Disappointing Service from VA - Should I complain?

[bluemelbourne]

Hi All,

I am currently in the VA lounge at SYD and wanted to seek your opinion on what has happened. Specifically, on whether I should complain and what compensation (if any) I am entitled to.

I fly MEL-LAX 4 times a year in J. I usually fly United (via SYD) as I like the upper deck on the 747 or Qantas on the A380.

However, this time I decided to try Virgin (who I fly all my domestic connections with).

I booked the tickets through my Amex concierge, who booked a Delta codeshare VA flight.

MEL to LAX was direct - no issues

LAX-SYD-MEL - however, was a different issue.

The LAX to SYD flight had been moved from 2125 to 2250, which meant my connection in SYD on to MEL was an unachievable 10 minutes. I informed the ground staff at Virgin LAX who informed me that the ground staff at SYD would rebook me.

I boarded the plane - arrived at SYD [0730], collected the very delayed baggage (even though it had been marked as 'priority'), rushed through customs to the domestic transfer desk [0800].

I was informed I was rebooked on the 9am - however, I couldn't re-book in my luggage as they required a minimum of 1 hour. I proceeded as instructed to carry all my luggage to the domestic terminal to check in there. Upon arrival at the Virgin desk in T2 - I was informed that I was not booked on the 9am and I was too late to get on anyway. After waiting at the checkin desk for 30 minutes (an angry group of priority passengers building up behind me) - I was told the 10am was full(?) and I was put on to 11am flight.

After the red-eye from LAX, I was in no mood to argue so I accepted the 11am and made my way to the lounge. After waiting a further 90 minutes in the lounge - I have been informed the 11am has been cancelled (clearly due to occupancy) and I have been rebooked on the 12noon flight.

All in all - I will arrive in MEL (subject to them not cancelling this flight) 4 hours after the designated time - due to multiple levels of incompetence from VA staff.

I am but a lowly 'Silver' Velocity member - but this flight has taken me to 'Gold' status.

Overall - very disappointed by VA staff just pushing me forward to make me other peoples problem. Should I complain? Am I entitled to any compensation / points / status credits?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
BM

 

[smit0847]

If the SYD-MEL flight was in J I would complain, if it was in Y I would not. Given you were in the priority boarding lane as a PS I'm guessing you were in J. I wouldn't expect much more than a formal apology - having to carry baggage and a few hours delay doesn't really deserve additional status credits.

It's strange that at the intl>dom transfer desk they didn't just move your dom flight later so that you could check your luggage there and then. The frequency SYD-MEL exists to solve exact issues such as these.
I think your status may have contributed to them not bending over backwards but they should have if you were in J!

In comparison, I came off a TG intl flight in SYD 2 weeks ago and had booked a separate VA SYD-MEL connection. I had given myself heaps of time for delays and couldn't even remember when my flight was. I explained this at the intl>dom transfer desk and they simply moved me to an earlier flight, kept my 3C seat allocation allowing me a leisurely 90 mins to transfer to dom, have breakfast in the lounge and then board my flight. I'm WP and the process could not have been easier or smoother.

Hopefully you will be looked after better once you are SG - the MEL Lounge staff are amongst the best staff VA have and can make all sorts of things happen - if I don't have checked-in luggage but do have an issue I head straight to the lounge, I don't bother with the check-in or service desks.

 

[docjames]

Welcome to AFF.

Personally, i'd strike it up to "the joys of travel".

You don't mention what time you were you arrived at the domestic checkin, nor what was your original flight time ex-SYD (to MEL). This would be relevant information.

If the 10am was full, i'm not sure there was much that could be done.

I'm not sure how you know that the 11am was cancelled "clearly due to occupancy" but either way (occupancy or mechanical), unlucky.

If corresponding with Virgin makes you feel better, go for your life, but I would say that a 1.5hr delay on a long haul often cascades into a 3-4hr "end destination" delay due to situations you experienced. They rebooked you on the first flight that you could easily make that had seats on it (to book one too tight to make means if you miss it they end up delaying another planeload of pax whilst they clear your luggage out of it), and when they boked you on the next one with seats, it got cancelled (for whatever reason).

Not sure what you booked connection was, but I also tend to leave at least 30mins more than the mct in SYD to cover off 30-40 minute delays (not that that would have helped here necessarily).

Unlucky, you may receive "goodwill" from VA but personally, as I said at the start, I'd strike it to "the joys of travel".

 

[anat0l]

First, welcome to AFF.

How did you know the 11am was cancelled due to low load? I know we like to take the mickey on an excuse like this, but it's more difficult to see it actually happen in real life.

For SYD/MEL major corridor flight, I don't know what a low load flight that doesn't deserve uplift should be like.....


Anyway, beyond the point. The short answer for you is if you wish to complain, then do so, but stick to facts and remove the emotion. Keep it as short and sharp as you possibly can. You might like to briefly explain what VA could have done to be "less competent".

Frankly as you were in a situation where there needed to be a misconnect push, anything could have happened, so getting pushed onto whatever flight was probably all you could accept and all they could do. Then, in a comedy of the Swiss cheese holes lining up, the 11am so happened to have to be cancelled for whatever reason. It can happen....

As for compensation, I'm sorry to advise but you're likely to get none, and by and large in this situation you would be entitled to none. Unless you can prove (beyond a simple delay and cascading effect of delay) that you had suffered some sort of damage. But as docjames mentioned, anything you receive is only to be in goodwill, not that you were entitled to it.

 

[bullerdude]

This is indeed an unfortunate incident but delays happen and there isn't much that can be done about them. At the end of the day, they got you home on a later flight, not much more they can do.

I'm sure I would also be angry with the situation as well but as docjames says - this is all about "the joys of travel" - you have to move on.

 

[JohnK]

I think you should complain. I know delays happen all the time but this one does not appear to have been handled very well by Virgin. I would not be surprised if there was some sort of travel bank offered as well but I would not make any demands. Let them offer.

Also I guess this is where Qantas is good. In my experience if they know aircraft is going to be delayed they give you boarding pass for original domestic flight and someone in Australia rebooks delayed passengers while you are in the air and when you land everything has been sorted.

 

[MH_fan]

That is the benefit of travelling your itinerary on one airline. Just got back from London on MH. Flight form London left late, making the connection to Sydney at KL very tight. Due to significant number of passengers transiting through to the Sydney flight, it was held back to ensure all passengers made it including their luggage. If it was a different airline (even though it may be code-share), things often don't run as smoothly.

To the OP, I would also be annoyed at the situation you found yourself in but, ultimately, VA got you home several hours later than you would've liked and I personally wouldn't complain about that.

 

[haydensydney]

If you were flying in Europe you would be entitled to compensation after a delay of only two hours, so why not complain to VA? Just be as polite as possible and stick to the facts (as you have done above).

Clearly you're unhappy and VA might welcome the opportunity to provide some service recovery.

 

[BAM1748]

Complain yes, compensation no.

They messed up the connection but that happens all the time, some airlines recover it well but Virgin tend not to handle these things very well in my opinion.

Matt

 

[Aussie_flyer]

no point complaining, your flight was delayed, it happens. you won't get more than a polite apology.

 

[pauly7]

Agreed. Also VA aren't QF and we just can't expect them to react at a higher level of customer service than they are structurally capable and able of providing. Secondly they operate smaller and less frequent flights than QF so we also can't expect service recovery to be as good either.

 

[maninblack]

Certainly complain. VA are deficient in many areas and they need the feedback from customers to improve and correct their weaknesses.

 

[Mwenenzi]

Welcome to the forum.
...

....I booked the tickets through my Amex concierge, who booked a Delta codeshare VA flight...

Part of the issue may be be Delta (codeshare). Your booking was with Delta: not VA
To me if the reservation was with VA your outcome may have been far better

 

[Deleted member 29185]

You might like to briefly explain what VA could have done to be "less competent".

Hmmmmmmmmmm. Although VA do occasionally appear to take pride in incompetence, I'm not sure paxs telling them how to better themselves at it, is any great welcome news to us VA FFers. I vote for anat0l being tarred and feathered at the next FFer event as punishment for suggesting it!

 

[farstar]

I also agree if you don't inform Virgin of your experience with them they won't know and it may be they can modify their procedure or educate their staff better. I you don't tell them how would Virgin know.

 

[LiamR]

Just throwing it out there, if your LAX-SYD flight was delayed, then several SYD-MEL flights were delayed it sounds like a greater problem was going on? Weather? IT Glitches? Bits of a UA 747 falling off?

I'd just put this down up as one of those days of travel where everything goes wrong. It happens.

 

[bluemelbourne]

Thank you for the warm welcome and comments.

I have decided to provide my feedback via the website.

Just to answer a few of the questions - although not explicit that the flight was cancelled due to load issues, there were 2 situations which made this very clear:

1) When being checked in to the 11am flight - the check in desk said that the flight was 'wide open' and that I was the only one in business.
2) When they announced the cancellation of the flight in the lounge - they instructed all passengers to go to the service desk to be rebooked. Only myself and one other passenger went to the desk.

Cheers