QF108 pax stranded at LAX for 24 hours with no hotel

[markis10]

Adam Froese @froesey1

@QantasAirways you really dropped the ball on this flight. Stuck in LA for over 24hrs, no hotel, and now I miss my day off in Sydney #QF108

QANTAS has apologised to passengers left stranded at Los Angeles airport overnight after a plane cooling system malfunction.

The apology comes after frustrated passengers were left to try to get some sleep on the floor of the airport as the airline raced to try to fix the problem.
The plane was expected to eventually take off 23 hours later than its scheduled departure.
The flight, QF108, bound for Sydney, was scheduled to take off at 11.50pm local time, but a technical issue with the aircraft’s on-board cooling system prevented the flight departing.


Qantas apologises to passengers stranded at Los Angeles Airport as cooling system malfunctions | News.com.au

 

[TomVexille]

Sounds worse than UA

 

[Denali]

Im wondering what was the exact timeline because if I knew the flight was cancelled until tomorrow, damned if I was going to lie on the ground for 10hrs. Yes I would expect them to provide hotels but if that didn't happen, I would have spent $150 down the road at a hotel over spending the night on the floor.

 

[Inver]

I would've gone straight to a hotel as soon as the lengthy delays were announced, grabbed any staff contact numbers. I wouldn't want to sleep on the airport floor with my family.
These things happen.

 

[Inver]

You beat me to it Denali

 

[janelarm]

I wonder if the First and Business class passengers slept on the floor as well?

 

[Inver]

I wonder if the First and Business class passengers slept on the floor as well?

This is why I value lounge access so highly when things go wrong I want a comfortable seat in a nice lounge. The food and drinks are a distant second if there are no delays.

 

[dajop]

Stuff happens. Reading beyond the rather dramatic headlines it seems pax were eventually provided hotel rooms. Wouldn't particularly want it to happen to me, but if it did I'd deal with it. When all of a sudden did people complaining on twitter become news? Lazy way to fill news websites.

 

[MelUser]

I can't imagine business class passengers (no First on 108) being left there.

My guess it is status less passengers in economy class.

I was recently on a VA plane from Darwin that was delayed 24 hours.

Business class passengers were offered rooms at the airport hotel. The others were bused away!

 

[Denali]

the entire flight slept on the floor
Stuck in LA for over 24hrs, no hotel
Slept on the floor for more than 10hours got a bad cough now am in pain and all you do is say Sorry?

^^
I don't understand why someone would leave themselves in this situation. Are they so bottle feed that they are too stupid to phone a shuttle and get to a nearby hotel?

Ugggh. I cant stand cheap cough people that take a holiday that costs thousands and then are too damned cheap to cough up $100 in an emergency. YES it would have been nice for QF to sort it out for them ASAP but sometimes you have to say screw it and figure it out for yourself to get some rest and a shower.

 

[dajop]

tUgggh. I cant stand cheap cough people that take a holiday that costs thousands and then are too damned cheap to cough up $100 in an emergency. YES it would have been nice for QF to sort it out for them ASAP but sometimes you have to say screw it and figure it out for yourself to get some rest and a shower.

It is amusing that people go online and post to twitter, but don't go online to look for accommodation. But to be fair, the situation may not have been clear, as is always the case with rolling delays, and people may be worried about missing the flight when it eventually departed.

 

[Himeno]

I've slept at TBIT before with an overnight connection. Have also done so at SIN and was prepared to do so at JFK (until weather related delays caused overnight connection to go away) and DXB (before QF got me a hotel after a BA > QF misconnect. Would have been quite happy to spend all day in the EK F lounge).

Though QF could have done more. Like opened up the lounge overnight or had LAX bring out their cots.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

the entire flight slept on the floor
Stuck in LA for over 24hrs, no hotel
Slept on the floor for more than 10hours got a bad cough now am in pain and all you do is say Sorry?

^^
I don't understand why someone would leave themselves in this situation. Are they so bottle feed that they are too stupid to phone a shuttle and get to a nearby hotel?

Ugggh. I cant stand cheap cough people that take a holiday that costs thousands and then are too damned cheap to cough up $100 in an emergency. YES it would have been nice for QF to sort it out for them ASAP but sometimes you have to say screw it and figure it out for yourself to get some rest and a shower.

Would have been covered by travel insurance. So theoretically all pax could have got their own hotel and had all their meals covered. The only issue is the timing of the announcements... if there was no clear block of time for people to go to a hotel that is an issue.

 

[dajop]

Would have been covered by travel insurance.

May have been covered by TI. Some policies have exclusions relating to "fault of the airline", including mechanical fault. Some TI companies would attempt to wriggle out of this one for sure.

 

[TomVexille]

It is amusing that people go online and post to twitter, but don't go online to look for accommodation. But to be fair, the situation may not have been clear, as is always the case with rolling delays, and people may be worried about missing the flight when it eventually departed.

Little bit different when you're young, travelling on a tight budget, still in a queue waiting for an answer from the airline, airline is advising people to book their own hotel and that the airline will reimburse $60 (okay this is a different scenario). So it's not always that easy.

 

[VHOEJ]

I like it how people think posting to Twitter will suddenly get a better outcome............the airline knows about the problem, it knows everyone is unhappy but posting to social media doesn't change the outcome

 

[markis10]

I like it how people think posting to Twitter will suddenly get a better outcome............the airline knows about the problem, it knows everyone is unhappy but posting to social media doesn't change the outcome

I beg to differ, and so does Olivia Wirth in her recent speech how social media is driving Qantas. It's possible for instance that getting more resources allocated is a likely outcome in such a scenario. It also exposes companies to outcomes they may wish to avoid by hiding things in other circumstances, ie a more open and equitable company experience through empowering customers.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I like it how people think posting to Twitter will suddenly get a better outcome............the airline knows about the problem, it knows everyone is unhappy but posting to social media doesn't change the outcome

I think twitter does have an impact - because an airline may suddenly decide bad publicity is not worth it and might double their efforts to make things better.

JQ's first cancelled flight out of HNL ended with lots of media coverage. The next cancelled flight (a couple weeks later?) resulted in compensation, hotels, meals, phone cards... all within an hour of arriving at the airport.

 

[dajop]

I think twitter does have an impact - because an airline may suddenly decide bad publicity is not worth it and might double their efforts to make things better.

A modern manifestation of the saying "the squeaky wheel gets the oil".

I do wonder though, whether the bad publicity from tweets really affect brands that much any more, unless it something really serious, its sort of expected isn't it? Oh yeh, more people whinging about company XYZ on twitter .....

I suspect there are plenty of other things QF has done (or not done) that have "enhanced" the value of the QF brand more than this.

 

[VHOEJ]

Any airline should offer the best outcome they can to avoid passengers going to social media to complain..............

If there were indeed no hotel rooms, you can't blame the airline for that.