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?'

Thursday 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.

 

[RSD]

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.

U.S. airlines especially

 

[Andy72]

Can sometimes be used to your advantage to a time that suits you better

 

[moa999]

U.S. airlines especially

Should also be noted the US airlines as a function of a much more spread out population use true hub and spoke systems.

So there are generally a certain percentage of people on most flights missing connections for various reasons.

The same doesn't really apply in Australia given the population dominance of our major cities

 

[JohnK]

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.

Here's an appropriate thought.

In situations where crew need to travel last minute how about the airline wears the inconvenience and not the displaced passenger?

Full fare refund + 1 class upgrade on the next flight. If the upgrade is not available on that flight then upgrade available to be used whenever displaced passenger travels again.

 

[NM]

Here's an appropriate thought.

In situations where crew need to travel last minute how about the airline wears the inconvenience and not the displaced passenger?

Full fare refund + 1 class upgrade on the next flight. If the upgrade is not available on that flight then upgrade available to be used whenever displaced passenger travels again.

sounds reasonable to me.

 

[Human]

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.

But isn’t this exactly what hotels do when they promise guaranteed rooms available to elites 1 or 3 days out, even if the hotel says that it’s “sold out” when non-elites try to book?

Hotels deliberately keep rooms free for top-status members because they must figure that doing so makes commercial sense.

I’m genuinely interested to know why it makes sense for hotels to do this but not airlines.

 

[muppet]

But isn’t this exactly what hotels do when they promise guaranteed rooms available to elites 1 or 3 days out, even if the hotel says that it’s “sold out” when non-elites try to book?

Hotels deliberately keep rooms free for top-status members because they must figure that doing so makes commercial sense.

I’m genuinely interested to know why it makes sense for hotels to do this but not airlines.

Are we sure they keep rooms free? I imagine they just hope for no shows and worst-case they walk someone who booked on booking.com??

 

[Human]

Are we sure they keep rooms free? I imagine they just hope for no shows and worst-case they walk someone who booked on booking.com??

Good point. No, I don’t have any inside knowledge about how hotel room guarantees work in practice. But I’d be very interested to find out!

 

[Brissy1]

Here's an appropriate thought.

In situations where crew need to travel last minute how about the airline wears the inconvenience and not the displaced passenger?

Full fare refund + 1 class upgrade on the next flight. If the upgrade is not available on that flight then upgrade available to be used whenever displaced passenger travels again.

Unfair is that they won't even put you on another airline with a close departure time, yet fly their own staff on other airlines when it suits them.
Recently on VA bne-syd I sat next to a qf cabin staff, and he pointed out a qf pilot a few rows back.

 

[AIRwin]

Recently on VA bne-syd I sat next to a qf cabin staff, and he pointed out a qf pilot a few rows back.

No JQ alternatives then?

 

[TheInsider]

Unfair is that they won't even put you on another airline with a close departure time, yet fly their own staff on other airlines when it suits them.
Recently on VA bne-syd I sat next to a qf cabin staff, and he pointed out a qf pilot a few rows back.

QF pilot flying in economy? 100% not any mainline crew.
Highly likely Alliance crew though, they don't use staff travel or duty travel. They booked confirmed seats on any airline.