We had an AirNZ flight cancelled today SYD to YVR via AKL apparently "due to an engine needing to be replaced"
We were notified 14hrs before our flight. And about 4 hours later were given a very unacceptable change to a flight that would get us in late at night and also had us flying via IAH (so 3 legs instead of 2) and also the IAH to YVR leg one of us would have been in economy.
I call up and was given another option of flying via LAX which would have us both be in J the whole way but again it's 3 legs and involved a very tight connection at LAX which would have been a major stress clearing customs and then re checking in baggage etc. Let's just say there would be zero chance of any lounge time and more likely we would be scrambling just to make it to the gate in time. Not something we signed up for when we planned this holiday 6 months ago and shelled out almost 20k for 2 return flights.
Of course we had the option of just accepting a full refund but that is hardly a fair solution for us given everything else we have booked and planned around this trip, who knows what we would get back, not to mentions 3 weeks annual leave for each of us that would be completely wasted.
So that left the only other option of flying out the following day (tomorrow) that gets us there a day later but we will at least not be subjected to the hellish ordeal that was presented to us if we wanted to fly today. This solution still ends up costing us quite a bit of $$$ because our first nights accommodation in now wasted and is not refundable. We also have had to cancel our hire car booking, and make a new one (more expensive) as it was too late to change the original booking.
But moreso than any of that is the fact we have lost a full day of our holiday, and had a very stressful situation to deal with instead of what was supposed to be a pleasant experience . Am I right in assuming none of these things are compensated for by the airline. They will only reimburse for hotels and other incidentals if you are already in transit and left stranded overnight somewhere and you need accommodation. At least that's what I was told when I asked about any possible compensation for this cough show.
I know everyone will say "first world problems" and at the end of the day I know it's true but damn we have had shocking luck with travel ever since covid. We can't seem to catch a break, every single trip we have done has involved some flight cancellations pulled on us at the last minute. It makes me think that airlines just do this routinely if a flight is not at capacity they find it more commercially appealing to just cancel the flight and then put passengers on other flights that are more commercially convenient for the airline
We were notified 14hrs before our flight. And about 4 hours later were given a very unacceptable change to a flight that would get us in late at night and also had us flying via IAH (so 3 legs instead of 2) and also the IAH to YVR leg one of us would have been in economy.
I call up and was given another option of flying via LAX which would have us both be in J the whole way but again it's 3 legs and involved a very tight connection at LAX which would have been a major stress clearing customs and then re checking in baggage etc. Let's just say there would be zero chance of any lounge time and more likely we would be scrambling just to make it to the gate in time. Not something we signed up for when we planned this holiday 6 months ago and shelled out almost 20k for 2 return flights.
Of course we had the option of just accepting a full refund but that is hardly a fair solution for us given everything else we have booked and planned around this trip, who knows what we would get back, not to mentions 3 weeks annual leave for each of us that would be completely wasted.
So that left the only other option of flying out the following day (tomorrow) that gets us there a day later but we will at least not be subjected to the hellish ordeal that was presented to us if we wanted to fly today. This solution still ends up costing us quite a bit of $$$ because our first nights accommodation in now wasted and is not refundable. We also have had to cancel our hire car booking, and make a new one (more expensive) as it was too late to change the original booking.
But moreso than any of that is the fact we have lost a full day of our holiday, and had a very stressful situation to deal with instead of what was supposed to be a pleasant experience . Am I right in assuming none of these things are compensated for by the airline. They will only reimburse for hotels and other incidentals if you are already in transit and left stranded overnight somewhere and you need accommodation. At least that's what I was told when I asked about any possible compensation for this cough show.
I know everyone will say "first world problems" and at the end of the day I know it's true but damn we have had shocking luck with travel ever since covid. We can't seem to catch a break, every single trip we have done has involved some flight cancellations pulled on us at the last minute. It makes me think that airlines just do this routinely if a flight is not at capacity they find it more commercially appealing to just cancel the flight and then put passengers on other flights that are more commercially convenient for the airline
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