The Qantas customer charter seems to indicate QF will only offer 'all assistance' provided you are prepared to fly on their services. Which could be 24 hours later.
Contrast with with BA - cancelled flight SYD-BKK and we were protected on Thai. Multiple times in the USA - cancelled or delayed services (even on awards) and the operating airline just finds you seats on any carrier to get you to where you need to go. UA paid for a seat on British Airways for me on a USDM ticket!
Friend of mine experienced delays ex HKG on QF (mechanical, nearly 24 hours) and were offered the next QF service. What about the four CX services leaving in the interim?
Are some airlines so reluctant to put passengers on the competition because they fear the... well.. competition?
This isn't necessarily Qantas bashing, there is a broader issue here. That of fair and transparent passenger rights. We understand things go wrong, but should we have to deal with the additional stress? If airlines are unwilling to be transparent (guidelines that aren't going to be shared - other than 'believe us, they're very generous'), perhaps there is going to eventually be a push for industry regulation from government.
Well in Australia unfortunately, it coincidentally appears that donors to both or all major political parties win vs the community in stark comparison to in the US, UK or EU.
Case in point - losses on CCs - UK limited by Govt to first GBP 25, EU first 30 Euro and US it is USD 50 (the figures are from memory). No matter what.
Compare this to Australia with change in T&Cs in early 2000s NOT allowed anywhere else in the OECD but Australia. You have to prove that you took 'adequate' steps to secure your CC not the issuers have to prove you were at fault.
Example: UK 20ish yr old backpacker in 2010 was given an AUD prepaid debit card with $3,000 on it by her parents. A friend of hers had already lined up a job in a restaurant in Coogee. Mad girl landed, caught taxi to restaurant and started work 90 minutes later. She paid her taxi fare with the debit card (caught on restaurant cctv). That was the Friday, worked both Sat & Sun (oh to be 20...).
On Monday went to buy some items and debit card was zero. Must be mistake, went into issuing bank which had a branch in Coogee.
"What's happened?" -
"You've spent your money. It's not unlimited like a cc."
"But all I did was pay for taxi on Friday when arrived in Sydney."
"Oh. We'll look into it come back tomorrow.'
Summary - it was zeroed through taxi fares in Melbourne over 12 different Cabs over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. CCTV from restaurant shows her arriving, sitting, working etc on all three days in Coogee. Restaurant owner wrote a Stat Dec, made copy of ccTV etc.
Bank - You did not take adequate security - it's your loss, sorry. Went to Police, had look into it, questioned taxi driver no admissions, left unsolved. The ccTV showed her leaning away from driver in front seat but not shielding the keyboard with her hand as it was holding the terminal = not adequate security.
In UK, US & EU she'd have over $2,900 of the $3000 left.
Welcome to Australia, the lucky country (or you'd better be lucky as the Govts aren't here to help...).
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