Monumental Stuff up by Qantas

[drron]

Of course there is always more than one side to every story but quite often each side doesn't know the others position.
Like you JohnM I scanned the contributions.I may be wrong but it doesn't seem like the OP is a very well informed frequent flyer so I still give them the benefit of doubt.

 

[Deleted member]

I find it difficult to understand how someone can make a booking but then don't check that they receive a ticket or "don't have the time to check ticketing". Then turn up and to there surprise have no seat. Would you apply the same principle to say booking an Opera, Theatre show, football, V8s tickets etc then turn up and alas get asked for your ticket. (Yes I do know that there are events that you are told to pick the ticket up O/A with your confirmation email that proves you made the booking in the first place)

I think that once upon a time, you were handed a little booklet which was your ticket, the number of pages usually (as I recall) correlated to the number of sectors you were flying. When e-tickets became the norm, there was for us ( and I suspect many others) a period where we weren’t really where we needed to be with the process of ensuring we had done everything properly.

 

[JohnK]

How about 4 types

Those who know they know
Those who know they don't know
Those who don't know they know
Those who don;t know they don't know

How about those who aren't sure?

Qantas sending an email on 04 Jan 18 about a time change to the booking is a stupid glitch. That to most people would be confirmation the booking exists and is valid.

As mentioned by someone else I can go into my bookings and choose seats before I receive the e-ticket. Once I've done that I may not go back into the booking again thinking that all is ok.

 

[OATEK]

Well if this thread does nothing else, it has thrown up a lot pointers for the less savvy traveler to reference.

 

[get me outta here]

What a nightmare. I really feel for you... the all important eticket number that can be overlooked by an unseasoned traveller.

 

[Toad]

How about those who aren't sure?

Qantas sending an email on 04 Jan 18 about a time change to the booking is a stupid glitch. That to most people would be confirmation the booking exists and is valid.

As mentioned by someone else I can go into my bookings and choose seats before I receive the e-ticket. Once I've done that I may not go back into the booking again thinking that all is ok.

My 4 examples was a reply to BD1959 on previous page of 'any advance of three types of people' . As was the next reply of there are 10 types of people. However I am sure we could fit a 'those who aren't sure' in there somewhere.

 

[I love to travel]

Just as an aside flight centre were refusing to give someone an eticket printout saying that they didn't need it. Needless to say I insisited that the person keep pushing the issue and eventually they got it. That person won't be going back there!!

 

[serfty]

Just as an aside flight centre were refusing to give someone an eticket printout saying that they didn't need it. Needless to say I insisited that the person keep pushing the issue and eventually they got it. That person won't be going back there!!

Quite often TA's do not have to ticket (as in pay) for a booking until a short time before travel. That way they can hang on to the Passengers $$$ until the last minute. In these cases, no e-ticket would be available until just before the travel.

 

[travelislife]

Quite often TA's do not have to ticket (as in pay) for a booking until a short time before travel. That way they can hang on to the Passengers $$$ until the last minute. In these cases, no e-ticket would be available until just before the travel.

But passenger would rightfully assume they are all confirmed. Will have seats selected, etc.

I have had a friend where she booked through a big name TA that still exists. Anyway individual agent ticketed first leg, she flys out overseas. Goes to check in for return....

Return leg was never ticketed and the agent pocketed the money and was long gone from the agency.

 

[love_the_life]

Just as an aside flight centre were refusing to give someone an eticket printout saying that they didn't need it. Needless to say I insisited that the person keep pushing the issue and eventually they got it. That person won't be going back there!!

And I have had to email and request eTickets when flight booked through Life Miles awards. I have never had one provided unless I have insisted. I had an eTicket number but not the actual ticket which I needed to show when checking in for the first leg.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

And I have had to email and request eTickets when flight booked through Life Miles awards. I have never had one provided unless I have insisted. I had an eTicket number but not the actual ticket which I needed to show when checking in for the first leg.

I have found for most airlines (Lufthansa, Thai, China Airlines, United, ANA) once you go to manage booking the ticket number is in there. Saves having to contact lifemiles. Also serves as a good double check to make sure LM has pushed the ticket number to the other airline. Sometimes airlines can issue tickets too late, meaning there's a ticket number, but the booking is actually cancelled

 

[Sheenaec7]

Please please stay and share a trip report with us sometime about your Cuba experience here:
Trip Reports and Trip Photos

I would love to do a trip report about Cuba. What a country!!! I'm busy with my mum in hospital at the moment and then off for more travel soon. It might take me a while to put together as I only really have my phone to work on for internet purposes so It's slow going especially when I'm on the go. In the meantime, I'd just say to anyone thinking of going to Cuba or not thinking of going to Cuba, GO - before it changes. It has it's frustrations but it's an amazing country full of life and passion.

 

[Sheenaec7]

Check, recheck and check again is the mantra Mrs GPH sticks by when booking our travel. .

Totally agree. I'm usually pretty meticulous with travel plans and have detailed spreadsheets covering every minute detail. Missing the lack of points being deducted this time I think was a combination of me booking 3 separate long-haul flights with 3 separate FF programs on the same day and (I have since realised while checking my diary for everything that happened around the date that I made the booking) I ended up in hospital with food poisoning in Bali 2 days after making the booking. I know I was sick in bed for a day or so before going into hospital so I wasn't really with it for the few days after making the booking so dropped the ball on checking points etc.
I sent the booking confirmation email to TripCase and they accepted it which also helped confirm the lie that I had a booking. I've sent them email confirmations for things in the past that have been knocked back as they weren't actually confirmed bookings.
Anyway, I have learnt now, especially with Qantas to triple check and keep triple checking until I'm sitting on the plane.

 

[Sheenaec7]

It can't do any harm.

The Airline Customer Advocate (ACA)

The only thing that may be an issue of any claim is the failure of QFF to deduct the points from your account; even to a layman that should raise a red flag.

Thanks Serfty. Still waiting to hear back from Qantas but will give the ACA a go if I'm not happy with the response. They have already admitted (Not in writing ) that they did make a mistake by not asking for my middle name and DOB during the phone call when I was making my booking. I have been wondering why I didn't notice the points not being deducted and as I mentioned to another member earlier I think it was a combination of me booking 3 separate long-haul flights with 3 separate FF programs on the same day and (I have since realised while checking my diary for everything that happened around the date that I made the booking) I ended up in hospital with food poisoning in Bali 2 days after making the booking. I know I was sick in bed for a day or so before going into hospital so I wasn't really with it for the few days after making the booking so dropped the ball on checking points etc. Will be more on the ball next time no matter what else is going on.

 

[JohnK]

I made 2 VA bookings last week and I did not receive e-ticket at time of booking. This morning I went through my emails looking for e-ticket and there isn't a trace anywhere.

Credit card has been charged. Should I worry? This is not an isolated case. It happens regularly.

 

[Sheenaec7]

Thanks for sharing your experience and I hope Qantas take your complaint seriously. From your original post, can you please tell me what "QFF Flyer Solutions" is?

I should've written Australian Frequent Flyer Solutions. A great service. It was the first time I used it as I had a complicated itinerary and gave up trying to find award seating myself.

 

[Sheenaec7]

I made 2 VA bookings last week and I did not receive e-ticket at time of booking. This morning I went through my emails looking for e-ticket and there isn't a trace anywhere.

Credit card has been charged. Should I worry? This is not an isolated case. It happens regularly.

In the past booking award seats through other FF programs (AAdvantage and Lifemiles) I've not always got e-tickets (just a booking confirmation) and there's never been a problem. But, after my recent experience I'd definitely check it. Good luck

 

[Sheenaec7]

Hi, Horrible yes but just have to ask the following.

Did you register with smartrallever.com.au (DFAT) before going on the trip.

Did you ring the Embassy of Canada in Havana and ask for assistance and advice as they provide Consular assistance for Australians in Cuba. Im sure they could of done something for you given the circumstances.
.
I'm sure the airline would of at least let you use a phone to make a local call in Havana to the Canadian Embassy.

As it seems if you did not get any help from the locals you could of been in a terrible situation if this had gone on for longer then 24hrs (what wonderful people the locals were great to hear and great for Cuba)

Also no E ticket with flight details and flight number then as I understand it you have no flight.

In my view no points deducted no flight. I always check everyday and make sure the points have been deducted when I make an awards booking..Or give it a couple of days with bookings like this and if they have not been deducted ring them and ask what is going on with the booking.

I always check, double check and triple check any flight that I book with any airline as I do not trust them. QF have told me in the past you have no flight until you get the E ticket with all the details.


Just one other thing how do you get into Cuba????????

I went into Cuba from Santiago, Chile via Panama. A more common way is via Cancun, Mexico.

I didn't think Australia had an embassy in Cuba and it didn't occur to me to call The Canadians. I was pretty tired, hungry and brain dead for most of the experience so wasn't think straight.

I've mentioned in a couple of other replies why I think I fell down on checking the points thing this time so I won't go into it again here in case it doubles up.

 

[Sheenaec7]

Thanks everyone

I've been busy with my 89yo mum not too well in hospital so I'm just getting around to replies now. Thanks to all who responded to my original post. I am still waiting for a phone call back from Qantas. Any day now . Will update.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

In the past booking award seats through other FF programs (AAdvantage and Lifemiles) I've not always got e-tickets (just a booking confirmation) and there's never been a problem. But, after my recent experience I'd definitely check it. Good luck

For lifemiles bookings (in fact any partner award booking for any program on any route) it's always a good idea to confirm the ticket number with the operating airline. Unfortunately past performance is no indicator of future performance. And all it takes it it to go wrong once to disrupt travel plans