Grounds for complaint, last minute cancellation?

[Moody]

These examples highlight the fact that the "contract" you enter into when you book a flight is a one-way street. The airline sells different qualities of travel at a different price (fair enough) but will also sell the same quality of travel at a different price, due to demand for travel at peak times. That would be OK except that there is no guarantee that you will get what you paid for (travel at the popular time) and there is no recompense if they shunt you to the off-peak time you paid good money to avoid.

Trouble is - there is no good solution to this except to punish airlines that appear to be playing the numbers game in complete disregard to their passengers. The fact that the pax in question was bumped a number of flights forward is particularly irksome, and I think local airlines should be forced to offer $ incentives to passengers to take later flights to free up space for those that really have to be there at a certain time. In other words it should be treated as an overbooking situation.

Two hours doesn't seem like a big deal, but when airlines will cancel your contract if you are 2 minutes late for check-in, there needs to be some give-and-take. There is evidence that a well-written complaint will result in some reparation from Qantas, but it would be better if compensation was applied automatically and transparently.

 

[DC3]

... Personally I think you should provide QF with feedback of your situation with as many details as possible.

muppet655!


This may be the most helpful advice that's been provided to you, to date.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

This info was on the QF website. As mentioned by JohnK it's worth contacting them via one of the methods below as they are the people that can do something about it. Reservations don't have the authority to compensate you in any form so it's not really a case of not caring more about you contacting the people that can do something.

Qantas Customer Charter

If you have a problem with our performance, we want to hear about it, as your feedback helps us to identify and address issues with our service. You can call our dedicated Customer Care team during business hours in Sydney on +61 2 9691 3399, write to us or contact us via qantas.com. We will acknowledge your feedback within 5 business days. While we endeavour to resolve your complaint as quickly as we can, every case is different and some more complicated matters may take longer to resolve.

Contact Customer Care, or write to:

Qantas Customer Care
Qantas Airways
Level 5 Building A
203 Coward Street
MASCOT NSW 2020
Australia

 

[Moopere]

This post is in a similar vein to one I posted a few days ago. I agree with the OP. At the very minimum, absolute bare minimum, you should be compensated the difference in the flight cost.

If the later flight was cheaper by say 300$ as you mentioned then I'd be going for a 300$ compensation as the minimum I'd accept to to walk away from the fight.

I can't believe the number of folks who seem to think that paying sometimes substantial extra dollars for extra services only entitles you to the "possibility" of actually receiving those services.

The Airlines are not selling raffle tickets are they?

 

[munitalP]

Where would this argument be going if because an AC goes US, the pax was expected to pay the fare difference such as my case today where a NTL/MEL turned into a NTL/BNE/MEL?

If QF or JQ or DJ cancelled a flight because PAX loadings were light, there would be cause for concern, ( such as AN were doing in the death throes ) but the AC went US... The OP was pushed to the next available I'm betting, so the fact a flight was skipped means zip.

Good grief....

And welcome to AFF muppet & Bat21, straight into the members.... (Bat21), how to make friends and influence people....If you need to have a translation of the abbreviations, there's a thread...

 

[Moopere]

Where would this argument be going if because an AC goes US, the pax was expected to pay the fare difference such as my case today where a NTL/MEL turned into a NTL/BNE/MEL?

But surely, as a general legal rule of thumb, the PAX in that example would only pay the difference if he was the one who defaulted on the original contract??

Using logic, which I admit is not always sound in such situations because law is not logic, surely we are not collectively hallucinating when we buy extra services ... there must be more than just the chance at gaining the service level paid for.

In my current world when I default on contracts we're straight into liquidated damages. No such thing as promising (contracting) to do my best and -possibly-delivering what was contracted in the beginning.

But, I understand that different markets do things like this differently and its possible the Airlines have special mention in the TPA along with car manufacturers/retailers who also enjoy some special treatment

 

[mannej]

Is it relevant to the OP's argument that time does not form part of the contract?


Sent from my iPhone using AFF Mobile

 

[Moopere]

Is it relevant to the OP's argument that time does not form part of the contract?


Sent from my iPhone using AFF Mobile

Only if the Airline is selling you the 'chance' for a specifically timed flight. Is this what we're buying? Really? Maybe it is. I'd like to see any similar case history on that one.

Also, one wonders if it would pass the 'fairness test' that I think was recently introduced.

I think my problem with the idea of letting the airline off scott free in this type of case is essentially fairness based. It doesn't seem fair to me that the company is trying to have its cake and also eat it. If the earlier flight costs more then the airline is making a statement ... that the time and conditions of a flight matter and can be monetised.

If they wanted to be completely fair, and expect to shift PAX about without compensation then they would have to start by charging the same for all flight times and seats in each cabin type. In many ways, by trying to find inventive ways to extract extra money from customers they have created their own monster.

Ultimately though, it doesn't much matter what we all think as its just random opinion. 10 people will have 10 different opinions and a thread like this can turn into a shaggy dog story. I wonder if there is in fact much case history on PAX taking these things up in court (despite any T&C's) under Trade Practises law?

My suspicion is that companies don't much like to be spanked with the TPA and if it looked like this is where things were going they'd probably come to an agreement.

Still begs the question though I suppose as per the OP, should we expect extremely high levels of service as paying customers? "Yes" is the easy answer but not necessarily the right one in all cases ....I'll accept that.

 

[mannej]

Welcome to AFF Muppett655 and the inherent helpful advice when the elders consider it to be beneath their calling. To get good advice, you need to fit in with those 2 or 3 % of members and include lots of fancy letters like VXD, LAL, WTF, J, K, BNI, PIA etc along with listing your 25 different "FF" programs you belong to (thanks to your work) to really impress.

VXD= cause of problems Photos: Boeing 737-838 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

 

[Sprucegoose]

[

QUOTE=bat21;402180]Welcome to AFF Muppett655 and the inherent helpful advice when the elders consider it to be beneath their calling. To get good advice, you need to fit in with those 2 or 3 % of members and include lots of fancy letters like VXD, LAL, WTF, J, K, BNI, PIA etc along with listing your 25 different "FF" programs you belong to (thanks to your work) to really impress.

You will get the hang of it, there is an abbreviations thread somewhere I will try to dig it out.

Not everyone has status due to their work. Some of our members are self-funded

In your case, which was similar to one I had although I was moved from
an afternoon flight to a red eye horror. I just wrote a letter via the website to the big Q explaining the inconvenience their change cost me and lo and behold, I was
refunded some of my incidental expenses which I was not expecting.

A good outcome, however I would say you are a commercially a more important person than the OP however. I would expect different treatment.

Bat21
QGG & QC[/QUOTE]

 

[straitman]

I've just had my flight on Qantas BNE-MEL 14:55 cancelled and been bumped to the 16:55 flight. I've been told this is due to a mechanical problem with the plane but, for the cynics, the flight was pretty thinly booked.

Muppet655,

Welcome to AFF.

Wow. I go off line for 24hrs and people erupt.

I apologise for some of the people here as I believe your question is quite reasonable and I am not sure why so many people have got upset. If people cannot come here and ask questions as the forum is intended then we may as well all go home now :!:

Which day was your flight :?:

I was booked on the 1455 flight from BNE-MEL on Wednesday afternoon and my flight was cancelled some six days before the flight and I was put on the 1555 flight. Was this the same one :?:

As people have said though, it is reasonable to sent QF a note and ask. If they do not get the feedback then they never really have any idea how people really feel.

 

[straitman]

Welcome to AFF Muppett655 and the inherent helpful advice when the elders consider it to be beneath their calling. To get good advice, you need to fit in with those 2 or 3 % of members and include lots of fancy letters like VXD, LAL, WTF, J, K, BNI, PIA etc along with listing your 25 different "FF" programs you belong to (thanks to your work) to really impress.

In the norm, this is the best forum group to belong to as the advice is mind boggling and will certainly save you money and time. You just have to ignore the grandstanders.

In your case, which was similar to one I had although I was moved from an afternoon flight to a red eye horror. I just wrote a letter via the website to the big Q explaining the inconvenience their change cost me and lo and behold, I was refunded some of my incidental expenses which I was not expecting.

Bat21
QGG & QC

bat21,

Welcome to AFF.

Well done with the outcome to your complaint.

 

[Virgin Australia]

if I were Qantas I'd have plenty of stooges on here putting down reasonable questions too

I certainly hope no one here sees me as a 'stooge'!!!!

 

[FlyboyAl]

I certainly hope no one here sees me as a 'stooge'!!!!

Probably depends if you are one of 3!!!

 

[medhead]

Welcome to the AFF for those new people.

To answer the OP, I would say you should send in feedback. Trouble is these things happen and I don't think you'll get more than an apology. But then you didn't ask about the response.

FWIW I was delayed yesterday as well. Only by about an hour due to mechanical problems. Second delay for the week. Not a big issue at all. But I'm considering to send in feedback. Mainly because I'm having an obsession about something. But also because the crew were helpful in dealing with pax who would miss their connection.