Downgraded from Business Class.

[ozbeachbabe]

What was the situation with your friend? Did she end up travelling on the same flight in Y? I'm sure a few of us would be interested in the details - may be better to start a new thread I guess..

So what would we call that thread I wonder?

 

[Flying mermaid]

What was the situation with your friend? Did she end up travelling on the same flight in Y? I'm sure a few of us would be interested in the details - may be better to start a new thread I guess..

Not terribly exciting - she flies once a year internationally and is not at all aware of the sort of stuff people on here know and has no status. She was asked to voluntarily downgrade to Y (no offer of accommodation and next day flight) and given entry to the J lounge at LAX and told she would get a refund. I think she might have been given some points as well. She was reasonably happy until she got the refund. She got $200 - as we all know this is the "correct" refund, but she was horrified. I have now filled her in on everything - she certainly won't agree to a downgrade again and will be checking in online as soon as it opens.

 

[Pushka]

I wonder if when refusing the downgrade whether people might then be refused boarding just for "being difficult.

As far as regurgitating goes I can see that both from those disgusted with this and those who consider it to be within the T&Cs albeit with some negative aspects in LA.

And as already stated if people are sick of reading this then - well, just don't!

 

[Princess Fiona]

I wonder if when refusing the downgrade whether people might then be refused boarding just for "being difficult.

As far as regurgitating goes I can see that both from those disgusted with this and those who consider it to be within the T&Cs albeit with some negative aspects in LA.

And as already stated if people are sick of reading this then - well, just don't!

I think it's possible to be all of those things.
Yes I'm certainly disgusted with the treatment of the passengers, especially so at LAX and yes I think that QF are acting within their own T&C's.
I do not however think that these T&C's are at all fair to the passengers. Many other airlines have similar T&C's which are equally unfair to their passengers. This is why the EU introduced 261/2004. Presumably prior to this a lot of passengers were ending up with similar woeful amounts of compensation.
The sooner we have something like this in Australia the better for everyone.

What I don't agree with is that I need to fear a downgrade every time I fly QF. Or that because two people on the internet I don't know got downgraded QF is falling apart at the seams or equal combinations of the two.
I'm happy to continue booking and flying with QF and won't be changing that as a result of this thread.

 

[ComeFlyWithMe]

Forgetting the poor handling and treatment which has probably been fairly compensated for, the fare difference is the only thing the OP is contesting, and rightly so.

It would be fair, IMO, to compare a sale/discount business fare which was purchased, to the lowest available economy fare on the day of purchase. Only then would it be fair.

If you wish to take full J and compare to full Y, noting the fully flexible fare conditions, that would also be fair.

In either case, the amount calculated is neither of these and unfair compensation.

 

[Kangol]

Not terribly exciting - she flies once a year internationally and is not at all aware of the sort of stuff people on here know and has no status. She was asked to voluntarily downgrade to Y (no offer of accommodation and next day flight) and given entry to the J lounge at LAX and told she would get a refund. I think she might have been given some points as well. She was reasonably happy until she got the refund. She got $200 - as we all know this is the "correct" refund, but she was horrified. I have now filled her in on everything - she certainly won't agree to a downgrade again and will be checking in online as soon as it opens.

Oh, thanks. Wow, $200 - I didn't check the table but it doesn't surprise me QF would shaft people in such a manner.
So she got asked? What if she said no?

 

[Flying mermaid]

Oh, thanks. Wow, $200 - I didn't check the table but it doesn't surprise me QF would shaft people in such a manner.
So she got asked? What if she said no?

It is a little lower than the table but I suspect her TA probably was involved in the calculation as well. She certainly had the impression it was voluntary and she could say no, but don't know what would have happened if she did. She has never been in an airport lounge before so thought the J lounge at LAX was beautiful - oh to be so unspoilt!

 

[medhead]

But this is AFF, and as Medhead points out there is no reason not to prattle endlessly about how Qantas should have waived its magic wand and created J seats out of thin air, or simply have selected someone else to be bumped rather than the relative of an AFF member. In fact why don't we suggest this is written into the rulebook at Qantas - the "anyone but an AFF member" rule.
.

I've actually said nothing about the topic of discussion, just that people can discuss. As such I totally reject the inference that I believe qantas should create seats as if by magic.

But if you want a topic. How about how qantas should offer refunds that actually reflex a reasonable fare difference? The tricky thing about that topic is that magical creation of seats is not required.

 

[QF WP]

I don't believe that there was any inference that you were saying that medhead, rather my reading of Moody's comment is that others were saying that and you were against it. YMMV.

The addition of the word "not" in the first sentence may have been in error??

 

[medhead]

I don't believe that there was any inference that you were saying that medhead, rather my reading of Moody's comment is that others were saying that and you were against it. YMMV.

A comma or something might have improved my interpretation. Perhaps I should take myself for a time out in the grammar thread.

 

[DC3]

.. Hard to suggest it is a regular occurrence by your inference.

Such information is highly secretive and is never volunteered by the airlines. The everyday flyer knows nothing of AFF and when/how to stand up for themselves.

 

[Flying mermaid]

What I don't agree with is that I need to fear a downgrade every time I fly QF.

There has to be a little extra frisson of fear in the future though, esp when flying out of LAX. A bit like when your luggage doesn't appear until the very last (in spite of being priority tagged) and you start thinking what you are going to do .....

 

[moa999]

It is a little lower than the table but I suspect her TA probably was involved in the calculation as well. She certainly had the impression it was voluntary and she could say no, but don't know what would have happened if she did. She has never been in an airport lounge before so thought the J lounge at LAX was beautiful - oh to be so unspoilt!

Did she also get a payment at LAX??

Are you suggesting the TA took a cut from the compensation for their 'work' in sending the money on?

 

[Princess Fiona]

There has to be a little extra frisson of fear in the future though, esp when flying out of LAX. A bit like when your luggage doesn't appear until the very last (in spite of being priority tagged) and you start thinking what you are going to do .....

Well I did book my next US trip home out of DFW

 

[Flying mermaid]

Did she also get a payment at LAX??

Are you suggesting the TA took a cut from the compensation for their 'work' in sending the money on?

no she didn't get any extra money in LAX. As I understand it the table we have seen is the payment from Qantas to the TA. I am assuming that original commissions must come into this whole calculation as well. The amount my friend got was less than in the table so feel free to give another reason for it.

 

[JessicaTam]

A comma or something might have improved my interpretation. Perhaps I should take myself for a time out in the grammar thread.

You are always welcome there.

 

[Moody]

A comma or something might have improved my interpretation. Perhaps I should take myself for a time out in the grammar thread.

No - my post didn't scan well the second time. I have placed your freedom of speech concept (if I can call it that) too close to my interpretation of this thread as containing a lot of useless and repetative bleating about deliberate overbooking. And as we all know (for now), people DO NOT have the right to be bigoted, so singling out Qantas for harsh treatment is unfair.

The downgrade compensation table needs to be both revised (not "enhanced"!) and made more transparent, that is all.

 

[flychrisfly]

Does anyone know the downgrade rates for airlines other than Qantas?

 

[drron]

Well I did book my next US trip home out of DFW

We differ.I am so upset with QF that my next trip home from the states is via NRT in JL F on a sAAver award.:shock:

 

[Nizar]

What do people think are the main things we can do to avoid (or at least reduce the chance of) a downgrade happening when coming home from the US ?

I can think of three that we've come across during these discussions.

1. Avoid LAX.
2. Avoid leaving on a Friday.
3. Always do Online check-in

Anymore that I've missed ?