Qantas Frequent Flyer - Award inventory T-24hrs?
ajinlondon
Apr 16, 12, 8:13 pm
I have been looking at award inventory for the last week. Can someone clarify exactly when QF release award seats. looking at SYD-LAX and noticed P and U class is showing as zero when earlier it was P2, pretty much similar results a few days ago
my query - do QF release awards daily or every couple of days (the later seems likely) and assuming I was booking a straight award via a partner when the P inventory shows I do see it as available on BA.com but assume inventory is going fairly quickly to QF plat's with upgrade requests in - anyone know how long the window is between releasing the inventory and the computer op' up's? As it seems this is the reason for the P class release as the 744 has plenty of F space and nothing has come up.
AnonymousCoward
Apr 16, 12, 11:01 pm
I'd be surprised if the award inventory you can see at T-24 hours is bookable as an award seat. It will be released for pax requesting upgrades only.
QF releases awards from 353 days out, and then sometimes through out the year, depending on what their yield management thinks they can't sell.
ajinlondon
Apr 16, 12, 11:24 pm
100% award seats, seen it every couple days for at least a week (looking almost daily) at a fairly consistent hour.
Initially i thought it was a general award release but rethinking it is meant for op up's as it goes so quick. I guess my point being even if I do see it is the window so small that the process of putting my name in etc going to be too slow to confirm the booking?
richie9x
Apr 17, 12, 12:44 am
I have seen U award inventory appear about 3 days before flight when previously there was none for domestic and transtasman flights.
AnonymousCoward
Apr 17, 12, 1:34 am
100% award seats, seen it every couple days for at least a week (looking almost daily) at a fairly consistent hour.
Initially i thought it was a general award release but rethinking it is meant for op up's as it goes so quick. I guess my point being even if I do see it is the window so small that the process of putting my name in etc going to be too slow to confirm the booking?
It's not for op-ups - it's for waitlisted upgrades.
It does show as award inventory in the GDS (P, U, Z) however I would be *very* surprised if you can actually *book* it as an award seat.
The inventory is there to process the existing upgrade requests and I strongly suspect that the only pax that can get into those seats are those that have requested upgrades.
serfty
Apr 17, 12, 1:37 am
Qantas use the same inventories for awards as upgrades.
Until some months ago, some reported being able to snap these up for direct awards as they appeared in the time frame before the upgrades were processed.
I believe Qantas have implemented a change to stop this and it is no longer possible.
3544quebec
Apr 17, 12, 4:28 am
Certainly possible 5 months ago - no reports since then that I know of
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/qantas-frequent-flyer/1285819-ef-showed-p8-lax-syd-mel-29-11-brief-time.html#post17566017
serfty
Apr 17, 12, 5:32 am
Not on FT, however aside from that post by 3544quebec there was specific mention on AFF recently about how this was exploitable some months ago.
I have no doubt those able to exploit it would have not revealed it publicly if it were still possible.
ajinlondon
Apr 17, 12, 8:14 am
thanks