richplatt

https://www.qantasnewsroom.com.au/me...ravel-resumes/

Extra Status Credits: To help our most frequent flyers maintain their benefits throughout travel restrictions, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members will automatically receive 50 per cent of the Status Credits they need annually to keep their tier. Members most impacted, such as those whose membership year started at the peak of travel restrictions, will also be eligible for additional monthly Status Credits support. Loyalty Bonus for members will now also count towards reaching or retaining Platinum One until 31 December 2021.

SomersetTraveller

Necessary move and a good one. Based on the calculator looks like I'll be in line for 330 extra SC. Nevertheless there will need to be more avenues to earn SC on the ground. What do you think these might be? IMHO the most lucrative so far was the woolworths promo which tipped me back over to gold last month,

fakecd

i think this is just marketing gimmicks to entice you to pay more for SC eligible/higher SC fare in hope of renewing

reality is air travel wont be back anywhere near (not by choice) "previous normal" and they will eventually extend membership by 1 more year. international travel is barred for another good year, thats non discretionary segment of incremental travellera FFP is trying to target, not the shuttle MEL/BNE/SYD captive J audience who would fly regardless of status.

og

QF is panicking. They have everything to lose and very little to gain over the next year. International is dead and domestic will struggle. Worst case being close down. Other airlines sniff blood and are keen to take over once the rusted-on QF FFers give up and check the alternatives.

QF Loyalty (Olivia’s part of QF) is all they have at the moment to keep the brand alive.

mikalee

Nice boost for the Lifetime Status Collection!

davem4

Welcome boost and now will easily hit the 600 needed to renew.

However! I'm in the UK, and my annual trip to Australia on QF is now not happening (November). So my 4QF flights a year won't happen!

The T&C's say they still are required to retain status, has anyone heard otherwise for people residing overseas?

Cheers,

David

Kiwi Flyer

Similarly for Platinum One based outside Australia (and unable to enter Australia) the minimum 900 SCs on QF marketed flights is also challenging if not impossible at the moment.

QueEff

Well this is something at least. I had been thinking they would just roll out another year extension. UK based Gold and zero chance of getting on QF metal any time in the next 12 months at least, not for the want of trying! Hopefully they will review later in the year and extend it.

pythonisman

This is definitely a welcome surprise.
I'd front-loaded my status earning this year (ends at the end of July) and had retained Platinum by November last year, so the "1 year extension" which was granted earlier did nothing for me.

I think, if I read the page right, that because my current status year ends July '21, that I'll be given 600 + 250 (50 x 5) status credits, which is great.

The hardest part by far will be how to manage the 4 QF/JQ/3K etc flights by then, as I live in the UK for the forseeable. I would love to come back to Aus to visit family but can't justify a 2 week hotel quarantine (either financially or in terms of time away). Hopefully the situation improves early next year and gives an opportunity to get back!

davem4

Only option might be a BA flight to Singapore, then a few jetstar flights around asia.

Not too keen on that option :-?

pythonisman

Yep at the moment, that'd probably be where I'd lean, and it's doable, but could be tricky/uncomfortable depending on COVID restrictions later this year ideally.

I get 10 days more holiday each year than my fiancé, so am likely going to have at least a week extra in 2020 for which I'd definitely consider a status run/couple of days somewhere nice, if it can be done safely.

Main issue would be complexities around entry requirements and wanting to minimise unnecessary international flights, or having to quarantine elsewhere. I note from QF's website that Jetstar Pacific travel (BL) only count as eligible sectors until until 28 July 2020 - I didn't realise but looks like QF have offloaded their shares in BL to VN?

That'd be one of my preferred options just because you could do the flying domestically -- though GK / Jestar Japan is prob preferable at that point, as I could pretty easily fly from the UK to Japan and then do a few domestic hops. Plus, Japan is such a great country, it's worth going to for a few days just for some delicious food and a suitcase full of kit kats!!

davem4

Yeah Jestar Vietnam has moved to VN, which is a shame as they were so cheap to fly on.

I would suggest we draft a nice short clear letter and all contact the frequentflyer email address. See if we can get any love for those based in UK.

ECR

Unfortunately I think you have miscalculated. The calculator shows you will get 600 + 100 status credits (i.e. 50 x 2 months for August and September).

I am in a similar position with Qantas not flying internationally for a while and being based in the UK, I am very unlikely to get the 4 QF etc sectors before my year end. Hopefully though I'll get a soft landing to QF Gold, and will be able to get the 4 sectors during a year as gold. I really wish QF would bring back the direct London-Dubai codeshare on Emirates that didn't require an onward connection beyond Dubai as it made it much easier to get the sectors from Europe.

Even though I won't be able to maintain Platinum, I very much welcome this offer from Qantas as it will help towards Lifetime Silver and Lifetime Gold.

pythonisman

Ah yep you're spot on (I didn't see the calculator earlier).

I was reading the table on the "Status Support" the wrong way -- vertically instead of horizontally (i.e. wrong! - that's what I get for reading email on my phone in the early hours).
700 'free' SCs is still very much appreciated and will go a long way to qualifying for another year, assuming that anything meaningful opens up in terms of travel in the next 12mo.

I do imagine though, that airfares are going to skyrocket the minute restrictions start to lift properly, particularly for UK <--> AU

Agreed 100% At the risk of drifting slightly o/t- is there any place I could read more about codeshares, how they benefit marketing / operating carriers etc - to try and get a bit more info for my own knowledge?

SNA_Flyer

Doesn't help this WP living in Los Angeles. While the status extension was nice (status through July 2021), with the current restrictions, like others here, I won't be able to make the 4 required QF flights, let alone earn any significant SC's with International flights limited. Unless things drastically change, of course.

Hopefully they can figure something out for those of us based abroad.