Beware: QFF Award on Qatar Business flight Downgraded at check-in

[jase05]

Did the OP receive any of the trip in J or were they relegated to Y for both segments?

 

[elisabethk]

My friend booked a Qatar business seat from Perth to Rome 11 months in advance using Qantas FF points. When she got to the airport to check in last Saturday they told her she was demoted to economy because the flight was full and she was the lowest paying customer. Is this common with Qantas and Qatar? Has this happened to any one else and was there any compensation from Qantas?

It happened to me 4 days before my departure they kicked me off my Reward business class ticket with Qatar, I had purchased 5 months before after a Reward ticket with Cathay Pacific was cancelled purchased 9 months before. I got a phone call from Qantas representative that I have to book a new ticket to Europe. That means I had to fly and find an economy ticket as an 81yr old was no fun on such a long flight with a mask on. After an email complain to Qantas I got a case number, but never a respond. Qatar responded within 24 hrs. that's a Qantas Frequent Flyer problem. I still like to know why. How can I trust Qantas Fr Fl any more?

 

[gazza48]

QF's downgrade procedure is the same, i.e. lowest status and lowest fare class.

She should have asked to be reaccommodated the next day, if possible.

That has changed then...whenever a call out happened in relation to oversold, downgraded a-c, last booked were normally called first and they did not have to accept but were also told that they could still be taken off at the airport.

 

[Zanzara]

Perhaps but Ive never been bumped off an Australian Carrier (Qantas/Ansett/VA) flight. Whereas its extremely common in the USA (although at least they usually call for volunteers and proactively offer compensation) vs BA who tried to bump me unsuccessfully and I found a pilot and his son in my reserved seat (and the other J passenger they tried to bump seats). tried to say was oversold, when the truth was there were staff who needed to be repositioned and unwilling to fly Y.

Either way checking in asap generally helps, they usually bump people who have yet to be issued a boarding pass.

I don't think it's fair to say that this is 'EXTREMELY' common in the USA. It happens, but as you mentioned it is normally as a volunteer basis for $$$ or vouchers. I've recently caught 6 full US domestic flights. No volunteers were asked for. Last time I saw this was actually for a UA international flight from LHR. Many people travelling in 'first' in the USA are upgraded frequent flyers.

 

[MrJetset]

That has changed then...whenever a call out happened in relation to oversold, downgraded a-c, last booked were normally called first and they did not have to accept but were also told that they could still be taken off at the airport.

Involuntary vs voluntary.

 

[Lynda2475]

I don't think it's fair to say that this is 'EXTREMELY' common in the USA.

YMMV but i can only recall 1 US domestic flight across all those AA, United and Delta flights (approx 40 flights over 24 years) where they havent called for volunteers. Admittedly I have never heard it on a SouthWest flight but Ive only flown them twice. Im sure route and time of day make a difference, I dont do many smaller airports.

I spoke to one college student in Orlando once who sayd she deliberately books the busiest United flights in the hope of getting bumped, as all those flight and hotel vouchers were funding the majority of her travel.

 

[nhearne]

Thanks everyone for your replies, there is some helpful advice on here. We have just returned from 6 weeks in Europe and my friend is now following up with Qantas and Qatar on the downgraded seat. To answer a few chat questions... she was downgraded to economy for the long-haul leg (Perth to Doha) but remained in business for the shorter leg (Doha to Rome). Interestingly, as mentioned by a few people, she was unable to select her seats online through the Qatar website or check in online prior to her travel date (she was given a message to check in at the airport). In retrospect she should have contacted Qatar immediately to check why she could not select her seats in the first instance after booking. I will report back on my friend's progress with her claim!

On another note, during my time in Europe, my luggage was left behind twice (once on Austrian Air and once on Singapore Air due to late flight departures to make connecting flights). AirTags were invaluable. I knew as soon as disembarking that my luggage had been left behind and was straight to the lost luggage counter to fill out forms. I was also able to see when my suitcase arrived at Florence airport and had picked it up before they had even notified me of its arrival.

 

[exLXCXFF]

she was unable to select her seats online through the Qatar website or check in online prior to her travel date (she was given a message to check in at the airport)

That’s a very interesting observation - was this in the Qantas or Qatar App? I am flying SYD - LHR and then onwards on BA all on one 081 ticket, have APIS done and selected my J seats month ago, yet it says I can’t check in online and need to do it on the airport because it involves a partner airline. As far as I know, this has never been a problem pre-Covid!

 

[MrJetset]

That’s a very interesting observation - was this in the Qantas or Qatar App? I am flying SYD - LHR and then onwards on BA all on one 081 ticket, have APIS done and selected my J seats month ago, yet it says I can’t check in online and need to do it on the airport because it involves a partner airline. As far as I know, this has never been a problem pre-Covid!

QR staff will tell you the same, but you’ll find you can OLCI. Annoyingly, they say their check in opens 36-24 hours but I couldn’t check in until T-16 hours in the app.