QANTAS Business Class
Mar 16, 2000 | 6:26 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 2
QANTAS Business Class
I have tried 3 times to get 2 business seats LAX/AKL, booking 330 days in advance but every time I'm told there's only one seat left. I find it hard to believe that QANTAS only has 1 seat for FF pax... I can't try for seats more than 330 ahead can I. How do I get in early enough to get 2 seats ?? I live in the MST time zone and am trying to use Canadian Plus points. This morning I got up at 4am to call the eastern CP office and guess what... only 1 seat left ! Help, suggestions ??
Mar 16, 2000 | 7:36 am
#2
Guest
Posts: n/a
When are you trying to go???
Not around the Olympics in SYD I hope.
Have you asked them to check availablity on several days... ask them which days DO have seat availablity to AKL. I was able to book QF Business Class flights last July using US Airways miles and there did seem to be plenty of availability, both in Biz and First. July is the off season so that surely helped. Good luck and let us know what you find...
Not around the Olympics in SYD I hope.
Have you asked them to check availablity on several days... ask them which days DO have seat availablity to AKL. I was able to book QF Business Class flights last July using US Airways miles and there did seem to be plenty of availability, both in Biz and First. July is the off season so that surely helped. Good luck and let us know what you find...
Mar 16, 2000 | 9:14 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 442
My wife and I flew to Australia on Qantas in business class about a year ago -- I on a paid ticket and she on a FF award.
We were told that we got the last award seat on both of our trans-Pacific flights, which baffled me, since the business class cabin was virtually EMPTY on the outbound trip.
I just think they're being especially stingy. My strategy would be to just book the flights on two separate days, get the tickets, and sort out the scheduling later. That works for us probably 95 out of 100 times (not all on Qantas, of course).
We were told that we got the last award seat on both of our trans-Pacific flights, which baffled me, since the business class cabin was virtually EMPTY on the outbound trip.
I just think they're being especially stingy. My strategy would be to just book the flights on two separate days, get the tickets, and sort out the scheduling later. That works for us probably 95 out of 100 times (not all on Qantas, of course).
Mar 16, 2000 | 1:47 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: ORD/MDW
Programs: BA/AA/AS/B6/WN/ UA/HH/MR and more like 'em but most felicitously & importantly MUCCI
Posts: 19,809
It's not that the seats don't exist. It's that QANTAS isn't releasing them to FF partners.
I tried to book QANTAS business class seats LAX-SYD-LAX for my wife after the Olympics are over, in late October/November 2000. OnePass told me QANTAS had released ZERO business class seats to CO for award purposes in September, October, OR November. Obviously they think they can sell all those seats themselves. Maybe things will change as we get closer to, any beyond, the Olympics. But in the meantime we had to be flexible -- I found plenty of availability in QF business class in the May/June timeframe.
I tried to book QANTAS business class seats LAX-SYD-LAX for my wife after the Olympics are over, in late October/November 2000. OnePass told me QANTAS had released ZERO business class seats to CO for award purposes in September, October, OR November. Obviously they think they can sell all those seats themselves. Maybe things will change as we get closer to, any beyond, the Olympics. But in the meantime we had to be flexible -- I found plenty of availability in QF business class in the May/June timeframe.
Mar 16, 2000 | 4:14 pm
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: FB PLT again afater a decade as plebian
Posts: 22,936
I wasn't able to get any seats for LAX-Australa or YVR-HNL-Australia at short notice (< 1 month) but was able to get from BKK-MEL and SYD-HKG in Jan./Feb. booked in very late December or a OneWorld award ticket.
BOth flights were full (or nearly full) in business class so I was surprised I even got them.
BOth flights were full (or nearly full) in business class so I was surprised I even got them.
Mar 16, 2000 | 5:55 pm
#6
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: San Francisco (Marin County), CA
Programs: UA Lifetime 1K, LH Senator, SQ PPS Solitaire, Hyatt Courtesy Card
Posts: 3,031
I had an interesting experience trying to get first class Quantas reward seats LAX-AKL with OnePass miles. Just simply couldn't get them. Was eventually told by OnePass that Quantas doesn't give out many reward seats to New Zealand destinations - and that they in fact give out NO first class. Asked if we wanted business class, we said no.
Changed our destination to Melbourne - got 2 FIRST class. Funny thing: The flight stopped in Auckland and continued on! I called back when I found this out to try to take a stopover in AKL, was told "no dice" that would make an official stop in AKL, which Quantas didn't allow on reward seats!!!
Changed our destination to Melbourne - got 2 FIRST class. Funny thing: The flight stopped in Auckland and continued on! I called back when I found this out to try to take a stopover in AKL, was told "no dice" that would make an official stop in AKL, which Quantas didn't allow on reward seats!!!
Mar 16, 2000 | 5:56 pm
#7
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: San Francisco (Marin County), CA
Programs: UA Lifetime 1K, LH Senator, SQ PPS Solitaire, Hyatt Courtesy Card
Posts: 3,031
Just to clarify the above: "didn't allow" was not a written policy, but I guess Quantas' unwritten rule enforced by not releasing any capacity as to AKL.
Mar 17, 2000 | 4:20 pm
#8
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Miami/Ft. Lauderdale
Programs: AA 2MM Lifetime Platinum, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Gold
Posts: 1,350
I have redeemed miles for free tickets (both domestic and internatial,)many times and on many airlines over the years. The only time I ever really had a problem was booking ONE
free first class ticket on Qantas from LAX to SYD. But I was able to be flexible and finally found a suitable set of dates for the flights.
Neal
free first class ticket on Qantas from LAX to SYD. But I was able to be flexible and finally found a suitable set of dates for the flights.
Neal
Mar 17, 2000 | 5:42 pm
#9
Join Date: Jul 1999
Programs: QF WP, AA EXP
Posts: 3,654
Qantas is pretty stingy in giving out premium (F/J) awards. I can understand the F awards, as there are only 14 seats in the cabin. But they should be a little bit looser in J, but this is not always the case. I was able to get an F seat, tinkering around with my departure dates +/- a few days, a month before departure.
They tend to release more seats as time draws near to departure, depending on the load factors. It's sometimes better to try dates closer to departure.
They tend to release more seats as time draws near to departure, depending on the load factors. It's sometimes better to try dates closer to departure.
Mar 17, 2000 | 9:27 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Canada
Posts: 2
Following up on your suggestions and with the help of a couple of imaginative agents with CP Plus, I now have TWO repeat TWO business class seats on QF LAX to AKL on the dates we wanted. Dep Lax Feb 8, 2001; Dep AKL for YVR Mar 9 2001. Not sure how it was done but thanks again to all. This is a great web site !
Now, the excitement will again commence on April 14, 2000 when the magical 330 day limit is reached for
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Now, the excitement will again commence on April 14, 2000 when the magical 330 day limit is reached for
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Mar 17, 2000 | 10:18 pm
#11
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: TX
Posts: 712
I wonder if the inventory of reward seats is different for CO OnePass, than others. Any other experiences with CO?
IF it is the case that CO cannot get TWO seats together in J or F to AKL, at anytime, then that is ridiculous and deplorable. I will be enraged if I cannot use all of the miles we've been saving for an F/J trip to AKL.
IF it is the case that CO cannot get TWO seats together in J or F to AKL, at anytime, then that is ridiculous and deplorable. I will be enraged if I cannot use all of the miles we've been saving for an F/J trip to AKL.
Mar 18, 2000 | 2:28 am
#12
Suspended
Join Date: Mar 1999
Location: Half the World & More and then some.
Programs: BA, SQ, AA, QF, CX, VS
Posts: 1,202
MY CP agent actually found that it was better to give a quick call to Qantas after the booking was on waitlist and it clears up after that. However, it depends on each 'city' where Qantas is based.
Mar 18, 2000 | 4:46 pm
#13
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 442
Don't forget that your tickets are the equivalent of full-fare. That is, dates can easily be changed. We succeeded in changing our dates for the better just a few days before our departure. (See my original post above.)