QF12 business class service fail?

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I think I may have upset the gentleman for asking for a glass of wine “out of sequence”.

Id been flying QR a lot where orders are all taken at once (ie meals and drinks). I’d forgotten that QF persist with the trolley for drinks on intl J. This also means the staff don’t really know what wines they have.

I can only assume that by asking for something prior to his usual order managed to stress the poor gent out.

Pretty typical of my QF experiences of late. They don’t like going off script, and don’t like people asking questions.
 
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90 minutes or more for the first drinks service - I’m used to that on QF long haul (sigh). Even UA can do (much) better than that - and they serve warm nuts in a bowl, not that scrappy foil pouch that QF throws at you.
That awful selection of bits that I never eat.
 
The CSM interaction that N860CR reported earlier is bizarre. It seems on that day for whatever reason that FA lost all sense of common sense. Now they had been delayed 6 hours like everyone else, so no doubt the crew were tired and crabby given by the time they departed BKK they would have expected to have been 2/3rds of the way to SYD, but even so... Goodness me getting weird about a pre-ordered meal? Sure I get it it's frustrating for them to have started to heat it or whatever to have the pax to say no thanks I'm tired and just want soup and a drink, but really the exchage was over the top. Sometimes we pre-order meals and on the day just don't feel like it.. for WHATEVER reasons! And after 6 hours of delay, lounge food, tiredness etc sure, just want to have something quick and go to sleep. Just weird to not recognise that (and you'd think a FA would be "happy" to have less work to do for one pax who just wanted a quick bite, a drink and bed).

just odd. Plenty of times I've seen pax tell FA's "I know I ordered X but is it possible to have Y?" and it's been no problem.. or to not have any meal. It's called being human and flexible.

I've never had an interaction remotely like that though ... just seems so weird to be focused on their process or expected flow rather than the customer.. it's odd. Closest I've ever had was in F 3-4 years ago on a long haul (probably LAX-MEL but I honestly can't remember) and it was maybe 2.5 hours prior to landing. I was peckish so I asked for the trusty old steak sanga.. F FA says "Well we're preparing the breakfasts now and I'd have to rearrange the ovens...." (clearly "you're messing us around with this request) which I thought was not cool. Either "Yes sir I'll get right on that for you" or "I'm terribly sorry but..." instead he definitely made me feel like I was imposing on him. In the end I got my steak sanga after saying I'd appreciate it and understand it could take a little longer. Really though it wasn't very cool. I'd never hear that on SQ or many other airlines no matter what behind the scenes issues a request may cause them. However that was a one off.

I hope that CSM just had a mind melt from the delays and stuff and that isn't the way they usually deal with pax because if so they are in the wrong role.
 
I've flown SQ, VA & EY in J in the last 12 months and have to say that every flight had consistently outstanding service.
 
I've flown SQ, VA & EY in J in the last 12 months and have to say that every flight had consistently outstanding service.

EY J is in many ways better than QF, but they are probably the only airline that I've found to be even more inconsistent than QF!

SQ, however, is both excellent and consistently excellent! I don't have enough experience with VA in long haul J to comment on them.
 
90 minutes or more for the first drinks service - I’m used to that on QF long haul (sigh). Even UA can do (much) better than that - and they serve warm nuts in a bowl, not that scrappy foil pouch that QF throws at you.
A particular Korean heiress will be happy to hear that they serve nuts in a bowl.
 
CSM - "So why did you preorder a meal?"

I get the feeling that if you had communicated how the delay had changed your plans for the meal a little better then their understanding of the situation would have been different. That said, it does seem like they shouldn't have questioned you or made remarks about the situation nearly as much as they did.
 
I get the feeling that if you had communicated how the delay had changed your plans for the meal a little better then their understanding of the situation would have been different.

I see no situation where the passenger should have to do this?
 
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I see no situation where the passenger should have to do this?

I agree, certainly not in light of a 6 hour delay, maybe there was some misunderstanding or something like that, but the all the passengers and the cabin crew would be acutely aware of a delay like this. A CSM who couldn't "read the room" after having to deal with a 6 hour delay and subsequent changes to departure times, shouldn't be anywhere near customers in my opinion, if this recounting of events is accurate, then that particular CSM is a liability for the airline.
 
I get the feeling that if you had communicated how the delay had changed your plans for the meal a little better then their understanding of the situation would have been different. That said, it does seem like they shouldn't have questioned you or made remarks about the situation nearly as much as they did.
I’d have thought the impact of such a delay was pretty obvious.
 
Sorry, but just had to add this.
((Priority bearding))...?
So QF cabin crew are now allowed to have beardy facial hair stubble?
Ok, back to the important bit, I have had it once though, Au - WLG, "sorry, but your meal choice wasn't loaded"...
So I just accepted what they gave out.
Can't remember now, but I think I was on my first QF (Jetconnect) J service.
As I mentioned prior, I don't like making a fuss on a flight, it (what you thought was constructive feedback), could easily get misconscrued through it, and you could be seen as harassing them, though it seems some people seem to do it and love the attention.
 
Sorry, but just had to add this.
((Priority bearding))...?
So QF cabin crew are now allowed to have beardy facial hair stubble?
Ok, back to the important bit, I have had it once though, Au - WLG, "sorry, but your meal choice wasn't loaded"...
So I just accepted what they gave out.
Can't remember now, but I think I was on my first QF (Jetconnect) J service.
As I mentioned prior, I don't like making a fuss on a flight, it (what you thought was constructive feedback), could easily get misconscrued through it, and you could be seen as harassing them, though it seems some people seem to do it and love the attention.
There is nothing wrong with making a complaint on a flight. As long as you are polite and respectful you should be listened to.
 
Maybe I've been spoiled or conditioned by generally consistent service on UA, AA, VA and NZ on this route?
You've summarised it nicely.

Personally, I try to avoid OFA for international travel. There are so many better alternatives out there.
 
Qantas is basically my last choice for international flights to and from Australia.

That said... I got stuck flying them ex BKK recently when I had been in Uganda and needed to stop in Thailand on the way home.

I had previously done virtually all flying on QR for quite a while (roughly the last 20 sectors).

While I don't love the ME3 airlines, I like that QR is generally consistent and has a good service flow. Meal orders and drink orders taken early, drinks served quickly after take off, meals served as required.

QF flight was about 6 hours late leaving BKK. The plan was to get home in the early AM, grab 3 hours sleep, go to an afternoon function. Landing time was now about 1pm so I was heading straight to the function from the airport. Sleep on the plane was now important. Here's the QF conversation;

CSM - "I see you've preordered xx_. This is being prepared now. Will you be joining us for a starter?"

Me - "I'll just have a soup and try to sleep"

CSM - "So why did you preorder a meal?"

Me - "It's after midnight now so I don't need a full meal, I'll just have a soup and a glass of wine. What reds do you have?"

CSM - "Well I have no idea. I am clearly organising meals now, aren't I. I don't understand why you ordered a meal if you don't want it"

Me - "I'd just like to get as much rest as I can tonight. Can I just have a soup and glass of red please"

CSM "Well I'll obviously have to go and check what we have" (rolls eyes, walks away)

10 minutes later....

CSM - "There's a Shiraz. Do you want that"

Me - "Yes that will be fine"

CSM - "And you expect me to get it now"

Me - "Yes"

CSM - "Is there something wrong with you? I haven't even pushed out the drinks cart yet. I know it's late, but it's not that bad"

I go back to my book and remember why I don't fly Qantas.

There is a major cultural issue at Qantas and their staff have a strange way of treating their passengers.
Wow, I would have been guaranteed to be arrested after punching the rep.

What nationality was he/she?

Some cultures just aren't as good as customer service as others
 
A few years ago I abandoned QF after my fully paid for F seat malfunctioned in a full F cabin two hours out on QF11 and the CSM asked me if I wanted her to have a company nonrev move from his functioning seat and then waltzed over to the senior management type and said loudly “She wants you to move and I have to.” Great grumbling and stink eye ensued. She helped the company man with his stuff but left me to my own devices and failed to clear his rubbish away and tidy up the seat. In hopes that QF May have improved, I make a point of buying a J or F ticket with them every 12 months. So far, not nearly good enough,although the new J hard product is great. Last experience was in J trans-Tasman in 738. Abysmal in every way. Filthy uncomfortable seat with little space. Outbound J FA announced, “We forgot to load menus, so I’m just gonna read the menu from the iPad.” Food was desperately trying to be something it had no hope of ever being. J toilet so small one could not turn around. And so forth. Yet again it’s back to NH, SQ, NZ, and UA for me.
 
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