QF good at upgrading its Plats?

Old Jan 14, 2008, 2:59 am
  #31  
 
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I've had one upgrade as a plat on QF, Y-J domestic. Amusingly, it was on my amex freebie flight.
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 3:09 am
  #32  
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Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF
Isn't the point being that it's first in, first served? As a plat you can request better seats, these include bulkheads with no one in front to recline and slightly more leg-room. If I happen to call Qantas before a family with an infant, then why shouldn't I get that seat? Qantas probably knows that if I miss out too many times on the better seats as a frequent flyer, I'll go to an airline that can accommodate me.

Actually no. Passengers booking bassinets trump Platinum members when it comes to selecting seats so if you take a seat in that area, you will be removed if a passenger makes a booking requiring it and rebooked into another seat; ime they will tell you this at the time of arranging the assignment

If , however, it hasn't been booked and it is after boarding that they are trying to request it, then it would seem to me that they haven't booked the bassinet ( or they have booked the bassinet for 1 person and are just trying to get seated together ) ; at that point then it would seem to be a quite different situation since no trump card had been played other than working on the sympathy vote

Dave
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 3:33 am
  #33  
 
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Originally Posted by willyroo
I'm sorry to hear someone pushed in on you on a false premise. However, please help me understand what does your post have to do with the bassinet seat?
I'm not saying the premise of the family's request was false. The OP regarding the incident made no mention of a bassinet - just a young child.

What I'm saying that it seems more often than not when people want you to move so they can "sit together", it's always your nice seat they want, and their crappy one down the back that you're being offered.

Aren't there bassinets at practically every bulkhead, not just front row Y? This family could easily have been allocated one of the other bassinets, had they made a request to the airline, or checked in early.

Outside of just here - I am convinced that certain people learn this behaviour of "being in distress" because it is so successful for them.

In making themself out to be the victim so they must be rescued, the victim actually plays the role of the tyrant - because they are just doing it to control others.
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 3:38 am
  #34  
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Originally Posted by LHR/MEL/Europe FF
If I happen to call Qantas before a family with an infant, then why shouldn't I get that seat?
Some airlines will move pax to accomodate infants, others don't.
I am a WP and the father of a little baby and so I can understand the two sides of the argument.
If I travel without a baby I am happy to get a bulk head seat. It is a nice to have.
But if I travel with our baby (she is 8 months and has done 20 flights already) I need the bassinet seat otherwise the flight will be very difficult for me and the other passangers. This is not a nice to have anymore.
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 4:26 am
  #35  
 
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Originally Posted by DownUnderFlyer
But if I travel with our baby ... I need the bassinet seat otherwise the flight will be very difficult for me and the other passangers. This is not a nice to have anymore.
And I bet you also call the airline beforehand to pre-assign said bassinet seat...
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 4:40 am
  #36  
 
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Originally Posted by GoldFlyer
I don't like the bulkhead behind J (747) as it is legroom restricted. Give me the seats on the other side just behind crew rest.
Completely agree. Bulkheads are generally bad as they combine legroom restrictions and the possibility of a baby. Never a good combination!
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 4:45 am
  #37  
 
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I haven't made a flight since making WP/PG so I can't comment personally, but a colleague (WP) seems to get domestic Y->J upgrades reasonably often (3/8 or so last year I think).

Then there's this little peculiarity...



Cheers,
- Febs.
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 11:52 am
  #38  
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Originally Posted by bdmaus
Aren't there bassinets at practically every bulkhead, not just front row Y? This family could easily have been allocated one of the other bassinets, had they made a request to the airline, or checked in early.
Perhaps all the other bassinets were already taken? There is often more than one youngster onboard. They may have been checked in at an earlier airport which did not have control of the seating (something I'm unfortunately all to familiar with - "you have a choice Kiwi Flyer, I can check you in for the onward flight but I'm unable to change seat and you currently have a crap one, or I can not check you in and you deal with it in transit".

Originally Posted by bdmaus
Outside of just here - I am convinced that certain people learn this behaviour of "being in distress" because it is so successful for them.
I'm sure that is the case sometimes. But unlike some other situations which can be faked (easily lied about), it is easy to see if it really is a baby who needs a bassinet. I'm sure a baby's needs are more important than mine. (I also happily let parents with baby ahead of me in a queue for the toilet.)

Like Dave Noble - on QF I'm always warned there is a risk I need to be moved if I preselect a bassinet seat.
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 1:19 pm
  #39  
 
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Originally Posted by Febs2
I haven't made a flight since making WP/PG so I can't comment personally, but a colleague (WP) seems to get domestic Y->J upgrades reasonably often (3/8 or so last year I think).

Then there's this little peculiarity...



Cheers,
- Febs.
Obviously your friend has been praying to the OpUp gods sacrificing small animals.

Pure luck me thinks in addition to having a surname beginning with a letter close to A.
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 1:30 pm
  #40  
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Originally Posted by bdmaus
And I bet you also call the airline beforehand to pre-assign said bassinet seat...
Always, of course. But sometimes there are too many babies (we had 4 on a 767 business class the other day) or status pax have already taken the bassinet seats.
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 2:38 pm
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Traveloguy
Obviously your friend has been praying to the OpUp gods sacrificing small animals.
or may have in reality actually been using points to upgrade

Dave
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 4:00 pm
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Dave Noble
or may have in reality actually been using points to upgrade

Dave
^
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 7:36 pm
  #43  
 
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Actually after reading these posts I'm considering myself lucky...

One domestic opup Y -> J (award flight too!) from ADL-SYD last month. Last flight out Fri evening with full Y. Given J pass just before departure with no guarantee of catering, but got catered anyway (9 in J)

One internation opup Y -> J (I think that this was an award flight too) from LAX-SYD about 2 years ago. Y was oversold by 2, so I and 1 other (presumably WP also) person were given our J passes about 20 mins before boarding. I forgave Qantas a lot for that particular upgrade.

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Old Jan 14, 2008, 8:03 pm
  #44  
 
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Just tracking back to the bassinet seat - the problem is the request onboard - at that point the likelihood of getting a decent seat at that point is nil so because someone else did not plan ahead you are put out. I would not object to being punted out of my seat before I checked in so that I could potentially address the situation. I should not have to deal with other people's inability to plan.

Just in terms of Op-Up I am OWE and QF SG and have not had an Op-Up in 70 flights over the past two years - mind you I was in the top cabin for most of those (i.e. no F onboard, points to F or paid F). The closest I got was on a regional flight PVG-HKG where I scored seat 1K on an international config CX flight
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Old Jan 14, 2008, 9:09 pm
  #45  
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Originally Posted by simongr
Just in terms of Op-Up I am OWE and QF SG and have not had an Op-Up in 70 flights over the past two years - mind you I was in the top cabin for most of those
So the 70 flights metric is irrelevant. 0 op-ups when you have only had (say) 5 flights with a higher cabin is meaningless. 0 op-ups when you have had (say) 50 or 100 flights with a higher cabin is more meaningful measure of QF stinginess.
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