My experience with VA Cancellations

[Markmat]

On Friday night my 4pm flight from Melbourne to Sydney was cancelled and I was put on the 5pm flight which was subsequently cancelled. When I had been told about the 4pm cancellation I tried to move to the 3pm flight and I was told it was overbooked by 8 people so there was nothing they could do. It meant I missed a significant speech my daughter gave to 150 people. I had been told two stories as to why the cancellation happened, one engineering and the other being planes diverting from Brisbane due to restrictions on the runway due to debris on runway, so I understand these things happen. I had 2 cancelled flights, yet other passengers going to Brisbane who were on later VA flights were unaffected (I understand the philosophy that it is better to upset a smaller number of people a lot, than upset a lot more people a little), colleagues of mine who were scheduled on the same service with Qantas got home, although delayed (In fact they were texting me and others when they got on the plane). At no time during this experience was anyone able to tell me when I would get home with VA and they just kept telling me the chartered flight would leave in an hour.

I ended up going on a chartered flight that Virgin booked (Alliance) that was meant to take off at 9.20 so it could offload Sydney passengers and then take off before curfew to get to Brisbane. All passengers were in place at 9.20 but paperwork from VA was not received until 10, so we landed in Sydney and couldn't take off due to curfew so we were given vouchers to a hotel and told we would be booked on a 9am flight. This would mean I would miss more commitments with my family on Saturday, especially with a pregnant wife struggling with three kids and lots of kid commitments. I called our company travel agent at 12.30pm, as we only got in our hotel after midnight as no bus was made available and we had to fight long taxi queues.

My travel agent got me on a Qantas flight so I could meet family commitments and this flight left at 7am which got me home in time. All affected passengers were clearly upset and found the 9am flight unacceptable. The Alliance plane we were on had to get back to Brisbane for its commitments early on Saturday and was going to take us to Brisbane on the Friday night before we missed curfew, so not sure why we were not told to get in early to get on that plane. The staff at Virgin were clearly stressed but their customer service was professional but were clearly operating with some poor information.

I thought I would tell this story as I thought they handled this situation badly and wanted to understand what others thought who were experienced travellers. I travel a lot on many airlines and this was by far the worst experience. I have lodged feedback with VA and have had no correspondence back from them.

 

[bullerdude]

That's a pretty awful experience to have to deal with when you are trying to get home to your family.

My take:

It sound like the engineering issue was a more likely culprit of the cancellations if other flights were reasonably on-time. Unfortunately there is sometimes not much that can be done in these situations, especially on busy Friday nights.

Virgin seemed to try and get everybody home by borrowing the alliance plane but unfortunately that didn't go perfectly either. Then they arranged to have everyone stay in a hotel and wait for a 9am flight the next morning, but they did not arrange a bus to the hotel.

Overall, it sounds like they didn't do all the little things that help to relieve stress in these situations, such as open and honest communication, having a VA staff member accompany all guests to the hotel and back to the airport the next morning etc.

I would submit feedback but I wouldn't expect any compensation as technically they met there requirements by arranging an alternative flight the next morning.

 

[eastwest101]

First of all - give VA some time to respond - they may actually have a reasonable explanation and/or some form of compensation.

Your post isn't very clear but it seems you were trying to get home to Brisbane, you origionally were booked on MEL-SYD-BNE with VA but due to various reasons ended up on a chartered Alliance F100 that made it to SYD but got stuck with the SYD curfew on Fri night.

Shows the potential danger of flying on a Fri night, with a transit in SYD and possibly not booking an earlier/more direct flight back to BNE if you really had very important commitments in BNE. These things do happen on all airlines but sounds like VA had quite a few aircraft out of position, out of service and/or crew running out of hours.

As an example yesterday I had a VA BNE-ADL flight go tech with a 2 hour delay expected but they found a replacement aircraft and got us on the way with a fairly minimal delay, even with that "win" they almost managed to turn it into a loss with a few communication issues with a 3 hour dely displayed on the Flight Info Display, then some last minute gate changes and of course Flight Info displays in BNE were incorrect/out of date with the flight actually leaving only 20mins late, and the Lounge also didn't announce the retimed flight and gate changes. So I agree that when things go a bit wrong/off-schedule then VA sometimes does not handle the communication as well as they could. I also learned the lesson that aircraft going tech and/or delays sometimes don't appear as bad as they can and also not to rely on Flight Info displays and lounge calls, fortunately the lounge did page me and I made the flight but lesson learnt!

 

[Markmat]

Hi eastwest, my post didn't give enough relevant information as my original flight was Melbourne to Brisbane direct and the reason I booked at 4.00pm was to ensure I got home by her 7.00pm speech as a 4.00pm flight gets home at 5.15pm which I thought with even extended Brisbane delays would get me home in time (I live about 20 minutes from airport). When I heard flight was cancelled I called straight away to get on 3.00pm flight but I was told it was overbooked by 8 so no chance there.

The major problem I had was a lack of information as at no time did I realise when I would be leaving. The lounge is poor and the screens a complete waste of time and the staff didn't know what was going on. I realise this is due to them not receiving information from operations. They kept saying a flight would leave in an hour, when that hour was up they gave a new estimated departure of another hour. If I had been given full information I would have got on another airline, as I eventually did from Sydney. I know they tried to get me to Brisbane, but were also trying to get Sydney people back in the same effort, the majority were going to Brisbane. There were some very upset passengers, mostly about the lack of information, or misinformation, and why they took us to Sydney when it was clear we wouldn't be able to take off after we landed due to curfew.

 

[eastwest101]

...as my original flight was Melbourne to Brisbane direct and the reason I booked at 4.00pm was to ensure I got home by her 7.00pm speech as a 4.00pm flight gets home at 5.15pm which I thought with even extended Brisbane delays would get me home in time (I live about 20 minutes from airport). When I heard flight was cancelled I called straight away to get on 3.00pm flight but I was told it was overbooked by 8 so no chance there.

The major problem I had was a lack of information as at no time did I realise when I would be leaving. The lounge is poor and the screens a complete waste of time and the staff didn't know what was going on. I realise this is due to them not receiving information from operations. They kept saying a flight would leave in an hour, when that hour was up they gave a new estimated departure of another hour. If I had been given full information I would have got on another airline, as I eventually did from Sydney. I know they tried to get me to Brisbane, but were also trying to get Sydney people back in the same effort, the majority were going to Brisbane. There were some very upset passengers, mostly about the lack of information, or misinformation, and why they took us to Sydney when it was clear we wouldn't be able to take off after we landed due to curfew.

Ah OK - now it all makes sense! Sounds like you tried to do the right thing by getting onto the 3pm MEL-BNE flight but no dice there...

I agree with your comments about the lack of information, I too get the impression that "Ops" keep the staff in the lounge and other ground staff very much in the dark when they are re-sceduling/rearranging cancelled flights/unservicable aircraft etc.

That is worthy of feedback, and that reminds me to give feedback to VA about this as well, as it seems to be a bit of a pattern with VA and service interruptions/delays/reschedules. Although my problems and delays were trivial compared to your delay.

Perhaps you and I should also ask them why their Flight Information Display systems are works of fiction, and do not reflect the reality of what is happening at the gates. The lack of faith in FIDS must mean that VA lounge/gate staff are continually assailed by questions from delayed/rescheduled passengers that could be answered by having accurate up to date FIDS in the first place....:shock:

 

[Markmat]

Thanks EastWest, I have submitted feedback to Virgin including the lack of information. This is coupled by the flight from Brisbane to Melbourne the night before which was delayed by two hours which got me in after midnight. Again there was no information on this at Brisbane lounge until 10 minutes before flight was due to leave, although they seemed to know more than the Melbourne staff on the next day, the Melbourne situation was more extreme though. I understand these situations arise, and feel for the staff who are under siege due to lack of information available to affected parties through proper avenues such as flight screens etc

 

[JohnK]

That is a terrible experience trying to get home.

Personally I find Virgin are at times unable to cope with delays/cancellations as well as Qantas.

 

[Markmat]

I agree JohnK. The problem was the lack of communication. I needed to get home and would have forked out to change to Qantas if I knew the real situation, but they were unable to tell us when we would be flying. They seemed to be overwhelmed, and I missed a big event for my family. I ended up in a City I didn't want to be in with a unacceptable time to be home the next day. I submitted feedback to VA and all I got back was this type of thing happens, we apologise for your experience. I would have liked some form of acknowledgement that they didn't communicate well enough. When sitting in the lounge for all that time and getting taxis etc with affected passengers you end up talking to them about the situation especially when none of us knew what was going on, and dissatisfaction levels were extremely high.

 

[markis10]

. They seemed to be overwhelmed, and I missed a big event for my family. I ended up in a City I didn't want to be in with a unacceptable time to be home the next day.

They were overwhelmed, just look at the cancellations:

VA239 Melbourne - Adelaide
VA242 Adelaide - Melbourne
VA337 Melbourne - Brisbane
VA341 Melbourne - Brisbane
VA346 Brisbane - Melbourne
VA352 Brisbane - Melbourne
VA375 Melbourne - Coolangatta
VA379 Brisbane - Townsville
VA386 Townsville - Brisbane
VA401 Adelaide - Sydney
VA474 Brisbane - Perth
VA509 Sydney - Coolangatta
VA519 Sydney - Coolangatta
VA524 Coolangatta - Sydney
VA654 Sydney - Canberra
VA661 Canberra - Sydney
VA779 Brisbane - Cairns
VA782 Cairns - Brisbane
VA816 Sydney - Melbourne
VA845 Melbourne - Sydney
VA850 Sydney - Melbourne
VA853 Melbourne - Sydney
VA854 Sydney - Melbourne
VA870 Sydney - Melbourne
VA873 Melbourne - Sydney
VA925 Sydney - Brisbane
VA960 Brisbane - Sydney
VA981 Sydney - Brisbane
VA1256 Emerald - Brisbane
VA1313 Hobart - Melbourne
VA1332 Melbourne - Hobart
VA1337 Hobart - Melbourne
VA1534 Sydney - Hobart
VA1537 Hobart - Sydney
VA2656 Geraldton - Perth
VA2734 Perth - Ravensthorpe
VA2735 Ravensthorpe - Perth.

Its not an easy JB to get a aircraft ready when you need to find crew and planes, often from different sources, and chances are the lack of communication was a better outcome than being told something that was never going to happen which was probably the alternative.

 

[Markmat]

In my situation it was not a better alternative, as I have stated before I had a big family event of which I was willing to move heaven and earth to get there and I could have got on a Qantas flight, I had spoken to our travel agent and they said they were able to get me on the plane if it looked like VA would not be able to accommodate. Some of my colleagues were flying Qantas and got home. I understand these situations arise, but with communication I would have known to change airlines, as it was, they kept saying we would be on a plane in an hour every hour, so we were continually thinking we would get home soon.

 

[markis10]

In my situation it was not a better alternative, as I have stated before I had a big family event of which I was willing to move heaven and earth to get there and I could have got on a Qantas flight, I had spoken to our travel agent and they said they were able to get me on the plane if it looked like VA would not be able to accommodate. Some of my colleagues were flying Qantas and got home. I understand these situations arise, but with communication I would have known to change airlines, as it was, they kept saying we would be on a plane in an hour every hour, so we were continually thinking we would get home soon.

Without knowing the other side of the story but having had significant ops experience, I would say they were giving you the best outcome possible at the time and things just did not work out? It's in an airlines best interests to get its passengers to their destination as soon as possible, they don't take delays lightly nor do they enjoy having airports full of people who are frustrated, but if you fly often you will experience delays.

 

[Markmat]

Thanks Markis, I fly every week and as my home town is Brisbane I am used to delays, and normally I would just treat it as an annoyance, but in this case getting home was very important. I am also experienced in transport passenger ops from a previous role. Usually these delays are something you just live with and its part of a travelling occupation. In this case I explained my situation, explained I had an alternative and expected an honest answer which would have been we don't know when we can get you home, but we are trying as hard as we can. I would have respected their honesty. I continually got answers of we have you on a plane in an hour, and boarding passes with flight details and flights which never materialised. These guys at customer service do a great job, but are let down by communication from ops.

 

[esquire]

Thanks Markis, I fly every week and as my home town is Brisbane I am used to delays, and normally I would just treat it as an annoyance, but in this case getting home was very important. I am also experienced in transport passenger ops from a previous role. Usually these delays are something you just live with and its part of a travelling occupation. In this case I explained my situation, explained I had an alternative and expected an honest answer which would have been we don't know when we can get you home, but we are trying as hard as we can. I would have respected their honesty. I continually got answers of we have you on a plane in an hour, and boarding passes with flight details and flights which never materialised. These guys at customer service do a great job, but are let down by communication from ops.

This has happened twice to me before when I really had to get another connection or had to get to a client site - constantly being advised boarding is soon but then delayed again and again (and incorrectly -" the plane will arrive in 40 minutes" - a check of the outgoing airport site shows it hasn't even left yet - more than 1.5 hours away!). Went to the QF (first time) and JQ (second time) counter bought a ticket for the next flight, called VA to uncheck and cancel the ticket and sorted the mess out the next day. Other times when not as critical or there is no alternative I have just accepted the delays as part of life flying all the time.

But I must admit poor communication and service recovery now one of the reasons why VA is usually my second choice.

 

[eastwest101]

VA239 Melbourne - Adelaide
VA242 Adelaide - Melbourne
VA337 Melbourne - Brisbane
VA341 Melbourne - Brisbane
VA346 Brisbane - Melbourne
VA352 Brisbane - Melbourne
VA375 Melbourne - Coolangatta
VA379 Brisbane - Townsville
VA386 Townsville - Brisbane
VA401 Adelaide - Sydney
VA474 Brisbane - Perth
VA509 Sydney - Coolangatta
VA519 Sydney - Coolangatta
VA524 Coolangatta - Sydney
VA654 Sydney - Canberra
VA661 Canberra - Sydney
VA779 Brisbane - Cairns
VA782 Cairns - Brisbane
VA816 Sydney - Melbourne
VA845 Melbourne - Sydney
VA850 Sydney - Melbourne
VA853 Melbourne - Sydney
VA854 Sydney - Melbourne
VA870 Sydney - Melbourne
VA873 Melbourne - Sydney
VA925 Sydney - Brisbane
VA960 Brisbane - Sydney
VA981 Sydney - Brisbane
VA1256 Emerald - Brisbane
VA1313 Hobart - Melbourne
VA1332 Melbourne - Hobart
VA1337 Hobart - Melbourne
VA1534 Sydney - Hobart
VA1537 Hobart - Sydney
VA2656 Geraldton - Perth
VA2734 Perth - Ravensthorpe
VA2735 Ravensthorpe - Perth.

Wow - all that on VA on the 6th Dec from just the debris on BNE runway? Or was there some other funky weather in SYD and MEL to cause those amount of calcellations?