QF Removing Award Space
 

Looking for folks with more experience with QF award space to provide some guidance and insight on an issue I recently came across.

I am hoping to book 2 award seats from BNE to LAX using AA miles. I've been debating where to visit on my trip down under and toyed with several different itineraries, including MEL-BNE-LAX and CNS-BNE-LAX. I found 2 available business class award seats in the U fare bucket BNE-LAX, and originally placed a reservation hold for MEL-BNE-LAX for 2 seats in the U fare bucket. I cancelled the hold and immediately searched for and created a reservation online CNS-BNE-LAX for 2 seats in the U fare bucket. Having changed my mind again, I cancelled the CNE-BNE-LAX itinerary, hoping to book MEL-BNE-LAX again once the 2 seats were released back into QF's award inventory.

However, after cancelling the ex-CNS itinerary, only 1 U seat opened up for the BNE-LAX leg. I think one of two things happened here: (1) someone snagged one of the BNE-LAX seats the exact second I cancelled the itinerary and before I was able to even bring up the available seats; or (2) QF did not release the seat back into the U fare bucket. I feel option 1 is unlikely as I immediately searched for the seats within seconds of cancelling my itinerary.

Hoping to get some information on whether QF will pull back award availability in cases such as mine, and if so, will QF release that award space further down the line?

Thanks in advance. Any help would be appreciated!

QF Removing Award Space
 

The other possibility would be waitlist? I know CX allows waitlist, not sure how QF/AA scenario will be.....

What u should have done is call AA to change the first sector rather than cancel the whole thing....

If I understand correctly, you had the BNE-LAX space reserved, but canceled it several times in order to accomidate changes to your domestic Australian travel plans.

If so, you made a huge mistake and learned a costly lesson.

Once you have the international space reserved, never ever cancel it and hope to rebook. Simply call AA and have them switch the domestic flights for you. They can do this without losing the international space.

If for some reason you could not get in touch with AA, you shoudl ticket what you had and then change it when you can call AA. Yes, it will cost you some money, but you won't lose the space.

I would say the odds of that space opening up again are slim to none. You are, unfortunately, likely going to have to find another option.

[mod hat] Please do not post the same question multiple times on FT or the QF forum specifically. [/mod hat]

Regardless of my error in failing to book my tickets when I had the chance, my question still remains: has QF been known to remove the award ticket even if it was never booked, and if so, will it be re-released?

While I'm not banking on the space opening up again, I'd still like to hear from anyone who might have any insight into this.

Airline yeild management changes the seats in the various fare buckets to be available for sale/award. You lost

Just pay for the ticket with real cash.

Like all airlines, QF continually review their yeild management process. Yes, if there have been higher than expected revenue bookings on a flight QF may not re-release cancelled award space.

I am afraid you have lost this international sector. It is highly unlikely that this will be made available again, as the closer to the flight QF will keep potential award space for its own Platinum requests and also for points upgrades for QFF members.

I think the thread subject is misleading based on one experience.

I think you'd find that the U seats once released do not go straight back into U inventory, but general J, then QF's YM algorithm at the time, based on load booked, demand, history etc at that point in time, only allowed one J seat back into U. That's the way it works. It's not a conspiracy by QF. It's the way they do business and try and make some money :) It suggests they have some more paid bookings on the flight, which is a good thing for them.

Agree you should have contacted AA re the domestic sector.

Yes, this happens all the time -- don't ever expect award seats to go back into award inventory. Rather ironically your booking/cancellation activity would have increased the chance of the award being retained for revenue sale as it generates interest in the route/date making QF up the probability of future sale in its computation. So you contributed the last little percent that caused the award to be "lost" :) QF is historically more aggressive at doing this than most other airlines due to high premium seat sales in past years.

Further datapoint.

I recently cancelled a QF F award (P class) SYD-HKG sector for 6 Dec using AA miles, to allow earlier travel by 3 days to see my family who were already on vacation in SE Asia. Alternate travel to BKK was in J on a 744 with SkyBed Mk1, but a day flight so OK.
(yes, I know. No greater love hath a FFer than to give up an F award for his/her family... :rolleyes:).

I was curious to see if the P award would show again for the flight concerned following cancellation, and it did not.

If you end up losing the Qantas seat, my suggestion would be to keep an eye on Cathay Pacific availability, which is released closer to the date of travel often from 10 days or less before the travel date.

You will definitely find someone (North American port) - HKG - (Australian port) in J on CX closer to the date to get you where you need to be.