FlyboyAl
Active Member
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2008
- Posts
- 892
Just got home from an interesting, fun filled trip from LAX - SYD - ADL.
Got on board in LAX on the 26th for an 11.50pm take off.
Just finished the first glass of champagne, and there is an announcement over the PA that the captian was not on board and was receiving medical attention. They asked us to leave the plane while they looked for a replacement captain (at the time, me thinks that's unlikely).
So we all got off and all the QP members were hosted into the F lounge at LAX for about 1 1/2 hours before they announced we were all going to the Hilton and the flight would leave the following morning. There were a few moans, but everyone I spoke to was philosophical about it.
We left at 11am with a different crew and arrived into SYD at 7.30pm last night, which meant for me, another night at the Mercure as I was too late to make an ADL connection.
In the bus to the Mercure was a Pr**k who was mouthing off about how bad this all was, what a waste of space Qantas were, etc etc. I gently tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he had ever been sick. He looked at me weirdly and said yes.
I told him it was only human and it did happen, so let it go. He went quiet after that.
Up until this time, the QF staff had been great and I had no issues anywhere with the whole process, other than a little frustration about not getting home when I expected to. They met us everywhere, had details on what was going on and were great.
When I went to bed in the Mercure, I had a dream about excess baggage :mrgreen:
When a group of us arrived at the domestic check in we all went to the check in counters and fronted up.
I then heard those dreaded words every traveler hates - "EXCESS BAGGAGE"
My Customer Service Representative (from now on called Check In Chick - CIC) informed me that as I had 3 bags I would have to pay excess baggage. I explained this was a booking from LAX and the bags had already been checked in at LAX and I was entitled to 3 bags so there was no excess baggage.
CIC informed me 23kg was the limit and I would pay for the rest.
A discussion ensued where it was finally agreed that as it was a continuation of an international booking, my limit was 2 bags. I kept explaining that as a gold/QP member I get an extra bag, and she told me she knew nothing about that rule and had to call her supervisor
Another CIC was already on the phone to the supervisor about a similar issue with another fellow passenger from 107, so I waited patiently for 15 minutes while she waited for the supervisor. Eventually she came back to me and said she would waive the excess fee as a goodwill gesture (I suspect this was to get me on my way as the queue was getting longer and longer).
I politely said thank you, but did add that she did not need to waive anything as it was my normal entitlement.
From a customer service point of view, and a staff knowledge point of view, I was pretty pissed off about the whole thing, and I suspected others would have the same problems, so I decided to report the whole thing.
When I got to the QP, I asked for the manager and when I told the counter assistant why I wanted to talk to them, she said don't bother. They (Qantas Club) don't talk to the staff downstairs and they could do nothing about it. She told me to go back downstairs and report it to "them".
Eventually got hold of the Duty Airport Manager (Pat) and she was great. Could not understand why the 2 bag issue had come up as it was all in the original booking. But she also told me she knew nothing about the extra bag for QP members. She took all the details and did promise to follow it.
And then she upgraded me to J for the trip home to ADL.
I guess my point is that whilst this delay had been inconvenient, up until the SYD check in, I was cool with it, and just going with the flow. As Tony Abbot knows, cough Happens" and you can't do much when a Captain is sick.
But the experience in SYD really made me see red. It was so unnecessary had the staff member known and understood her job, as well as knowing her products.
Nobody got hot under the collar anywhere, and all the discussions were perfectly calm, but it did leave a bad taste in the mouth.
And I also believe one of the LAX - BNE flights was also canceled for mechanical reasons on the same night.
Got on board in LAX on the 26th for an 11.50pm take off.
Just finished the first glass of champagne, and there is an announcement over the PA that the captian was not on board and was receiving medical attention. They asked us to leave the plane while they looked for a replacement captain (at the time, me thinks that's unlikely).
So we all got off and all the QP members were hosted into the F lounge at LAX for about 1 1/2 hours before they announced we were all going to the Hilton and the flight would leave the following morning. There were a few moans, but everyone I spoke to was philosophical about it.
We left at 11am with a different crew and arrived into SYD at 7.30pm last night, which meant for me, another night at the Mercure as I was too late to make an ADL connection.
In the bus to the Mercure was a Pr**k who was mouthing off about how bad this all was, what a waste of space Qantas were, etc etc. I gently tapped him on the shoulder and asked if he had ever been sick. He looked at me weirdly and said yes.
I told him it was only human and it did happen, so let it go. He went quiet after that.
Up until this time, the QF staff had been great and I had no issues anywhere with the whole process, other than a little frustration about not getting home when I expected to. They met us everywhere, had details on what was going on and were great.
When I went to bed in the Mercure, I had a dream about excess baggage :mrgreen:
When a group of us arrived at the domestic check in we all went to the check in counters and fronted up.
I then heard those dreaded words every traveler hates - "EXCESS BAGGAGE"
My Customer Service Representative (from now on called Check In Chick - CIC) informed me that as I had 3 bags I would have to pay excess baggage. I explained this was a booking from LAX and the bags had already been checked in at LAX and I was entitled to 3 bags so there was no excess baggage.
CIC informed me 23kg was the limit and I would pay for the rest.
A discussion ensued where it was finally agreed that as it was a continuation of an international booking, my limit was 2 bags. I kept explaining that as a gold/QP member I get an extra bag, and she told me she knew nothing about that rule and had to call her supervisor
Another CIC was already on the phone to the supervisor about a similar issue with another fellow passenger from 107, so I waited patiently for 15 minutes while she waited for the supervisor. Eventually she came back to me and said she would waive the excess fee as a goodwill gesture (I suspect this was to get me on my way as the queue was getting longer and longer).
I politely said thank you, but did add that she did not need to waive anything as it was my normal entitlement.
From a customer service point of view, and a staff knowledge point of view, I was pretty pissed off about the whole thing, and I suspected others would have the same problems, so I decided to report the whole thing.
When I got to the QP, I asked for the manager and when I told the counter assistant why I wanted to talk to them, she said don't bother. They (Qantas Club) don't talk to the staff downstairs and they could do nothing about it. She told me to go back downstairs and report it to "them".
Eventually got hold of the Duty Airport Manager (Pat) and she was great. Could not understand why the 2 bag issue had come up as it was all in the original booking. But she also told me she knew nothing about the extra bag for QP members. She took all the details and did promise to follow it.
And then she upgraded me to J for the trip home to ADL.
I guess my point is that whilst this delay had been inconvenient, up until the SYD check in, I was cool with it, and just going with the flow. As Tony Abbot knows, cough Happens" and you can't do much when a Captain is sick.
But the experience in SYD really made me see red. It was so unnecessary had the staff member known and understood her job, as well as knowing her products.
Nobody got hot under the collar anywhere, and all the discussions were perfectly calm, but it did leave a bad taste in the mouth.
And I also believe one of the LAX - BNE flights was also canceled for mechanical reasons on the same night.
