Qantas seat allocation: how can a Bronze frequent flyer select 'blacked out' seats?

Hi all, just a question about qantas seat allocation- I'm a bronze ff and always find the best seats on flights are already 'blacked out' does anyone know if or when these seats become available to select? I'm heading to Hong Kong business in march and would like to pre select the best seats I can. Thanks!

Available seats are visible according to your Frequent Flyer status. If you are a Platinum you will see all the available seats but if you are Bronze then you will only see the seats that are usually towards the back of the plane. 

I think all available seats will become available for you to see within a few days of your flight. It would be worth checking regularly to see what comes up but at the moment you will only see a limited availability.

Paxs (and business ones especially) pretty savvy those days - if you book business with QF then you can select your seat for free. It applies to all other passengers and everyone like to have better seat, so all of them been selected. I do not feel (though cannot proof) that QF "black out" best seats - when I book in advance almost all seats available. Get the best what you can and periodically check if anything better came along - and especially so close to departure day.

Personally I hate system because I MUST reserve seats if I like to fly with someone and seat together – chances that you can score 2 seats adjoined at check-in is close to zero nowadays.

Best of Luck

Thanks, I think I read once on here somewhere that some time before the flight ( possibly 7 days) all seats not taken by higher tiered ff become available.. Guess I will hold out. Cheers

When I was a QC member with Qantas, a little tip I picked up which seemed to (almost) always work, was that the majority of the plane would open up for selection to lower tier flyers around 3 1/2 days before the flight time. For example, a friday evening flight would open up around lunchtime on tuesday. It worked like clockwork on nearly every Qantas flight I took (domestic and international)

Key platinum seats would remain closed, but often the exit rows or seats further up the plane would become available, that were previously blocked out. Sometimes the front row could become available - this was only ever on 'quiet' services when there weren't many plats/golds I guess...

Rach24, do a seat search request on Expertflyer (for free!). An email will be sent to inform you when requested seats have been un-blocked. Usually happens within a week of your departure day.

Thanks to u both great tips, and I'm on the site now setting up an alert..

All seats open up to all T - 80 hours.

Sorry except seats such as front or exit rows.