Cancelled JASA run, rebooked on Virgin

[AstroDamo]

Currently sitting in the Qantas Lounge at Townsville, was meant to go on Townsville to BNE QF975. then connect onwards to Sydney looks like they are now going to rebook us onboard a Virgin flight to BNE, curious in this process will Qantas still give you the status credits for Townsville to BNE, as they've rebooked me on Virgin and the flight was cancelled from their end due to pilot illness? I'm really hoping this booking comes through on Virgin I have no alternative as I'm meant to start work tonight at 2300 hrs.

 

[markis10]

Currently sitting in the Qantas Lounge at Townsville, was meant to go on Townsville to BNE QF975. then connect onwards to Sydney looks like they are now going to rebook us onboard a Virgin flight to BNE, curious in this process will Qantas still give you the status credits for Townsville to BNE, as they've rebooked me on Virgin and the flight was cancelled from their end due to pilot illness? I'm really hoping this booking comes through on Virgin I have no alternative as I'm meant to start work tonight at 2300 hrs.

Claim original routing credit on your return, should not be an issue.

 

[Red Roo]

Currently sitting in the Qantas Lounge at Townsville, was meant to go on Townsville to BNE QF975. then connect onwards to Sydney looks like they are now going to rebook us onboard a Virgin flight to BNE, curious in this process will Qantas still give you the status credits for Townsville to BNE, as they've rebooked me on Virgin and the flight was cancelled from their end due to pilot illness? I'm really hoping this booking comes through on Virgin I have no alternative as I'm meant to start work tonight at 2300 hrs.

Our Frequent Flyer team can assist you by crediting your account with Qantas Points and Status credits as per your original itinerary.

Contact them at [email protected] with a copy of your original booking details and boarding passes of the new flights flown. Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

 

[AstroDamo]

Doesn't look like I'll require the Frequent Flyer team anymore.

The story goes like this, Qantas sent through the names to Virgin to who needed to get flights and where to, Virgin then processed these, we were sent to the Virgin desks to check in, however upon arrival we found none of us were on the list yet for a flight.

This went on for a while and everyone obviously started becoming quite worried. A few names popped out and rather then calling out the names the Virgin rep asked us all to come up individually and tell her our name before rejecting each of us, this continued until the Qantas rep came across and helped out by calling out who we needed to come forward, unfortunately only about 7 names were called and we all waited as boarding was called. Eventually at 5 minutes before departure the Qantas rep came over with paperwork showing that Virgin had only booked the ongoing flight, Virgin was then able to confirm this that they had not booked a large group of people onto the TSV to BNE flights but only the connecting flights from BNE. So now too late for Virgin to fix their mistake they closed the flight. And we were asked by Qantas to come back to the Qantas desk to arrange for our new flights most of which either require people to wait to tomorrow in TSV or to transfer in BNE overnight.

Anyway I've called up work and I've told them I can not make it to work tonight, I've arranged with a friend to stay in Brisbane and decided I might as well stay the entire day and am flying out of Brisbane after a 22 hour layover. As for how Virgin could of forgotten the TSV - BNE flights I got no idea as that was the whole point of Qantas transferring accross.

 

[markis10]

Yikes, even when VA don't have to do any advertising for premium passengers they manage to stuff it up, bit of an "own goal"!

 

[eastwest101]

I've mentioned it a few times but I have had a few concerns about the VA ground staff in TSV in particular when things go a little unusual or out of the box and I am not totally surprised by that turn of events, even if the stuff up did possibly originate in VA's BNE or SYD. They seem to have done a good job cementing some peoples longstanding views about how proffesional the VA outfit is compared to QF.

 

[AstroDamo]

I do wanna say, I've now been accomodated in the Pullman hotel in Brisbane for the night, I was thinking I might get knocked back but I was permitted to do a 22 hour layover at my request in BNE instead of having to fly back on an early morning flight. The staff in the Qantas lounge have been amazing and the manager in charge has spoken to everyone of the passengers now having to be reaccomodated, also I'm loving the chicken here too wish it was in every lounge.

I think Qantas have handled this situation very well and if anything has cemented the reason why I fly them, I Didn't think a cancellation on Qantas would leave me disliking Virgin more.

 

[medhead]

I've mentioned it a few times but I have had a few concerns about the VA ground staff in TSV in particular when things go a little unusual or out of the box and I am not totally surprised by that turn of events, even if the stuff up did possibly originate in VA's BNE or SYD. They seem to have done a good job cementing some peoples longstanding views about how proffesional the VA outfit is compared to QF.

I wouldn't say this event is an issue of professionalism, I'd say it's a question competence.

 

[Ewing]

I was thinking I might get knocked back but I was permitted to do a 22 hour layover at my request in BNE instead of having to fly back on an early morning flight.

I'd be very surprised if they knocked you back. Irregular ops would no doubt place quite a lot of demand on the first flights out, so if they can get some people to fly out later they will.

The last time I got stranded in Brisbane (about 3 months back) I was already booked on the first flight out the next morning by the time I got to the counter. When I got to the counter they were thrilled to be able to move me to one ~90 minutes later as there was already a waitlist on the first flight.

I was given cabcharge vouchers to the Pullman and back to the airport, and I had a choice of dinner in the restaurant or room service (it wasn't a huge allowance - I don't remember the exact amount, but it was enough to get a main) and breakfast in the restaurant will be prepaid. I suspect you'll get the same.

 

[AstroDamo]

Oooookay, So coming into Brisbane we got seated pretty early by cabin crew as they told us we were in for a rough ride. We came into land, I admit was quite a rough landing but felt the aircraft as it was coming it and was expecting that. We pull up to the gate and we are advised by the Captain, unfortunately the ground crew had to be evacuated off the tarmac due to the thunderstorms it could be approximately half an hour before we are able to get to the gate as they were unable to turn the guidance system into the gate on without the ground crew. We started talking amongst the passengers in business class, the business cabin only had 5 people in it. After about 15 minutes on the ground and asking our permission they brought 4 people forward from Economy with international transfer, to Fiji, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur so that they could disembark quickly after reaching the gate.

After 2 of the persons were retrieved a large flash ocurred outside and BNE blackout, every light in the airport, slowly the generators must of kicked in but lights started to come back on. I guess they had valid reasons to evacuate the ground crew . About 10 minutes later the Captain announced that we had been the second last plane to land before the runway was shut and we were lucky to be this close to the gate at this point, he told the passengers with international connections that the tarmac around the international terminal was also closed and their connections should be held, he also stated that once the lightning had moved 5km from the Airfield the ground crew would be permitted back on the tarmac and that, this should occur in 5 minutes.

5 minutes later sure enough we were headed towards the gate, After saying goodbye to Sally Anne who had been lovely the entire flight, she went from a business cabin of 0 to suddenly having 5 passengers. I headed off the baggage claim, where I picked up a return taxi cab charge and an overnight Qantas pack, which has lots of toiletries and Qantas Pajamas! Different to the ones I got in business class inside a little Qantas sack. After getting to the pullman bumped into a few of the passengers from the flight I had been talking to throughout wished the guy luck going to JNB tomorrow and checked in, unfortunately to find that I was booked into the Mecure part of the hotel (Oh well can't win em all)

I've now placed my breakfast order on the door and am expecting Pancakes, Juice and Bread in the morning as they've given me $50 to spend at the hotel. Followed by a day out catching up with friends and hopefully an uneventful QF553 tomorrow which is thankfully a 767 instead of the original 737 I had.

 

[travellerqff]

Our Frequent Flyer team can assist you by crediting your account with Qantas Points and Status credits as per your original itinerary...

This has happened to me at least 3 times in the last 2 years. They always tell me, "Sorry, but we can actually only credit you for what you've flown"... But then finally I'll speak to someone who says they can certainly do that. Why is it such a grey area?

 

[medhead]

This has happened to me at least 3 times in the last 2 years. They always tell me, "Sorry, but we can actually only credit you for what you've flown"... But then finally I'll speak to someone who says they can certainly do that. Why is it such a grey area?

It's not a grey area. The magic words are "original routing credit". Of course, it works better if you just email in a scan of the boarding pass with the original routing credit request.