here and there? I can't seem to understand the logic behind it all.

It is all relative.

Fly regularly on full flights with 10-20 Platinums and 20-40 Golds on board and tell me if you can still get row 4 or 5 with a vacant middle seat or whether your best option is a middle seat for yourself?

I do ~60 domestic flights a year on QF mainly on very busy flights and I can almost always get first row economy aisle but I believe that has more to do with me caring where I sit rather than my perceived value to QF.

 

[Undercover Brother]

JohnK, I would have the slightest who is flying when I am?

Just had another BNE-MEL return trip and got 4A and 5A again. Might be different seeing travel to BNE is down a bit at the moment.

I find it interesting that QP member seems to have priority, even though I probably won't even make PS this year from my flights, therefore not being very valuable to QF at all.

 

[medhead]

JohnK, I would have the slightest who is flying when I am?

Just had another BNE-MEL return trip and got 4A and 5A again. Might be different seeing travel to BNE is down a bit at the moment.

I find it interesting that QP member seems to have priority, even though I probably won't even make PS this year from my flights, therefore not being very valuable to QF at all.

The key questions as many have mentioned is what time of day and what fare class? I'll bet it wasn't around 6 to 7 on Monday morning or friday afternoon.

 

[JohnK]

JohnK, I would have the slightest who is flying when I am?

Just had another BNE-MEL return trip and got 4A and 5A again. Might be different seeing travel to BNE is down a bit at the moment.

Yes I know it is not easy to tell but you will know it when the best you can do is a middle seat down the back somewhere.

Travel time will determine who is on the flight. Most weekday mornings and afternoon/evenings are busy flights on the golden triangle and then Friday nights are very hectic. On some of these busy flights one can easily end up with a sequence number of >20 in the first half hour of OLCI opening up.

Travel on a Saturday and there may not be any top tier travellers on the flight.

And January is typically a very slow month for business travellers. Try again in February when the planes start to fill up with business travellers.