V Australia not going ahead with Melb-LAX flights until December grrrr

[aussiedaisy]

Just have had my whole holiday messed up with V Australia deciding not to do the Melb-LAX direct flights until Dec. Have to transfer via Sydney now but I was hoping the original flight would still arrive in LA at the same time.....but no, it's a totally different flight which they couldn't get me on to so I have had to be rebooked on a flight a day earlier which stuffs up my connections in LA, hotel bookings etc!!! AHHHH so stressful! I had a feeling this would happen. Luckily they told me I was the very first person to call to rebook, apparently tomorrow they are notifying customers and as such they said I was lucky to be able to get sort of first choice with what they have. We are connecting with Virgin Blue (premium econ) hopefully they are okay. Anyway, just needed to vent!! Would like to hear anyone elses experience with this type of thing happening.

 

[MelUser]

Hi Aussie Daisy.

Perhaps you could have got a refund and bought a ticket with Qantas who have daily direct Melbourne to Los Angeles (and vice versa) flights.

Flight schedules change every day and the more you fly the more this sort of thing will happen to you.

At the end of the day there is nothing you can do but take out travel insurance incase airline schedule changes actually start costing you real money.

 

[Saab34]

Did they offer going via BNE? They get into LAX around 700am

I guess the inbound flights are not so much the issue as they all leave close to Midnight

 

[aussiedaisy]

Yes, I had thought of trying to get a refund and rebooking with Qantas or ANZ but as there was a clause in the initial purchase that Melb-LAX was still subject to government approval then I don't know if I could really get a refund. Also, the flights we purchased in premium economy were a special and were so cheap that even with a refund we would have to probably pay extra to fly PE with another airline.

They did have departures from Brisbane but I was in a panic and thought Syd was the best bet as it is only 1hr flight from Melb. I hope they would have told me if there was a better flight leaving from Bris....oh well, not much I can really do about it apart from trying to change the connections and hope I don't get charged for doing so!! Feeling very stressed as I'm not a frequent traveller and this is a holiday of a lifetime....not off to a good start but have to stay positive about it

 

[straitman]

aussiedaisy,

If via BNE is a better timing for you then I suggest you ring them back and ask again. Stand your ground a bit if necessary and you will find they are quite friendly.

My daughter is currently on the phone to V Aust with the same issue for her return flight from LAX-MEL.

 

[aussiedaisy]

Thanks straightman. Have looked at the Bris flights but they all arrive in LA at around 4pm...my connection in LA is at 10am so I will just have to go with the flight the day before and either stay in LA overnight and then connect at 10am or try and organise a connecting flight on the same night if there are any. Very frustrating but I kind of had a feeling it was going to happen. Apparently according to the VA lady I spoke to, there are 2 other destinations that are being totally cancelled....think she said South Africa and somewhere else, so thankfully I am only having to rearrange my flights and not have them totally cancelled.

I wonder why this is happening, the reviews seem so good on the airline so I would be surprised if it was due to lack of bookings?

 

[simongr]

I wonder why this is happening, the reviews seem so good on the airline so I would be surprised if it was due to lack of bookings?

Biggest global economic crisis in the airlines' history might be having an impact...

 

[Alanslegal]

Firstly enjoy your trip 'of a lifetime' aussiedaisy

But if you arrive a day earlier it really doesn't stuff up your connections, as all it means is your existing connections are extended in length. Why not turn those changes into a positive and have a quick sight see into Los Angeles.

I know it's only a few hours but a quick drive in the evening for dinner, then a drive around the sights of LA before settling into one of the many airport hotels near to LAX for the next morning connection.

I would have been highly upset if I had to fly a day later (and then miss on every single connection).

 

[ejb]

Firstly enjoy your trip 'of a lifetime' aussiedaisy

But if you arrive a day earlier it really doesn't stuff up your connections, as all it means is your existing connections are extended in length. Why not turn those changes into a positive and have a quick sight see into Los Angeles.

I know it's only a few hours but a quick drive in the evening for dinner, then a drive around the sights of LA before settling into one of the many airport hotels near to LAX for the next morning connection.

I would have been highly upset if I had to fly a day later (and then miss on every single connection).

Hi,

I agree totally, you should look upon this as a positive, as you get a night in LA. Look around, grab dinner and relax before continuing the next day. Sounds like heaven to me.

ejb

 

[Maca44]

Apparently according to the VA lady I spoke to, there are 2 other destinations that are being totally cancelled....think she said South Africa and somewhere else, so thankfully I am only having to rearrange my flights and not have them totally cancelled.

I wonder if this "somewhere else" could be coughet as I recall they were two destinations mentioned in other threads (South Africa and coughet)?

 

[straitman]

I wonder why this is happening, the reviews seem so good on the airline so I would be surprised if it was due to lack of bookings?

I would say that this is more to do with better aircraft utilisation in the current economic climate.

 

[odysseus]

I wonder if this "somewhere else" could be coughet as I recall they were two destinations mentioned in other threads (South Africa and coughet)?

Might have been some confusion as coughet and South Africa were the two destinations being 'introduced.' (though SA had been on the books for a while).

 

[stacey]

I have a direct flight booked from Mel-LA return in october, and I have not been notified of any changes, can I ask how you found out your flight was changed? thanks

 

[sampson]

Stacey, I found out when I went to enquire about paying more to upgrade my seats to Premium. The csr said she thought my flight was gone. The website showed no flight that day from/to Melb and LA! She said her computer hadn't even placed us on another flight via Sydney or anywhere either. Another csr looked, and yes, it was gooone.

She wasn't allowed to refund the fare. I was told a cancellation fee would apply if I wanted a refund to fly to SFO via Auckland on AirNZ. They offered a once-off free date change on a flight with a different day and arrival.

They hadn't the foresight to say 'sorry, but we have a cheap hotel and shuttle deal to help you out'.

VA said it knew fares on other airlines increased so, bad luck, even a refund wouldn't help me much. (I'll let the Federal Magistrates Court decide legal matters. AirNZ had a slightly cheaper fare that meant I avoid extra losses by being in LA early ).

I was offered an upgrade for about $900 extra pp on a flight via Sydney but, frankly, I'm still nervous they'll change things again.

AirNZ, Qantas and Jetstar has my business.:evil:

 

[Justinf]

Yep, same thing has happened to me.
Had a direct MEL-LAX-MEL flight but have been rerouted through Sydney.
Bummer is that the direct flight was at 11.15am getting into LAX early the same day. New flight leaves Sydney at 9.40pm, getting into LAX at 5pm so I lose a day.
I asked about the possibility of rerouting the return fliught via Brisbane, but there were no Brisbane flights that day so I got them to put me on the LAX-SYD flight for the following day.
I am flying economy to LAX and premium economy on the return leg.
Virgin Blue did the same thing to me this time last year when I had a direct MEL-Darwin flight and they scrapped it re-routed us via Brisbane.
Not happy.