QF119 BNE-AKL last minute swap from 787 to A330

[transpactraveller]

Friend is travelling on this today, checked in yesterday and got 2A on the 787.

Has just got to the airport to find she's now in 6E.

No communication or notification from Qantas about the change in aircraft or seat.

She just noticed the "wrong seat" on her boarding pass then asked staff who said there's been an aircraft change.

They were able to put her back to a window.

She's most annoyed that Qantas' auto re-arranging of seats didn't even try to keep her in a window.

 

[RooFlyer]

Nothing new, I'm afraid - on any airline. An app like Flighty will pro-actively alert you to aircraft changes and suggest checking seats.

 

[Aeryn]

Are you sure it was a 787 originally or did you mean 737? It would be unusual to use 787 on TT with exception of the one that continues on to JFK (but that originiates in SYD).

737 to A330 is an upgrade as A330 have better seat.

Sure annoying to lose original seat, did they not check seat during OLCI?

If 737 to 330 then likely 2 flights were consolidated onto larger plane due to demand, if someone with status on other flight had same seat they probably got preference. If 787 to 330 then likely a consolidation to smaller aircraft for lack of demand same challenge re who gets tye same seat.

 

[transpactraveller]

Are you sure it was a 787 originally or did you mean 737? It wouod be unusual to use 787 on TT with exception of the one that continues on to JFK (but that originiates in SYD).

Quick check of Flightradar24 shows this is always scheduled as a 789 (except for today)

 

[markis10]

There has been a 787 ditch run for quite a few months, not unusual

 

[Aeryn]

Quick check of Flightradar24 shows this is always scheduled as a 789 (except for today)

Interesting. Probably need the 789 for an extra EU/US flight due extra demand due to ME war. They can make more on routes by-passing ME right now than TT.

 

[vhojm]

Interesting. Probably need the 789 for an extra EU/US flight due extra demand due to ME war. They can make more on routes by-passing ME right now than TT.

Not necessarily, the way the QF119/QF126 BNE-AKL-BNE rotation works is that it is integrated within the QF15/QF16 BNE-LAX-BNE rotation and often QF3 AKL-JFK when they switch the 787s in Auckland.

VH-ZND has also been sent to HKG for maintenance/possible wifi installation so they could just be an aircraft down for what they needed today.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Friend is travelling on this today, checked in yesterday and got 2A on the 787.

Has just got to the airport to find she's now in 6E.

No communication or notification from Qantas about the change in aircraft or seat.

She just noticed the "wrong seat" on her boarding pass then asked staff who said there's been an aircraft change.

They were able to put her back to a window.

She's most annoyed that Qantas' auto re-arranging of seats didn't even try to keep her in a window.

The 787 has 42 business class seats. The a330 somewhere either 26, 27 or maybe 28.

Perhaps consider themselves lucky to have a seat in business class at all?

 

[transpactraveller]

Perhaps consider themselves lucky to have a seat in business class at all?

That could be the Qantas motto in 2026, consider yourself lucky if you got what you paid for.

Anyway, they had a lot of seats to choose from at check in, so I'm guessing it's a fairly empty flight.

 

[LondonAussie]

Out of interest, what does Qantas provide as compensation or part refund if they downgrade you?

On their ex-LHR and CDG/FCO departures they’d have to follow EU / UK regulations to give a 75% refund of the fare paid.

But what would they do ex-AU or NZ where those regulations don’t apply?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Out of interest, what does Qantas provide as compensation or part refund if they downgrade you?

On their ex-LHR and CDG/FCO departures they’d have to follow EU / UK regulations to give a 75% refund of the fare paid.

But what would they do ex-AU or NZ where those regulations don’t apply?

Same.

The new QF policy is 75% of the affected sector fare.

Same 75% for in-op seats.

Applies network wide.

 

[Dmac59]

Same.

The new QF policy is 75% of the affected sector fare.

Same 75% for in-op seats.

Applies network wide.

Except if paid by Points.
IME received a partial points refund being the difference, but did receive ORC after a prolonged negotiation.

 

[AIRwin]

The A330 aircraft positioned up from SYD yesterday to operate QF119 and is now positioning back to SYD after operating the return AKL-BNE sector:
QF6114 from Brisbane to Sydney Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map | Flightradar24

 

[transpactraveller]

Got an update from my friend on the flight and she's not impressed with Qantas!

Apparently the boarding process was quite a kerfuffle, lots of people complaining they weren't notified their seats were changed. Gate staff saying you would have received an email or SMS and then people searching their emails in front of the staff saying they can't find any.

1 elderly couple got downgraded from Business to Economy at the gate and were making quite a fuss about it. Qantas should ask for volunteers (many probably would for a 75% refund) instead of randomly picking people (though I guess it's probably not random even though it seemed that way?). Or offer to move to an earlier/later flight or via another city if there's capacity.

Anyway things didn't improve onboard, the aircraft had a broken APU so was a sauna until the engines got started, then they messed up the GPU power transfer and lost entertainment/wifi until after takeoff.

They also ran out of the chicken option by row 3, only a vege pasta on offer. So this made her seat change from row 2 even more frustrating!

 

[Aeryn]

Downgrades wouldnt have been random wouod have been based on ticket type, status and PCV.

An NB who purchased whY and used points to upgrade more lkkely to be bumped than an SG who purchased a cash J ticket.

 

[vhojm]

Imo, its a three hour flight and cough happens to all of us at some point. Its not the ground staff or crew's fault who no doubt would have had to deal with unpleasant passengers.

 

[transpactraveller]

Of course, but most people do expect to be provided the service they've paid for, and also don't appreciate being told they should have checked their email if one was never sent.

More proactive communication from Qantas would make all the difference. People are less likely to become unpleasant if they aren't caught by surprise scanning their boarding pass at the gate.