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There has been a rumour circulating among some of the various frequent flyer forums, that Qantas is going to be making changes to the Any Seat Awards. It was supposed to happen back in April, then May and now it seems a change could happen as soon as tomorrow. And in typical Qantas form, the change isn’t looking good for flyers.
For those that haven’t booked many award flights in the past, let me explain what they are. Any Seat Awards (ASA) allow you to use points to book a seat on any flight, but depending what is available, the point cost will go up. They flip side on using this type of award is that it is treated as a paid ticket, so you actually earn points and status credits. This is handy for people wanting to earn status on the airline. So while it may not be something that everyone every time they book, it can be very handy for people to earn
So what will change? With an ASA you can book in any of the fare “buckets” including those in the Classic awards. Which means for around the same point and dollar cost, you will earn credits to count towards your overall status. From tomorrow, apparently you won’t be able to do this online but will need to call up, incur a cost for the phone assisted booking and obviously waste time sitting on the phone. It seems to be very backward thinking from Qantas. Now I am not sure what is the reason behind the change, but it seems at the moment the only one to benefit is Qantas.
So what can you do to avoid missing out? If you were thinking about that trip, then book it before midnight tonight! If you booked a Business ASA, or JASA, these are refundable. You can always post your feelings about the changes on the Qantas facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Qantas or tweet them @qantasairways.
Let’s hope that the changes tomorrow are not as bad as I am fearing.
There is a discussion here with other members: http://www.thefrequentflyer.com.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=68
Note: As I was writing this I’ve heard there will be some announcement later this afternoon, so I will update you as soon as I can!
