Unlock the best Qantas seats for free with the ‘T-24’ hack
The inside tip for grabbing the best seats on your next domestic Qantas flight.
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Pssst: want to reserve a great economy seat with extra legroom on your next Qantas flight, without paying extra for it? Then you need to know about the secret Qantas T-24 rule.
This is your key to unlocking the entire seat map of the plane – without having to pay a seat selection surcharge or being a VIP-level frequent flyer.
Also called the ‘Qantas seat selection hack’, this strategy used to be known as the Qantas T-80 rule until Qantas cottoned on to the trick and changed the rules last year.
The new Qantas T-24 rule works exactly the same way as the old Qantas T-80 rule: it hinges on Qantas opening up the plane’s seatmap 24 hours before the flight departs (that’s what the ‘T-24’ stands for: 24 hours before takeoff).
Here’s how the Qantas T-24 rule works – and more importantly, how to make it work for you.
What is the Qantas T-24 rule?
When you buy a ticket on a Qantas flight, you can usually pre-select your seat (also called advance seat selection) – but you’ll typically find the seatmap blocks you from choosing many seats for free, and sometimes at all.
Extra legroom seats, for example, carry an additional cost anywhere from $35 to $75 depending on the length of your domestic flight.
This can include seats in the first few rows of economy: for example, row 4 of Qantas’ workhorse Boeing 737 is blessed with plenty of legroom to stretch out.
When you book your flight, some of these seats might be available at an additional cost, or they might be marked with an X and blocked from being chosen, being reserved for Qantas’ Platinum One frequent flyers and Chairman’s Lounge members.
For example, at 80 hours before the flight departs – the old T-80 yardstick – row 4 on the Boeing 737 opens up for paid seat selection.
But at 24 hours before the flight departs, when online checkin becomes available, the entire seatmap is thrown open and every seat becomes available for free – even those extra legroom seats which only the day before carried a hefty surcharge.
You don’t need any lofty Qantas frequent flyer status, you just need to be quick on the trigger!
Here’s a summary of how this affects most passengers, including even Qantas Platinums:
- after booking your flight you may (or may not) be able to see Row 4, for example, but you definitely won’t be able to select a seat in that row
- at T-80, you’ll be able to select a seat in row 4 but you’ll have to pay extra for it
- at T-24, when online checkin opens, you’ll be able to select a seat in row 4 – if there are any seats left – at no charge
Taking advantage of the Qantas T-24 rule
When you first make your booking on a domestic Qantas flight, go ahead and choose your seat as usual.
Pick the best seat you can, depending on your preferences (window or aisle, front or back etc – but note that on the Boeing 737, seat 9A doesn’t have a window).
Then set an alarm for 24 hours before your flight’s departure so that you can change your seat at T-24, in case a better seat at the front of the plane or at the emergency exit row opens up.
In fact, set your alarm for a little before the T-24 window: if your flight departs at 2pm, have your alarm go off at 1.55pm, so that you can be logged onto the Qantas website or app and ready to check in and change your seat.
The best Qantas economy seats for T-24
If you’re on a Boeing 737, row 4 is the winning choice for its extra legroom, otherwise scope out the emergency exit rows 13 and 14.
The ‘row 4’ equivalents on the Qantas A330 are rows 23 and 45, each of which is facing the economy cabin’s bulkhead wall.
On a Qantas 787, which flies a cross-country leg on Qantas’ Sydney-Perth-Paris and Sydney-Perth-Rome services, aim for a seat in row 40 or 46.
Being closer to the front of the cabin when flying in economy will see you enjoying faster or at least earlier service.
You’ll also find the cabin crew take your meal order sooner rather than later, reducing the risk of missing out on your preferred meal.
Being further back – especially on the Boeing 737 – means it will take you longer to get off the plane, which is quite annoying if you’re travelling with just carry-on bags.
And if you’re seated in the rear half of a Qantas Boeing 737, for example, you could have to exit using the stairs straight onto the tarmac (never fun, especially when toting a cabin bag and especially in very hot or very cold, windy and wet weather).
QFF
19 Sep 2013
Total posts 213
Even as a lowly Silver, I have found that I can book a seat two rows closer to the front in Economy that others with only Bronze.
09 May 2020
Total posts 579
Didn’t realised T-80 has changed and don’t recall reading it on ET until this article
Shows how little I have travelled on QF in recent months
Just as well this article was written to point out the new T-24; let the games begin free for all non P and P1 holders
26 Mar 2014
Total posts 1
The removal of the T-80 rule was very disappointing and just another way to put profit over loyal customer experience. I am Platinum and significantly benefited from T-80 but now with T-24, row 4 is usually unavailable as someone (usually a Group 4 or 5 in my anecdotal experience) has paid for it and taken it in the T-80 to T-24 windows. Hence it is usually impossible to secure row 4 these days. I am surprised they did this given the overwhelming concerns of profiteering over customer service which even the new CEO acknowledged was a major concern. This seems an unusual step to take to address this concern. As such, T-24 is largely a redundant opportunity in my personal experience. Nonetheless there is no harm in trying
Singapore Airlines - KrisFlyer
12 Apr 2017
Total posts 208
T - 80 is still alive and kicking, I always use it. T - 24 is just an additional thing to be aware of.
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