Overbooked: 2 boarding passes for 1 business-class seat (LATAM-QANTAS)

[BenSQ380]

You had me at LATAM, Ive read so many negative things about how they run the back office and their lack of communication/care

My recent LATAM experience was having a flight cancelled on 30 April (EZE-SCL) and receiving no notification. I was lucky enough to stumble across the cancellation in the LATAM app about 36 hours prior to the 'flight'. I was never notified of the cancellation.

It was a QF booking (not codeshare) so LATAM bounced me to QF who couldn't find any alternatives. The sector was the first in 3 flights home that day. I managed to book EZE-SCL on Aerolineas Argentinas on 29 April to connect up with SCL-SYD on QF.

We also had fun on the way in to South America. About a dozen pax on QF27 connected to SCL-CUZ on LATAM. Our baggage didn't. LATAM staff in CUZ said it was QF's fault and our baggage would arrive on the next direct flight, 4 days later. In other words they wouldn't route the bags via LIM because it wasn't LATAM's fault. The baggage arrived the next evening, so I guess it wasn't QF's fault.

 

[RWJ777]

Unless there are (overt) ticket terms or regulations to the contrary, I would have thought that the consumer redress was pretty obvious: you paid Qantas to provide a service; they subcontracted it; the subcontractor failed to provide services; and therefore the trader with which you originally contracted (Qantas) is liable for remediation.

I’d be on to your local Fair Trading office pretty quickly.

 

[SOPOOR]

love it how they just blame the other party, the consumer shouldnt have to put up with this codeshare or not,

customer buys a ticket, (especially a fully priced one), shouldnt have to care codeshare or not

Hope OP can do a chargeback on the credit card for the full amount plus chase them for compensation too

 

[dajop]

Hope OP can do a chargeback on the credit card for the full amount plus chase them for compensation too

Given OP actually received the service paid for, albeit a day late, that may be a risky strategy.

 

[SOPOOR]

Given OP actually received the service paid for, albeit a day late, that may be a risky strategy.

ethically yes,
but this would be one way for the two airlines to get into gear and sort something out

years ago i ordered a pallette of floorboards from an online seller, only half a pallette arrived,

weeks passed of being fobbed off by the seller being told it was the manufacturers fault, and ill get back to you etc etc

so Idid a charge back via teh bank, I told them only half the pallette arrived

a few days later, the bank issued a 100% refund
maybe I was lucky but by doing a charge back I got a outcome

 

[agentgerko]

Just shows again what a total joke codeshares are. As a TA I make a point of avoiding booking codeshare flights wherever possible as the same result happens time after time. Each airline blames the other and the passenger gets screwed. I have had First Class pax paying $20K dumped at airports in the US more than once when QF and AA both refused to help pax during delays with both saying they had to contact the other airline. My view? Always book on the carrier who owns the aircraft. You might get a few less points or status but at least you'll reach your destination.

 

[SOPOOR]

Just shows again what a total joke codeshares are. As a TA I make a point of avoiding booking codeshare flights wherever possible as the same result happens time after time. Each airline blames the other and the passenger gets screwed. I have had First Class pax paying $20K dumped at airports in the US more than once when QF and AA both refused to help pax during delays with both saying they had to contact the other airline. My view? Always book on the carrier who owns the aircraft. You might get a few less points or status but at least you'll reach your destination.

add to that, most normal customers wouldnt know what a code share is,
they go online, look for a flight, check its a particular airline, happy with the price, and then order

it shouldnt matter code share or not

 

[Berlin]

The usual LATAM bs. I try to avoid them entirely for the trans-continental routes now. Got too often bumped from Business and then reading reports like this of even worse- nope. not if I can avoid it.

Never had any issues on the small hops within South America which were booked directly through their website though.

 

[DavidS1]

Mine is a similar story about the inability to get compensation form LATAM and Qantas with the added element of a travel agent Jetabroad, none of whom are apparently responsible for compensation. We booked and paid in full in August last year for flights out PER-SYD-DFW in March and return AEP-SCL-MEL-PER in April this year - all seats were in Business except AEP-SCL PE because there was no Business on that flight. Flights were with Qantas, American and LATAM, all one world.

In February, we were advised by the agent that the LATAM AEP-SCL flight was no longer operating and were offered the option of leaving Buenos Aires 24 hours earlier (but still arriving back in Perth on the original day and time - with huge layovers of 12 hours and 17 hours en route), which wasn't an option for us as we were on a tour which would not have finished. After protracted discussion we were told that no other option was available for our original day of travel (even though we could see routings available for sale) and we were offered and accepted a revised itinerary leaving Buenos Aires a day later than originally booked, with a downgrade to Economy on the first leg. As a result, we incurred costs of an overnight hotel, food and transport to the airport as we had missed the included tour transfer. We also had to take the only 2 seats remaining in Business on the 15 hours flight, unlike the great choice that we had selected on our original booking.

Trying to get some compensation for our out of pocket costs has been impossible. Jetabroad, who say that as an online agent they do very little (don't do seat reservations etc.) - I didn't know that there was such a thing as an agent with limited service agent. They referred us to LATAM who failed to respond but, after posting my complaint on social media, told me how sorry they were to hear about the problem, how they would pass on to the appropriate department and how they will learn for the future - no compensation from them but "we refer you to QANTAS, who are the owners of the ticket.

QANTAS said:
I regret your disappointment on this, please accept our sincere apology for the confusion this has caused you. I carefully reviewed your booking history, I can confirm that your flight has been changed by your travel arranger and not by LATAM. In any cases that your flight has been initiately changed or cancelled by your travel agent, they are responsible to inform customers regarding any changes on your itenerary to get confirmation from you.
Furthermore, if your flight was directly booked with Qantas, we will notify you about the changes and will be getting confirtmation (if needed).
As the decision on changing or cancelling of your booking was done by your travel agent, you will need to contact your them directly about this matter. If your agent has any enquiries, they can contact their Qantas Industry Representative for assistance. In the meantime, I appreciate you taking the time to write to us and hope that we see you on board soon.

So back to Jetabroad - apparently, nothing to do with them:
Please kindly be advised, schedule changes are initiated by the airline(s) and not by Jetabroad. Airlines can change their flight schedules as per the terms and conditions of the ticket purchased, these changes are based on their own operational needs and strategies. In cases of natural disaster, flights may be delayed or cancelled entirely by an airline, if weather conditions are considered to be unsafe to travel, both airlines and airport authorities will be required to make a difficult decision that will impact travel plans, based on ensuring the well being of both passengers and their crew. Such instances are outside of Jetabroad's control.

As LAN Airlines originally input a schedule change for your LA462 W 06APR BUENOS AIRES (AEP) TO SANTIAGO (SCL) flight, Jetabroad notified you of this schedule change via email on 04 Feb 2019 02:36pm AEDT. You confirmed your acceptance of the alternate flight LA464 BUENOS AIRES (EZE) TO SANTIAGO (SCL) via email on 14 Feb 2019 04:29pm AEDT. We believe that there is some slight confusion regarding this schedule change from what Qantas have advised. Please find the following information as reassurance.

As mentioned above, schedule changes are initiated by the airline(s) and not by Jetabroad. That is what Qantas are trying to say; ' I can confirm that your flight has been changed by your travel arranger and not by LAN Airlines.' This is correct, as Jetabroad reissued/changed your ticket (that is Jetabroads interaction) but the original schedule change was initiated by LAN Airlines. Although it is a Qantas ticket you have purchased, LAN Airlines are responsible for the schedule change. We are unsure if they will allow for any compensation regarding your longer stay in Buenos Aires for an extra night. LAN Airlines provided an alternate flight to compensate for the original schedule change and that is where they compensate passengers; with an alternate flight. Anything beyond those bounds would need to be addressed to the airline directly.

As Jetabroad are only the third party agent, we are unable to provide any compensation for passengers who have been affected by airline schedule changes. We apologise for any confusion casued, however, we trust this email has clarified your query.

So, apparently, no-one takes any responsibility, despite booking and paying in full for Business Class flights more that 7 months before departure. We are tossed aside - Go figure!

 

[SOPOOR]

Mine is a similar story about the inability to get compensation form LATAM and Qantas with the added element of a travel agent Jetabroad, none of whom are apparently responsible for compensation. We booked and paid in full in August last year for flights out PER-SYD-DFW in March and return AEP-SCL-MEL-PER in April this year - all seats were in Business except AEP-SCL PE because there was no Business on that flight. Flights were with Qantas, American and LATAM, all one world.

In February, we were advised by the agent that the LATAM AEP-SCL flight was no longer operating and were offered the option of leaving Buenos Aires 24 hours earlier (but still arriving back in Perth on the original day and time - with huge layovers of 12 hours and 17 hours en route), which wasn't an option for us as we were on a tour which would not have finished. After protracted discussion we were told that no other option was available for our original day of travel (even though we could see routings available for sale) and we were offered and accepted a revised itinerary leaving Buenos Aires a day later than originally booked, with a downgrade to Economy on the first leg. As a result, we incurred costs of an overnight hotel, food and transport to the airport as we had missed the included tour transfer. We also had to take the only 2 seats remaining in Business on the 15 hours flight, unlike the great choice that we had selected on our original booking.

Trying to get some compensation for our out of pocket costs has been impossible. Jetabroad, who say that as an online agent they do very little (don't do seat reservations etc.) - I didn't know that there was such a thing as an agent with limited service agent. They referred us to LATAM who failed to respond but, after posting my complaint on social media, told me how sorry they were to hear about the problem, how they would pass on to the appropriate department and how they will learn for the future - no compensation from them but "we refer you to QANTAS, who are the owners of the ticket.

QANTAS said:
I regret your disappointment on this, please accept our sincere apology for the confusion this has caused you. I carefully reviewed your booking history, I can confirm that your flight has been changed by your travel arranger and not by LATAM. In any cases that your flight has been initiately changed or cancelled by your travel agent, they are responsible to inform customers regarding any changes on your itenerary to get confirmation from you.
Furthermore, if your flight was directly booked with Qantas, we will notify you about the changes and will be getting confirtmation (if needed).
As the decision on changing or cancelling of your booking was done by your travel agent, you will need to contact your them directly about this matter. If your agent has any enquiries, they can contact their Qantas Industry Representative for assistance. In the meantime, I appreciate you taking the time to write to us and hope that we see you on board soon.

So back to Jetabroad - apparently, nothing to do with them:
Please kindly be advised, schedule changes are initiated by the airline(s) and not by Jetabroad. Airlines can change their flight schedules as per the terms and conditions of the ticket purchased, these changes are based on their own operational needs and strategies. In cases of natural disaster, flights may be delayed or cancelled entirely by an airline, if weather conditions are considered to be unsafe to travel, both airlines and airport authorities will be required to make a difficult decision that will impact travel plans, based on ensuring the well being of both passengers and their crew. Such instances are outside of Jetabroad's control.

As LAN Airlines originally input a schedule change for your LA462 W 06APR BUENOS AIRES (AEP) TO SANTIAGO (SCL) flight, Jetabroad notified you of this schedule change via email on 04 Feb 2019 02:36pm AEDT. You confirmed your acceptance of the alternate flight LA464 BUENOS AIRES (EZE) TO SANTIAGO (SCL) via email on 14 Feb 2019 04:29pm AEDT. We believe that there is some slight confusion regarding this schedule change from what Qantas have advised. Please find the following information as reassurance.

As mentioned above, schedule changes are initiated by the airline(s) and not by Jetabroad. That is what Qantas are trying to say; ' I can confirm that your flight has been changed by your travel arranger and not by LAN Airlines.' This is correct, as Jetabroad reissued/changed your ticket (that is Jetabroads interaction) but the original schedule change was initiated by LAN Airlines. Although it is a Qantas ticket you have purchased, LAN Airlines are responsible for the schedule change. We are unsure if they will allow for any compensation regarding your longer stay in Buenos Aires for an extra night. LAN Airlines provided an alternate flight to compensate for the original schedule change and that is where they compensate passengers; with an alternate flight. Anything beyond those bounds would need to be addressed to the airline directly.

As Jetabroad are only the third party agent, we are unable to provide any compensation for passengers who have been affected by airline schedule changes. We apologise for any confusion casued, however, we trust this email has clarified your query.

So, apparently, no-one takes any responsibility, despite booking and paying in full for Business Class flights more that 7 months before departure. We are tossed aside - Go figure!

not sure if you can do chargebacks 7 months later, but a successful chargeback would certainly change their tune, since its their money that they are chasing

 

[Mrmaxwell]

At least lodge a complaint with ACA and see what reply you get - on behalf of all previous and future victims of this terrible crime (code-sharing!)

Home

 

[RooFlyer]

As a TA I make a point of avoiding booking codeshare flights wherever possible

Yep, I avoid codeshares of possible.

Mine is a similar story about the inability to get compensation form LATAM and Qantas with the added element of a travel agent Jetabroad, none of whom are apparently responsible for compensation.

Welcome to AFF. Pity about the circumstances.

 

[Forg]

As a TA I make a point of avoiding booking codeshare flights wherever possible

Wish my better half had you as TA ... the people who book a lot of her flights are in French Canada, and their priorities seem to be for French speaking airlines (which for Oz means Air Canada to North America, or to Europe it’s dominated by codeshares for Air France or Swiss Airways). They don’t state this preference, but it seems to happen a lot more often than the retail fare costs would otherwise infer ...

 

[Julesmac]

Is this any different from any other consumer situation? If I buy a washing machine from Harvey Norman I can go back to either the seller, or the manufacturer, in the event of a problem. The seller can’t refuse assistance.

Unless there’s a carve-out for air services?

I believe it's exactly the same under Australian Consumer Law (unless there's a weird cop out relating only to airlines) but as far as I'm aware, being a Choice member, the Consumer law trumps everything. As yes, your contract was with Qantas not whichever code share airline.Same as an appliance, you gave QF your money for your ticket. Therefore they have to refund/replace ticket

Unless there are (overt) ticket terms or regulations to the contrary, I would have thought that the consumer redress was pretty obvious: you paid Qantas to provide a service; they subcontracted it; the subcontractor failed to provide services; and therefore the trader with which you originally contracted (Qantas) is liable for remediation.

I’d be on to your local Fair Trading office pretty quickly.

Actually Choice regularly publishes stories of trouble getting redress. Often the advice is tell the seller you are a member, and have brought it to the attention of the Australian Consumers Association who will be most intersted in the outcome. That seems to be the charm. Fingers xx_d

 

[odysseus]

...we were offered and accepted a revised itinerary leaving Buenos Aires a day later than originally booked, with a downgrade to Economy on the first leg.....

Although it is a Qantas ticket you have purchased, LAN Airlines are responsible for the schedule change. We are unsure if they will allow for any compensation regarding your longer stay in Buenos Aires for an extra night. LAN Airlines provided an alternate flight to compensate for the original schedule change and that is where they compensate passengers; with an alternate flight. Anything beyond those bounds would need to be addressed to the airline directly.

As Jetabroad are only the third party agent, we are unable to provide any compensation for passengers who have been affected by airline schedule changes. We apologise for any confusion casued, however, we trust this email has clarified your query.

So, apparently, no-one takes any responsibility, despite booking and paying in full for Business Class flights more that 7 months before departure. We are tossed aside - Go figure!

The above sounds correct. The key point is that you accepted the proposed change. If you had concerns about it, these would need to be addressed at the time, not pursued afterwards when there is no agreement. i.e. people change dates all the time, which is all that has happened here. Once you’ve agreed to the change as you have, there is no other contractual matter. For all the airline knows the new date may have worked better for you.

Jetabroad’s advice reads spot on.

 

[The Flying Brick]

Unless there are (overt) ticket terms or regulations to the contrary, I would have thought that the consumer redress was pretty obvious: you paid Qantas to provide a service; they subcontracted it; the subcontractor failed to provide services; and therefore the trader with which you originally contracted (Qantas) is liable for remediation.

I’d be on to your local Fair Trading office pretty quickly.

I would be reporting Qantas to Scamwatch and asking the ACCC to prosecute.

 

[SOPOOR]

The above sounds correct. The key point is that you accepted the proposed change. If you had concerns about it, these would need to be addressed at the time, not pursued afterwards when there is no agreement. i.e. people change dates all the time, which is all that has happened here. Once you’ve agreed to the change as you have, there is no other contractual matter. For all the airline knows the new date may have worked better for you.

Jetabroad’s advice reads spot on.

Legalities aside.

When youre at an airport waiting for a connecting flight possible with family and kids plus with hotels and tours booked, and to be told your flight is cancelled , i can understand paying the high price for another ticket and just so you don't miss out and thinking "ill sort it out once i get back home"
You could sit there and demand compensation and Chuck up a stink but for every hour you take the chances of not gettinf an alternative flight is too risky

 

[h15t0r1an]

Your contract is with Qantas if you paid them so they are legally liable I would say (I'm not legally qualified). However the practical solution suggested by advisers for this type of "finger-pointing" in the UK is just to sue everybody and let the courts sort out who is liable for how much of it. So just do a moneyclaim naming both qantas and latam as defendants and court will sort it out.. .I doubt it's much different in Oz as Oz is generally even more sensible than everyone else.

 

[ff-sorc]

Follow-up: following some persistence and escalation of complaints to both airlines by problem was reasonably resolved - some compensatory FF points from Qantas, and reasonable cash compensation from LATAM.

 

[Danger]

. . . QANTAS said:
. . . In any cases that your flight has been initiately changed or cancelled by your travel agent, they are responsible to inform customers regarding any changes on your itenerary to get confirmation from you . . .

In the op's situation, isn't Qantas the travel agent?

Follow-up: following some persistence and escalation of complaints to both airlines by problem was reasonably resolved - some compensatory FF points from Qantas, and reasonable cash compensation from LATAM.

Good news. Thanks for reporting back.