Oversold QF flights
 

Hi,

It looks like I am on a QF flight that is way oversold - QF 22 this friday 16th March - I suspect due to GP, by about 40 or more people.
I was feeling guilty for being a WP an forcing them to sell me a ticket (at full Y) so I could get on - but it appears lots of people will be turned away.
Any ideas what QF do in this situation? I checked with their platinum helpdesk and they indicated that J was also fully sold - so I'm not expecting an upgrade on this trip - but assuming everyone turns up - how and what do QF do for the rebooking?

Cheers,

YS

QF22 is NRT-SYD. QF will call up people the day before and offer O/D pax alternate routings via HKG, SIN, PER, etc. sometimes with an upgrade sweetener. Doubt the flight will be overbooked at departure, esp. with JL being a partner. Connecting pax will get priority in accomodation, fwiw. Worst case some get bumped and stay overnight at NRT hotel. Unlike US airlines with $2000 bump vouchers, QF won't be giving out any.

You might have a reasonable chance for a J upgrade, chances are J0 was done due to Y overbooking, not J oversold. Also you could volunteer to go via HKG or SIN for a J upgrade, if you have the time and want the longer routing.

If QF22 is oversold, they could put you on JL771 which leaves at the same time, send you through SIN on JL operated QF codeshares (QF4022), maybe even send you via CNS or OOL on the JQ operated flights (QF250 and QF252).

And they would probably find a way to sell full-fare Y tickets, no matter the status. Given the cash they would get, and the amount of compensation (if any) that they need to give out to a discount-Y pax, in most circumstances, the airline actually saves some money. Profitable? yes. Ethical? Debatable.

I rarely or ever see any threads about QF overbooking.

Where do you get this information? Do yo have an internal source?

Agreed. I'm surprised that QF will sell you a full Y ticket if the flight is that oversold. I've tried to use this benefit on SYD-SIN (and vv) flights, and have been refused in some cases, as Yield Management believes that the flight is too full - I've had to route via BNE or MEL instead.

Edit: to clarify, I've tried to use this benefit when tickets are not available for purchase - i.e. it's already full. In some cases, QF has let me purchase. In other cases it's been declined. Obviously there is some threshhold beyond which even WP can't buy a full Y ticket.

All airlines will oversell a flight - they obviously are thinking that they will get enough people who don't turn up, change thier flight late, cancel altogether or miss a connection. In this case, if they are still willing to sell a Y ticket, they flight isn't that oversold and they are taking the risk that a certain number of people won't make the flight.

How many people are there on the flight? 350 booked? It would be rare for every single person to turn up.

QF22 on 16th March is currently showing all 0s. JL771 shows W1 and everything else 0's. The two JQ flights (OOL and CNS) are looking quite full as well.

Looks like Japan-Australia is going to be quite busy.

To the op - what is the source of the 40 oversold comment. Big difference being between full flight - all 0s and an oversell.

Exactly. By the way the figure is very wrong so your source is questionable.

A point of clarification. For the Platinum seat guarantee one does not need to buy a full Y ticket but for international Y, B or H and for domestic Y or B.

Typically when having to use this I have found that an upgrade on departure follows but not always.

I agree, the 2 times I have used the Platinum guaranteed seat I have been upgraded on check-in or at the gate.

Also the ticket price was no worse than what I normally pay.

Any update from the OP about what happened in the end?

I'm astonished that QF has diluted this WP benefit so much -- but sure enough, the benefit now reads "facility may be restricted due to operational constraints" ... so it is no benefit at all now! Basically WP can buy a ticket, whenever anyone else can buy a ticket -- but not when flights are oversold. Contrast that with LH and even CX, which do have a real guaranteed seat benefit. I missed the wording change on this benefit, which has effectively eliminated it. Somehow this fits in so well with the Joyce era of Qantas. Promise everything and deliver nothing. Maybe that can be the QF slogan for next year?

That wording has been the case for around 8 years. Long before Joyce. From my understanding is the only time the clause is used is during operational disruption or when dealing with very large group bookings. I have used it very frequently in and out of CBR on the jet service where 90% of the plane seems to be platinum and still had no issues even when timed with last sitting days or end of visiting head of state. I have never had the request denied.