QF Offer to Move Flights

[odysseus]

i got a pretty bad offer - i was flying on points J to JNB and they rang me 24 hours before the flight and asked me to go via Perth on SA a day later. For my efforts they would give $50. I said no, i was flying with my husband (who was on a purchased ticket) and meeting friends who were arriving in JNB from another destination. The caller hung up on me without much of a continuation of the conversation.

Yeah, that's a really bad deal. Delayed by 24 hours alone should be worth more than $50, let alone the disrupted service of a connection.

 

[grrofunger]

Got bumped from MEL-PER a few months ago off an A330 and had to go MEL-CBR-PER on B737s

Got offered nothing but did get the extra SCs/points for the rerouting.

 

[Lucky_man]

I think the thread is taking a tangent from reality. If the airline contacts you well before the flight - like the night before the flight then there has been a change. It is not because they oversold which they always do. Why would they sell that ticket that prompts the need to pay people to move?

Oversold is a problem when they expected 6 no shows but there were only 5. But you only know that when all but 5 PAX have shown up.
In my experience the call 24 hours in advance occurs when there has been a change of plane (some times because the flight was so undersold they changed to a smaller plane but the smaller plane is not quite big enough) - SYD-PVG being a common case in point between the two sizes of A330.
The other cause is a CL or WP is exercising their guaranteed seat entitlement. I have used this and been on the receiving end of calls from QF trying to deal with some one else using it. It has been my experience (again old and limited) that they contact their premium passengers on non flexible tickets - "Oh, Mr Lucky_man if the flight time or date is not convenient - even though it is a non flex ticket - I can let you have any other date or time."
The classic oversold situation can only occur when the last few passengers go to check in. I think in Australia if a PAX checks in but no shows the seat flies empty (unlike US).

 

[serfty]

I think the thread is taking a tangent from reality. If the airline contacts you well before the flight - like the night before the flight then there has been a change. It is not because they oversold which they always do. Why would they sell that ticket that prompts the need to pay people to move?

Qantas see all seats on flights they have to a destination as sellable.

They may have an overbooked Y0 situation on QF11 but a Y9 B9 on QF93 and another dozen seats other seats available on QF15 same day.

You have a booking that day MEL-xSYD-LAX; Qantas may ring you in the days before the flight offering to move you to the direct flight or to MEL-xBNE-LAX.

 

[alanbgtan]

Unfortunately, I won't be bumped off unless given equivalent cash in business class plus a free economy

 

[ChrisDPom]

Hasn't happened to me for a while but last time was a PER-SIN-LHR in the good old days just before the Emirates link up.

They called a week before and asked me to move to PER-HKG-LHR. I asked what they were offering as comp? They said nothing offered, no class upgrade, no voucher, just a longer flight.

I think the guy understood why I was laughing so much as I said no.

Glad to see they are offering sweeteners now as an incentive

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Unfortunately, I won't be bumped off unless given equivalent cash in business class plus a free economy

I doubt you’d get that even if you were offloaded involuntarily.

 

[Stevo.1702]

September last year I was phoned roughly 48hrs prior to departure.

Mrs.Stevo and I were flying on seperate J tickets but the same flights SYD-MEL-SIN and return 3 weeks later.

Was offered, on the outward journey, one of the direct services from SYD. I mentioned I was travelling with Mrs.Stevo (on a classic reward seat) and they said they could move us both to the new flight.

I asked if I could keep the original SC earn for the via MEL routing and was told on the phone that could be arranged.

Sadly I only received the SC for the flights flown and calling up after the fact had no luck. The original routing credit argument I made wasn't deemed legitimate because everything was re-ticketed over 24hours before the time of departure. Also, no comments in the booking about my request for the via MEL SC earn.

In hindsight I should have hung up and called again. I'm not loosing too much sleep over it anymore... It's only been 6months...

 

[Stevo.1702]

And it was on a Double Status Credit booking also...