Tight SYD Dom-Int Connection, VA delays and random kindness

[JohnK]

This is a true story and I don't have all the facts but pretty close. Sorry it is a long story.

Booked on 6:00pm DJ978 BNE-SYD flight with a 9:55pm CX SYD-HKG flight. Personally I would consider this connection a little too tight even though it should OK.

Get to airport and DJ978 is delayed. Lengthy delay. DJ refuses to offer seat on 7:00pm DJ986 flight. The flight may indeed have been full but here DJ is showing no compassion. Perhaps they shouldn't. It is clear that the connection is not going to happen so get on the phone to QF and try to book and pay for 6:45pm BNE-SYD flight but not possible and purchase last minute seat on 7:15pm BNE-SYD flight. At this point in time CX is aware that they are running late.

Just a random thought but JohnK is on this flight.

Anyway flight is delayed ~10-15 minutes. I am on this flight and the captain comes on the intercom to announce that we are about to descend and have made up time and we will touch down at 8:44pm (early) and be in terminal shortly there after.

At this point in time I notice 2 FAs escort a passenger into business class cabin. Conversation continues for the next 10 or so minutes. I can understand what is going on and can hear them explaining to the passenger what he needs to do.

The conversation from the FAs went something like this. If you can collect your checked luggage by 8:55pm go back through security and head down to gate 1 to transfer across to T1. By my calculations this was not going to get the to T1 before 9:30pm and they are in economy and have not checked in and will need to clear immigration. Anyway I said to the FAs a number of times this is not doable and they just shrugged their shoulders and said it is possible. It may well be possible if everything falls into place.

Anyway this person is going to be first off and I will not be far behind him from row 23 on 767.

I head off to Qantas Lounge for a few minutes while I am waiting for dad to pick me up. It is now past 9:00pm and we are only just heading out so the FA's plan is not looking so good.

Head out of the Qantas Lounge at ~9:05 and head downstairs towards the pick up point. See that carousel 4 is packed with people waiting for luggage and nothing had come out yet. Notice the person from the flight anxiusly waiting at the carousel.

Approach the person and say I heard his story on the flight and my father is picking me up in a few minutes and if he wants a lift to international as he is not going to make it using the transfer bus. He accepts and luggage arrives and his is the third one out. Great. Head outside and my father is waiting and I quickly explain the situation. It is now 9:12pm and even though CX is aware and waiting it is still touch and go.

Arrive at international at 9:17pm and Matt thanks us and heads off inside. Hope he makes it.

I called him when I go home and apparently he did make the flight. The check-in staff were waiting for him but it was getting very close where they had to close as check-in had got over.

He was going to Hong Kong for a wedding tomorrow night so it would have been sad to miss it. He also had 3 small(ish) bags which is why he had to check-in small wheelie bag with Qantas.

Not being critical but I am a little disappointed that VA had not done anything to help out a customer who was clearly distressed and being let down badly. Sure it is not VAs fault but if you are not going to help out people who need it then who are you going to help out?By the way the 6:00pm DJ978 BNE-SYD flight left at 8:07pm and arrived 133 minutes late at 9:43pm....

 

[Mal]

Sad story but there are several risks that were chosen and accepted.
* separate tickets.
* not choosing same airline or alliance.
*perhaps too short a conx. Esp since checked baggage was involved.
*not leaving enough time at destination before an event.

DJ are not a charity, qf is not a charity. Sometimes when you throw the dice you win, sometimes you lose. Imho even if he was put on the 7pm DJ flight the conx would have been tight or missed.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Re this guy's checked luggage, was it not possible to checkin his bag all the way to HKG? Despite separate pnrs for BNE/SYD on QF & SYD/HKG on CX the arrival time in SYD of 2045 & departure time of 2155 still meets the 1.00hr 'legal' (though I would never recommend it) domestic to international connection time & as it's all OneWorld it shouldn't have been a problem.

Then he could've just got the QF shuttle bus from T3 to T1.

Was it a case of the pax trying to board the aircraft with 3 pieces of carry on & one was taken from the pax at the gate by the flight despatcher & put underneath during the boarding process ie after close off for checked baggage at minus 30?

Either was it was an extremely nice thing for you to do & I'm sure was much appreciated by the Matt.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Well done glad that you were able to save the day for them.

Just over 2 hours on 2 separate itineraries is really cutting it too fine in case of delays, if I was on the CX flight at that time then I would have selected the QF flight at 6:00pm but taking Virgin to save a few dollars wasn't such a smart idea. Flights do get cancelled and I guess DJ had a lot of passengers who were inconvenienced so it become a tough job for the check in person to reallocate everyone.

I wouldn't be too unhappy with Virgin, but you should be happy that you could help.

10-15 minutes I don't consider a delay, but it is good when your flight does get away on time.

Think of the positives.

 

[JohnK]

I don't disagree with what is being said on this thread.

I do not know the full story and only know what involved me.

Personally I understand that DJ is not a charity and 2 hours is a short connection but if I was working at DJ I would have done everything I could to get this person on the 7:00pm flight to the point where I would have asked for volunteers to assist and may even have tried to pull some strings. But I guess that is me.

Anyway at the end of the day Matt managed to get to HKG and be at the wedding tonight and I am glad I was able to assist as it cost me absolutely nothing.

 

[markis10]

JohnK, well done on helping out, too many people just keep to themselves these days. Good Karma, which will be repaid in kind I hope.

 

[UP4014]

Good story with a nice ending, I'm always ok to help someone in a similar situation.

Virgin didn't have to help and they didn't, it's these sort of things that are difference between good airline and an outstanding one.

 

[jpk]

I ended up in a similar situation last year. QF ticket from LHR-SYD, the 12pm departure. I had to fly MXP-LGW (Milan-Gatwick) the night before, last flight of the day, on Easyjet. I knew this was risky but due to circumstances outside my control it had to be this way (long story). I accepted the risk.

Of course the EZ flight got canx and they wanted us to overnight at Malpensa, and I would have missed the QF flight. Explained it to the EZ checkin people who of course did not have to do anything, however they did - ran around for us, put us on standby, squeezed us onto a Luton flight when there was a no show, and in the end got out ok. I was amazed they were so helpful when they had no obligation at all.

On every airline, this is almost always down to the checkin agent liking you or taking pity on you and wanting to help - they can if they want to. Being courteous and polite always helps, especially when there are other irate pax abusing airline staff (as there was that night - they did not get out that night).

Well done for helping out JohnK, the good karma will come back to you.