FF seats on JQ - slow to load into system?
 

In previous years I have had no trouble booking Dec/Jan school holiday flights MEL/OOL or MEL/MCY at this time of year.

Going into the FF system now, there is basically no flights after mid-Dec available (even up to that point very few). There are heaps on QF into BNE, and sometimes MEL/SYD/OOL on QF - but nothing direct on JQ - with 6 or 7 flights daily to OOL I am assuming that JQ has not loaded the seats yet? Anyone confirm?

Or maybe they're just yield managing for the peak demand they expect, or they'll just sell them off for $29("+ taxes and charges from $30" :p ).....

Another big problem is that award seats on Death* flights are not able to be opened up to WPs like they can do with QF flights... so when MEL to NTL on Saturdays dropped all QLink flights for just a JQ flight, I had to be re-routed via BNE to be able to get there. If a JQ T or X seat was available, then I would have got it, but they couldn't create one from Y inventory like they can on QF.

I am sure I read somewhere that JQ award seats are not loaded that far out. I seem to remember something like 3 months, but my grey matter is suffering with age so don't rely on that.

Booking such short domestic routes for awards is not always good value compared with the cash price of the fare. Especially when they hit you up for the surcharges on award tix.

If you want to use an award, why not cosider MEL-BNE on QF. You can then hire a car or us ethe train to get to the coast.