A good Qantas experience

[cjg]

I thought I might share my recent good Qantas experience.

Last Sunday I was flying from Canberra to Sydney and waiting to check-in my bags. While I was waiting and looking up at the departures screen my flight changed to the dreaded 'cancelled’ message. Less than two minutes later, and while I was still in the check-in queue thinking about whether there was space on alternative flights and if my other plans were going to be disrupted, I received a call from a Qantas representative to inform me of the cancellation.

After we laughed that I was actually waiting to check-in and could see that it had just been cancelled she then advised me what other flights I could take. I chose to take a flight that was going to be boarding in about 15 minutes, and it also meant that I got to fly on a 737 which I find more comfortable than DASH-8s.

While I was going to get to Sydney a bit earlier than necessary I was pleased that none of my other plans had to change.

When I went to the counter to check-in a few minutes later my new flight details were already in the system ready for me to get my boarding pass.

I fly quite regularly and have been very lucky until now that I’ve never had a flight cancelled so close to when I was going to be departing. I’m not sure how my experience compares to other travellers who fly quite a lot, but I was impressed with the very quick response from Qantas to get me on another flight.

 

[Moody]

Cancellations with a good outcome are rare, so half your luck!

I went to Canberra this week and was careful to book myself on a jet service. I got to the lounge to see the previous Dash-8 was boarding and the following Dash-8 was cancelled. Soon after starting on my raisin toast they asked for people travelling to Canberra to approach the counter if they wanted to get on an earlier flight.

Now normally I jump at these opportunities but I could see they just wanted to pack out the early Dash-8 so there would be room to squeeze the pax on the cancelled flight onto MY jet. No way, thinks I, and continue munching my toast. Then Karma hit. After boarding the plane to Canberra they announced there was a problem with the navigation computer and they were sending the engineers to get a part from the workshop. Twenty minutes later they announced they had "good news and bad news". The bad - the plane was well and truly grounded. The good - they had a spare at another gate.

I had a passing thought that this sounded a bit suspicious but my main feeling was of regret that I didn't get on that little Dash-8 as I would have already been in Canberra. And of course on my return I tried my luck to get on an earlier flight home but was given the "computer said no" treatment from the lounge dragon.