Pulled off Flight and still 15min to go:(

[stickshaker]

Yesterday I was on the 6.30pm flight from MELB to SYD, and we were sitting in the lounge looking directly at Gate 2 were our plane was going to depart from. There were workers doing their thing around the plane and we decided to leave and make our way around to the gate. We arrived at 6.15 only to be told that we were pulled from the flight???
I said " the plane is still there " he automatically said go back to the lounge and see the service desk.

They then put us on the 7pm flight and charged us $120 each.

It then gets delayed till 7.20( that happens) but when I see people being let onto the plane at 7.17 and we got pulled off the flight for being their 15min earlier then the scheduled time?I wonder where the consistency is. This made me furious.

I think I will start just comparing prices and go with the cheapest available as being a platinum member obviously doesn't count for much.

Also I don't know how clear the picture is but on the departure board at 6.36 our flight was still saying "closing" and flights at 6.45 already had the "Flight Closed" status. I would like someone explain that to me.

Regards

Steve

 

[Princess Fiona]

Had the flight been called for boarding by the Lounge staff when you left?

 

[yohy?!]

What was the boarding time on your boarding pass, was the flight not called in the lounge?

Offloading people at T-15min seems a little harsh I had thought that 10mins prior was more common.

That being said I think when travelling on domestic flights its important to board early in case there is no baggage space...

 

[eastwest101]

First of all - and I am not defending VA here but we have had numerous threads about Flight Information Displays in airports being works of fiction, with times, gates and status often completely innaccurate or misleading to the actual situation on the ground. So your idea of keeping an eye on the gate has merits providing that there are no last minute aircraft and gate changes!

It also seems that you cannot rely on Virgin Lounge staff to call all flights, there was also a similar thread a while ago, if you were not personally paged in the Lounge or at the Gate then it follows that they closed the flight, or had some reason to close the flight and not make such a big effort to find you! There does not seem to be much consistency in what and who are called and when. I assume you were hand luggage only? As other have pointed out - let us know what the boarding pass said as far as boarding times go - another good reason to keep boarding passes.

So you didn't see the flight boarding? Wonder if it was it full/empty? Left on time or early or late? Staff at counters at the gate?

Oh and welcome - hope you stick around - lots of good advice and tips to be found here.

Good idea to take a photo of the Flight Info display, a timestamped photo may hold you in good stead if you want to appeal/contest of argue the point further.



EDIT: Just found FlightRadar24 Stats for VA379 for yesterdays VA879:

STD ATD STA

2014-10-27

Melbourne (MEL)

Sydney (SYD)

B738 (VH-VOX)

18:30 PM AEDT

18:43 PM

19:55 PM AEDT

Landed 19:46 PM

If I read this correct is STD=planned departure time, ATD = actual departure time STA = Planned Arrival Time






Or are these stats works of fiction as well?

 

[dajop]

Why don't they have strict rules for cutoff? At Changi, on SQ (admittedly international flights) the cutoff is very strict 10mins - strict both ways. The other day I was reaching gate at t-13 and they were looking for me, as it turned out the flight was very lightly loaded - but the point they didn't just close the flight early, which they could have as I was HLO. When you have rules (be they 10, 15 or 20 minutes before scheduled departure) then nobody but the passenger can be blamed.

 

[stickshaker]

Had the flight been called for boarding by the Lounge staff when you left?

After I paid to go onto a later flight I went and asked the staff and they said they did it at 6.11. There was 2 of there and never did we hear the flight or our names being called.
Maybe we are both deaf or something I don't know..

I do always hear numerous pages for people " please make your way to the gate"
" "NAME" Your flight is in the last stages of boarding"
" Can "NAME" please make themselves known to a staff member"

Etc Etc Etc

Maybe I did miss all these

 

[stickshaker]

Totally Agree

 

[Aussie_flyer]

This seems rather harsh and I think you should be refunded your $120. Perhaps you should tweet about it / facebook complain

 

[yohy?!]

This seems rather harsh and I think you should be refunded your $120. Perhaps you should tweet about it / facebook complain

Agree with this, I wouldn't have paid - the least they could have done was page you in the lounge. Just not good enough.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Agree with this, I wouldn't have paid - the least they could have done was page you in the lounge. Just not good enough.

+3 to the above. I've had variable experiences with the MEL lounge boarding calls, including once where the only boarding call was a personal page for Shrek and I as the flight was closing (Board was blank beside our flight number). I don't rely on them to call my flights, the boards are frequently inaccurate and I now leave and go to the gate 20 minutes before departure.

 

[serfty]

Interesting part of the CoC's illustrated below. I don't agree with this, but it's there: (Travel Essentials | Virgin Australia)

Boarding Your Flight
Your boarding pass will display the time that you need to be at the boarding gate. It is important to us and our guests that our flights depart on time. Our aircraft will not be held at the boarding gate for late guests.

Also, here: (Conditions of Carriage | Virgin Australia)

(c) Arriving at the boarding gate. You must complete all departure formalities (such as clearing Immigration) in time to arrive at the boarding gate no later than the time specified to you at check-in and displayed on the flight information displays at the airport.

The CoC entry becomes clouded as the MEL FiD's (as per the picture) don't show boarding time.

Finally: (Virgin Australia Lounge Rules | Virgin Australia)

7.	While lounge staff announce Virgin Australia boarding calls, I am responsible for arriving at the boarding gate no later than 15 minutes prior to the departure of my flight.

 

[juddles]

sorry stickshaker, but I think that pax who believe they can waltz down to the gate 15 min before departure and be assured travel, are not being fair. You state you are platinum, so you must have flown a bit. Surely you have learnt to not trust boarding calls and screens only?

Do you think it would be ok if all the pax decided to just arrive at the departure gate 15 min before published take-off time??

 

[williamsf1]

First of all - and I am not defending VA here but we have had numerous threads about Flight Information Displays in airports being works of fiction, with times, gates and status often completely innaccurate or misleading to the actual situation on the ground. So your idea of keeping an eye on the gate has merits providing that there are no last minute aircraft and gate changes!

It also seems that you cannot rely on Virgin Lounge staff to call all flights, there was also a similar thread a while ago, if you were not personally paged in the Lounge or at the Gate then it follows that they closed the flight, or had some reason to close the flight and not make such a big effort to find you! There does not seem to be much consistency in what and who are called and when. I assume you were hand luggage only? As other have pointed out - let us know what the boarding pass said as far as boarding times go - another good reason to keep boarding passes.

So you didn't see the flight boarding? Wonder if it was it full/empty? Left on time or early or late? Staff at counters at the gate?

Oh and welcome - hope you stick around - lots of good advice and tips to be found here.

Good idea to take a photo of the Flight Info display, a timestamped photo may hold you in good stead if you want to appeal/contest of argue the point further.



EDIT: Just found FlightRadar24 Stats for VA379 for yesterdays VA879:

STD ATD STA

2014-10-27

Melbourne (MEL)

Sydney (SYD)

B738 (VH-VOX)

18:30 PM AEDT

18:43 PM

19:55 PM AEDT

Landed 19:46 PM

If I read this correct is STD=planned departure time, ATD = actual departure time STA = Planned Arrival Time


View attachment 36692



Or are these stats works of fiction as well?

Does anyone know what data flight radar uses? It appears that is take off time rather than doors closed time

for example the From the VA site shows below

Departing	Terminal	Gate	Scheduled departure time	Updated departure time
Melbourne (Tullamarine) (MEL)	3	2	18:30pm Monday, 27 October 14 (local time)	18:29pm Monday, 27 October 14 (local time)

 

[DC3]

...... I now leave and go to the gate 20 minutes before departure.

Similarly here. In fact I "Go To Gate" 30 minutes prior to departure, regardless.

 

[Ewing]

and I now leave and go to the gate 20 minutes before departure.

After missing a flight due to inaccurate boards in the lounge I now do the same thing and I quite like boarding early, putting my stuff away and getting settled in with whatever book I'm reading on my Kindle.

Although the one time I was paged and threatened with offloading in the lounge 30 mins prior to departure (not VA - the other airline) I just laughed at the lounge dragon and walked to the gate at my own pace. Turns out they had basically an empty flight and wanted to get away early - that's all well and good but there's no need for asshattery

 

[serfty]

Does anyone know what data flight radar uses? It appears that is take off time rather than doors closed time
...

Flightstats often shows more information.

It looks like it left the gate a minute early (although VA did change it a few times). ((VA) Virgin Australia 879 Flight Event Timeline)

	Time
.Date.	UTC	MEL	SYD	Source	Event	Data Updated
24 Oct	23:54	10:54 AM	10:54 AM	Schedules	RecordCreated
27 Oct	05:13	4:13 PM	4:13 PM	Airline	Time Adjustment	Estimated Gate Departure Changed To 10/27/14 06:30 PM
27 Oct	06:37	5:37 PM	5:37 PM	Airline	Time Adjustment	Estimated Gate Arrival Changed To 10/27/14 07:42 PM
27 Oct	07:49	6:49 PM	6:49 PM	Airline	STATUS-Active	Status Changed From Scheduled To Active Actual Gate Departure Changed To 10/27/14 06:30 PM Estimated Gate Arrival Changed From 10/27/14 07:42 PM To 10/27/14 07:55 PM
27 Oct	08:06	7:06 PM	7:06 PM	Airline	Time Adjustment	Actual Gate Departure Changed From 10/27/14 06:30 PM To 10/27/14 06:29 PM Actual Runway Departure Changed To 10/27/14 06:43 PM Estimated Gate Arrival Changed From 10/27/14 07:55 PM To 10/27/14 07:50 PM
27 Oct	08:49	7:49 PM	7:49 PM	Airline	STATUS-Landed	Status Changed From Active To Landed Actual Gate Arrival Changed To 10/27/14 07:50 PM Actual Runway Arrival Changed To 10/27/14 07:44 PM
27 Oct	17:52	4:52 AM	4:52 AM	Airline	Time Adjustment	Actual Gate Departure Changed From 10/27/14 06:29 PM To 10/27/14 06:30 PM Estimated Gate Arrival Changed From 10/27/14 07:50 PM To 10/27/14 07:55 PM
27 Oct	17:53	4:53 AM	4:53 AM	Airline	Time Adjustment	Actual Gate Departure Changed From 10/27/14 06:30 PM To 10/27/14 06:29 PM Estimated Gate Arrival Changed From 10/27/14 07:55 PM To 10/27/14 07:50 PM

 

[williamsf1]

sorry stickshaker, but I think that pax who believe they can waltz down to the gate 15 min before departure and be assured travel, are not being fair. You state you are platinum, so you must have flown a bit. Surely you have learnt to not trust boarding calls and screens only?

Do you think it would be ok if all the pax decided to just arrive at the departure gate 15 min before published take-off time??

Being a 1830 departure from MEL , one would expect to have a higher amount of status members on that flight than a normal time and as such in the lounge etc. Were there other passengers caught out ? or was it just the OP with the issue ?

 

[eastwest101]

Flightstats often shows more information.

It looks like it left the gate a minute early (although VA did change it a few times). ((VA) Virgin Australia 879 Flight Event Timeline)

Thanks for that serfty - as you and other mention the FlightRadar24 is more likely take-off times and not door close times. Flightstats is definately more detailed - I knew someone on here would find better info than me. I guess there are all sorts of explanations as to why Actual Gate Departure Times would be modified or edited, whether its "gaming" to get ontime performance KPI's stats looking nice or possibly other ATC reasons who knows?

As other members mention - if you are flying VA and are entitled to PB (by status or class of service) then getting there a little early is not such a huge problem as VA seem to still do Priority Boarding properly and you can get on board.

So according to the OP they were refused boarding at 6:15pm and we have Flightstats showing it left at 6:29pm, and in the original post we have a photo of the FIDS display taken at 6:36pm with the flight showing 'Closing' but not 'Departed'. So maybe - yes the FIDS is wrong.

I guess another way of thinking about it would be - if you like and value your Lounge time - probably best to check luggage in? As then more genuine attempts would be made to locate you, if the flight is leaving early or if you are boarding late?

 

[Velocity Frequent Flyer]

Hi Steve, could you please PM me with your booking reference so that we can investigate this for you with the relevant teams?

Yesterday I was on the 6.30pm flight from MELB to SYD, and we were sitting in the lounge looking directly at Gate 2 were our plane was going to depart from. There were workers doing their thing around the plane and we decided to leave and make our way around to the gate. We arrived at 6.15 only to be told that we were pulled from the flight???
I said " the plane is still there " he automatically said go back to the lounge and see the service desk.

They then put us on the 7pm flight and charged us $120 each.

It then gets delayed till 7.20( that happens) but when I see people being let onto the plane at 7.17 and we got pulled off the flight for being their 15min earlier then the scheduled time?I wonder where the consistency is. This made me furious.

I think I will start just comparing prices and go with the cheapest available as being a platinum member obviously doesn't count for much.

Also I don't know how clear the picture is but on the departure board at 6.36 our flight was still saying "closing" and flights at 6.45 already had the "Flight Closed" status. I would like someone explain that to me.

Regards

Steve

 

[BAM1748]

Perhaps they only call names when they have check luggage, easier to actually make an announcement than pull the bags.

But with 15 mins I would still expect to be able to board, even on Virgin. Consider my expectations downgraded for Virgin.

Matt