Qantas Frequent Flyer 'enhancements'

[KeithMEL]

A summary of the email I received:

- Changes to complimentary Partner Gold status
WEF 03 May 2011: Increased requirements for complimentary Gold from 2100 to 2400 Status Credits. Complimentary Gold membership now extended to partner, family member or friend, and as an alternative to complimentary Gold - one can choose either 3 free Qantas Valet Parking or Qantas Chauffeured Transfer invitations, OR a bonus of 50 000 QFF points.

Mixed feelings on this one. This will probably be of benefit to those who complain that they don't have a Partner to transfer the free Gold membership to, however the sweeteners offered for the heightened SC requirement are rather lame.

- Preferential access to Classic Award seats
Per elite status. This is simply documenting a previously unpublished benefit.

- Fee changes
See here: http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/...m/terms#jump24

- Abolition of Platinum Anytime Lounge Access
WEF 01 Feb 2011. MAJOR DISLIKE! I haven't had a chance to take advantage of this as 1) I don't live close enough to the airport to use the Qantas Pub as my local; 2) I fly mainly Qantas or oneworld whenever I can, or a Qantas codeshare. However, anything that diminishes benefits dilutes the value of status IMO.

- Changes to domestic checked baggage allowance

For bookings made from 1 December 2010, for travel from 1 June 2011, Qantas is introducing a piece and weight allowance to domestic checked baggage6. This means all Qantas customers will have a piece limit, as well as a weight limit, applied to their complimentary checked baggage allowances. When these changes take effect, Platinum Frequent Flyers will benefit from a generous allowance of two pieces, each up to 32kg, regardless of class of travel. You'll also enjoy extra allowances on selected Qantas international flights. Current privileges apply for travel until 31 May 2011.

[KeithMEL]

More changes:
- WEF Feb 2011: Loss of domestic priority check in for Silver and Qantas club members. Though I wonder how this sits with OW rules which state that OW Rubies are entitled to priority check in.

- Easier to obtain Silver: reduction of SC requirement to 300 SCs to obtain Silver, and 250 SCs to requalify for Silver. This is down from the current 350/300 SCs to obtain/requalify. Good move to counter DJ in the business market by inducing people to fly QF - even though the benefits of Silver are now next-to-useless.

Nice summary of changes here:
http://www.qantas.com.au/fflyer/dyn/...ls/latest-news

[Kyo]

Good move to counter DJ? I think they're alienating much of their low-level status pax and sending them to DJ/JQ and dare I say it, Tiger...

[KeithMEL]

Good move to counter DJ? I think they're alienating much of their low-level status pax and sending them to DJ/JQ and dare I say it, Tiger...

Despite DJ's recent efforts, they're not AN yet. The business market demands a certain level of flexibility. JQ operates mainly leisure routes and don't have very good schedules on the MEL-SYD-BNE triangle, and besides they're QF in drag anyway. Let's not even mention TT... (edit: http://thingsboganslike.wordpress.co...ount-airlines/ )

The lowering of requirements to obtain Silver will expand the Silver membership pool and encourage people to stick with QF and work their way up to Gold.

[Kyo]

Let's just say my QC-holding / very frequent-domestic-Oz-FFer of a younger brother absolutely disagrees and he's looking at it from the other end of the QF status chain. Methinks you're looking at this more from a PLT perspective, and how could this possibly be motivating anyone to move up the ranks by losing PLT Anytime access... I'd be sticking more to the Virgin camp if I was in Oz now...

Anyway, just some interesting discussion for a Thursday before the weekend breaks... interesting opinions all round nonetheless. Virgin's starting to really take the game to the incumbents and I like where it's going...

...don't forget, as you said, it's only a matter of time when all those who can only make QF Silver at best realise that "the benefits of Silver are now next-to-useless."

Those are the ones who're most likely to also defect and drop away from Silver. There are many who just simply don't fly enough to be able to hit Gold. I see the problem as them being unable to work their way up to hit Gold in the first place, so why bother with QF when you can bundle your credit card/super/etc with what Virgin's offering and actually get a real tangible benefit out of it.

[KeithMEL]

Let's just say my QC-holding / very frequent-domestic-Oz-FFer of a younger brother absolutely disagrees and he's looking at it from the other end of the QF status chain.

Qantas Club membership is a different kettle of fish. With the ridiculous amount of corporate discounts out there, correspondingly reduction in benefits and overcrowded domestic Qantas Clubs (hence the new J lounges as distinct lounges), I'm surprised people are still willing to pay for membership. It was probably worthwhile back in the day you had to have membership in order to access lounges domestically, regardless of COS or status. But now pax in J, Golds and Platinums have complimentary lounge access.

The reduction in Silver qualification requirements is targetted at mid level corporate flyers who'd otherwise choose BFOD, who may or may not have enough SCs for Gold at a stretch. It is unlikely that these flyers have membership of either Qantas Club or The Lounge, though you could get day passes to The Lounge. Note that Golds actually benefitted from this latest set of changes as they get preferential access to awards, a previously undocumented benefit for Platinums. It's Platinums and Silvers who've seen their benefits culled or diluted.

I was actually rather impressed with DJ the few times I've used them. And I get access to The Lounge via my free Priority Pass from AMEX anyway. But occassionally you get a try hard comedian on the PA that makes the flight very tedious to say the least - this is a less common phenomenon now than when they first started as they're working on changing their style of service to suit a more corporate clientele, but you do get a 1/10 chance.

Anyway, good to see that the DJ rep on AFF has started a survey on what gets people's goats about the QFF changes and presumably funnelling the feedback to his colleagues at Velocity. Someone suggested having an SRB sponsored flight to every major QF lounge in the country on the last day of Platinum Anytime Access as a PR event for DJ, to illustrate how little QF cares for its elites unlike DJ - the DJ rep has taken this onboard and promised to look into it.

The change to Anytime Access is a bit like making everyone choose between QF-branded credit cards and non QF branded rewards cards by removing the ability of the latter to funnel points into QFF. IMO it's designed to make people stick with QF by making them choose to fly QF/JQ (rather than say, fly DJ and access the Qantas Club - and I'd hazard a guess that when not flying 99% of people outside of forums have better things to do than drive all the way to the airport just to drink at the bar) or transfer their points exclusively to QFF. But I fear it might have the opposite effect as it is nonetheless a benefit removal and thus bad PR. I'd like to see them try to justify it, possibly by pointing to "surveys" that indicate WPs are complaining about crowded lounges. (That was what the new J lounges were for I'd have thought)

Personally, the removal of Anytime Access doesn't affect me. I've only used it once to attend an AFF event at the BNE QP. I am very loyal to QF and oneworld and fly with them whenever I can - this includes QF codeshares operated by non OW airlines which are eligible for QF lounge access, so I have very little reason to take advantage of Anytime Access. But if they tamper with lounge access for pax who are actually flying, then I'll start reassessing my options.

As for the heightening of Partner Gold requirements, I wouldn't have requalified PG this year even under the old requirement. It is hard to disappear on a DONE4 for 4-5 weeks when no longer a student. But the new requirements mean I'll simply do the bare minimum to requalify for Platinum, and credit my surplus flying to AA or even send some business DJ way if their international network building efforts prove fruitful.

[KeithMEL]

Less than 48 hours after the announced removal of Anytime Platinum Lounge Access, it seems that QF has compromised by amending the new policy to allow for lounge access on arrival if one has arrived on a Qantas Group flight.

Statement from the QF rep Red Roo on AFF:

One issue we see is when Members use Qantas lounge facilities and then fly with competitors on the same day. This increases crowding for Members who are flying with us on the day and also gives our competitors a free kick. As you know, anytime lounge access is a particularly unique feature within our program.

However, we have taken your feedback onboard and are happy to make adjustments to this policy and we’re also pleased to let you know about it first!

From 1 February 2011, to access Qantas Domestic or International lounges, Platinum Members must be travelling the same day on a flight that shows on a Qantas (QF), a Jetstar Airline (Jetstar (JQ), Jetstar Asia (3K) or Valuair (VF)) or a oneworldŽ flight number on your ticket. Other lounge access conditions apply. See Qantas Club Terms and Conditions.

In doing so, Platinum Frequent Flyers will continue to be welcome to use our lounges to freshen up or whilst waiting for colleagues or friends arriving on other flights. We have also specifically noted Jetstar Asia (3K) and Valuair (VF) as included carriers in the definition.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer.c...tml#post363310

[SQJunkie]

QF Platinum privileges are heading the way of PPS....

[KeithMEL]

QF Platinum privileges are heading the way of PPS....

Yep, they seem to be compete with each other in offering the stingiest loyalty program. Both programs are now very pale shadows of what they were a decade ago.

[LukeGT]

I read quite quickly the thread and my thought is... are they going to create a join-venture with PPS program?

[HUGE AL]

Yep, they seem to be compete with each other in offering the stingiest loyalty program. Both programs are now very pale shadows of what they were a decade ago.

So are you sticking with it, or jumping back to AA?

[KeithMEL]

So are you sticking with it, or jumping back to AA?

The changes do not really affect me so I'm sticking with QFF for now. I've come to realise that I prefer to have status on the airline I'm actually flying with - the likes of BMI dc excepted of course.

However i might re-assess if V Australia increases their international services, particularly the MEL-LAX service. Seems easy to reach top tier on their FFP. I know for a fact that their loyalty team is working behind the scenes to try to positively enhance their FFP in order to gazzump QF. Wouldn't do me any good until they grow their international network though.