The new Qantas Frequent Flyer program is really just smoke and mirrors, yes they did make changes and yes its now easier to get seats, and yes its more expensive, fact very very expensive! Business travellers that have buckets of points those on Gold and Platinum status are still left standing what do I do with a million points do I burn them all for myself and leave the family back home these holidays! Paul Sheenan has written a great article this week on the changes to the program read the story Qantas burns a precious resource – Paul Sheehan – Opinion – smh.com.au.
Paul Sheenan highlights – “Had I been wanting to go somewhere else, say San Francisco, on October 15, a round-trip economy class seat was available for 96,000 points, plus $447 in taxes and surcharges, under the existing “classic” scheme. Ditto New York for 128,000 points and $452. Business class? Nothing – unless I used Any Seat Awards, when business class seats suddenly became available for 1,466,421 points, or 750 per cent more than under the “classic” system”
So at the end of day it looks like the only person that gets to use his points will be the high earning, lots of flying single types. I guess thats what the TV advertisment that Qantas are running is pitched at, not the Families and grey men and women that I see on Qantas.
