Hi all-
I was booked on QF9 from MEL to LHR on 16 March. To cut a long story short, the fuel pump on Engine 1 failed, so the flight was initially delayed from 1615 to 1645, then to 1930. Boarding commenced at 2000, but the flight was then cancelled at 2200 as the sealant used for the repairs would not have set before the flight crew ran out of duty hours. Customs wouldn't let us disembark the aircraft until approximately 2330, after which time we were sent to the lounge to (unsuccessfully) rebook ourselves on alternative services, spent close to an hour trying to recollect luggage, then another 30 minutes in the taxi. After leaving for the airport at 1pm, I returned back to the Melbourne CBD at 1.40am, spending another 50 minutes on the phone to QF trying to get an alternative booking the following day (any rebookings on alternative carriers were vetoed by management)
Lets just say it wasn't a great day - spending 12 hours at the airport only for the flight to be cancelled wasn't helpful. I wrote to Customer Care outlining a few frustrations - 1) how they were not able to fix a seemingly simple fuel pump issue on an aircraft that had arrived in Melbourne at 9am that morning 2) Why QF did not call in a new crew before 6pm when they knew there was a good chance the operating crew would be close to running out of hours and 3) why they boarded the aircraft knowing that they would still need time for the sealant to set. My questions were primarily directed at the engineering processes.
That said, I had high praise for the front-line staff who were excellent. The F lounge staff, Captain, CSM and cabin crew could not have done a better job and reflected well on the company. I made this clear in my email to customer care, so I was very sorry to get the following response from them this morning:
"Dear Mr xx_,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us and please accept my apologies for the delay in our response.
I have attempted to contact you but your phone number would not connect.
I am disappointed to hear of the way that the delay of QF9 was handled and value your comments regarding our ground staff.
As a gesture of goodwill, I would like to credit your Frequent Flyer account with 10,000 Qantas points.
I understand that you may have incurred some out of pocket expenses. Could please email any relevant receipts to Customer Care for our consideration?
Should you wish to speak with me further regarding this delay, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 02 9691 xx_X.
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely
xx_
Customer Care Executive"
Given I was 28 hours late arriving at my destination, spent 12 hours waiting at the airport and missed a wedding, what do you think of the above response? That they didn't even read my email, and interpreted my praise of their front line staff for criticism adds insult to injury. But in all fairness, I wonder why I would ever choose to fly with QF again with such a contemptible answer.
As a side note, the class of travel was F and my FF level is Platinum.
I was booked on QF9 from MEL to LHR on 16 March. To cut a long story short, the fuel pump on Engine 1 failed, so the flight was initially delayed from 1615 to 1645, then to 1930. Boarding commenced at 2000, but the flight was then cancelled at 2200 as the sealant used for the repairs would not have set before the flight crew ran out of duty hours. Customs wouldn't let us disembark the aircraft until approximately 2330, after which time we were sent to the lounge to (unsuccessfully) rebook ourselves on alternative services, spent close to an hour trying to recollect luggage, then another 30 minutes in the taxi. After leaving for the airport at 1pm, I returned back to the Melbourne CBD at 1.40am, spending another 50 minutes on the phone to QF trying to get an alternative booking the following day (any rebookings on alternative carriers were vetoed by management)
Lets just say it wasn't a great day - spending 12 hours at the airport only for the flight to be cancelled wasn't helpful. I wrote to Customer Care outlining a few frustrations - 1) how they were not able to fix a seemingly simple fuel pump issue on an aircraft that had arrived in Melbourne at 9am that morning 2) Why QF did not call in a new crew before 6pm when they knew there was a good chance the operating crew would be close to running out of hours and 3) why they boarded the aircraft knowing that they would still need time for the sealant to set. My questions were primarily directed at the engineering processes.
That said, I had high praise for the front-line staff who were excellent. The F lounge staff, Captain, CSM and cabin crew could not have done a better job and reflected well on the company. I made this clear in my email to customer care, so I was very sorry to get the following response from them this morning:
"Dear Mr xx_,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us and please accept my apologies for the delay in our response.
I have attempted to contact you but your phone number would not connect.
I am disappointed to hear of the way that the delay of QF9 was handled and value your comments regarding our ground staff.
As a gesture of goodwill, I would like to credit your Frequent Flyer account with 10,000 Qantas points.
I understand that you may have incurred some out of pocket expenses. Could please email any relevant receipts to Customer Care for our consideration?
Should you wish to speak with me further regarding this delay, please don’t hesitate to contact me on 02 9691 xx_X.
I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours sincerely
xx_
Customer Care Executive"
Given I was 28 hours late arriving at my destination, spent 12 hours waiting at the airport and missed a wedding, what do you think of the above response? That they didn't even read my email, and interpreted my praise of their front line staff for criticism adds insult to injury. But in all fairness, I wonder why I would ever choose to fly with QF again with such a contemptible answer.
As a side note, the class of travel was F and my FF level is Platinum.
