SYD-HKG A380 First Class cabin

[nerdag]

Dear AFF Brains Trust,

Does anybody know how seats in the F cabin are allocated on QF127/128 to/from HKG on the A380 now that no F seats are sold?

I'm booked on QF128 on an A380 for July 2017, currently Gold, but just about to be Platinum. It's a QF coded ticket, but marketed by AY. I can't select the F cabin at the moment, but can select rows 12-14 which are usually reserved for Platinums.

I've heard conflicting reports of how J passengers get bumped up; one some reports are that WP/P1 members get to pick, other reports suggest that the F cabin is locked out until close to departure, and they are then FF's are upgraded to make way for vacant J seats that can be sold as upgrades.

Does anybody know if I'll be able to select seats in the F cabin once I get to Platinum, or will I have to wait for the upgrade lottery closer to departure?

Thanks all,

n

 

[TonyHancock]

First up does the flight number on your itinerary begin AY or QF.

Second up forget the whole F issue. Rows 1-5 are Business class so the rules that usually apply to seat selection on an A380 to, for example the UK or USA go out of the window. If you give the date I can show you the current seat map.

The many millions of QF platinum members should be able to select a seat in Rows 1-5 on a three class A380 flight. (It is what's shown as available on Expertflyer.)

What might confuse things is the code share issue, but I can't confirm that.

When you reach WP status make sure you remove your FF number from the booking and add it back.

All up relax and enjoy. Don't forget to wear flip flops and a singlet and request Bingtang Lager when you access the [-]RSL Club[/-] First Class Lounge at SYD. That way you will blend in the with the rest of the Platinum brigade.

 

[nerdag]

First up does the flight number on your itinerary begin AY or QF.

Definitely QF. Booked a trip to Europe with QF numbers on both SYD-SIN and HKG-SYD flights. The rest of the flights are AY in J.

Thanks for the advice.

Hopefully an AY ticket won't stop me reserving row 1-5. I'll log in and see if I can change the seats to rows 1-5 once I roll over to WP (a few weeks).

I'll keep the thread updated.

 

[TonyHancock]

Hopefully an AY ticket won't stop me reserving row 1-5.

I am a bit confused, but then again it is how I spend most of my life. In your first post you stated "marketed by AY". Is it possible you have a Qantas flight with an AY flight number. (i.e Qantas metal but AY flight number? I fly with QF quite often to SIN or HKG but usually the flight I have purchased has a BA flight number. The boarding pass will show, for example, QF35 sold as BA74**.)

 

[nerdag]

Definitely QF flight number and QF metal for SYD-SIN and HKG-SYD, but purchased via an agent who books with AY. Hence the "AY ticket."

AY usually sell tickets via Asia and allow one of the two SYD-Asia sectors to be QF coded and operated flights, but somehow the agent managed to swing one each way.

 

[RooFlyer]

I've travelled on those; good value. AY want to fly you to Europe, but need to get you to SIN, HKG or BKK to get on their metal. So they'll buy you a (cheap!) QF flight to Asia. As nerdag says, its a full QF flight (with points and SCs as if you bought it from Qantas), but part of an AY ticket.

 

[awkwardpaws]

I've travelled on those; good value. AY want to fly you to Europe, but need to get you to SIN, HKG or BKK to get on their metal. So they'll buy you a (cheap!) QF flight to Asia. As nerdag says, its a full QF flight (with points and SCs as if you bought it from Qantas), but part of an AY ticket.

a little OT, but is a travel agent the only way to check the prices of this (and ultimately buy) 'AY ticket'?

 

[kevinkhchan]

I've travelled on those; good value...

I second that. We flew QF to SIN on our way to HEL but returned via HKG and sampled the CX J back to SYD.

 

[Kangol]

Definitely QF flight number and QF metal for SYD-SIN and HKG-SYD, but purchased via an agent who books with AY. Hence the "AY ticket."

AY usually sell tickets via Asia and allow one of the two SYD-Asia sectors to be QF coded and operated flights, but somehow the agent managed to swing one each way.

What are the first three numbers on the ticket?
"081-"? or "105-"? or other?

 

[RooFlyer]

a little OT, but is a travel agent the only way to check the prices of this (and ultimately buy) 'AY ticket'?

Don't know, sorry; I've only ever done it via a TA.

 

[nerdag]

AY website has them. I went through an agent because my work requires that any tickets booked outside of the contracted travel provider must be formally quoted and approved. It's a lot easier to do this with a travel agent than dealing with an airline - airlines only hold seats for a few days, the agent can do a little over a week, so this gives time for approval to be signed off.

 

[nerdag]

What are the first three numbers on the ticket?

E-Ticket starts with 105........

QF flights are QF5 and QF128.

 

[bsb]

All up relax and enjoy. Don't forget to wear flip flops and a singlet and request Bingtang Lager when you access the [-]RSL Club[/-] First Class Lounge at SYD. That way you will blend in the with the rest of the Platinum brigade.

lol, lets workshop your issssues

 

[Quickstatus]

Nerdag,

What date is your flight?
The A380 QF127/128 is a seasonal service between 10 December 2016 to 20 January 2017 on Mondays, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Then becomes daily between 21 January until 16 February. After that its back to the 747.

Bear in mind this is also the season where QF mercilessly flogs its fleet and every airframe is afforded no rest. So the effect of any delay is going to be magnified.
The QF127/128 service is a quick turnaround in Brittania's former colony with a ground time of only 2 hours. So your QF128 flight will depend absolutely on the on-time arrival of the incoming QF127 which in turn will depend absolutely on the on time arrival from some other long haul origin. Unless QF quarantines one A380 for this service between Thursday and Monday.

The reason for this extra A380 availability is because outside of this time there is almost always one A380 in maintenance in MNL. Come December-Feb all A380 will be in service.

 

[nerdag]

What date is your flight?

July 2017, but e-ticket definitely shows this:
"Flying on Airbus Industrie A380-800"

They must be redeploying the 747 somewhere else.

 

[Quickstatus]

Correct, seasonal service to YVR (20 June-18 July)

If you can give a day I can look up the platinum seat map for you. Pm if you like.

Here it is;

As you can see currently no one in the Rows 1-5 (as far a expertflyer can be accurate)
Are you sitting in 12E?
I suspect the 2 in 11AB are platinums who have no idea they can move into 1-5

When do you become a WP?

 

[nerdag]

Thanks a million for the seatmap.

I'll make sure to log in and select the right seat in a few weeks. With any luck there won't be 15 WPs booking in J on the same plane before then =)

 

[Quickstatus]

As you can see its early days in the loadings for this flight. So you should be OK.
Would also suggest that you dont select any further back from Row 3 because if your flight ever gets subbed by a B747 you will not get the front cabin:

Also

There is no row 4, 5A or 5K in the refurbished B747.

There is no row 5 in the non refurbished B747. On this airframe is the old first class lie flat seats Rows 1-4 but selling as J. Which are as sought after as the A380 Row 1-5

If you select any of these seats on the A380 and you get subbed by one of the above B747 your seat selection will puff into thin air and you may be put wherever there is a vacant seat. Though the chance of getting subbed is low as all B747s are also being flogged mercilessly

 

[nerdag]

Great advice. Thank you.

I have been in the front of an older 3 class 747 - it was a real treat to be in the nose of the plane.

 

[Quickstatus]

Great advice. Thank you.

I have been in the front of an older 3 class 747 - it was a real treat to be in the nose of the plane.

Yes quite nice there.

Bear in mind the old 3 classes (seatguru V1) have been retired. Just the newer 3 class refurbished (Seatguru V2) and 2 airframes with the old 4 class. (Officlally 3 class but still has the F seats - so 4 class if you look at seatguru)