Changed Flight Timing, likely to miss connection. Options?

[mustkill]

Booked on QF2, LHR-SIN-SYD. Qantas advised scheduled time had changed from 20:35 to 19:55.

We are flying into LHR T5 via BA and landing at 18:40, so <90min transit from T5 to T3 and likely to miss the connection.

All booked on one PNR. What are our options?

Don't really want to spend a night in LHR and pay for our own accommodation.

Will Qantas comp the hotel if we miss the connection?

 

[Himeno]

The connections buses from T5 to T3 are every 10 mins and take 10 mins with security screening once you get to T3.
The min connection time for T5-T3 is 90 mins. If the connection is under 90 mins, you should get them to move you to an earlier inbound flight.

 

[mustkill]

you should get them to move you to an earlier inbound flight.

Don't really want to cut our previous stop shorter though.

Is there any chance they can rebook us on another oneworld carrier?

(this is a one world classic RTW award booking)

 

[Himeno]

Don't really want to cut our previous stop shorter though.

Is there any chance they can rebook us on another oneworld carrier?

(this is a one world classic RTW award booking)

Being an award booking might limit the options, but they also can't leave the connection with less then the min connect time. You'll need to contact Qantas and point out that change breaches the minimum connection time.

 

[serfty]

Is there any chance they can rebook us on another oneworld carrier?

I'd suggest you research your preferred options before contacting them.

Since the MCT is no longer being met, I would not bother calling - just use the email address in the following thread, advising the issue (use "Minimum Connection Time") and indicate your alternatives:

Qantas Promises to Fix Ongoing Reward Flight Ticketing Failures

Over the past year or so, many Qantas Frequent Flyer members have lost their Classic Flight Reward bookings for travel on partner airlines due to Qantas' failure to get the bookings ticketed (or re-issued) on time. This is something AFF has been in regular contact with Qantas about over recent...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Where is your trip originating from? You mention you are flying into LHR to connect with the QF service to SYD. That first flight in your itinerary will tell you so much. For instance, if it originates in Europe or the UK, EU/UK 261 comes into force meaning if you land in Sydney more than 4 hours after scheduled arrival they owe you 600 Euros. If the flight was change you should have an option of choosing a new date and time of your choosing per the rules as well (irrespective of how many days until your trip begins, etc.).

-RooFlyer88

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Don't really want to cut our previous stop shorter though.

Is there any chance they can rebook us on another oneworld carrier?

(this is a one world classic RTW award booking)

Depends on what they offer you. It could simply be another carrier getting you to LHR to make the QF2 connection, rather than re-routing you on another oneworld carrier all the way home. That other carrier might be 30 mins earlier than your current flight.

What’s your departure point? It it’s JFK the answer might be very different than if it’s CDG.

 

[mustkill]

The previous leg is RAK-LHR so don't think we would qualify for EU261?

The earlier flight means we lose most of the day in RAK which is not preferable.

 

[serfty]

The previous leg is RAK-LHR so don't think we would qualify for EU261?

The earlier flight means we lose most of the day in RAK which is not preferable.

Yeah, I don't see many flights to LHR out of RAK.

Maybe ask for an extra night in RAK, take the early one the next morning, and put the rest of the itinerary back a day?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The previous leg is RAK-LHR so don't think we would qualify for EU261?

The earlier flight means we lose most of the day in RAK which is not preferable.

I think you might be right on that Flights with an origin and destination outside the EU/UK and where the EU/UK are on.y a transit are unlikely to be covered according to the most recent ruling.

 

[tdimdad]

The connections buses from T5 to T3 are every 10 mins and take 10 mins with security screening once you get to T3.
The min connection time for T5-T3 is 90 mins. If the connection is under 90 mins, you should get them to move you to an earlier inbound flight.

Last time I went through LHR T3 transit security, it took 40 mins in total (from end of queue to the escalators on the other side). The choke point were the scanners which were completely overloaded and went through very slowly. Though, I have also had those 10 min runs there.

If it's busy, you can try to shorten the time a little by asking if you can jump to the front of the queue, first to the BP control / entry to the screening area, secondly to the scanners. The first step seems to happen frequently, the second I've seen rarely but no harm asking.

 

[offshore171]

The earlier flight means we lose most of the day in RAK which is not preferable.

Still, it's probably the least-worst option. How much earlier is the early flight from RAK?

his is a one world classic RTW award booking

Given it's a classic RTW award, I would be very wary of messing with it too much. If something fails to re-ticket, you could be in a much worse position.

 

[mustkill]

It's all ticketed right now with the 1hr15m transit. The earlier flight is about 3hrs earlier so a decent chunk of time gone.

Is it true they can only rebook us on open/available reward seats??

 

[offshore171]

The earlier flight is about 3hrs earlier so a decent chunk of time gone.

Ah ok, that's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Thought you were going to say something like 10hours earlier.

I would take the earlier flight if (available) and leave the rest of your itinerary intact.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Adding a data point: got notified last night that my QF 12 LAX-SYD in December has been retimed to leave LAX two hours earlier. I notice as well that QF 18 has been removed from the schedule that day so I assume they're moving to 1x daily flight only.

Annoying as I have a separate connection into LAX that reduces the transit time to just two hours, which is doable if everything goes well and a big mess if it doesn't, so I'm going to have to fiddle around with that to get an earlier flight.

Alternative flights listed on the website did not exist... the sole choice was the same retimed flight.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

It's all ticketed right now with the 1hr15m transit. The earlier flight is about 3hrs earlier so a decent chunk of time gone.

Is it true they can only rebook us on open/available reward seats??

No, this is not true!

If an airline reschedules a flight so it doesn’t meet minimum connecting time they need to fix it, however they can. Award availability doesn’t enter the equation.

It would certainly be easier for award availability to be there, because to find alternatives takes time, costs money and mucks up the OWA ticket. But none of those things should be the concern of the passenger.

 

[encryptededdy]

Maybe others should know, but in theory it shouldn't have reticketed successfully if MCT is violated unless someone manually overrides it, right?

 

[mustkill]

No, this is not true!

If an airline reschedules a flight so it doesn’t meet minimum connecting time they need to fix it, however they can. Award availability doesn’t enter the equation.

It would certainly be easier for award availability to be there, because to find alternatives takes time, costs money and mucks up the OWA ticket. But none of those things should be the concern of the passenger.

Not sure how to fight it / proceed.

Qantas phone monkeys seem to think it can only be rebooked on open reward seats.

Even their own policy (which I don't agree with), says cannot cross booking class for (X - reward ticket)

https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnect/au/en/policies/service/schedule-change-policies/qantas-and-other-airline-schedule-change-policy-.html#other-airline-general-information

I know this policy doesn't trump EU261 but how to proceed from here?

 

[Blackadder]

Adding a data point: got notified last night that my QF 12 LAX-SYD in December has been retimed to leave LAX two hours earlier. I notice as well that QF 18 has been removed from the schedule that day so I assume they're moving to 1x daily flight only.

Annoying as I have a separate connection into LAX that reduces the transit time to just two hours, which is doable if everything goes well and a big mess if it doesn't, so I'm going to have to fiddle around with that to get an earlier flight.

Alternative flights listed on the website did not exist... the sole choice was the same retimed flight.

Any room for a extra day in LA?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Not sure how to fight it / proceed.

Qantas phone monkeys seem to think it can only be rebooked on open reward seats.

Even their own policy (which I don't agree with), says cannot cross booking class for (X - reward ticket)

https://www.qantas.com/agencyconnect/au/en/policies/service/schedule-change-policies/qantas-and-other-airline-schedule-change-policy-.html#other-airline-general-information

I know this policy doesn't trump EU261 but how to proceed from here?

That policy that you have found does not exclude bookings that are originally in x class it says that you cannot rebook into x class.

That means if you have any sort of ticket you cannot be re accommodated in an award booking class
. If you already have an award booking class you can be moved to any revenue class as long as the lowest in that class