Aircraft / Airline Change - Am I entitled to compensation?

[aspiringplatinumFF]

I recently flew back to Sydney from LA via AKL on ANZ.

My LA-AKL leg was advertised by Air New Zealand to be operated by a 777-300, however when I arrived at the gate I was surprised to learn that the aircraft that I will be travelling on will in fact be one owned by Eva Air!

I was not informed that this may be a possibility prior to booking my ticket, or even after for that matter.

I booked air New Zealand for the highly regarded premium economy product, instead I’m faced with a product from Eva air which is far less comfortable. There is no leg rests, far less recline, less leg room and no wifi! Had I known any of this I would not have booked this and stuck to my usual airline, Qantas!

ANZ claim that they informed the online TA I used (JetAbroad) about this in May, and that I should raise any concerns I have with them as they should be the ones to have informed me of the change and offered an alternative flight.

The product I travelled on is NOT even comparable to the ANZ PE product and I am really quite frustrated.

Do you think I am entitled to any compensation and from whom?

 

[eric2011]

From the ANZ website....my bolding and underline.

Due to a global issue impacting Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines that power our Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet, Rolls-Royce, in conjunction with European regulator EASA, advised operators of 'Package C' engine types that earlier than usual maintenance checks were required on a specific part of the engine compressor.
While continuing to get our customers to their destinations has been our first priority, as a result of these maintenance requirements, Air New Zealand has needed to reschedule a number of international services as well as make a limited number of cancellations.
In addition to this, we have also leased two Boeing 777-200 aircraft from Boeing Group and one Boeing 777-300 aircraft from fellow Star Alliance member, EVA Air to help with additional capacity on some routes. These three aircraft are also operated by our Air New Zealand pilots and cabin crew.
Customers impacted by these schedule or aircraft changes will be contacted directly by Air New Zealand, via the contact information provided in their booking, or the travel agent they booked through.

and this

Air New Zealand has entered into a lease agreement with fellow Star Alliance member EVA Air for a Boeing 777-300 aircraft. This particular aircraft is of a similar standard to our Air New Zealand fleet with Business, Premium Economy and Economy class seating, and will be operated by Air New Zealand pilots and cabin crew.
If you’re not familiar with EVA Air, the airline was awarded Best Business Class and Premium Economy Class in Asia, at the 2018 TripAdvisor Awards which are determined by airline reviews and ratings submitted by travellers worldwide.
If your flight is operated by this aircraft, you will be contacted directly by Air New Zealand, via the contact information provided in your booking, or the travel agent you booked through.


Regardless of who you booked with most travellers will check the airlines website etc for travel updates and to learn as much as possible about the trip etc. IMO your not entitled to anything. ANZ have made these changes well known. They got you to your destination and have had to make some changes to do that

 

[Forg]

Wow … this NZ 789 thing is still not resolved? It seems like ages since I first saw that unmarked white A340 they were using for SYD<-->AKL!

 

[eric2011]

Wow … this NZ 789 thing is still not resolved? It seems like ages since I first saw that unmarked white A340 they were using for SYD<-->AKL!

I thought it had been as well however those advises are still on the ANZ site this morning. My booking next month to LAX via AKL is still showing the ANZ 777 metal. The OP doesnt say when his flight was just refers to it as recent

Not a 1000% sure but I thought i saw that 340 sitting where usually sits at BNE over by the DHL area

 

[odysseus]

Agree with others, I don't see any compensation will be forthcoming.

Even within the same airline, carriers have a number of craft and cabin facilities will vary. They also don't know your individual motivation for taking a particular flight so that one may have been preferred by you for timing or other reasons rather than the onboard product. And they don't make guarantees of that.

You don't say how you contacted them. Best opportunity I would suggest is a written form e.g. email to their Air NZ contact centre expressing your disappointment with reasons, and you may receive some token compensation e.g. FF points depending on their assessment. If your above response was already from that means, then I don't see anything else. Your travel agent was responsible for the booking which was fulfilled accurately so I don't see anything coming from them. Aircraft substitutions occur commonly and passengers are not typically notified as most don't care, even if there was some notification here.

 

[juddles]

........

ANZ claim that they informed the online TA I used (JetAbroad) about this in May, and that I should raise any concerns I have with them as they should be the ones to have informed me of the change and offered an alternative flight.
.......

When reading this and then also the post by eric2011, it seems clear that NZ are sensitive to the fact that some pax will not want the substituted aircraft, and so they do everything in their power (ie contact the person booking travel) to alert when this will occur.

You cannot really expect anything more from the airline in this matter - they do what they can. The fact that the ticket is booked through an online TA makes it impossible for the airline to reach the pax, and so the blame here lies completely on the online TA.

IMHO the only compo you could desire would be from JetAbroad, and I doubt that would be an easy achievement. I do understand that the swapped aircraft was a major disappointment for you. Bummer.

 

[theblank]

Do you think I am entitled to any compensation and from whom?

You are entitled to complain to the Travel Agent, and thats it. Which will likely fall on deaf ears.

This is one reason I never use Onlne Travel Agents.

 

[Mattg]

I flew on the EVA Air aircraft in Premium Economy from BNE to AKL yesterday. The purser made an announcement at the start of the flight explaining that they were leasing this aircraft for about a year due to the unplanned maintenance required on the Dreamliner fleet. I was also notified of this change in an email from Air New Zealand around two months ago (I booked directly with the airline).

Honestly, the experience was absolutely fine. The seat was comfortable enough, the service was good (the cabin crew and pilots were all from Air NZ) and the in-flight entertainment was even Air NZ content.

If you were in J or Y, this would even be a slight upgrade as Y is 3-3-3 on the EVA Air plane (rather than 3-4-3) and the J seats looked nicer too.

 

[Dr Ralph]

No compensation will come. Changes of aircraft are reasonable common and covered by standard terms.

Happened to me recently with MU as detailed here:

SYD to YVR in J with MU - flight report

First time I've come across a shoulder belt. Seats looks like Vantage XL, same as QF J A333/B789.

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au