Dear Qantas,
RE: Late chauffeur pickup LHR; 18hr DXB delay; lost luggage; bungled hotel reservation; NO chauffeur pickup BNE
I write this email in great disappointment after my recent debacle of travel experience from LHR to BNE. (In truth, I'm not even quite there yet, 50ish hours later, as I'm writing this from Melbourne.)
I love Qantas and am constantly spruiking its virtues to my colleagues and friends overseas, however, my experience this week has lowered the airline in my estimation. As my work travel and budget has increased I've actively gone out of my way to fly Qantas (even when it takes slightly longer or is more expensive) and this year have chased status. This debacle of a trip will tick me over to Gold and I'll reach Platinum by April. I am now wondering whether this status chasing was worth it at all.
I arrived at Heathrow excited to sample the A380 first class after securing a points upgrade. The experience was soured slightly from the very beginning when the car booked through "Chauffeur Drive" was half an hour late. A quick wave from the driver from his car parked 200 metres up the road meant that I had to schlep my three heavy bags to the car without any offer of assistance from the driver.
The LHR experience was good as was the flight, QF2 to Dubai, despite a late takeoff. It soon transpired that we'd be arriving in Dubai about 2 hours behind schedule that would make my connection on Emirates 434 almost impossible to make. I notified cabin crew who informed me groundstaff would be on hand to help me at Dubai.
Expecting someone to help me get to the gate quickly in Dubai, I talked to the Qantas agent at the door of the plane upon disembarkation only to be told "go to the connections desk." I explained the tightness of my connection only for him to reiterate the point. Here started the comedy of errors that led to me spending 18 hours in Dubai, my flight rebooked twice, my luggage lost (still not located), and a bungled hotel reservation for my unexpected overnight stay in Melbourne.
In Dubai, after no offer of assistance from Qantas groundstaff and having missed my onward connection I decided the best plan of attack was to try to rebook at the Emirates Business Lounge. Again, I was given the run around after trying to get onto the QF2 flight from which I had just disembarked. I was told by the Emirates agent on the phone to a Qantas representative that I could do this because there were no connections from Brisbane to Sydney. No connections from SYD to BNE?!? Come on, Qantas! These flights leave every hour, daily. Finally I was rebooked on the same EK434 to BNE leaving the next day and was directed down to arrivals for the desk to organise hotel and transfers. Upon navigating the maze-like DXB I found my way via train to arrivals only to be told that Qantas would not be providing a hotel. I then, quite irately, spoke on the phone to Ros, the Qantas manager in DXB, who informed me that EK staff had erroneously booked me on the EK434 and that there was a better flight I could get, QF10 to MEL leaving very early the next morning.
At Ros's direction, I preceded back upstairs to departures where she rebooked my flight on QF10 and then to Brisbane. She was very professional, warm and efficient in the face of many delays. She also told me she'd book my hotel for the overnight in Melbourne. I suppose it's at this point that my luggage was really lost after a delay and multiple rebooking and reroutings.
Thus began my 18 hours sojourn in Dubai. I tried multiple times to get in touch with the Qantas agents to confirm my hotel reservation and to make sure my baggage would be OK but received no response other than to check in Melbourne.
QF10 to Melbourne was a good experience, with pleasant and professional staff. However, upon landing my fears were realised when my bags failed to materialise. After filing a report with baggage staff I was directed upstairs to the sales desk for them to organise my hotel (it had not been organised in DXB as was promised.) After waiting 30 mins QF ground staff assured me my stay at the Park Royal, Melbourne had been organised. Imagine my irritation when, upon checkin at the Park Royal, I was told they had no record of this booking and to wait while they contacted Qantas. Another delay ensued until finally I was allowed into a room.
When I arrived in Brisbane, and true to form, there was no chauffeur waiting for me. After another wait I was met by C.S.S Steve Harte and Duty Manager Lyle Taylor at BNE who informed me that they would be an even longer wait for a chauffer and instead offered me cab charge vouchers as a substitute. I then took the opportunity to recount to them both the comedy of errors that characterised my QF First/Business experience. They were understanding and apologetic and encouraged me to file a complaint.
I have to reiterate, I love Qantas and have tried to be loyal. The in-flight service is really exceptional however the ground experience is far from seamless. I certainly did not expect to spend my New Year's Eve languishing in Dubai airport, nor my birthday (today) travelling. A 24 hour journey more than doubled, I lost my luggage and nothing went smoothly. While agents are friendly, very little has gone smoothly on this journey, a journey I was looking forward to that has been soured.
I would appreciate that Qantas addressed this issue quickly as well as making greater efforts to find my luggage which contains many important and some irreplaceable items.
In disappointment,
DLam
RE: Late chauffeur pickup LHR; 18hr DXB delay; lost luggage; bungled hotel reservation; NO chauffeur pickup BNE
I write this email in great disappointment after my recent debacle of travel experience from LHR to BNE. (In truth, I'm not even quite there yet, 50ish hours later, as I'm writing this from Melbourne.)
I love Qantas and am constantly spruiking its virtues to my colleagues and friends overseas, however, my experience this week has lowered the airline in my estimation. As my work travel and budget has increased I've actively gone out of my way to fly Qantas (even when it takes slightly longer or is more expensive) and this year have chased status. This debacle of a trip will tick me over to Gold and I'll reach Platinum by April. I am now wondering whether this status chasing was worth it at all.
I arrived at Heathrow excited to sample the A380 first class after securing a points upgrade. The experience was soured slightly from the very beginning when the car booked through "Chauffeur Drive" was half an hour late. A quick wave from the driver from his car parked 200 metres up the road meant that I had to schlep my three heavy bags to the car without any offer of assistance from the driver.
The LHR experience was good as was the flight, QF2 to Dubai, despite a late takeoff. It soon transpired that we'd be arriving in Dubai about 2 hours behind schedule that would make my connection on Emirates 434 almost impossible to make. I notified cabin crew who informed me groundstaff would be on hand to help me at Dubai.
Expecting someone to help me get to the gate quickly in Dubai, I talked to the Qantas agent at the door of the plane upon disembarkation only to be told "go to the connections desk." I explained the tightness of my connection only for him to reiterate the point. Here started the comedy of errors that led to me spending 18 hours in Dubai, my flight rebooked twice, my luggage lost (still not located), and a bungled hotel reservation for my unexpected overnight stay in Melbourne.
In Dubai, after no offer of assistance from Qantas groundstaff and having missed my onward connection I decided the best plan of attack was to try to rebook at the Emirates Business Lounge. Again, I was given the run around after trying to get onto the QF2 flight from which I had just disembarked. I was told by the Emirates agent on the phone to a Qantas representative that I could do this because there were no connections from Brisbane to Sydney. No connections from SYD to BNE?!? Come on, Qantas! These flights leave every hour, daily. Finally I was rebooked on the same EK434 to BNE leaving the next day and was directed down to arrivals for the desk to organise hotel and transfers. Upon navigating the maze-like DXB I found my way via train to arrivals only to be told that Qantas would not be providing a hotel. I then, quite irately, spoke on the phone to Ros, the Qantas manager in DXB, who informed me that EK staff had erroneously booked me on the EK434 and that there was a better flight I could get, QF10 to MEL leaving very early the next morning.
At Ros's direction, I preceded back upstairs to departures where she rebooked my flight on QF10 and then to Brisbane. She was very professional, warm and efficient in the face of many delays. She also told me she'd book my hotel for the overnight in Melbourne. I suppose it's at this point that my luggage was really lost after a delay and multiple rebooking and reroutings.
Thus began my 18 hours sojourn in Dubai. I tried multiple times to get in touch with the Qantas agents to confirm my hotel reservation and to make sure my baggage would be OK but received no response other than to check in Melbourne.
QF10 to Melbourne was a good experience, with pleasant and professional staff. However, upon landing my fears were realised when my bags failed to materialise. After filing a report with baggage staff I was directed upstairs to the sales desk for them to organise my hotel (it had not been organised in DXB as was promised.) After waiting 30 mins QF ground staff assured me my stay at the Park Royal, Melbourne had been organised. Imagine my irritation when, upon checkin at the Park Royal, I was told they had no record of this booking and to wait while they contacted Qantas. Another delay ensued until finally I was allowed into a room.
When I arrived in Brisbane, and true to form, there was no chauffeur waiting for me. After another wait I was met by C.S.S Steve Harte and Duty Manager Lyle Taylor at BNE who informed me that they would be an even longer wait for a chauffer and instead offered me cab charge vouchers as a substitute. I then took the opportunity to recount to them both the comedy of errors that characterised my QF First/Business experience. They were understanding and apologetic and encouraged me to file a complaint.
I have to reiterate, I love Qantas and have tried to be loyal. The in-flight service is really exceptional however the ground experience is far from seamless. I certainly did not expect to spend my New Year's Eve languishing in Dubai airport, nor my birthday (today) travelling. A 24 hour journey more than doubled, I lost my luggage and nothing went smoothly. While agents are friendly, very little has gone smoothly on this journey, a journey I was looking forward to that has been soured.
I would appreciate that Qantas addressed this issue quickly as well as making greater efforts to find my luggage which contains many important and some irreplaceable items.
In disappointment,
DLam