Qantas Frequent Flyer - Beware of QBIZ




View Full Version : Beware of QBIZ


rot8
Jan 20, 03, 10:49 pm
I have tended to use QBIZ most of the time for simple interstate travel - you get the flexibility of the fare without paying full economy rates.
I have never liked the way this web booking feature works- it should be a premium style of web service - but the reality is that it is crappy!
I have some simple flights to book on Feb 17 from MEL to SYD to BNE then the following day returning BNE to MEL

When you select from the list of options and it is a flight with no QBIZ fares available it tells you to try again - but it doesn't tell you which ones are available - you have to keep guessing!
When you do get a flight it gives you the price and offers cheaper alternatives - fine except that those alternatives are not in the original list as they are usually afternoon and you selected Morning - fine they're trying to fill empty seats, no harm in trying.
I selected QF404 leaving at 06:30 - it tells me it is $271.24 but offers me alternatives costing $216.24 at 16:30,15:30, 20:00 and 20.30 - not suitable times at all.
I then go back and start again this time choosing the 0600 flight, it tells me the price for this is $216.24 and the alternatives are $117.24 on the same 4 flights as already quoted previously as $216.24!
Not only does the system not give you a decent alternative, half hour earlier flight seems a reasonable alternative, but it requotes a hundred dollars cheaper on the same alternative flight numbers!
Now to make it even worse on the BNE- MEL leg on Feb 18th I selected QF637 leaving at 17:50 it tells me that flight will cost me $286.10 but gives me cheaper alternatives costing $165.10, fine except that one of the alternatives is flight QF637 at $165.10 - and yes, before anyone asks me, it is definitely on the same day.
I should also add that I tried this same exercise an hour later - reproduced the same results on the MEL-SYD leg but the BNE-MEL leg was now corrected
Be careful with QBIZ


willyroo
Jan 21, 03, 3:59 am
I agree - QBiz is inconsistent - you have to keep banging away until you get the result you need.

I usually check the Class Availability (http://flyaow.com/classavailability.htm) site for K seats, then go to QBiz.

Keep in mind that once you have a ticket, you can change it with telephone sales to any flight that has K seats. You can even pay the SYD tax and break a BNE-MEL QBiz fare into two, tier friendly, legs.

Also, if you don't like QBiz, you can pay the small premium with telephone sales or your travel agent for a manually booked K fare.

Finally, the QC staff do have some flexibility once you're at the lounge, and may put you on an earlier (or later) flight.

NM
Jan 21, 03, 5:44 am
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by willyroo:
Finally, the QC staff do have some flexibility once you're at the lounge, and may put you on an earlier (or later) flight.</font>
Now that's the real advantage, especially if after 1pm so you can spend more time in the lounge before the flight.


rot8
Jan 21, 03, 5:05 pm
I usually check the Class Availability site for K seats, then go to QBiz.

Hey Willyroo, pardon my ignorance but can you tell me where on the web site do i find the class availability site?

willyroo
Jan 21, 03, 5:33 pm
I'm not quite sure what you mean?

The class availability website is http://www.flyaow.com/classavailability.htm , which you seem to be aware of.

I find the best way to get a meaningful response is to "Sort by" departure time, "Service Class" coach unrestricted, then have 20 entries.

(edited for context, and for not reading the question properly, and maybe spending too much time in the Qantas Club (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum39/HTML/001293.html) )

[This message has been edited by willyroo (edited 01-21-2003).]

rot8
Jan 21, 03, 8:38 pm
Now I see what you mean, I was looking for it on the Qantas site!
Thanks for the help



SEO by vBSEO 3.3.2