Qantas FF Deal turns sour

[cgiap]

I booked a FF flight last year during the half priced sale to the USA. The flights I booked got shifted so that I could no longer make my connection. I looked for alternatives but I just couldn't find anything suitable and I was on a tight timetable.

I range Qants FF and basically looked to move my flights to a completely different time and asked if they would still honour the half priced points deal. No deal, bad luck. Can't say I felt a lot of sympathy either. Cancelled the booking, still waiting for refund of points and taxes and can't make my next booking until i get them back, and its been about a week.

Are my expectations just too high? Anybody else had problems with big advertised deals and then flights being cancelled/shifted?

Cheers

 

[calmelb]

Was your connection booked through Qantas on the same booking?
If not then I don't think you are in much luck as QF have to only get you to your final destination with them, it is equivalent to wanting to change a pre-booked flight.
If all on the same booking reference then they should've all be retimed and they would have to re adjust it

-calmelb

 

[samh004]

Regardless of if your connection was booked through them or not, I'd have just stood my ground if I knew there were alternatives they could put me on. A few years ago now I booked through Expedia with QF/JQ and instead of being pushed around I held my ground, I knew what was available, and as the booking approached they had to relent. Sometimes you have to play chicken

That said, moving the flights to a completely different time of year might be different unless there is absolutely no availability until the new dates.

 

[cgiap]

Yeah the connection was with Qantas. I thought I was getting brushed off pretty easily, and I just didn't want to get all argumentative. I decided I had probably let this go to easily so have filled out a form with customer care, are there more effective ways to raise a dispute like this with Qantas?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Yeah the connection was with Qantas. I thought I was getting brushed off pretty easily, and I just didn't want to get all argumentative. I decided I had probably let this go to easily so have filled out a form with customer care, are there more effective ways to raise a dispute like this with Qantas?

Sure are - you could have just asked the customer service agent to check with a supervisor. If the booking was cancelled within the last couple of days they should still be able to retrieve the booking for you at the call centre. you could explain what happened, and ask for a supervisor if necessary. They may be able to assist you.

 

[hutch]

Regardless of if your connection was booked through them or not, I'd have just stood my ground if I knew there were alternatives they could put me on. A few years ago now I booked through Expedia with QF/JQ and instead of being pushed around I held my ground, I knew what was available, and as the booking approached they had to relent. Sometimes you have to play chicken

That said, moving the flights to a completely different time of year might be different unless there is absolutely no availability until the new dates.

Wondering why they had to relent?

 

[hutch]

Yeah the connection was with Qantas. I thought I was getting brushed off pretty easily, and I just didn't want to get all argumentative. I decided I had probably let this go to easily so have filled out a form with customer care, are there more effective ways to raise a dispute like this with Qantas?

Squeaky wheel gets the grease... better off doing the argument at the time, rather than agree to a cough deal. If you get a bad agent on the phone, then HUCA.

If your booked all on qantas, then they should move your flights. Normally they will move a day either side without issue.

I am confused as to what your desired outcome was? What is a completely different time?

 

[RichardMEL]

My thoughts:

you say the connection was through QF - but was it on the SAME award booking?

If so then QF is obliged to ensure you meet MCT via their changes not yours

HOWEVER

if it wasn't - on 2 separate tickets/bookings, then QF are within their rights (technically) to yes, want to charge you the ufll amount for a change as it would be treated, from their point of view, as a voluntary change.

I'm not saying I agree with it, or think it's very fair. but if that is the case you're basically asking to change your award to different flights

as I say, if it's all part of the same booking QF should just change to maintain the connection or an alternate acceptable to you at no cost.

good luck

 

[trippin_the_rift]

How much was your connecting flight that it was worth cancelling a ~$2000 flight for?

I do think these circumstances create and issue where airlines could do rock bottom rates on fares then pull them by changing flight times where customers would have higher associated costs to 'roll with it'. Almost bait and switch.

 

[RichardMEL]

How much was your connecting flight that it was worth cancelling a ~$2000 flight for?

I do think these circumstances create and issue where airlines could do rock bottom rates on fares then pull them by changing flight times where customers would have higher associated costs to 'roll with it'. Almost bait and switch.

Sorry I don't really see this.

To me (and always happy to be corrected) this is only an issue if one is dealing with separate PNR's.

How many "regular" flyers would do this on a regular basis?

Yes, many of us do it for various reasons but I'm talking about Joesephine Public.

See if an airline makes an involuntary schedule change that affects a pax's booking, even if it involves connections, the airline is on the hook to sort it out to the pax's satisfaction - that's pretty common conditions for just about any major airline out there (LCC's excepted).

So example, you have a booking (FF or paid) on QF/AA SYD-LAX-ORD and they change SYD-LAX, they have to sort that out. This is not making pax pay any more to change (unless the schedule change is so absolutely unacceptable that the only outcome is a refund of the fare/points and the pax makes new arrangements, but this seems fairly unlikely)

If passengers choose to make separate bookings to form a connection, it is neither booking's owner to make changes based on an involuntary change of another, unrelated(to them) booking - except for good will cases or highly flex fares.

eg: I book SYD-LAX on QF in PEY, then make a YUPP type booking LAX-ORD(...etc) on AA that forms a 3 hour connection to the original QF arrival, if QF makes a change to their flight, then they have no real requirement to change this because I have another booking - to them it's a voluntary change request. It would be the same in the case of a QF MEL-SYD and say SYD-ARM on 2 bookings.

IMHO

 

[love_the_life]

From my reading of the OP's post it seems that they booked the award flight to the US first then later a separate booking and PNR for the connecting flight. With a change to the first flight's schedule they will not make the connection. It doesn't sound like they linked the bookings at all or added the second booking to the first.
If so, I agree with RichardMel. These are 2 separate bookings and is the risk we take if we book flights as separate segments. I've done it before (e.g. award booking for a long haul and cash for a shorter one either to meet or follow the long haul) but have always been aware that I may need to change the connecting flight at my cost if there is an issue.

It might have been easier for them to look at changing the flight where the connection was missed than try to alter the award one.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Sorry I don't really see this.

IMHO

The most expensive domestic flight in US that has change fees would be what - $600?
So the OP cancels a ticket worth $2k instead of paying a change fee on the other PNR or sucking up the fare loss
what about prepaid accom/transport/events etc others in this situation may have paid for already?

Given award seats on QF almost barely exist (as a % of points to members) - the OP was never going to find an award seat replacement and most definitely not at the same discounted rate. Through no fault of their own the circumstances are changed by the operating carrier and yet the carrier holds zero responsibility? While according to the rules and policies this may be the case - the simple truth is that the OP feels let down and has lost faith in QF on an aspirational award redemption. This - my friend is highly damaging for loyalty.

 

[RichardMEL]

The most expensive domestic flight in US that has change fees would be what - $600?
So the OP cancels a ticket worth $2k instead of paying a change fee on the other PNR or sucking up the fare loss
what about prepaid accom/transport/events etc others in this situation may have paid for already?

I'm sorry I've re-read this thread and I'm confused as to where the $2k value comes from - they were talking about a FF award ticket and I'm not sure any real valuation can be put to it(I suppose the cheapest fare available at time of booking may qualify, though I'm still a bit iffy about that). Did I miss something obvious? (probably )

Anyway US fares are not really relevant to the point in my view - kind of apples and oranges. You wouldn't compare a SYD-PER fare (revenue or award) with a SYD-BNE would you?

Now the OP didn't say (that I saw) if the fare purchased was flex or not or a YUPP or not so it's hard to know.

I do understand the point you're making, that perhaps the OP should NOT have cancelled the award(which are hard to find) and worked on solving the shorter sector within the USA to make that work - I'd tend to agree with that

I do feel the OP's contention that QF had no sympathy or perhaps they should have allowed the change at the same "price" (though if an award seat was still available on a flight to make the connection work, then it would have been a change fee in points wouldn't it? and thus the "FF sale points amount" wouldn't really apply to my way of thinking). At any rate, to me, QF were acting appropriately to the situation - a request to change an award ticket to a different flight which would accrue fees or charges appropriate at the time of the request.

Given award seats on QF almost barely exist (as a % of points to members) - the OP was never going to find an award seat replacement and most definitely not at the same discounted rate. Through no fault of their own the circumstances are changed by the operating carrier and yet the carrier holds zero responsibility? While according to the rules and policies this may be the case - the simple truth is that the OP feels let down and has lost faith in QF on an aspirational award redemption. This - my friend is highly damaging for loyalty.

Oh, I agree totally but in the event of schedule change by the airline they are required to offer a reasonable alternative that the customer is happy with, or the customer accepts the change, or gets a full refund (OP's option). Now we don't know the full circumstances of what the change, or offered alternatives were - are we talking 5 hours difference? 12? 24? if your original arrival is on say QF93 at 0630 and you're moved to one of those later flights out of SYD to arrive at 1400ish (I am taking times from memory here) then QF should attempt to offer something to arrives within a couple of hours of the original schedule.

QF holds "zero responsibility" for ensuring a connection to a flight that is not part of that booking. Now yes, you'd hope if you explained to an agent that "I really want to keep that 06030 arrival as I have a flight booked to Chicago at 10a that I'd miss if I was moved to arrive after 1400"(for example) but QF is under zero obligation to honour that request or go out of their way on that, because that flight is not part of the affected booking.

I absolutely feel empathy for the OP for the situation, but these are the risks we face for booking separately. Yes, it damages their brand in the eyes of an affected person like this, but also the buyer should take responsibility for their own choices in booking separately (and I'm not saying the OP hasn't done this-I think from reading that they understood the risks and it seemed the only alternative was to cancel the award).

My question now for the OP is - did you cancel that other booking? Did you find another way to the US to meet up with that flight? or make a totally new booking to the final destination? (or just nuke that trip ?)