Delayed LAN801 - how late before they put you on a QF flight?

[liamg]

Hey everyone -- pardon the part-whinge, part-asking for advice, part-mea culpa.

So I'm off home tomorrow morning via the LA801 AKL-SYD flight, then connecting with a QF SYD-MEL on a separate ticket (I'll get to that soon -- I know, I know).

The LAN website is showing that the flight is delayed and only expected to depart SCL in half an hour, about 3.5 hours late, to then leave AKL at 0910, instead of the 0550 scheduled departure.

I read somewhere that if the flight is cancelled QF will just put you on their early AKL-SYD flight instead. Has anyone had an experience if the flight is just (horribly) delayed, rather than cancelled of the same thing happening? I guess we just rock up to AKL anyway at the ridiculous hour and wait it out in the F/J lounge.

The second question is that I've got a booked QF ticket SYD-MEL departing at 1030 tomorrow morning, which it now looks like I'll miss. I know it's on a separate ticket, which is most stupid (the original intention was a gap of a few days, rather than a straight connection, but then I changed it and took the gamble). Am I right to hope that given I'm WP I can at least try and beg QF to just move me to a later flight? Or that QF will be kind to me in SYD? Or perhaps I'll just have to rely on travel insurance to rebate me when I have to re-book at SYD on the next flight (I'm nervous to think of that credit card hit!).

Thoughts would be greatly appreciated... off now to enjoy my final evening in Auckland...

L.

 

[Mal]

For the second part of your issue, I'd suggest giving QF a call and seeing if they'll link the two tickets together. It will then give QF a better idea of where you are when you fail to check-in/ board your 2nd flight.

I'd also chat to the lounge staff in AKL about it when you go to the lounge and see what they can do. They probably won't be able to change your ticket, but may be able to get a msg to SYD to try and get things pre-sorted.

Either way, the staff in T1 are excellent at moving people around on flights, so hopefully it shouldn't be a drama.

 

[NYCguy]

For the second part of your issue, I'd suggest giving QF a call and seeing if they'll link the two tickets together. It will then give QF a better idea of where you are when you fail to check-in/ board your 2nd flight.

I'd also chat to the lounge staff in AKL about it when you go to the lounge and see what they can do. They probably won't be able to change your ticket, but may be able to get a msg to SYD to try and get things pre-sorted.

Either way, the staff in T1 are excellent at moving people around on flights, so hopefully it shouldn't be a drama.

Excellent advice all-round. I also recommend that you take a... Ugh, I hate this word... "Proactive" approach. The "separate ticket" lesson is one which we have probably all learned in one way or another. Occasionally it's unavoidable, but it's not something that I would recommend unless it's absolutely necessary.

I'd be surprised if the transit-desk staff at T1 didn't rebook you onto a later flight without even blinking an eyelid. Missed connections happen all the time. I've missed separate-ticket connections, and rebooking has never been an issue (though when the connection is to a once-daily flight, it is very inconvenient).

 

[liamg]

The "separate ticket" lesson is one which we have probably all learned in one way or another. Occasionally it's unavoidable, but it's not something that I would recommend unless it's absolutely necessary.

Yeah, I've done it a couple of times before.

Once from OSL-FRA joining to FRA-SYD-MEL... FRA was locked down because of snow so the flight was delayed an hour or so... luckily I left enough of a buffer, but I had a pretty nervous time until the flight eventually took off!

Hopefully I won't have to do it again, but I think I've found a good travel agent now who I can trust, so I reckon I'll use them in the future to avoid the separate tickets because of online bookings repeat.

L.

 

[Sprucegoose]

YOU WILL BE LOOKED AFTER.


AGREE WITH EVERYTHING SAID AND ESPECIALLY NYGuy, WE SHOULDNT PROCEED WITH SEPERATE BOOKING NUMBERS.

HAPPENED TO ME, ALL SORTED BETWEEN QF AND ANZ.

CHEERS

SPRUCE

 

[liamg]

Crisis averted...

Flight was looking to take off at 1000 instead of 0550, so when we got to the airport we asked if we could go on QF50 at 0615 instead... they happily put us on, but didn't have J seats for the 2/3 of us flying J.

Still, I think it's a better option given I don't sit in the AKL lounge for four hours and know that I make my SYD-MEL flight.

Thanks everyone for the advice...

L.

 

[djfuzz]

Who did you speak to to arrange the change?

Seems LA 801 is delayed again the day I was hoping to leave - I don't have a corresponding QF booking, so I'm not sure if that's much help.

 

[serfty]

Who did you speak to to arrange the change? ...

I would guess this occurred upon check-in.

 

[liamg]

I would guess this occurred upon check-in.

Bingo. The LAN agent said to wait until the QF desk opened at 4:15am and then work it through there... seems that if we weren't flying J we wouldn't have got on, because there were a few others, none in Y, who also managed to get some seats on QF50...

Bloody SYD transfer desk was a nightmare though... 1hr+ wait, and no one thought to tell anyone that it was just the Y queue and J passengers and people with status could bypass the worst of it... Everyone was missing flights left, right and centre...

L.

 

[markis10]

Bloody SYD transfer desk was a nightmare though... 1hr+ wait, and no one thought to tell anyone that it was just the Y queue and J passengers and people with status could bypass the worst of it... Everyone was missing flights left, right and centre...

L.

Good to see things have not changed in 4-5 years, imagine the impression it gives overseas pax!

 

[kpc]

Bloody SYD transfer desk was a nightmare though... 1hr+ wait, and no one thought to tell anyone that it was just the Y queue and J passengers and people with status could bypass the worst of it... Everyone was missing flights left, right and centre...

L.

Could you not have caught the train yourselves from T1 to T3 for $5, and bypass the Q?

 

[markis10]

Could you not have caught the train yourselves from T1 to T3 for $5, and bypass the Q?

Hmm 1 hour line up or fight with peak hour commuters on a train with baggage, thats a tough call!

 

[dajop]

Excellent advice all-round. I also recommend that you take a... Ugh, I hate this word... "Proactive" approach. The "separate ticket" lesson is one which we have probably all learned in one way or another. Occasionally it's unavoidable, but it's not something that I would recommend unless it's absolutely necessary.

All a matter of economics, no point in buying it all on a one tickets if the extra cost of a single ticket is more than if you had to buy a full fare on arrival due to missed connection. Connecting to a SYD-MEL flight is probably the one sector where it's likely to be least problematic (due to the plethora flights), and worst case scenario is an extra $300 or so (unless of course around major events), and that's if QF are stubborn (which at the intl transfer desk they usually aren't).

 

[docjames]

Good to see things have not changed in 4-5 years, imagine the impression it gives overseas pax!

It was clearly marked when we were there a few weeks ago, it was just that both lines seemed to take equally as long!

 

[straitman]

It was clearly marked when we were there a few weeks ago, it was just that both lines seemed to take equally as long!

I have found it to be clearly marked also. Maybe I am lucky but I have never had a delay with the premium line at the transfer desk.

 

[straitman]

Good to see things have not changed in 4-5 years, imagine the impression it gives overseas pax!

No worst than many US airports IMHO :!:

 

[markis10]

The last time I used it was for a BA arrival from SIN at 6AM, the line started at Maccas!

 

[serfty]

The problem is that many Premium/status PAX arriving into SYD simply do not know there are two queues.

The Economy line can be out past "Maccas" while the Premium line is much shorter. Signposting is well inside the corridor so it is not visible.

It's not an easy thing to walk past one or two hundred people queued up to get the the premium line, especially when most are probably not aware of the premium queue's existence and may think you are queue jumping.

 

[samh004]

The problem is that many Premium/status PAX arriving into SYD simply do not know there are two queues.

I had a quick look but couldn’t find anything, so does the Qantas website list anywhere what status you need to use the premium line?

 

[serfty]

... so does the Qantas website list anywhere what status you need to use the premium line?

Dunno about the website, but IIRC, the sign (once you get to it) indicates Business Class, QP, PS, SG, WP, Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby.