Why do we have to pay extra to Qantas to secure the ordinary seats we want?

[SeatBackForward]

I'm missing out... Comic Sans doesn't render on my iPad

Sans you right, for having an iPad

Sent from my HTC Desire using AustFreqFly

 

[Sprucegoose]

Hell it's only $20!!!!

What did you pay for the airfares?

What's that percentage????

 

[Sprucegoose]

What about the cost of fuel - it will not last forever especially at the cheap price of today..... peak oil has already come and gone.

That's a sweeping statement. There are particular views on peak oil and many wouldn't agree with your statement here.

 

[AVC]

But it is a finite resource.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Didn't Alan Joyce run Ryanair at one time?

No, you're thinking of Aer Lingus - he worked there but wasn't the CEO. He's also worked at Ansett - and Jetstar, of course .....

 

[FierceDinosaur]

Not a sweeping statement, peak oil has passed, and is a fact.
And it wasn't "only $20", it was $20 per seat per sector, some of us have to work a few days to save $20 after expenses..... and travel is a treat looked forward to for many months, carefully budgeted.

 

[FierceDinosaur]

Aer Lingus, what a terrible name, but a good airline I think - I remember flying from somewhere in the west of Ireland to Birmingham in UK once with them. We had arrived in Ireland overnight from Halifax Nova Scotia, and a little Indian boy had kicked the back of my seat all night long, and his mother accused me of racism, so its all a bit hazy, except that the queues seemed to snake all round the airport. I remember seeing Anglesea from the air and recognising its shape from maps. It was great....

 

[FierceDinosaur]

Wot is "render" and wot is "iPad"????

 

[oliverd]

Wot is "render" and wot is "iPad"????

Basically, I have not had the fortune of seeing your posts in Comic Sans.
I hope this hasn't detracted too much from my thread-reading experience.
(I think if we added up the collective time spent reading all these comments, we could have just chipped in a few dollars each to cover your $20 seat selection charge, and we'd all come out ahead... )

 

[Must...Fly!]

Not a sweeping statement, peak oil has passed, and is a fact.
And it wasn't "only $20", it was $20 per seat per sector, some of us have to work a few days to save $20 after expenses..... and travel is a treat looked forward to for many months, carefully budgeted.

Considering peak oil isn't even a fact, I fail to understand how it passing can be a fact.

I'm not quite sure how many times it has to be spelled out for you that the $20 is OPTIONAL and is a fee you pay for the CONVENIENCE of choosing your own seat(s). There is and was no obligation for you to pay the $20 per passenger per flight sector seat selection charge.

You chose to pay it - if it was out of your budget and broke the bank, then you should not have paid for it. If it did not break your budget, consider that for $20 you had your chosen seat next to a window and your travel partner (whom 99.999% of the time you would be sitting next to anyway) for a good 10 hour flight to Honolulu. $2 per person per hour.

 

[nlagalle]

Not a sweeping statement, peak oil has passed, and is a fact.
And it wasn't "only $20", it was $20 per seat per sector, some of us have to work a few days to save $20 after expenses..... and travel is a treat looked forward to for many months, carefully budgeted.

I'll disagree here as peak oil seems to be turning more into myth day by day. In fact I read somewhere that some US oil wells have in fact filled up again.

 

[parsonstrish]

Welcome fiercedinosaur, this board has been an supportive and learning environment for me. It appears you have had a lot more o/seas travel than I did when I initially was lucky enough to find this site. I too, like you, am self-funded with my travel and I'm sure on this site you will find lots of helpful tips to save you more $ as well as making your trips even more comfortable.

As an aside, I booked a qf o/s trip for my son this wkend. He hasn't flown for awhile and has slipped to bronze due to lack of flights. He too was surprised at now paying for seat but understood things change.

As a health warning, this site can be very addictive. Enjoy.

 

[spudwa]

Welcome to AFF

The 767 provided to Honolulu and the lack of features it offers are often a source of gripe among members.

But having a gripe about the in-flight service and amenities is different to the seat selection fee, which is pretty standard across the industry, completely optional and free (of course) if you do online check-in 24 hours from departure. You only have yourself to blame for paying the $20 on that one.

I think thats a bit harsh. You don't have to pay it of course, but if you want to sit next to your partner and not leave it up to the checkin lottery, it is necessary.

 

[vegetables]

First time poster long time reader agree that it sux paying for a standard seat wish they would offer the coughpy seats free

 

[rechoboam]

I'll disagree here as peak oil seems to be turning more into myth day by day. In fact I read somewhere that some US oil wells have in fact filled up again.

PLEASE stop going off topic about peak oil...spare us...while the source of endless fascination its connection to window seats is limited.

 

[samh004]

Probably useful to compare the charge to what competitors are doing...

Emirates, no charge
Cathay, no charge (*although cannot choose seats on cheapest sale tickets)
Singapore, no charge

Qantas are revenue raising here because they think they can get away with it essentially (and with the AU market normally can, just look at how much more they charge than competitors and still achieve full planes!)

With all due respect, a sample size of three is not very large at all.

It is funny as one of the examples you have given has restrictions on the seat selection.

I think comparing to another Australian airline would be better, and from what I can see, VA has exactly the same fees/restrictions!

 

[moa999]

First time poster long time reader agree that it sux paying for a standard seat wish they would offer the coughpy seats free

You can have the coughpy seat for free.

Just if other people pay the fee and you check in late,
you can almost guarantee yourself the really coughpy middle seat.

 

[FierceDinosaur]

Yes, but we didn't know it wasn't compulsory, and my husband paid it not me. I would have checked it first.

 

[drewbles]

Just wanted to be seen, to see if there was anyone out there in cyberland - and Yes, there sure was!

Geocities called. They're suing you for infringement of their 'bad font and colour' laws

 

[moa999]

Geocities - love it. I had quite a few properties back in the day....
And yes they were ugly graphical days!