Qantas introduces automatic ticket revalidation enhancement for agents

Qantas has announced a new enhancement that will automatically revalidate a customer’s ticket if a schedule change occurs to the timing of a flight.

The enhancement is designed to minimise the time taken for travel agents to service a booking impacted by a schedule change (an involuntary change to a Qantas flight outside 72 hours before take-off) and deliver a more seamless experience for customers prior to departure, according to the airline.

Until now, Qantas’ automatic ticket revalidation process would only apply if a customer’s itinerary was impacted by a schedule change that resulted in a QF flight number change.

This new enhancement now extends to a schedule change affecting the timing of a Qantas flight, saving agents time when servicing a booking and preventing any mishandling by either a customer or a Qantas representative at airport check-in.

How does automatic ticket revalidation work?

Immediately after a schedule change has occurred, agents will recognise the schedule change by receiving a UN/TK or TK status notification in their GDS or tech partner queues. They are then required to advise their customer of the schedule change.

The customer’s ticket is then automatically revalidated to either reflect the new timing of the Qantas flight and/or change to the QF flight number.

Automatic ticket revalidation also applies to Qantas Distribution Platform bookings made through an agent’s GDS or technology partner where a scheduled change has occurred.

Massive release of reward seats for frequent flyers

To celebrate the reopening of Australia’s borders next month, Qantas has made the largest single release of additional Classic Flight Reward seats in the airline’s history across its international and domestic network.

The additional seats have been released to make it easier for frequent flyers to book a holiday in 2022 to popular destinations like London, Los Angeles, Fiji, Byron Bay and Cairns.

Qantas Frequent Flyers will have access to up to 50 per cent more reward seat availability on Qantas international, trans-Tasman and popular domestic routes until the end of 2022.

Frequent flyers can use their points to book one of millions of reward seats across Qantas, Jetstar and more than 45 international partner airlines including Emirates and American Airlines.

Qantas is also getting set to launch more Points Planes – where every seat in every cabin on a flight is available to book as a reward seat – as more states and territories ease domestic and international travel restrictions.

Featured image source: iStock/TkKurikawa