Non-reclining J seat: what compo should I ask for?

[whughes3]

Yesterday 27/8 on QF19 SYD-MNL travelling in J on a 333, I made the unpleasant discovery after takeoff that my seat (1A) was stuck in the fully upright position and all the FA's best efforts would not shift it. J was full, so I could not be moved, and spent the whole 8 hour (daytime) flight fully upright. This was on a fairly expensive paid fare so I am more than a little miffed; what do people think should be asking for as compo?

 

[justinbrett]

Yesterday 27/8 on QF19 SYD-MNL travelling in J on a 333, I made the unpleasant discovery after takeoff that my seat (1A) was stuck in the fully upright position and all the FA's best efforts would not shift it. J was full, so I could not be moved, and spent the whole 8 hour (daytime) flight fully upright. This was on a fairly expensive paid fare so I am more than a little miffed; what do people think should be asking for as compo?

Because of stories like this I always make a point now to test the recline as soon as I get to my seat.

Here's a thread which might give you some idea. Have a think about it carefully before you suggest or agree to a figure (or points).

W

Thread 'What is reasonable compensation for a broken Qantas seat?'

Jul 3, 2019

Hi,

What is a fair amount of compensation for the following?

I flew from Melbourne to Bali via Sydney return on a Airbus A330. I paid full fare for my seat.

Going over had no issues.

On the way back as I was at the gate I was told by a member of staff as they were checking my ticket that the business seat couldn't be reclined automatically, it would have to be manually moved by a staff member. Annoying but if the seat goes flat I don't really care. CSM was helpful but said it was a booked out flight and they couldn't move me to an operating seat.

I am sitting in my fully upright seat...

• wannabe_wp
• complaints & resolution
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

 

[elanshin]

Yesterday 27/8 on QF19 SYD-MNL travelling in J on a 333, I made the unpleasant discovery after takeoff that my seat (1A) was stuck in the fully upright position and all the FA's best efforts would not shift it. J was full, so I could not be moved, and spent the whole 8 hour (daytime) flight fully upright. This was on a fairly expensive paid fare so I am more than a little miffed; what do people think should be asking for as compo?

I got a $400 voucher and my full upgrade points refunded on QF2 last time. I think the ground staff offered 75% refund before realising I was an upgrade.

But I was on the ground when I discovered the problem and it was the Singapore station manager that provided the offer, so not sure how indicative it would be of normal offers.

 

[whughes3]

Because of stories like this I always make a point now to test the recline as soon as I get to my seat.

Here's a thread which might give you some idea. Have a think about it carefully before you suggest or agree to a figure (or points).

W

Thread 'What is reasonable compensation for a broken Qantas seat?'

Jul 3, 2019

Hi,

What is a fair amount of compensation for the following?

I flew from Melbourne to Bali via Sydney return on a Airbus A330. I paid full fare for my seat.

Going over had no issues.

On the way back as I was at the gate I was told by a member of staff as they were checking my ticket that the business seat couldn't be reclined automatically, it would have to be manually moved by a staff member. Annoying but if the seat goes flat I don't really care. CSM was helpful but said it was a booked out flight and they couldn't move me to an operating seat.

I am sitting in my fully upright seat...

• wannabe_wp
• complaints & resolution
• Replies: 9
• Forum: Qantas | Frequent Flyer

Indeed, I SHOULD have checked the seat before takeoff, but after very many fairly trouble-free similar flights I have been getting a bit complacent.

 

[opusman]

I got 10K for non-functioning IFE in J recently, would not have accepted less than 30K for non-functioning seat.

 

[AIRwin]

Because of stories like this I always make a point now to test the recline as soon as I get to my seat.

But what if all other seats have already been allocated?

 

[justinbrett]

But what if all other seats have already been allocated?

At least you have options. Including getting off and being rebooked on a later flight. Or engineering coming onboard (I've seen that quite a few times).

Or if someone is on a non-rev ticket they might get bumped. I think once the doors are closed, the options are very limited.

 

[AIRwin]

At least you have options. Including getting off and being rebooked on a later flight. Or engineering coming onboard (I've seen that quite a few times).

Or if someone is on a non-rev ticket they might get bumped. I think once the doors are closed, the options are very limited.

You need to add this here if you haven't already:

Thread 'What's your golden travel rule?'

Jun 21, 2025

Do you have a golden rule that you always apply to your travels? If so, what is it?

• Mattg
• Replies: 280
• Forum: Open Discussion

• 

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Being generous… a non-reclining business class seat is pretty much akin to a functioning premium economy seat. I’d be basing the request for compensation on the difference between business and premium eco? So fare difference etc.

Appreciate they’re not directly comparable (non recline business to PEY), so you could ask for a bit more?

But didn’t I read somewhere there was now a specific compensation policy for seat problems such as this? Or maybe imagined?