6 Years Platinum & Lifetime Gold – Voting With My Wallet After Executive Team Apathy

[lovestotravel]

To clarify for everyone commenting this thread isn't about chasing points, fighting for upgrades, or hoping for freebies; frankly, I think points are a waste of time. I pay full cash for my international travel and the vast majority of my domestic Business Class flights. The real issue here is the systematic collapse of customer service, corporate accountability, and actual premium consistency. When you are a high-value, cash-paying customer, multi-decade loyalty means absolutely nothing on the day. High status doesn't protect you from extreme aircraft down-gauges, it doesn't stop them from stripping out seat back screens, and the automated PR templates you get from executive customer care when things go wrong are a joke. That is why I'm moving my commercial spend elsewhere

Can you let me know how the seat back screens on Virgin go for you please ?

 

[jase05]

Grass isn’t always greenery as others have said.
With VA you won’t get IFE’s and don’t have the option for flat bed seats but personally head to head on a 737 I think the VA J product is better but their call centres and resolutions are pretty ordinary these days.
I just go with whoever offers me the best price on the times and routes I want

 

[lovestotravel]

The airline industry is mostly now a race to the bottom for service and comfort. Airlines mostly compete on price instead, and the majority of customers are apathetic about poor service so there’s no incentive for airlines to do better because even their most frustrated customers keep coming back and spending more!

Yep even SQ continues to enhance it's offerings, with cheaper wine in First class that gets cheaper each year

 

[UP4014]

There is a bit of luck for everything to happen perfectly in the correct sequence for the passenger to think it's seamless.

If QF isn't meeting your expectations then you should certainly try Virgin and others, however don't be like some who say they'll never fly QF again then realize the alternatives have the same problems, bags miss a connection, food doesn't arrive to the plane in time, aircraft swap outs etc.

With the 2026 view of world airline travel, fuel pricing (even through QF hedged 70% or so of theirs through to early 2027) not flying over some countries, US FAA even suggesting sanctuary cities not be allowed international flights which is LAX, I graciously point out that a single passenger, regardless of loyalty, isn't going to the change managements focus of staying in business in the current climate over upgrades, priority boarding, priority baggage or a broken seat.

Are QF perfect, certainly not, but yes they try. We all have a few stories on how things didn't go to the plan or the seat didn't recline fully or the food choice was terrible,

Good luck with the change.

 

[offshore171]

don’t sweat the small stuff

This. From reading the OP's post, there was nothing as serious as a flight cancellation, denied boarding, racial discrimination or lost luggage.

It was an aircraft swap. That's it. These occur. Planes sometimes "go tech". Aircraft are sometimes out of position due to weather. Flights sometimes get consolidated in an oil crisis. It's part and parcel of air travel.

There’s something like 75,000 WPs out there

Yes.

If I can be honest, there's a bit of Main Character Syndrome going on, if a traveller is expecting the QF executive team to drop everything and respond to a complaint about (checks notes) aircraft swaps.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I have a feeling the OP got caught out in the recent a330 transcon swap out? This wasn’t a once off, but a permanent replacement by 737s?

In that case I’d be a bit cheesed off too! But I prolly would have made the decision to cancel, or change for a flight that was still operated by an a330.

QF include the aircraft type during the booking process, so it is obviously a selling point.

 

[offshore171]

QF include the aircraft type during the booking process, so it is obviously a selling point.

Sure, it's fair to say I'd be a bit disappointed too. Most semi-regular flyers would have experienced at aircraft swap.

It happens, but on the outrage scale, it's at the lower end. An aircraft swap, for a flight that otherwise runs to schedule is far preferable to an outright cancellation, a boarding denial, lost luggage etc.

Qantas is pretty clear in conditions of carriage about aircraft swaps, and I'd imagine almost all other airlines have similar terms

The specific aircraft type and seat configuration are subject to change without notice due to operational, technical, or scheduling requirements.

I just don't think it's realistic to expect the QF executive team to treat this as a 5 Alarm Fire.