Benefits of booking award travel from a high status account
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: BNE
Programs: VA Gold
Posts: 56
Benefits of booking award travel from a high status account
Suppose that there are two persons, who I shall imaginatively call Person A and Person B. Let us suppose that A and B are related, A is of low (QFF) status and B is of high status. (I have a particular low/high status combination that I personally care the most about (B is gold), but the question is naturally this general.
If person A wants to book an award flight, then (s)he has two possibilities:
(a) book from own account
(b) family transfer points to Person B, and book from B's account.
I would like to know what benefits, either published or unpublished, there are for choosing option (b). From experience, I can hazard a guess at a couple which I reproduce below, though I am not sure the second is an actual benefit or was a fluke.
(i) Access to greater award space availability.
(ii) Access to Main Cabin Extra seating on an economy redemption in AA.
If person A wants to book an award flight, then (s)he has two possibilities:
(a) book from own account
(b) family transfer points to Person B, and book from B's account.
I would like to know what benefits, either published or unpublished, there are for choosing option (b). From experience, I can hazard a guess at a couple which I reproduce below, though I am not sure the second is an actual benefit or was a fluke.
(i) Access to greater award space availability.
(ii) Access to Main Cabin Extra seating on an economy redemption in AA.
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,399
Suppose that there are two persons, who I shall imaginatively call Person A and Person B. Let us suppose that A and B are related, A is of low (QFF) status and B is of high status. (I have a particular low/high status combination that I personally care the most about (B is gold), but the question is naturally this general.
If person A wants to book an award flight, then (s)he has two possibilities:
(a) book from own account
(b) family transfer points to Person B, and book from B's account.
I would like to know what benefits, either published or unpublished, there are for choosing option (b). From experience, I can hazard a guess at a couple which I reproduce below, though I am not sure the second is an actual benefit or was a fluke.
(i) Access to greater award space availability.
(ii) Access to Main Cabin Extra seating on an economy redemption in AA.
If person A wants to book an award flight, then (s)he has two possibilities:
(a) book from own account
(b) family transfer points to Person B, and book from B's account.
I would like to know what benefits, either published or unpublished, there are for choosing option (b). From experience, I can hazard a guess at a couple which I reproduce below, though I am not sure the second is an actual benefit or was a fluke.
(i) Access to greater award space availability.
(ii) Access to Main Cabin Extra seating on an economy redemption in AA.
However - that's where the benefits stop. Any other benefits (access to preferred seating etc) will be dependent on the status of the traveler, not the account of the person making the booking. When completing the booking there are a couple of boxes where the FF number of the actual traveler is entered, and that then forms the basis of benefits.
Exception: in some cases Platinum 1 members requesting upgrades from their account for others will confer a their higher status on the lower member when it comes to upgrade priority.
#3
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 1,799
After this point, person A's status applies.
#4
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cairns, Australia
Posts: 924
Of course, it may occur and others may be able to cite country experiences (?).
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: AU
Programs: former Olympic Airways Gold (yeah - still proud of that!)
Posts: 14,399
I have compared award seat availability from my own Platinum account with that of no status account on several (but not lots of) occasions and never found there to be more award availability for higher status for QF FF using the online booking engine.
Of course, it may occur and others may be able to cite examples (?).
Of course, it may occur and others may be able to cite examples (?).
QF state there may be such, but I agree with you, I haven't seen it.
#6
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP (OWE), VA PLAT, EY GLD, SPG PLAT, Hyatt DIA, Hilton DIA, Hertz PC
Posts: 8,509
I have compared award seat availability from my own Platinum account with that of no status account on several (but not lots of) occasions and never found there to be more award availability for higher status for QF FF using the online booking engine.
Of course, it may occur and others may be able to cite country experiences (?).
Of course, it may occur and others may be able to cite country experiences (?).
QF stagger award availability based on status. You may not be able to see this on certain routes which are in high demand where there may be no awards in premium classes, however a WP should see more than SG and so on.
That is why you should always use the WP account to search and then input the second pax's name (who should be a family member). You can also request awards to be released as a WP.
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP/LTG | UA P
Posts: 13,518
#9
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP...couple hotels and cars too
Posts: 4,548
With AA the 'increased availability' is only seen by AA agents over the phone. And it isn't on every flight, nor plentiful... But it does happen occasionally. Just an FYI.
#10
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cairns, Australia
Posts: 924
Sorry, this is just plain wrong.
QF stagger award availability based on status. You may not be able to see this on certain routes which are in high demand where there may be no awards in premium classes, however a WP should see more than SG and so on.
That is why you should always use the WP account to search and then input the second pax's name (who should be a family member). You can also request awards to be released as a WP.
QF stagger award availability based on status. You may not be able to see this on certain routes which are in high demand where there may be no awards in premium classes, however a WP should see more than SG and so on.
That is why you should always use the WP account to search and then input the second pax's name (who should be a family member). You can also request awards to be released as a WP.
Whereas QF claim greater award availability, I have yet to come across the actual evidence of this.
If you have evidence please share - just stating it should be possible has me unconvinced...I would love to be proved wrong on this if for no other reason I continually wrestle with the merits of seeking to maintain QF WP as a LTG...
...otherwise, yes, absolutely, logging in through a WP/P1 account (just in case) is a wise default strategy...
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP/LTG | UA P
Posts: 13,518
#12
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cairns, Australia
Posts: 924
#13
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Programs: Battleaxe Alliance
Posts: 22,126
BA has extra availability for their Gold members but it is in economy class only and it is made clear on the search result that extra seats have been made available for the Gold member.
#14
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Cairns, Australia
Posts: 924
...I'm sure QF is better disposed to release reward seats to P1 upon request than to WPs, however...
#15
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Europe
Posts: 45
I did a few different comparisons between a CL and a bronze account (see one example attached) for various routes (syd-hon, syd-bkk, syd-lhr) and could not see any difference in availability for the each account. I guess the difference for WP and above is the ability to put in a request to release seats.
http://i60.tinypic.com/2nv3qy8.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/21oyj3d.jpg
http://i60.tinypic.com/2nv3qy8.jpg
http://i58.tinypic.com/21oyj3d.jpg