Bumped from DJ flight .. but they're still selling seats!

[awilcockson]

I'm booked on the early DJ1206 from Brisbane to Canberra on Wednesday, departs 06:30 arrives 08:20.

At least I was, until I got an SMS today regarding a "change of time" for my flight. Logged into the velocity rewards site and see that I've been bumped to a non direct flight:

DJ908 BNE-SYD 06:00 - 07:35
DJ632 SYD-CBR 08:05 - 09:00

Now as much as I love flying, leaving half and hour earlier and getting there 40 minutes later, is not exactly my idea of fun. I had a quick look on the DJ website, and they are still selling seats on DJ1206.

So I called them up, and apparently "what happens is that sometimes they have to take a flight offline for some reason, and the system automatically bumps everyone to another flight. But then when they put the original flight back in the system, it doesn't automatically move the original pax back". Crazy, and didn't sound like something that the CSR was dealing with for the first time. All sorted now, but this seems to be quite a silly fault in the DJ booking system.

 

[JohnPhelan]

Navitaire

 

[oz_mark]

I'm booked on the redeye DJ1206 from Brisbane to Canberra on Wednesday, departs 06:30 arrives 08:20.

What's this redeye thing?

 

[Must...Fly!]

0630 departure a redeye? Don't think so!

On topic, this is one of the things DJ really need to fix up if they want to be regarded in the same sentence as QF. Their booking/reservation system has so many quirks.

 

[LiamR]

Their booking/reservation system has so many quirks.

I would settle for being able to change my seat online after I've checked in. I love the flexable ways to check in, and re-check at QF.

 

[anat0l]

I'm booked on the redeye DJ1206 from Brisbane to Canberra on Wednesday, departs 06:30 arrives 08:20.

So not a red-eye. Try QF501, but even that's not a red-eye per se.

So I called them up, and apparently "what happens is that sometimes they have to take a flight offline for some reason, and the system automatically bumps everyone to another flight. But then when they put the original flight back in the system, it doesn't automatically move the original pax back". Crazy, and didn't sound like something that the CSR was dealing with for the first time. All sorted now, but this seems to be quite a silly fault in the DJ booking system.

Sounds like an expected thing that would happen if they decided to take a flight offline and disgorge the pax off it. I think if QF did the same thing then similar stuff would happen. Although one has to wonder why they decided to take the flight offline only to add it back fairly quickly (I don't think change of aircraft requires such action, does it)?

 

[The Rok]

What does Red Eye mean?

 

[markis10]

What does Red Eye mean?

Generally its any flight thats late at night, while some here obviously dont believe 6.30AM is late at night, it certainly can be if its before sunrise (strictly speaking), in the case of Brisbane that only occurs in June and July, with Sunrise on June 1 at 6.30, and July 31!

My definition of a red eye flight is any flight that requires me to be doing something when I would normally be in bed!

 

[anat0l]

What does Red Eye mean?

I normally call a "red eye" an overnight flight which is too short to get reasonable rest; typically the flight passes through an increasing set of time zones (i.e. you "lose time").

For example, PER-BNE on QF652 dep 2310 arr 0535+1, flight time is only 4h 25min. Barely enough time to get good sleep, and by the time you arrive in the morning it's early enough that you need to hit the ground running to work. Slightly painful.

Generally I'd like a flight greater than 6 hours for it not to be a red eye (i.e. can get some decent sleep); 9 hours is ideal.

Wikipedia gives a more general definition for red eye: Red-eye flight - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I wouldn't consider a 6.30am flight as a red eye, even if it is still dark outside and you somehow could be reasonably expected not to be awake at that time.

 

[Mal]

What does Red Eye mean?

I generally agree with Anat0l's view of a red-eye.

For me, it's any short flight which departs at say 11pm, 12am, 1am, 2am etc and loses time during the flight. (Normally flight is only 5 or so hours). It also arrives very early in the morning at the destination. So you don't really sleep, and you end up at the end very tired and red tired eyes.

DRW-BNE, PER-BNE, PER-<anywhere East coast> SFO-ORD etc are all good examples.

 

[awilcockson]

0630 departure a redeye? Don't think so!

06:30 departure means I have to be up at 04:00. That's a redeye in my books.

My definition of a red eye flight is any flight that requires me to be doing something when I would normally be in bed!

It seems I've caused offense by terming this flight a redeye. I use the term for any flight that means I have to be out of bed at 0-cough-its-early o'clock to be able to catch it. An 04:00 wakeup meets that definition in my book.

edit: I've removed the reference to redeye in the OP, perhaps hopefully that means discussion can return to the actual topic of the thread.

Sounds like an expected thing that would happen if they decided to take a flight offline and disgorge the pax off it. I think if QF did the same thing then similar stuff would happen.

I don't think it's reasonable though. If they knew they were going to take it offline and back online, then in my opinion they should have kept a list of the pax and moved them back on to the original flight.

And I've never had this happen on QF, nor heard of it happening.

 

[Mal]

So I called them up, and apparently "what happens is that sometimes they have to take a flight offline for some reason, and the system automatically bumps everyone to another flight. But then when they put the original flight back in the system, it doesn't automatically move the original pax back".

Yeah crazy, but probably a function of their GDS system. Does seem strange that they wouldn't auto place pax back onto the flight. But no idea why.

Along the similar vein of Qantas advising you of a 5 min change in timing.

 

[anat0l]

It seems I've caused offense by terming this flight a redeye. I use the term for any flight that means I have to be out of bed at 0-cough-its-early o'clock to be able to catch it. An 04:00 wakeup meets that definition in my book.

edit: I've removed the reference to redeye in the OP, perhaps hopefully that means discussion can return to the actual topic of the thread.

No offense taken. I choose to take the definition of red eye as the most commonly accepted one (or very close to it); as you've found, you could talk to a few people and the definition varies from yours immediately.

Needless to say the amount of sleep I've had before needing to catch a 5:00am departing QF501 is short enough to give me red eyes. But I still don't call that a red-eye.

Doesn't matter - all such flights hurt.

I don't think it's reasonable though. If they knew they were going to take it offline and back online, then in my opinion they should have kept a list of the pax and moved them back on to the original flight.

And I've never had this happen on QF, nor heard of it happening.

Never said it was reasonable, just expected, but the latter is no excuse per se. I agree they should just move the pax back automatically - to their original seating for that matter - so no idea why it didn't/couldn't happen. I suppose if even they keep an original list of pax from the offline flight who have now been auto-bumped onto other flight combinations, I don't know if the system can be smart enough to move people back to the original flight automatically (i.e. it would take someone to search for each pax individually, find the flight(s) they are bumped to, remove them from that flight and put them back onto the original). I assume it would've been, except in some cases, it seems....

 

[docjames]

The more widely accepted definition of red eye is as anat0l describes- a late night departure with short flight time eastbound resulting in a short night, not enough sleep and red eyes for the rest of the next day!

The early departure described by awilcockson is more commonly known as OMG O'clock (oh my god o'clock) as that's the feeling when you wake at 4am to make the 6am/630am flight.

Both suck!:shock::evil:

 

[ozbeachbabe]

The early departure described by awilcockson is more commonly known as OMG O'clock (oh my god o'clock) as that's the feeling when you wake at 4am to make the 6am/630am flight.

Both suck!:shock::evil:

.....or if you have to get up at 0200 to start work for a 0330 to 0900 shift only to arrive at work & find out you're doing a 0430 to 1200 instead & you signed off on it to say you were aware but wrote the new times on an envelope somewhere in your handbag that never saw the light of day to make it in to your diary.

You know it's early when you drive past the Royal Mail Hotel at 0300 on your way to work only to see patrons getting into cabs to go home to sleep like normal people do. :-|