Help - Who’s Had Problems with Webjet?

[mjt57]

6 mths ago we booked flights to New York with Virgin Australia via Webjet. We fly out on Tuesday morning. On Friday evening my wife logged in to Webjet to check details only to discover that “for operational reasons” VA7 from BNE to LAX had been cancelled.

In a mad panic we had to try and sort this out. Webjet has no telephone number to call that we can find on its website. Instead we had to endure a two hour wait via a web based chatline.

We’ve been moved to a later flight leaving BNE. However it arrives in LAX 5hrs AFTER our LAX-JFK flight departs.

We’ve been trying to sort this disaster out. VA tells us to talk to Webjet who are ignoring us.

We are supposed to commence checkin tomorrow or about 12hrs from the time I’m writing this.

Lessons learned: never fly with VA again, never use Webjet again. In future any overseas travel with be with qantas and we will deal with them directly.

We can fly out but we will be stuck in LA. We can not find any flights that will get us to NY in the next day. Some a day or so later will cost us upwards of $2,000.

 

[Kerrodt]

Do you have travel insurance that will cover this?

 

[DC3]

Why hasn’t webjet re-booked your seats on a later connecting flight LAX-JFK? I guess that you don’t know either.

Did you actually get any sense from the chat line?

There are a couple of good T/As who are AFF members. Maybe someone can provide useful advice.

Edit: Can you change the thread title to start with “HELP ..... “ to attract some attention to your plight?

 

[33kft]

Which carrier is the connecting LAX-JFK flight with? It might be worth giving them a call directly to see if they would be prepared to shift you to a later flight?

 

[Mattg]

This is one of the reasons I would never book with Webjet. Was it considerably cheaper at the time to book with Webjet than VA direct, or was there another reason you booked with them?

While the problem is of VA’s making, I think you need to keep trying to get hold of Webjet on the phone as that’s who you booked with. They should change you to another LAX-JFK flight at no cost to you.

 

[mjt57]

Thanks for the replies, folks. Webjet was used cos it was cheaper. Not made of money and we don’t travel that often.

Delta is the connecting flight. It has nothing on its website that we can find. Looked at United and others.

Still waiting to hear back from WJ.

 

[mjt57]

Do you have travel insurance that will cover this?

Travel insurance direct. That will be a last resort if we either don’t go or if we get stuck in LA.

 

[dajop]

I found this via google search, on webjet page:

I need urgent help with my booking

For urgent queries Webjet's Customer Service Centre can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• From Australia: 1300 137 737
• From any overseas location on +61 (3) 8672 740

 

[dajop]

Don't do online check in until this is sorted.

I did see some availability in economy class (but not in cheapest fare on the following flights):

VA 6646 (operated by DL) depart 21:20/06:00 (least seats)
VA 6654 (operated by DL) depart 22:25/07:00
VA 6619 (operated by DL) depart 23:55/08:34 ** also has business class

Also flights the next morning with seats available in all fare classes on Wednesday morning at 06:05. 07:55 and 09:20, but you won't get to New York until mid-late afternoon and be up for probably $200-$300 AUD for a nights accommodation near LAX.

The other option, they could have put you on an early flight to SYD to connect on VA to LAX, to your original flight to NYC, but VA's SYD-LAX flight is looking very full.

 

[ftm]

The problem, as it is right now, is Webjets to manage. It's not a difficult one, they just rebook you on the best connection available out of LA, or reroute via Sydney. Whatever you want really. Same fare class doesn't need to be available, just the same cabin. This happens regularly, so not unusual and not difficult or time consuming to do.

Once it gets to day of operation, Virgin will just rebook you at check in. I wouldn't blame anything on Virgin and certainly I wouldn't consider it a reason never to fly with them again. Plenty of other airlines have schedule changes !

 

[serfty]

@mjt57 the information provided by @ftm is accurate.

FWIW, VA have been short one 773 since June 14th and have been scrambling to transport PAX since.

See here: What happened to VH-VPH? [773 Out of Service since Jun 14th]

 

[mjt57]

Thanks for everything, folks. It's appreciated. As I type my wife is on the horn to VA and are trying to get us onto a flight to JFK. Currently on hold as the guy speaks to a superior as the re-booking to NY is bring up errors. We're told that this is to do with Webjet having control of the booking. Inside a 24hr window they can then take over. We're just outside of that window, I think.

Oh, and still nothing from Webjet. Hopefully VA can sort this for us.

And maybe I was a bit harsh towards VA, too. It all comes down to the agent, I suppose.

 

[Carrots]

I hope you end up having a great trip and all ends up rather smooth!

Highlights a good point though - the dangers of not booking direct (whether online or in-store travel agent).

It really is quite frustrating that most, it not all, airlines won't deal direct with you if you've booked via an agent. I understand there are numerous reasons they do this, but gees I wish they would all provide a bit more flexibility.

 

[mjt57]

Thanks again folks. After an hour on the phone to VA we now have a connecting flight to NY. Original schedule was having us arrive in JFK at 1800hrs Tuesday. Now it's 0600 Wednesday. Better than a kick in the cough, I s'pose.

If anyone from Webjet is reading this, tell your management that your processes suck.

 

[33kft]

If anyone from Webjet is reading this, tell your management that your processes suck.

I rarely do anything other than book direct with airlines based on past (bad) experiences, so I don't know a lot about Webjet, but recently I noticed there was a promo on webjet gift cards so I did some searching to see if it was worthwhile, and found out that they levied ridiculous (think $30) booking fees on these things and getting a refund was very difficult, so I stayed away. If these are their business practices I have to think they are deliberately being obtuse and know full well that their services are poor, but that people will keep seeing cheap flight prices in google, so they'll always have a revenue stream.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

The problem, as it is right now, is Webjets to manage. It's not a difficult one, they just rebook you on the best connection available out of LA, or reroute via Sydney. Whatever you want really. Same fare class doesn't need to be available, just the same cabin. This happens regularly, so not unusual and not difficult or time consuming to do.

Once it gets to day of operation, Virgin will just rebook you at check in. I wouldn't blame anything on Virgin and certainly I wouldn't consider it a reason never to fly with them again. Plenty of other airlines have schedule changes !

I agree its Webjets problem to manage. However from experience Virgin may well be the culprit to some extent.
We booked a flight with VA/Delta through an Australian travel agent - a similar Ticket - ie Australia to LAX then a connecting flight on Delta Airlines. VA changed their flight schedule for the return flight, but their appeared to be no communication with Delta as they left the delta flight the same which allowed only 15 min to transit to the international flight on the way home. Patently impossible and illegal under the guidelines. In addition VA had changed our business class seats (which had been paid for) on the international leg to economy! There was NO (!ZERO!) communication of this schedule or class change to either oiurselves or the Travel Agent. The only way we twigged was we went to book our seat allocation and noticed the change of schedule. We rang VA and they could not explain why no-one was notified. They offered an alternative routing which was un acceptable due to commitments in place in USA - so we asked for a refund. Initially this was denied. I rang again after I went through their website ticket conditions and pointed these out to the VA person. We had to change airlines and as such incurred a higher fare due to the closeness of the travel to the booking. This all occurred in Feb 2019 - we are still waiting for our refund.
So the comment beware of VA is I think an entirely reasonable given the circumstances.

 

[DC3]

Thanks again folks. After an hour on the phone to VA we now have a connecting flight to NY. Original schedule was having us arrive in JFK at 1800hrs Tuesday ...

Good to hear that it all worked out.

For simple itineraries I always book direct with the carrier. For something complex, a T/A can be a big help, if not a necessity.

I do not book via Webjet or Flight Centre.

 

[KAH]

There have been a number of cancellation and major re-timings for VA. One of only five Boeing 777s went out of action on June 14th.Said to be a fuel tank issue. Whatever it is, it is not being fixed quickly.

Over the past week, it has not been fixed at LAX and is now in Victorville (a short flight from LA) in the USA where a major overhaul company operates. That does not help you but it is the explanation.

VA have caused the problem and while they have directed you back to the agent, the problem is entirely theirs because they have (1) they seem to discourage rebooking disrupted passengers on any other carrier other than Delta (that only fly once per day form Sydney) and (2) decided not to lease replacement equipment.

They are flying the remaining four 777s at all sorts of odd times to play catch up. This timing issue is the cause of your problem. Some passengers in LA have waited days to get back to Australia. VA have not issued a media release to explain what has happened. There is no end to the delays in sight as the plane is still under repair.

Suggest you call the Brisbane call centre and ask to speak with one of the senior folk there. Explain that you know that it is 100% because of a mechanical issue with Boeing 777 (registration VH-VPH). Ask to be rebooked to get you to NYC at the time you selected on any carrier.

State that as a 'disrupted passenger' because of a mechanical issue that has been known to the airline since June 14th. Say that you wish to be rerouted by another carrier. AA UA, NZ or QF (even HA) can all get you there. Good luck.

 

[gerrybu]

WJ is terrible when things go wrong - took me 6 more than months to get a refund. Now I almost always book directly with airlines. In my experience the only cheaper tickets I have seen on WJ is the day after an airline sale has ended & WJ still has the sale price, but often they will put you on some other flight. Also once they sold me a ticket on a flight (but it was full on the airline site) - so I had to change.

 

[mjt57]

Good to hear that it all worked out.

For simple itineraries I always book direct with the carrier. For something complex, a T/A can be a big help, if not a necessity.

I do not book via Webjet or Flight Centre.

Thanks.

We arrived in JFK at around 0630, 12 hours later than scheduled, totally knackered. Our replacement flight was on a rather squishy B757. Couldn't sleep. 4hr wait in the Delta terminal at LAX before boarding.

Travel agents have helped me in the past. Normally we'd either book with the local Hello World as we know them, or directly with either QF or VA (Jetstar and Tiger can go **** in a hat). But this trip funds were limited and my wife found the best fares with Webjet. Never again.

On the Tuesday afternoon, after I woke up at my daughter's place in Queens, Webjet had finally gotten back to us...