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I’ve just seen a news article by the Independent where it reported that a pilot was given priority over a 78 year old Business Class ticket holder for the seat, forcing them to downgrade the passenger to Economy. Qantas said they’d issue a partial refund and measly 5000 points as compensation.
I’d probably tell them I’d never fly with them again, for offering such poor service and ‘compensation’Disgusting.
However Qantas is getting a lot of bad publicity lately.
Although given the way they absolutely refused refunds for flights they cancelled in covid, saying the passenger had bought a non-refundable ticket therefore Qantas refused to refund, etc., ..Some would say the chickens of Qantas’s nasty market-dominance-abusing behaviour to date, are coming home to roost now.
If this means Qatar and other airlines are allowed to run more flights into Australia, lessening Qantas’s ability to gouge passengers, I’d say this is good news and keep it rolling.
Don’t forget about that guy who took a Business Class ticket with Emirates, they supplied a very poor product indeed, a lot of the amities advertised weren’t available, when he complained they only offered 20000 points, which wouldn’t be anywhere enough to cover a reward seat in Economy ! Plus Skyward points are subject to hard expiry policy as well, so he could lose some or all of the points if he took up that offer.
In February last year, I was on an organised tour, and one of the other travellers was an Australian, and had been working as a travel agent before Covid hit, and she said that Virgin Australia are far more pleasant to deal with than Qantas, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t go anywhere near either company’s planes !
I’ve read a lot recently about reward tickets being downgraded. If I have a reward flight booked in CW and am downgraded am I within my rights to be booked on the next available CW flight instead? I have Sydney and Tokyo booked and I’d rather wait a day and go CW than PE.
Unfortunately, in accordance with Article 10 downgrading simply affords you what is effectively a penalty reimbursement of 75% for long haul, but doesn’t engage any rerouting rights.
In practice, BA may agree to put you on to another flight that has availability in the booked class but it is then a grey area as to whether BA will pay for any extra accommodation or food as it is essentially a voluntary decision by you, but they might offer this by way of goodwill. You mention Sydney and Tokyo – these UK261 rights only apply from the UK on any carrier and return to the UK only on a UK carrier. Flights between Tokyo & Sydney obviously aren’t covered.
Thanks JDB, I knew you’d have the answer.
My flights are both ex LHR and are separate trips so I’m covered for UK261.I’ve had a few reward flights and never had an issue but I’d be horrified if it was to happen on a really long flight. I’d happily pay hotel and food in return for sleeping my flight away in CW.
I know someone where BA paid for a night in a hotel in this scenario. As you say – grey area but it seems like BA are pretty reasonable generally about these types of expenses (partly a consequence of them having a preference to just pay rather than waste time investigating the detail I think!) .
A bit difficult one for Qantas – I think it’s fair that a deadheading pilot travels in J to be honest and presumably they needed to be on that flight to avoid delaying another flight that they were going to work later. Ideally they’d solicit volunteers and offer a good incentive to do so but Aus doesn’t have any protections that force them to and if it was last minute then just wouldn’t be on the agenda for the agent anyway.
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