VA2 (LAX-SYD) - cancelled connecting flight from SYD

[MikeG]

My eldest son (19) is currently checked in on VA2 from LAX today (yesterday US time) and his connecting flight SYD-CBR just got cancelled.

Because he is checked in, I cannot change his connecting flight.

Has anyone had to deal with this before leaving LAX? Is there VA staff airside that he can go and talk to?

Or is he better off waiting until SYD and play flight pot luck? It looks like the first VA flight to CBR is via BNE, so 4+ hours to go 300km... Can he request to be put on a QF direct flight to CBR?

M

 

[MikeG]

Also what happens if we decide to cancel the connecting flight?

 

[levelnine]

Wait until he gets to Sydney and see what is offered. If it is terrible, tell him to take his bags and catch a bus to Canberra.

 

[MikeG]

Wait until he gets to Sydney and see what is offered. If it is terrible, tell him to take his bags and catch a bus to Canberra.

Can he request putting onto a qantas flight?

 

[levelnine]

International arrivals are not permitted on buses due to isolation requirements.

I thought people were allowed to transit to their home after international travel. And I don't recall seeing any restrictions on the mode of travel. Is this a restriction being imposed by the bus companies?

 

[MikeG]

I just spoke to someone from virgin after Joel’s cbr flight was changed to a flight via Melbourne later in the day arriving 5 hours later then planned. I got a woman with a Phillipine accent that said she couldn’t organise a change while his first flight was in progress. I pushed her to transfer me to her manager and she then reveals that this isn’t her area of expertise and she doesn’t know much about it. Wtf???
Does it really take 3 hours to transit from T1 to T2 in SYD?

Post automatically merged: Mar 24, 2020

I thought people were allowed to transit to their home after international travel. And I don't recall seeing any restrictions on the mode of travel. Is this a restriction being imposed by the bus companies?

I heard this from my wife and I just checked and it’s fake news. Sorry for the bum steer. Still bus isn’t a great way to travel For 3.5 hours...

 

[levelnine]

Still bus isn’t a great way to travel For 3.5 hours...

Perhaps, but it is far better than flyings SYD to CBR via BNE. In these circumstances, you can't afford to be picky. Indeed, Virgin might put him on a bus anyway.

 

[MikeG]

Flight is now via Melbourne. He has two pieces of checked luggage so it might just be a case of leaving it with virgin.

Post automatically merged: Mar 24, 2020

Would be good to know if he can demand transferring him onto qantas.

 

[levelnine]

Would be good to know if he can demand transferring him onto qantas.

He can ask, but he certainly does not have a legal right to be transferred onto a Qantas flight. I would expect the chances of that happening to be very, very low. Virgin is getting him to his final destination.

 

[MikeG]

I thought about getting a refund and booking him on Qantas,, but with two checked bags it just wouldnt be worth the hassles. Arrival time switched from 11:30am to 4pm. Flights SYD-MEL-CBR now...

Post automatically merged: Mar 25, 2020

Takeaway from this experience: Virgin Australia Customer Service fail.

 

[muppet]

I thought about getting a refund and booking him on Qantas,, but with two checked bags it just wouldnt be worth the hassles. Arrival time switched from 11:30am to 4pm. Flights SYD-MEL-CBR now...

Post automatically merged: Mar 25, 2020

Takeaway from this experience: Virgin Australia Customer Service fail.

lol

He is coming home, no doubt safe. Get some perspective.

 

[MikeG]

With added exposure to the great unwashed in Sydney and Melbourne now. You weren't on the call with Virgin last night. You obviously have no comprehension of how bad this COVID-19 situation is.

M

 

[jase05]

With added exposure to the great unwashed in Sydney and Melbourne now. You weren't on the call with Virgin last night. You obviously have no comprehension of how bad this COVID-19 situation is.

M

It’s very bad no doubt but the airlines are doing the best they possible can at the moment IMO. I know it’s not ideal but it could have been far worse

 

[MikeG]

I would have thought getting you to your destination on time was the aim of the game.

It’s like saying it’s ok for a taxi driver to take an hour to take you 2km down the road because he wants to Put you into another cab that’s going on a 20km drive out of the way first. You catch the cab because you want to get there quickly.

Same goes for booking a direct flight SYD-CBR

 

[jase05]

I would have thought getting you to your destination on time was the aim of the game.

It’s like saying it’s ok for a taxi driver to take an hour to take you 2km down the road because he wants to Put you into another cab that’s going on a 20km drive out of the way first. You catch the cab because you want to get there quickly.

Same goes for booking a direct flight SYD-CBR

Very hard with all the domestic cuts going on and most flights being cancelled by both VA and QF. So far today there has only been 3 SYD-CBR flights in total out of a scheduled 12 flights and I’d suspect most of this afternoons flights will be cancelled aswell.
As I said it’s not ideal but they are trying to do their best

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I thought about getting a refund and booking him on Qantas,, but with two checked bags it just wouldnt be worth the hassles. Arrival time switched from 11:30am to 4pm. Flights SYD-MEL-CBR now...

Post automatically merged: Mar 25, 2020

Takeaway from this experience: Virgin Australia Customer Service fail.

Checked bags will make no difference - they will need to be collected on arrival in SYD and taken to domestic connections - QF or VA doesn't change that.

The concern would be the amount of refund - the 'tag sector' SYD-CBR would have little, if any, value. Probably no where near enough to cover the cost of a fare at short notice on Qantas.

I think VA is being very reasonable here. A three hour delay when flights are operating under extreme circumstances is pretty good. Many people are finding themselves stranded outright, unable to even leave Australia.

 

[odysseus]

Not sure what the "fail" was. A flight was cancelled and they rerouted him on best available with a few hours delay due to actual overall travel time from the connection. No other impact.

Looks to me like a customer service success story as there was no impact beyond the cancellation (which isn't due to customer service, but actual loads and travel restrictions from the governments).

 

[AIRwin]

And all these travel restrictions and flight cancellations may help with social distancing while in transit at SYD and MEL?

 

[MikeG]

Checked bags will make no difference - they will need to be collected on arrival in SYD and taken to domestic connections - QF or VA doesn't change that.

The concern would be the amount of refund - the 'tag sector' SYD-CBR would have little, if any, value. Probably no where near enough to cover the cost of a fare at short notice on Qantas.

I think VA is being very reasonable here. A three hour delay when flights are operating under extreme circumstances is pretty good. Many people are finding themselves stranded outright, unable to even leave Australia.

It’s a 5 hour delay.

 

[muppet]

I just spoke to someone from virgin after Joel’s cbr flight was changed to a flight via Melbourne later in the day arriving 5 hours later then planned. I got a woman with a Phillipine accent that said she couldn’t organise a change while his first flight was in progress. I pushed her to transfer me to her manager and she then reveals that this isn’t her area of expertise and she doesn’t know much about it. Wtf???
Does it really take 3 hours to transit from T1 to T2 in SYD?

Post automatically merged: Mar 24, 2020

I heard this from my wife and I just checked and it’s fake news. Sorry for the bum steer. Still bus isn’t a great way to travel For 3.5 hours...

No sure the relevance of the accent of the call centre agent, but the Philippines call centre was closed by the government.

Planes are delayed and cancelled at the best of times and for airlines these are the worst of times. Virgin is having to deal with international and state bans of travel that changing every day.