Airline Compensation ...what is appropriate???

[dragoman]

A few years ago flying Qantas business class to Tokyo (overnight) the entertainment system failed. (So did all of the power seat mechanisms initially, but the crew fixed that promptly.) Until shut-eye time I had a very pleasant chat with an interesting neighbour instead, so I wasn't too fussed & didn't complain too strenuously. But I did receive a $200 voucher a few weeks later. For a flight where I planned to be asleep for much of the time anyhow, that seemed appropriate and I appreciated the unsolicited gesture.

 

[Alease]

I'd say a free upgrade to a J seat on your next CX flight would be in order... IMHO you've paid for a service (paying for J is more than simply transport from A to B) and you haven't received it, thus it's only fair you receive the service the next time you fly with them.

A $50 "Store Credit" for a defective product costing thousands is a little bit of an insult.

I totally agree with you. Free upgrade to J if booked in Y or upgrade to F if booked in J on your next CX flight.

 

[newformula]

I had issues in Y from SYD-JFK and back again - glitchy one way, looped entertainment on the return. QF gave us a $300 voucher - I figured this was about 10% of the cost of the fare, given there were two of us on the ticket.

 

[TonyHancock]

Sorry to not agree with the majority here, but I'd be happy to accept a voucher to change to a seat where the Entertainment System is not working. If I happen to be on any of the flights where mine's working and your's isn't, I'll swap with you for nix!

I have swapped seats on previous flights to help out a passenger when the IFE was not working. I always take my IFE with me in the form of a well loaded IPad, my IPod Classic, and my Mac. I have rarely used the plane's IFE in the last five years of travelling.

I do however get a bit nervous when the in seat power isn't working!!! :shock: (a few calculations needed on how long my combined battery power will last!!!!)

 

[RAM]

Airline Compensation ...what is appropriate? What is misleading?

A very similar outcome for a different reason hit my family this month. We flew Lufthansa to Germany & back (QF code share of sorts to Singapore & then LH to Frankfurt & back). The Sing-Fran flight is probably the longest non-stop that LH fly.

Incorrectly we assumed they would have a IFE system on a 747-400 - bad assumption. We were back to a 1980s style 747. One small screen per aisle for up to 27 rows to view. The flight normally lasts between 12 to 13 1/2 hours (if you are not circling to the south of Kandahar with no explanation offered - despite pointing out to CSM that the sun moving from side to side of the aircraft, the aircraft pitching down to the right for nearly 15 minutes, and a certain distinctive mountain range being the centre of our universe - was met with "we don't circle mid-way through the flight.")

So you can imagine how our 10, 11 and 13 yr olds reacted especially after they had done the research on what IFE was to be available on the LH website - lining up the movies to watch on the outward & inward flights.

Even more galling was the inflight magazine quoting the new Chief Exec extolling the virtues of the LH customer service experience so improved by his predecessor.

I don't know what the cause was but the engine noise over-powered the sound tracks of the two movies shown (yes only two in 13 hours!!) so that even in 100% volume you missed any softly spoken dialogue.

The one of the main topics of conversation by our children during our holiday was can we change airlines to fly home. Perhaps more relevant was that on each flight one of the two movies was rated "M".

Surely LH has and is providing both a sub-standard and misleading product given what its website purports the flights to offer.

 

[JohnK]

Re: Airline Compensation ...what is appropriate? What is misleading?

A very similar outcome for a different reason hit my family this month. We flew Lufthansa to Germany & back (QF code share of sorts to Singapore & then LH to Frankfurt & back). The Sing-Fran flight is probably the longest non-stop that LH fly.

Incorrectly we assumed they would have a IFE system on a 747-400 - bad assumption. We were back to a 1980s style 747. One small screen per aisle for up to 27 rows to view.

Welcome to AFF RAM!

That is disappointing to hear no IFE offered from a full service carrier.

Are these some of the older aircraft that have not been fitted with IFE? I assume some of their newer aircraft would have some form of IFE.

 

[wyvern]

On BA if the IFE does not work and you are flying J and a BAEC member a credit of 10K-20K miles is not unusual.

 

[Limewood]

Wife and I git bumped off a direct flight on CX HKG to CNS in Y a while back, told we will go on later flight, I protested saying we were at the counter early, luggage was accepted, but told to come back later to check in (thought that was fishy), anyways, we went and had a feed, came back to the bad news.

I was not loud nor rude, and after the check in chic kept repeating herself about a upgrade of cash back, I said "call your CX supervisor", she arrived and after some time relented and we received both+!

In the end we received a free upgrade from Y to J on return but via SYD then Y (made it a dam long trip back to CNS), also voucher on our next CX free upgrade to J, plus HKD = to AUD$400 (paid on spot), use of BC lounge, and that is each!.

 

[Danger]

Royal newlyweds get $300 from British Airways over in-flight entertainment

Prince William and his wife Catherine were among first-class [sic] passengers compensated by British Airways after an in-flight entertainment system failure.

As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge returned to London from their recent tour of Canada and California, an issue with screens at the front of the aircraft meant a 10-hour trip minus amuesment, London's Daily Mirror newspaper reports.

For the inconvenience, passengers, who had paid £5000 ($A7500) for their first class seats, received £200 ($A300) duty free vouchers.
​

 

[Chatterbocks]

I think the airlines bank on most people accepting so they lowball.

A couple of months ago I went to board a CX flight in HK and was told that due to the flight being oversold I was being bumped to Y. They offered me something like AUD1000 which did not even work out pro-rata to the difference between Y & J on that sector that I paid so I refused. The supervisor then came over, noticed i am WP and I got my J seat.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I remember a recent case were a 767 scheduled to operate a DRW/BNE flight supposedly had problems with the IFE so ground staff issued 200+ pax with a AUD30.00 voucher for magazines from the newsagent.

On arrival in DRW staff let the CSM (who was also operating DRW/BNE) know that the pax had been compensated & were aware of the IFE being u/s only to get the response "oh it's ok now the engineers fixed it before we left BNE".

 

[rechoboam]

I had no ife on EK in J dubai - Mel. It took me five hours to notice as I was so tired. I planned to tell them and get some points but hated Dubai so much I knew I would never use them again.

 

[goldy]

One could argue you essentially did not receive what you paid for, and that is grounds to dispute the entire transaction. It is then up to the airline to prove they did provide you with what you paid for.

You'd probably get a 100% refund, and blacklisted from your travel agent and the airline forever.

I'd say it's worth 10% of the airfare to make up for it, plus an additional 10% compensation.

So if a J fare asia->au is say 3K return (1.5 each way inc taxes) - I would come in at $300, which is ~25% of the airfare 1 way.

Thats a somewhat uninformed reply...... Legally, the airline has provided the majority of what it was paid to provide, minus IFE. That is what would be called substantial performance, meaning the OP could claim compensation on a pro rata basis for the IFE he didnt get. The only question now is, how much of the "contract" hasnt been performed? Generally, thats what courts are for, but id be willing to take 10% of the fare, as a cash settlement or double that as a voucher. Id want the voucher to be redeemable on all/most oneworld carriers and not just CX (as they can do, but would be reluctant to do as it means revenue going to another airline).