Compensation policy?

[777]

Part curiosity, part frustration ...

I recently found myself on a severely delayed flight out of Sydney one evening. Was due out 9pmish to MEL and due to weather the flight and many others were cancelled. Due to the scale of the problem i was not offered a hotel because by the time the lounge staff got to dealing with me no hotels were available. I was placed on an early but not first available flight the next morning but i, along with about a hundred or so other people were forced to spend the night in the lounge.

I wrote to VA in the wake of incident but chose to provide constructive specific feedback praising and thanking the lounge staff (many of whom worked all night) and also noting that part of the issue that had led me hotel-less was that the display board had never accurately displayed that my flight was cancelled until it was too late. I was contacted by two separate people at VA about the feedback (although one never followed through on his commitment to raise the matter at a team meeting and call me back).

Here's thing i'm curious about: I did not explicitly request compensation because i really didn't think i would have to. Platinum member, not offered a hotel, flight delayed 10 hours, forced to sleep on a chair in the lounge for the night, VA clearly aware of it and aware that they had contributed to it (i realise the root cause was weather) would mean that at some point someone would offer me something for the inconvenience.

I guess my question is, what is the company policy on compensation for long delays, offering hotels, etc. Is it supposed to be something that you do as a matter of course for high tier customers/ for everyone or is it only considered in the event of complaint/ threat to take their business elsewhere/ etc? I have certainly been offered a lot more for a lot less in the past when i wrote an grumpy email. Is compensation meant to be proportionate to the severity of the incident or the angriness of the complaint?

 

[Velocity Frequent Flyer]

Part curiosity, part frustration ...

I recently found myself on a severely delayed flight out of Sydney one evening. Was due out 9pmish to MEL and due to weather the flight and many others were cancelled. Due to the scale of the problem i was not offered a hotel because by the time the lounge staff got to dealing with me no hotels were available. I was placed on an early but not first available flight the next morning but i, along with about a hundred or so other people were forced to spend the night in the lounge.

I wrote to VA in the wake of incident but chose to provide constructive specific feedback praising and thanking the lounge staff (many of whom worked all night) and also noting that part of the issue that had led me hotel-less was that the display board had never accurately displayed that my flight was cancelled until it was too late. I was contacted by two separate people at VA about the feedback (although one never followed through on his commitment to raise the matter at a team meeting and call me back).

Here's thing i'm curious about: I did not explicitly request compensation because i really didn't think i would have to. Platinum member, not offered a hotel, flight delayed 10 hours, forced to sleep on a chair in the lounge for the night, VA clearly aware of it and aware that they had contributed to it (i realise the root cause was weather) would mean that at some point someone would offer me something for the inconvenience.

I guess my question is, what is the company policy on compensation for long delays, offering hotels, etc. Is it supposed to be something that you do as a matter of course for high tier customers/ for everyone or is it only considered in the event of complaint/ threat to take their business elsewhere/ etc? I have certainly been offered a lot more for a lot less in the past when i wrote an grumpy email. Is compensation meant to be proportionate to the severity of the incident or the angriness of the complaint?

Hi 777,
I suppose the obvious answer here is, compensation is looked at on a case-by-case basis. Which it is.

Weather does play havoc at times, especially with our Sydney traffic, and in times of serious disruptions, our team work hard to see that all guests are suitably looked after.
Certainly disappointing to hear that you had to spend the night in a Lounge rather than a hotel, and constructive feedback (especially from members such as yourself) is always welcome.

Perhaps it was an oversight that you weren't offered compensation seeing as you spent the night in a chair... without knowing more details, I can't make a comment.

If you would lik to PM the flight details, etc, I can have your case revisited?


PS and this is in no way directed at you and your example, but might also answer part of your question.... grumpy emails aren't always correct....

 

[bcworld]

might also answer part of your question.... grumpy emails aren't always correct....

Can you clarify what you mean by this?

 

[Velocity Frequent Flyer]

Can you clarify what you mean by this?

Just meant that not all "grumpy" emails are in fact warranted and have the airline being at fault. Obviously a broad statement.
Sorry if confusing.

 

[Jama]

I have a policy of always being pleasant. Some people's reaction, to what they see as being wronged, is disgraceful. That said, it would be wrong to withhold offering compensation from someone who is pleasant just because they will take it.

I have been appalled at times by the reaction of people who seem to think that VA creates the weather.

 

[eastwest101]

Velocity Frequent Flyer - although it is good that you will return to 777's particular case and see if something went missing/wrong in whether he can get compensation and what it will be etc. Its fine to say that compensation is a case-by-case basis, but what I think what 777 was after is a set of guidelines or even a hint or clue that yes/no a delay of X hours and overnight in an airport is or is not suitable for some form of compensation.

I think we are all sort of interested in this because if we had some basic infomation then we can decide ourselves, in the future, if we have a similar delay, if we are eligable for compensation, and if not then we may chose not to pursue compensation and thus leave the complaints system less loaded up with frivolous complaints and so the genuine and real complaints can be solved more quickly.

 

[Virgin Bart]

Velocity Frequent Flyer - although it is good that you will return to 777's particular case and see if something went missing/wrong in whether he can get compensation and what it will be etc. Its fine to say that compensation is a case-by-case basis, but what I think what 777 was after is a set of guidelines or even a hint or clue that yes/no a delay of X hours and overnight in an airport is or is not suitable for some form of compensation.

I think we are all sort of interested in this because if we had some basic infomation then we can decide ourselves, in the future, if we have a similar delay, if we are eligable for compensation, and if not then we may chose not to pursue compensation and thus leave the complaints system less loaded up with frivolous complaints and so the genuine and real complaints can be solved more quickly.

With respect, eastwest101, this is exactly the kind of information what VFF should not be releasing IMO. Not answering this in a conclusive manner allows them to maintain some discretion once something does go wrong. An example of this is giving higher status level guests a greater amount of compensation/special treatment, which has certainly been the case in the past and I have no doubt will continue.

This isn't so much directed to you, but in general, I hope the AFF community (and myself) can utilise VFF's presence here in a manner which will enhance our experience with the airline, whilst not being too demanding and requiring VFF to always say "no".

 

[oz_mark]

Well, there are some published guidelines, as everyone on this board would know, as they would have all read diligently their conditions of carriage when flying on Virgin.....

Here is a starting point: Guest Compensation Policy | Virgin Australia

 

[UP4014]

Compensation and the squeaky wheel are often related, if there is no request unlikely a company will just send you something at a later date.

United I've found pretty good, they have had an agent handing out flight vouchers for future use to all passengers before they get shipped off to where ever.

QF recently used the crown plaza for putting passengers up on my failed flight, quite nice.

once the clock moves on the more unlikely you'll get anything, but posting here is perhaps the squeaky wheel you need.

 

[JohnK]

PS and this is in no way directed at you and your example, but might also answer part of your question.... grumpy emails aren't always correct....

So true.

Sometimes I get too emotional writing feedback emails where as one should wait and draft out an email stating the facts and then read it back a few times and tone it down.

 

[codash1099]

Compensation and the squeaky wheel are often related, if there is no request unlikely a company will just send you something at a later date.

Not so, IME. on a couple of occasions I've received vouchers from QF for event I encountered but didn't think enough about to request even an acknowledgement.

 

[eastwest101]

777 - get back to us if you can once VA have sorted you out, I think there is little argument that you will get some compensation, if everything had been working properly and you had been booked into a hotel and vouchers for meals and taxis would have been fair compensation (in my opinion)for the weather related delays you saw. But seeing as you camped in the Lounge overnight due to lack of hotels then I expect as a WP then you would get an apology at the very least, and maybe some other sort of compensation, I was just interested in the general type of compensation offered, not after all the details and I understand you do not have to share that information.

 

[777]

Well, there are some published guidelines, as everyone on this board would know, as they would have all read diligently their conditions of carriage when flying on Virgin.....

Here is a starting point: Guest Compensation Policy | Virgin Australia

This link is really interesting because the factors explained to me on the night included several different examples from the list and each seemingly puts a different level of guarantee. Certainly weather was a root cause (in which case the promise is to "assist" finding accom) but i was also clearly advised at one point that the reason was that there was no crew. The plane operating my flight was sitting there for two hours and mel airport was actually open by the time it was cancelled but due to schedules being out of whack there was no one to fly/crew it (in which case accommodation, transfer and a meal allowance is explicitly promised).

Not convinced those documented policies were actually followed in any case but I recognise their sheer scale of the problem that night meant a lot of improvisation.

VFF

 

[777]

Not so, IME. on a couple of occasions I've received vouchers from QF for event I encountered but didn't think enough about to request even an acknowledgement.

This to be honest is kind of the point I'm making. It's not strictly about the value of the compensation but the gesture of the recognition.

A simple letter/ email/ whatever that says "we're sorry about your experience, glad you took it reasonably well, and here's a refund/ some bonus velocity points/ a couple of extra upgrades certificates/ or a credit to the value of what a hotel, a meal and a taxi would have cost us if we'd actually found you one" or something along those lines is a simple symbolic way of saying "sorry we couldn't help you better." * I mean any not all of those things!

At this point I'm not really chasing compensation so much as suggesting you guys need to think about how you handle situations like this in future.

 

[desiredusername]

I got a bucketload when Qantas told Jetstar to stop flying to Nagoya in order to save $100m. I don't like getting the shaft so I went to US regulators - Asic etc are useless.

Atm Amex are poked.

Word in journalism circles is a commission of inquiry into the CBA lending practices. High-level chat veiled in secrecy