Missed flight: No notification of Lord Howe Island flight rebooking/time change

[ShezMac]

On 14 November we were to fly to Lord Howe Island at 11.40am, upon arrival at Sydney airport we were told our tickets were cancelled and that we should have been on the 7.00 am flight. Unfortunately for us Qantas forgot to notify us of the change. We are now in a battle with Qantas for them to refund our lost accommodation costs on Lord Howe Island. They have refunded our tickets. Qantas did reschedule us for Tuesday's flight, this failed to make it to LDH due to weather and likewise with our rescheduled Wednesday flight, cancelled due to weather. We had had enough of the early morning starts and getting nowhere and cancelled our holiday and returned home 3hours away from Sydney.
Qantas don't seem to understand that it is their failure to notify us of a flight schedule change that caused us to be in this situation and will not take responsibility to reimburse us for our lost accommodation. Does anyone know what we can do to get our accommodation money refunded. Our travel insurance will not cover this event as it is not weather, sickness, death or other health issue related.

:evil::evil:

 

[samh004]

I would have thought this was a travel insurance claim, filed under what category I do not know.

 

[ShezMac]

I have tried to talk to our insurance to inquire
if I could claim, I couldn't make anyone understand what I was asking so have now sent an email as I had no idea which form to use.

 

[Mattg]

That's pretty poor - how could Qantas change the departure time by more than 4 hours and forget to notify you of the change?

Considering that you tried two more times to get to Lord Howe Island but couldn't due to weather, I wonder if your travel insurance would consider this weather-related?

 

[mannej]

Out of interest, did you book with a Travel Agent or direct with Qantas?

 

[NZflygirl]

Out of interest, did you book with a Travel Agent or direct with Qantas?

Do you not receive texts or emails if booked via travel agent on or offline?

 

[mannej]

Do you not receive texts or emails if booked via travel agent on or offline?

I guess my question is hinting at if it is a TA booking, what details have they put in the booking?

 

[eric2011]

We can blame QF and insist it is no-ones fault but QF's but surely the OP has an obligation to do just a little bit of checking for themselves. Has the booking got correct email details, has it got correct phone numbers. I and I know many of you also check our MMB on the website, have apps on our phones that beep every day (or so it seems) for the week prior to our trips to inform us of changes, departure times, gate notifications etc etc.
Sure, QF should have ensured the OP was notified of changes but take a bit of responsibility and don't expect everything to be done for you.

Flame suit on, fire away:evil:

 

[puppysparkes]

I get the impression the booking was made directly with QF. Having regard to the conditions of carriage, It appears OP will need to make an insurance claim. QF put the onus on passengers to check that flight times have not changed.

9. Schedules, Late or Cancelled Flights

9.1 Schedule Changes and Cancellations by us
(a) Schedules Not Guaranteed
We will use our reasonable endeavours to operate in accordance with our published schedules. However, we do not guarantee the flight times and they do not form part of your contract of carriage with us.

(b) Flight Changes

Before we accept your booking, we or our Authorised Agent will tell you the scheduled departure time of your flight and it will be shown on your Ticket. We may need to change the scheduled departure time of your flight after your Ticket has been issued. If you give us or our Authorised Agent contact information, we or they will use our reasonable endeavours to let you know about any changes. In any event, prior to your flight you should check to ensure your flight times have not changed. You should check the flight departure and arrival information posted at the airport. Except as otherwise provided in the Convention or any applicable laws, we will not be liable to you for any losses that you may incur if you fail to do so.

(c) Significant Change

If, due to circumstances within our control, after you buy your Ticket we make a significant change to the scheduled departure time of your flight or the flight is cancelled, we will:

rebook you on the next available flight (or combination of flights) on our services to your booked destination at no additional cost to you
alternatively, at your option, refund the applicable fare if you choose to continue travel and the change or cancellation occurs on the day of scheduled travel, resulting in your delay at the departure airport, provide you with meal or refreshment vouchers (or reimburse you for the reasonable costs of meals or refreshments if we do not provide vouchers) if your travel with us is delayed overnight and you have already commenced travel on your booking (ie you are at an 'away' port), use reasonable endeavours to assist you to find overnight accommodation or reimburse your reasonable accommodation costs if we have not provided accommodation.
(d) Discontinued Route

If we cease to operate on a route and as a result we cancel a flight for which you have purchased a Ticket, we will:

offer you a seat on the next available flight on our services for an alternative route to the same destination (if available) and where a connection was arranged by us, a seat on the next available connecting flight alternatively, at your option, refund the applicable fare

 

[gaz0303]

(c) Significant Change

If, due to circumstances within our control, after you buy your Ticket we make a significant change to the scheduled departure time of your flight or the flight is cancelled, we will:

rebook you on the next available flight (or combination of flights) on our services to your booked destination at no additional cost to you

Sounds like a horrible situation to be in. The above sounds like the relevant section. QF tried to meet their conditions but weather worked against them. Surely this then is a travel insurance claim due to weather?

I imagine based on the number of cancelled flights to Lord Howe, hotels are use to juggling guests around, or make some significant profit from no shows and over charging people for mandatory extra nights when the plane doesn't arrive to take them home.

Can we confirm that QF had contact details to notify of changes? Often my TA bookings have their details and not mine. Shows value in Tripcase/Tripit etc.

 

[williamsf1]

Out of interest, did you book with a Travel Agent or direct with Qantas?

My money is it was with a TA …..

 

[ShezMac]

Out of interest, did you book with a Travel Agent or direct with Qantas?

Yes we booked with a travel agent. Qantas say they notified the travel agent re the change of flight to 7am from 11.40am, but the travel agent has no such email. Our tickets show our Frequent Flyer numbers and part of a FF profile is to complete the sections on email and mobile phone number. Alongside the mobile number is in red wording this number will be used to SMS flight changes/updates.
As i see it, if we had have flown on the day of our ticket we would have made it to LHI as both flight that day landed, it was the day before and the 2 days after that the weather affected the flights, not out designated day of flying.

 

[BD1959]

My money is it was with a TA …..

With all my flights booked via a CTA I get contacted directly by Qantas for schedule changes.
Is this an option TAs specify or are CTAs systematically treated differently to retail TAs?

Regards,

BD

 

[ShezMac]

At 5.30am on the morning of our flight, before we left home I rang the 131223 as shown on our tickets to check the flight departure time, it was an automated connection with a recording that QF2260 was due to depart at 11.40.
No Eric I did not use the Qantas app, I hate phones and gadgets that beep and buzz every minute of the day. Our tickets have our correct names, Frequent Flyer numbers but do not show our mobile/email address

 

[puppysparkes]

At 5.30am on the morning of our flight, before we left home I rang the 131223 as shown on our tickets to check the flight departure time, it was an automated connection with a recording that QF2260 was due to depart at 11.40.
No Eric I did not use the Qantas app, I hate phones and gadgets that beep and buzz every minute of the day. Our tickets have our correct names, Frequent Flyer numbers but do not show our mobile/email address

I suggest forwarding a copy of your phone records to QF to support your position. You may have complied with the conditions of carriage.

 

[ShezMac]

Good thought, thank you

 

[puppysparkes]

You could also ask QF to provide a document that confirms how and when they contacted your TA, to advise of the change. It's plausible that your TA might be looking to minimise their liability.

 

[ShezMac]

I have done that, no one has received an email. I have asked Qantas for a copy of the email, they said they would send it last week, but to date I have not received it. I suspect they never sent it. I am not sure if I said before but from what we were told at our original check in the email was sent out at 7pm Sunday night, so even if we had have checked our flight on the Sunday afternoon we still would have missed our flights, I opted to make the call at 5.30am and all I heard on the recorded message was that the flight was to depart on time.

 

[williamsf1]

Yes we booked with a travel agent. Qantas say they notified the travel agent re the change of flight to 7am from 11.40am, but the travel agent has no such email. Our tickets show our Frequent Flyer numbers and part of a FF profile is to complete the sections on email and mobile phone number. Alongside the mobile number is in red wording this number will be used to SMS flight changes/updates.
As i see it, if we had have flown on the day of our ticket we would have made it to LHI as both flight that day landed, it was the day before and the 2 days after that the weather affected the flights, not out designated day of flying.

Travel agents do not get emails they get automated Queues via their GDS reservations systems…. I can probably guess what agency it was as most do not check these queues… once they have the $$$ and you are out the door you are on your own!

 

[mannej]

Travel agents do not get emails they get automated Queues via their GDS reservations systems…. I can probably guess what agency it was as most do not check these queues… once they have the $$$ and you are out the door you are on your own!

Cynical me suggests the initials are F an