Leg 3: CBR - MEL on VA
After a weekend of heavy drinking... er I mean an interesting conference, it was time to go home. A mate of mine in Melbourne has scored us reservations at Rockpool in Melbourne (after our non event in Syd) at 7:30. We arrived at the Airport at 1:30PM and headed to the VA lounge.
When I arrived the dragon was having a VERY heated conversation with a customer on the phone and bluntly told him she wasn't going to help him (nb I didnt have a problem with this, but alludes to a later incident, keep reading). I handed her my VA Platinum card and said i'd like to check in for the 5pm CBR to MEL. She smiled and said not a worry and went about her business. Oddly, she didn't hand me any boarding passes - thats when I should have been worried.
I normally travel with my boss who is a CL. In CL they don't give you a BP as they constantly try to upgrade/get you a better seat. They give you one just before boarding (they come hunt you down in the lounge, which i've never figured out how they remember who you are but anyway I digress).
About an hour before my flight, another collegue calls me up and says "i'm at the airport, where are you?" I told him I was in the lounge and invited him in. I went out to the general VA waiting area, grabbed him and walked back in. The VA dragon asked for my card again and she scanned it through. She asked my collegue what flight he was on and said she would call it when ready.
the next 50 minutes passed without incident (I must say the food at the CBR VA lounge was very enjoyable).
She called our flight and I proceeded to the Lounge desk and waited. She looked at me blankly and said "Yes can I help you?" I asked for our boarding passes and she said "What haven't you checked in yet?" I said back to her that yes, we checked in almost 4 hours ago, and that she had done it, but not given us boarding passes. She looked at me blankly and said "I haven't checked you in, sorry check in is closed". I told her I have been here for 4 hours and I needed to make a connecting flight in Melbourne. She told me the 7pm flight to Melb was cancelled and she couldn't help me. she told me it was my fault and I should have checked in.
And this point, I was less than happy.
I asked her if she remembered me coming in several hours earlier, she said she did. I asked her if she remembers requesting mine and my collegues VFF cards, she said she did and that she was in the process of checking us in... and thats when the penny dropped in her head. She apologised and said that she was frustrated by the customer on the phone and she must have gotten distracted. She said that she had only "checked my card into the lounge" but not the flight.
I bluntly told her that was her problem, not mine and she needed to get me on that flight. I was preparing myself for a heated argument and an overnight in CBR because of VA stuff up, but was pleasantly surprised. she made a call and fixed it there and then.
1 minute later, thanks to Priority boarding, I was sitting in seat 3A with my collegue in 3B.
Uneventful flight to MEL, no food service as it was a 35 minute flight.
We were sitting down in the quite zone when next thing I know the hostie appeared and said "good news, we've upgraded your other guest to PE as well" and she had come over to ask if she would prefer the window or aisle seat (said she thought she'd ask as she didnt want to offend).
