Why a $75 QANTAS fare is better value than a $55 DJ Fare

[rocketaus]

This is actually an interesting thread, as it throws up various people's experiences.
From my point of view if the difference in a one way fare is around $40 in Virgin's favour, I will continue to travel Qantas. Partly this is due to me being a Qantas Club member, and not a Virgin lounge member. Also this year I am chasing status on Qantas!

For my travelling patterns Qantas are ahead for the following reasons.

Minimum 1000 points per flight.
Access to Qantas Club.
Luggage included.
Prefer 767 to 737.
Prefer Qantas economy seat.

My sentiments exactly

 

[Major]

Also we should remember that allocation of Velocity points is directly related to $ spent domestically. However points earned on V Australia are related to distance travelled, irrespective of the $ paid

 

[mobydk]

No brainer. DJ. QF are experiencing too many "events" over their domestic and international fleets.

 

[DrAndyC]

QF for me. Often at the last minute Qantas appear cheaper as well....purchasing in advance is a different story though. Maybe that is just me and my travels.....I dont know. Flying mostly cityflyer services I also value the meal and wines etc. I also value QFF points more highly particularly for business upgrades or JASAs....I also prefer free headsets, nibbles, papers etc and the 767s (which yes are older but less claustro). More flexibility with the schedule is also a bonus. As I did not take part in the status match promotion I also would have to pay for baggage in the interim on some flights. This would be irritating. I feel though the the AV equipment on DJ is great (even if I do have to swipe my c/card), but find watching live TV worthwhile, even for 4-10 bucks.

The alliance part matters the most for redemptions of frequent flyer points. If DJ were to join *A however, and offer minimum points per flight and not per dollar I would consider moving. *A burning rates for points I feel are generally superior to OW and I particularly love singapore and even dont mind UA J.

 

[Robmn]

No brainer. DJ. QF are experiencing too many "events" over their domestic and international fleets.

Don't you think that percentage fleet wise, the ratio maybe similar.

Qantas have over 250 aircraft and further 150 plus on order. DJ have 80 plus. QA are suffering with replacement aircraft orders (767) and Rollers haven't been kind either. When the wheels fell off DJ the most publicity was when the ATSB report was released - this could have been a more serious event. DJ would seem to have better PR.

 

[markis10]

Don't you think that percentage fleet wise, the ratio maybe similar.

Qantas have over 250 aircraft and further 150 plus on order. DJ have 80 plus. QA are suffering with replacement aircraft orders (767) and Rollers haven't been kind either. When the wheels fell off DJ the most publicity was when the ATSB report was released - this could have been a more serious event. DJ would seem to have better PR.

DJ dont have planes that are over 10 years old, QF had a similar run with their 743s including an emergency descent into ADL, there have been quite a few studies that confirm reliability drops significantly after 15 years of age . I suspect at the other end of the scale, new types have similar reliability issues for totally different reasons.

 

[rocketaus]

One other benefit to the Qantas lounge (not sure if available in Virgin) is that I can have a shower. This is particularly good if I've had to do strenuous work in the afternoon before catching a flight.

 

[Robmn]

DJ dont have planes that are over 10 years old, QF had a similar run with their 743s including an emergency descent into ADL, there have been quite a few studies that confirm reliability drops significantly after 15 years of age . I suspect at the other end of the scale, new types have similar reliability issues for totally different reasons.

I would agree but as mentioned QA have a back order problem and the older types should have been off the books by now. A380 and B787 come to mind. They don't keep aircraft for the sake of it.

r

 

[EmilyHoward]

We don't really have any $75 Qantas fares here in Perth!

 

[Smackbum]

A more correct title for this thread would be :-

"Why a $75 QANTAS fare can be better value than a $55 DJ Fare"

For me I would pay the extra $20 because I only just do enough flying to gain gold status with one carrier and (for now) the chosen one is QF. For work trips I can also get around the BFOD policy by claiming hypothetical savings on food and luggage costs.

If the position was reversed (i.e. - I was Velocity Gold) I would happily pay $20 more for the Virgin flight for similar reasons, with the BFOD spin highlighting things like WiFi access in The Lounge.

But if the difference in fares gets much higher (say $30+) I would pick the cheaper fare when travelling for business as the additional cost to my company is unjustifiable unless there are some exceptional circumstances (e.g. - travelling with colleagues). For personal travel I might be willing to push the boat out a bit further.


So I think all this thread does is give people the opportunity to expose their bias, and this is hardly anything new.

 

[Robmn]

In my position -

Travel to the airport and arrival at my final destination usually takes 5 hours min.

I always have checked baggage.

So I book my flights at meal times if possible, just for the snack, take adequate luggage and no need to pay the extras. Don't usually have the time to eat at the lounges or airports. Domestically. Have used Darwin lounge tho.

I will use the lounges on OS trips being more comfortable place to wait.

The value is in the fare, takes the hassle out of my travel.

r

 

[pauly7]

DJ dont have planes that are over 10 years old, QF had a similar run with their 743s including an emergency decent into ADL

Love a 'decent' emergency

 

[pauly7]

I suspect at the other end of the scale, new types have similar reliability issues for totally different reasons.

Exactly, case in point is DJ's experiences with the E-jets. A new type to the airline and they suffered significant reliability and efficiency issues. Hence one type is now being phased out of the fleet.

 

[oz_mark]

I suspect at the other end of the scale, new types have similar reliability issues for totally different reasons.

Ahh, the old Bathtub Curve

 

[oz_mark]

I would agree but as mentioned QA have a back order problem and the older types should have been off the books by now. A380 and B787 come to mind. They don't keep aircraft for the sake of it.

When your fleet renewal program is based on two new clean sheet designs for aircraft, you're taking a pretty big gamble on the manufacturers delivering on schedule.

The problem the makers have, is when they go down the path of trying incremental changes (quite significant ones, but ones based on modifying existing aircraft), the airlines show little interest. Witness the original A350 designs (probably would already be flying), witness the 747-8, and even the re-engined A320 is getting criticism from the financiers.

 

[gpr49697]

the big advantage to put my eggs in the one basket is the international side i.e. qantas and the tie in with oneworld is fantastic.

 

[stuartfaz]

I guess people's definition of value is always going to be relative.

I'm one of the (seemingly) few people on AFF who have never held status with QF, to the extent where I've only flown them twice, I think, ever. Since AN the vast majority of my flying has been with DJ or DJ partners.

As a result, a $55 fare with DJ, even including baggage, is going to be better value for me than a $75 QF fare.

We've all picked a team here anyway

 

[Gremlin]

...and offer minimum points per flight and not per dollar I would consider moving.

For me, this is one of the primary attractions of the DJ program domestically. I frequently travel on flexible fares and as a result am a more profitable customer to both QF and DJ than Joe GoFare or Eddie RedEDeal. DJ rewards me for booking flexible fares, whereas for most short hops QF doesn't.

DJ have this right in my opinion in that it rewards a behaviour that they're trying to encourage (selling more premium fares). QF on the other hand give equal reward to those chasing a cheap price.

 

[antycbr]

DJ have this right in my opinion in that it rewards a behaviour that they're trying to encourage (selling more premium fares). QF on the other hand give equal reward to those chasing a cheap price.

It also has the side effect of making multi-city connecting status runs meaningless domestically. If you need to hit a status tier, just book a more flexible flight.

 

[pauly7]

For me, this is one of the primary attractions of the DJ program domestically. I frequently travel on flexible fares and as a result am a more profitable customer to both QF and DJ than Joe GoFare or Eddie RedEDeal. DJ rewards me for booking flexible fares, whereas for most short hops QF doesn't.

DJ have this right in my opinion in that it rewards a behaviour that they're trying to encourage (selling more premium fares). QF on the other hand give equal reward to those chasing a cheap price.

Of course you are completely excluding the fact that flexible fares on QF give you double status credits... So no they don't give equal reward.