Overbooked flight - laughable compensation offered to be offloaded

[esquire]

This is a new one for me - CNS to BNE flight today.

Flight boarded, waiting. Then an announcement from cabin manager asking if any passengers would be willing to be off-loaded as they appear to have over-booked the flight (although suspect they moved too many passengers from an earlier long delayed flight) and a number of booked passengers have connecting flights to Newcastle and Canberra. Here is the laughable bit - ‘the next flight is in 3 hours but we will be giving 140 VFF points as a thank you’. (No that is not a typo!).

As you would expect no one budged. Crew appeared flustered. Then we waited another 10 minutes then the captain came on asking, reiterating the generous offer of points and at least one passenger really needs to travel to Newcastle today and it is only a few hours if they have no urgency to get home!
They must have been important!

So now the flight is 35 minutes late and a passenger reminded crew that they also have connecting flights which they will miss in Brisbane if they don’t take off soon (including me). Not sure if someone swapped over but if you are serious about compensating off loaded passenger make a serious offer.
Made my connecting flight by 5 minutes.

 

[TheInsider]

Where did they even pull that number from?!

 

[lovestotravel]

Surely they meant 14.000 points ?

 

[eastwest101]

Maybe it wasn't clear in the announcement but might have been 140 Status Credits? 140 Velocity Flyer points is certainly laughable if true.

 

[SeaWolf]

It sounds like some sort of miscommunication somewhere about what they were able to offer.
I always think they're more likely to get success if you offer a voucher or cash. Points are quite variable and vague in value but there's no question as to the value of money.

 

[greenandgold]

If it was 140SC then you've got yourself a deal!

 

[BAM1748]

At least a volunteer for lounge entry and free booze. That might have worked better than a few points.

 

[justinbrett]

I think a VA point is valued at 1.8c (similar to a QF point).

That's $2.52.

Don't spend it all at once!

 

[Ade]

Surely they meant 14.000 points ?

I'd hope so ...

 

[Holidays 2]

I was on that flight sitting in 1D it was not a miscommunication 140 points was the offer.
Another business class passenger made a counter offer that was totally ignored.
The crew fluffed around for a good 20 mins trying to sort something out to no avail.

 

[P001P001]

At least a volunteer for lounge entry and free booze. That might have worked better than a few points.

Great. Except they've permanently closed the Cairns lounge

 

[corrocoat]

Virgin Australia are doing a great job of trashing Richard Branson's Virgin name....compensation for screw ups is way down after Bain acquired them. I can tell you that from experience in getting little for colossal screw ups such as
1. Getting canceled 4 am for 6am flight to an interstate funeral and not knowing if I would be re-booked for 30min. With no one at VA to talk to- VA response: sorry this can happen; toughen up.
2. Changing my wife's velocity account surname with no request to do it and then ringing my wife & blamed me. Go figure....compensation 5000 points after 2 hrs on the phone & many emails. Helping me succeed they do not!
3. As Platinum I should be getting Brisbane based help, but all calls go off shore who cannot assist. This has been going on for 3 mths. VA response - we know this is happening and they are newbies off shore so good luck.
4. Virgin secretly changed the T+C's on flights in Sept to remove the ability to cancel / modify flights due to COVID - according to staff this was done so that customers could not take advantage of the change.

 

[Mattg]

I was on that flight sitting in 1D it was not a miscommunication 140 points was the offer.
Another business class passenger made a counter offer that was totally ignored.
The crew fluffed around for a good 20 mins trying to sort something out to no avail.

Did anyone mention to the crew that their offer was worth around $2?

 

[BAM1748]

Great. Except they've permanently closed the Cairns lounge

Wow, didn't know it was gone.

 

[Rnwillia]

WOW, 175 Velocity points! That would buy you 3/4 of a Kilo of bananas at a cheap fruit shop.Why are Virgin so generous?

 

[Ausbt]

Insane. Once I was at SLC and Delta offered a voucher worth USD$1,000 to be 'offloaded' (noting pax hadn't even boarded at that point). I was tempted but had places to be.

 

[ozstamps]

I was on that flight sitting in 1D it was not a miscommunication 140 points was the offer.
Another business class passenger made a counter offer that was totally ignored.
The crew fluffed around for a good 20 mins trying to sort something out to no avail.

A new penny pinching low. Laughable.

Jayney's Jetstar background is permeating all levels! Tiger #2 is here.

I've had numerous bump offers flying United domestically. Mostly they were $US400-500 vouchers, but Gate Supervisor has almost total control over this, depending on how desperate they were to get someone on that fight, and how non-enthusiastic the pax were in gate area to the initial offer.

We once also got $US1,000 each vouchers for an evening last flight to Jacksonville, (on a free upgraded $100 type ticket!) AND an overnight hotel and meals, on a GUARANTEED first flight departure for next day, and the upgrades were still honoured next day. We were in no hurry that trip, so suited just fine.

For years in the USA anyone with flight software like ExpertFlyer can see loads, and often on Friday nights etc last flight would be zero in all classes etc. Many FF fliers (me too if not in a hurry) would discreetly approach Gate staff of a very crowded flight, and VOLUNTEER to be bumped if the need arose.

Saves them the PA announcement and delays as we see from this Nickel and Dime amateur hour mess reported here by 2 members. As a top level 1K flyer, United seemed to choose high tier flyers if several pax had 'offered' and I've had a few calls to the podium to sort the vouchers.

$US1000 versus $2 .. what a joke.

 

[RooFlyer]

I was on that flight sitting in 1D it was not a miscommunication 140 points was the offer.
Another business class passenger made a counter offer that was totally ignored.
The crew fluffed around for a good 20 mins trying to sort something out to no avail.

Welcome to AFF @Holidays 2

 

[Bagpuss]

Guest Compensation Policy - customer service | Virgin Australia

You may be entitled to the assistance set out in this policy where you have a confirmed and/or ticketed reservation on a Virgin Australia flight and we need to make a change to your reservation before or on your day of travel.

www.virginaustralia.com

 

[Must...Fly!]

Guest Compensation Policy - customer service | Virgin Australia

You may be entitled to the assistance set out in this policy where you have a confirmed and/or ticketed reservation on a Virgin Australia flight and we need to make a change to your reservation before or on your day of travel.

www.virginaustralia.com

I was going to post the same. Virgin have for a long time had a written policy on this. How on earth 140vff points came up as an offer is beyond me. No one at the airport has any authority to credit them!