Internet booking not worth the paper it is not printed on

[Maurice_McGahey]

Beware when booking cheap VirginBlue flights over the internet. (I was one of five passengers affected by this).
You have to get your tickets from the "Service Desk". In Brisbane at least for early morning flights, the Service Desk opens late and the ensuing long queue ensures that the last people to leap into the line will miss their flight. There are two computer terminals on the VirginBlue Service Desk but they will only asign one operator. If you try to go straight to a check in desk the operator will send you straight back to the service desk and he/she will be backed up by the supervisor.
Some possible reasons -
a. The budget airlines are double booking seats knowing that some passengers will miss their flights. Assisting cheap airfare paying passengers to miss their flights helps the bottom line. This was embarrassing recently as EVERYONE turned up early for a couple of flights.
b. The management of VirginBlue are really incompetent, and as Sir Richard Branson no longer has a controlling share or overall management of the Southern Hemisphere Virgin airlines there is unlikely to be any change in this in the forseeable future.
Moral -
1. Perhaps arrive eaqrlier to pick up your ticket.
However, arriving early doesn't really help either as the service desk doesn't open any earlier to cater for a large volume of internet booking travellers.
2. Grab a place at the beginning of the line, do not give away a place to anyone pleading that they are going to miss their flight, and generally act like grumpy cattle (remember you ARE travelling "Cattle Class").
3. If you do have to inhabit the "end of the line" steal yourself for the experience of being told that you will not be receiving a refund as you should have been at the check in desk a half hour before boarding call. This will be delivered by a supervisor who I swear looks like she was involved with a golfing celebrity last week.

Final result - As QANTAS are the eventual benificiary of VirginBlue's scam/mismanagement (I am waiting for a QANTAS flight as I type) and my Velocity card is about to be religated to the bin I wonder whether the Virgin board members have bought QANTAS shares. I have also published this on a VirginBlue forum but I'll bet this doesn't get published. If you tick the "No" under "Would you recommend VirginBlue?" fields, you just get put into a "Your post will not be published unless you enter your full name" loop.

 

[MelUser]

I am a tad confused - once an internet booking is completed an E Ticket should issue automatically.

Are you referring to checking in at the airport and collecting your boarding pass (and travelling without any luggage to check)?

If so perhaps normal checkin would be an easier way to get a boarding pass.

(I do not travel Virgin Blue but this is due to cabin staff rudeness, lack of professionalism and inappropriate jokes)

 

[Maurice_McGahey]

I am a tad confused - once an internet booking is completed an E Ticket should issue automatically.

Are you referring to checking in at the airport and collecting your boarding pass (and travelling without any luggage to check)?

If so perhaps normal checkin would be an easier way to get a boarding pass.

(I do not travel Virgin Blue but this is due to cabin staff rudeness, lack of professionalism and inappropriate jokes)

The scam/mismanagement is to hold you up in a queue while waiting for a boarding pass. The budget airlines will offer cheap airfares, but you better be nervous about getting your boarding pass in time to board the flight. They got fi ve of us on the early morning flights to Adelaide and Canberra.

 

[Saab34]

Bit lost with this.

You can print your boarding pass at the self-checkin too.The service desk is opened from the moment the first checkin counters open also, they dont always have someone just sitting there to make it look opened.

All airlines overbook, even Tiger does. Just be glad that Virgin has the frequency/network out of Brisbane and they dont bump you onto a flight 10hrs later like Jetstar and Tiger do considering their low frequencies.

The scam/mismanagement is to hold you up in a queue while waiting for a boarding pass.

 

[drron]

Another who is confused by this.Always have an Eticket issued immediately after booking.I then checkin at the ordinary checkin counter and in BNE have on the 2 occasions there had them announce-anyone in line for DJxx_ to Sydney etc.Though normally i will be checking in at MCY where absolutely no problems.

 

[ColinP]

Beware when booking cheap VirginBlue flights over the internet. (I was one of five passengers affected by this).
You have to get your tickets from the "Service Desk".

Unless there's something else you haven't told us, that's simply not true.

 

[Mal]

I am also confused. Care to explain why you were redirected to the service desk?

 

[zzyss]

I can't vouch for BNE, but everywhere I've been* has always had somebody fast-track you through to the front if you're on a flight that's about to depart.

But sorry to hear about your experience. I could imagine how frustrating it can be to be waiting in line while your plane departs...


* Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Cairns

 

[straitman]

Maurice_McGahey,

Welcome to AFF.

Like the others who have answered you, I am a tad confused over what your problem actually is.

For the end user the the DJ and QF booking engines are essentially the same. When you go online and make a booking, with payment, you are issued with an e-ticket almost immediately. Then at 24 hrs prior to flight you can go online and do your checkin. The other options are to checkin on arrival at the airport via the kiosk check-in or you can check-in at the counter. See the link I have attached. Virgin Blue Check in options.

I really cannot see why you had to go to the service desk at all. Would you like to elaborate so we are able to understand your issues a little more clearly :?:

 

[oz_mark]

Virgin Blue is a ticketless airline. At check-in you will need to present either the itinerary, or your booking reference number in order to be checked-in.

I can only think that you may be referred to the service desk if you don't have either of these.

 

[straitman]

I can only think that you may be referred to the service desk if you don't have either of these.

In which case the onus is squarely upon you for not having brought these with you.

 

[zzyss]

I'm pretty sure that the original post meant "check-in counter" rather than service desk...

EDIT: actually, on reading again it sounds like the "graveyard-shift" counter... which isn't the regular check-in counter, but a special check-in service for those arriving outside of "business hours".

 

[straitman]

I'm pretty sure that the original post meant "check-in counter" rather than service desk...

I don't think so as both get a mention.

If you try to go straight to a check in desk the operator will send you straight back to the service desk and he/she will be backed up by the supervisor.

 

[N860CR]

Taking a wild stab.... The DJ self checkin machines won't allow you to checkin if it is less than 20 mins until the flight departs (at which point it directs you to see the service desk). On the one occasion where I arrive just after 20 mins, I went to the service desk and they checked me in there.

Give this person was unable to checkin and subsequently missed their flight, my assumption is that they arrived less than 20 mins prior to departure and therefore were refused checkin by the machine and also advised that as they had "cheap tickets" (ie: non-changeable) they wouldn't be able to use them on a later flight.

Just a guess though due to the seemingly odd information presented.

 

[auriga]

Agree that something does not sound right. You can normally just check in online, and print out a boarding pass at home which does not need to be validated.

 

[kamchatsky]

We just have to wait for the OP to provide more details. Whilst we are all confused by the original description of events, we are all here to help.

 

[anat0l]

Well, the topic doesn't make too much sense, because as others have noted, DJ are all e-tickets! You print on out for your reference - very useful when you have to check-in at the airport (that and some photo ID).

For most vanilla bookings, the service desk should not have to be used at all.

Reading the "service desk" as "check-in counter" in the OP, there should have been some announcement for those flights which are about to close check-in so that customers can cut the queue / requeue at special counters so they can be processed. Sometimes they will send someone out to shout or sift through crowds to notify them of this fact, but this is extremely rare.

I have heard of the situation before (this is QF) where there were crowds of people and people often had to cut the queue to go to last minute check-in counters. One of my colleagues was in the bag drop queue and could not hear this call (it was made, but it was an extremely busy area, and those that know the ambience of BNE D will attest to this); she missed check-in and her flight, but luckily she was reaccommodated.

Also, for those that do not have any status, aren't travelling on Business (or in terms of DJ, Premium Economy) or don't have any other means of lining up away from the plethora of plebs, this is an even bigger and much more crucial reason to arrive at the airport and line up for check-in as early as practically possible. Sometimes, leaving it to even a mere 45 minutes before departure won't cut it - and that's not because you may not be asked to cut the line if your flight is about to close check-in.

 

[Mwenenzi]

... The budget airlines are double booking seats knowing that some passengers will miss their flights. Assisting cheap airfare paying passengers to miss their flights helps the bottom line. This was embarrassing recently as EVERYONE turned up early for a couple of flights..

Can you please pesonally provide full details of this: times - places - airline - flight numbers - name & address of ALL the passengers?

 

[JohnK]

There appears to be some vital information missing here.

In all the times I have flown DJ and QF I have heard special calls for flights a few minutes before check-in is due to close. It asks to go to a specific check-in counter if you are not already at the head of the queue.

The only problem I have is when they know the flight will be departing late yet still close check-in at the original published time.

 

[Batesy]

Maurice, as you are the OP (original poster) it would be appropriate for you to clarify what exactly happened, taking into account the feedbcak fronm the other forum members. That way both you and the other forum members can understand exactly what happened.