Qantas reward flights with CX changed so we depart Hong Kong before we arrive there

[Lynda2475]

They do when there are QF operated flights in the booking.

Which is what I said; in an award booking the operating carriers Flight Number is always used, but that is not what @kangarooflyer88 was implying rather he indicated a CX flight may have a QF flight number on an award and this just not occur at least not in my experience.

If QF cancel a QF operated flight on an award they are obligated to look after you, but if CX cancel a leg QF have no obligation except to return the points and taxes charged for the cancelled leg.

 

[sudoer]

Which is what I said; in an award booking the operating carriers Flight Number is always used, but that is not what @kangarooflyer88 was implying rather he indicated a CX flight may have a QF flight number on an award and this just not occur at least not in my experience.

I thought they were making the case that BNE-HKG was QF marketed, and hence QF operated given it's a classic award, which would oblige Qantas to convert the revenue seats. But I can see your interpretation also. In any case we agree that QF owes OP nothing other than a refund.

 

[justinbrett]

In my exerience they never do. Whilst revenue tickets purchased from QF operated by another carrier often have the QF flight number, CA & OWA always have the operating carriers flight number.

There are a couple of exceptions - but not oneworld airlines.

Air Tahiti Nui for example. Definitely a very small minority.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

If QF cancel a QF operated flight on an award they are obligated to look after you, but if CX cancel a leg QF have no obligation except to return the points and taxes charged for the cancelled leg.

QF does book you on their own metal when partners cancel flights on you. Just last month, Qantas partner Jetstar cancelled a classic award flight on me and I was able to get it rebooked to a QF flight (online to boot)

-RooFlyer88

 

[sudoer]

Qantas partner Jetstar

I think you mean Qantas subsidiary Jetstar. There's a fundamental difference.

 

[serfty]

QF does book you on their own metal when partners cancel flights on you. Just last month, Qantas partner Jetstar cancelled a classic award flight on me and I was able to get it rebooked to a QF flight (online to boot)

-RooFlyer88

A couple of years ago, a Jetstar NRT flight to Oz was cancelled and PAX were rebooked onto my same day ex NRT QF flight which had been pretty empty.

The youngish dude who was allocated my shadow was quite impressed they did not have to pay for beverages...

 

[AIRwin]

The youngish dude who was allocated my shadow was quite impressed they did not have to pay for beverages...

You should have "whispered" to him that you "shouted" drinks for the whole plane...

 

[Bob]

Thanks for all the replies...
I managed to contact a call centre. They couldn't help - except to offer "an alternative" - which was to cancel the ticket. I asked to be rung back by a supervisor and this actually happened last Friday. He couldn't understand the problem at first - obviously Alan does have a time machine! However, he then said he would follow up and get back to me on Monday. I'm still waiting...

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I managed to contact a call centre. They couldn't help - except to offer "an alternative" - which was to cancel the ticket.

My recommendation would be to avoid cancelling the ticket as much as possible. It's hard enough as it is to find classic business awards as it is domestically, never mind internationally, why bother with having to go on another easter hunt for them? I'm not sure what Australian consumer law has to say about this, but I know in other jurisdictions if you can prove that you had a reliance on the airline honouring the ticket (i.e. by making hotel and other travel bookings) it's going to be challenging for airlines to back away from all of this. In the meantime, I would still look at award availability around the time you are travelling just in case things don't materialize.

-RooFlyer88

 

[sudoer]

I'm not sure what Australian consumer law has to say about this, but I know in other jurisdictions if you can prove that you had a reliance on the airline honouring the ticket (i.e. by making hotel and other travel bookings) it's going to be challenging for airlines to back away from all of this.

Here is why Qantas owes nothing other than a refund - they are acting as an agent when making a partner award booking, not an operating carrier:

cancelled CX award booking made with QF points

Prior to Covid you could. You could book PER-HKG return on CX with QF flight numbers. I wonder if this that a is specific to WA, did QF operate flight HKG-HKG? Based in ADL every time I had to book a flight to HKG the only options I was given was via MEL or SYD, even on the days the CX aircraft...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[Bob]

Follow up...
I rang Qantas again last Wednesday 18th and spent over an hour on the phone to an agent. My hearing is not that good nowadays, but I am certain I was told that Qantas would make a change to the booking and that I would get an email confirming that. Here we are nearly a week later and still nothing.

 

[MJHoops]

Here is why Qantas owes nothing other than a refund - they are acting as an agent when making a partner award booking, not an operating carrier:

cancelled CX award booking made with QF points

Prior to Covid you could. You could book PER-HKG return on CX with QF flight numbers. I wonder if this that a is specific to WA, did QF operate flight HKG-HKG? Based in ADL every time I had to book a flight to HKG the only options I was given was via MEL or SYD, even on the days the CX aircraft...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

I think there is an available argument - if Qantas is acting as an agent then they are acting as the pax agent. If the partner airline makes a schedule change / cancels a particular flight, it is then Qantas’s responsibility to get the partner to offer a solution by reason of the partner’s conduct. The pax is incapable of doing this because of the agency relationship formed with Qantas.

The Qantas terms and conditions at least put a “best endeavours”-type obligation on Qantas to try to get the partner to find an alternative. So it is about insisting Qantas do it’s job as your appointed agent.

I have not read into the detail of these but today I saw IATA has resolutions on irops and then, in contrast, a Recommended Practice 1735 on planned schedule changes. That in turn seems to reference the potential for bilateral agreements (or probably a multilateral agreement if Oneworld carriers). I don’t know what those agreements say as between Qantas and its partners concerning schedule changes.

If QF can’t get the partner to act then of course that’s when the whole QF metal replacement issue comes. For my part I can’t see a legal obligation on Qantas to give you a QF metal flight (just an obligation to “try”). That is not to say it hasn’t been done by QF and can’t be requested by pax

There may be individual scenarios where Qantas has mishandled matters, to use a generic term, such that there might be a remedy under the ACL for Qantas failing to provide its services as agent with care etc