Seats oversold on a Qantas flight?

[significance]

I have a flight this afternoon and received a text from Qantas just after midnight:

We may have more passengers on your upcoming flight QF755 on 18 July, 2025 at 13:10 than seats available. This can happen for a number of reasons including a reduction in available seats and operational changes. To confirm a seat on an alternative flight click this link: https://flightchange.qantas.com/ [rest of link details redacted]

We're sorry for the inconvenience.

If there are insufficient seats on your original flight and not enough passengers change their flight, there's a chance you may be required to move to the next available flight on arrival at the airport. T&Cs apply.

I clicked the link out of curiosity (and in case it got me a seat on a less crowded flight at a convenient time), but the page said that the issue had been resolved and the option was no longer available.
Anyone seen this before with Qantas?

 

[markis10]

Just yesterday we saw similar reports, usually downgrading J points redemptions

Thread 'WHAT to DO? down grade from Business to Economy on QF Domestic?'

Yesterday at 11:49 AM

URGENT HELP!

My in laws are currently within the QF Business class lounge and have been advised that they have been downgraded from Business Class to Economy as the flight has been oversold and they have been moved to a later flight and upon checking there 2 seats available in J on this flight?

Is there anything you can do?

*booking made with Qantas Classic Rewards

• iamsuperandrew
• Replies: 13
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

• 

 

[Mwenenzi]

From a post in the thread linked above.

As you have posted elsewhere the aircraft has been subbed to an A220

QF755 is TSV BNE, Usually (always?) a B738.

QF755 (QFA755) Qantas Flight Tracking and History - FlightAware

Track Qantas (QF) #755 flight from Townsville Int'l / RAAF to Brisbane

www.flightaware.com

Any other disruptions ~ delays on that route?

 

[NM]

"Oversold" is a term often used by airlines and other people. From an airline's perspective it means that they have more people wanting to travel on a flight than there are seats available on the flight. There are many reasons this can happen, and in Australia it is most likely not to what we often first think about when we hear the term "oversold". It does not automatically mean that the sold more tickets to passengers for the flight than seats were available to be sold at the time of sale.

Some reasons for having more people wanting to travel on a flight than available seats:

1. The airlines needs to move staff between ports. This may include flight crew (pilots) or cabin crew or engineers. The airline staff are often covered by enterprise agreements that the airline is required to honour, including which cabin these staff are entitled to be accommodated. These requirements are often last minute and if the flight was already full then someone needs to be moved to a different flight or downgraded to a different cabin to meet the requirements of these passengers. The need for the airline staff to travel is important as delays to their travel may have subsequent impacts on other flights.
2. Another flight has been cancelled or significantly delayed and disrupted passengers need to be get to their next destination, often to make further connections, so they airline needs to move disrupted passengers to the impacted flight. While I never like giving up my planned seat on my planned flight for some on a disrupted journey, I expect I would see it different if I was the one impacted and needed to get the destination, especially to make my next connection.
3. The airline has changed the aircraft type to one with less seats. E.g. B737 becomes an A220, or A330-300 becomes A330-200 etc.
4. The operating aircraft has technical issue with some seats and those seats are deemed unable to be used on the flight.

In Australia, it is not common practice for airlines to oversell the planned capacity of a flight based on the number of seats expected to be available on the aircraft planned to be operating the flight. However, in some countries it is common practice to do this and rely on no-show or last minute cancellations/changes to minimise the number of people unable to travel on their booked flight.

Sometimes it may be appropriate to blame the airline for poor planning resulting in these conditions. But often is due to circumstances outside the airlines control.

It would be inappropriate for me to expect that an airline would routinely "undersell" a flight just in case they needed expect seats for staff, disrupted passengers etc., and see the flight routinely departing with empty seats or unwilling/unable to sell me a seat on a flight that is almost, but not quite full, just in case they have a last minute need for those "reserved" seats.