Qantas 'cancelled flight' SMS at 5am

[ajca]

So I got woken up at 5am this morning by an SMS from Qantas telling me my flight from Melbourne to Sydney this afternoon was cancelled.

This doesn't seem like very thoughtful customer service - surely they could have waited until some reasonable hour before sending out the SMS?

8am or 9am would have been much less likely to annoy customers...

 

[SeatBackForward]

So I got woken up at 5am this morning by an SMS from Qantas telling me my flight from Melbourne to Sydney this afternoon was cancelled.

This doesn't seem like very thoughtful customer service - surely they could have waited until some reasonable hour before sending out the SMS?

8am or 9am would have been much less likely to annoy customers...

Personally, I think the earlier they warn you of a cancellation, the better, even if it is at that time of morning.

 

[lovestotravel]

Yep the earlier the better so you can plan around it

If you don't want to be woken up, put your phone on silent

 

[Mgjdubs]

They send those messages out as soon as they cancel the flight, or as soon as they become aware of a significant delay.

 

[docjames]

Personally, I think the earlier they warn you of a cancellation, the better, even if it is at that time of morning.

+1 - gives you more flight options the sooner they tell you.

You could always leave your phone on silent and look at it at 8-9am?

 

[simongr]

I got the same SMS and have been rebooked on the flight 15 mins earlier. I thought the same thing that 5AM was a bit much. Given it was for a 5 PM flig I don't think waiting until 7AM would have made much difference to flight options. I was automatically booked onto QF 452 without calling the service centre.

 

[simongr]

+1 - gives you more flight options the sooner they tell you.

You could always leave your phone on silent and look at it at 8-9am?

I use my phone as an alarm clock so that isn't really an option.

 

[markis10]

If you dont want to get SMS's at odd hours, dont opt into the facility!

 

[medhead]

I use my phone as an alarm clock so that isn't really an option.

Actually it is. The alarm still goes off when iPhone is on silent. I have my phone on silent 95% of the time.


Sent from the Throne

 

[spentan]

I use my phone as an alarm clock so that isn't really an option.

What kind of phone is it? Did you know iPhone alarms will still ring even when on Silent.

If its an iPhone, you'll be looking forward to the Do Not Disturb function on iOS 6 I presume (New in iOS 6: Do Not Disturb)

^^ wizard

 

[SeatBackForward]

Actually it is. The alarm still goes off when iPhone is on silent. I have my phone on silent 95% of the time.


Sent from the Throne

Yes, on my Android phone there are different volume settings for: Ringtones, Media, Alarm and Notifications.
My night mode 10pm to 6am is to have Ringtones and Media off, Alarm at a respectabel level and notifications very low (which is amazingly loud when one is half-asleep!)

 

[richie9x]

You have also got to consider that not everyone works to the same hours as you. Also they could be overseas at the time the notification is sent so the time might be perfect for them. I think it is perfectly reasonable for Qantas to send the alert as soon as it is confirmed.

A lot of phones these days have the ability to be silent during particular hours. For instance on my phone I have set it to be quiet between midnight and 6am. So I don't receive any audible notifications in that time, although I have it set to still allow phone calls to ring. Perhaps it might be worth looking into if you can do similar on your phone.

 

[ajca]

If you dont want to get SMS's at odd hours, dont opt into the facility!

How do you opt in / out?

I can understand the argument that Qantas should send these messages out at early as possible. I would want to be notified ASAP if I was booked on an international flight that was cancelled. Especially if the flight they moved me onto wasn't until the following day.

But in this case I was on a MEL-SYD and the flight they moved me on to was 15 minutes earlier. Being woken up at 5am to tell me I need to get to the airport in 12 hours instead of 12.25 hours doesn't seem that sensible to me, but I seem to be in the minority on that.

I don't leave my phone on silent because I work with people in many different timezones who occasionally need to get in touch urgently during the night.

 

[reductionist]

I think notifying passengers as early as possible is the best thing to do.

Passengers are likely to be originating from a number of time zones, granted most will likely be on AEST.

Basically QF has no certain way of knowing what would be a convenient time to contact you.

+1 to the suggestion of putting your phone on silent if you don't wish to be woken by SMS/phone-calls.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I don't leave my phone on silent because I work with people in many different timezones who occasionally need to get in touch urgently during the night.

Errmmm..

 

[Must...Fly!]

This thread makes me laugh.

Just turn your phone off if you don't wish to be awoken...

Plenty of other worse things to wake up to at 5am...

 

[mannej]

I use my phone as an alarm clock so that isn't really an option.

There are phones that will sound the alarm even if on silent or the actual phone is off.

*Geez - you have to be quick around here!

 

[oz_mark]

There are phones that will sound the alarm even if on silent or the actual phone is off.

Indeed. My phone's alarm has gone off while in the overhead locker, and switched off!

 

[mannej]

Indeed. My phone's alarm has gone off while in the overhead locker, and switched off!

iPhones do that!

The worst one is having someone play with your silent or meeting profile so that the actual ringtones are on the loudest possible.

 

[freepyjamas]

If you leave your phone on overnight, close enough so you can hear an incoming txt, you really can't complain when someone sends you one and it wakes you up.

More people would rather hear of a cancellation at the earliest possible time than at some mythical 'not too early/not too late' time.