Qantas flight query

[juddles]

..... have hurt my knee - soft tissue damage and grazed skin. It still hurts to bend my knee too much.....

You being 6'6" I doubt there are many "bulkhead seats" that will bring you comfort!

The following may sound very selfish but I am merely expressing my feelings about this issue (and obviously would probably be a lot different if I knew you or you were a family member) :

I have spent a squillion dollars over years deliberately using Qantas, when many of my flight choices (and extra $ spend) have been influenced by the attraction of attaining a higher status with them. A big part of that value that I see in my status is the preferential treatment I hope to get when I apply for a points upgrade. I would feel really peeved if all my hard work is undermined by Qantas having a policy to make circumstances such as yours count more than my loyalty (and spend!!)


As others have said, the proper recourse here is to go via the travel insurance angle. That is why they exist. YOUR problem should become THEIR problem. If QF caves to requests such as yours for preferential treatment, then they are making YOUR problem MINE.

Please, I am just trying to make a point. I hope it doesn't sound too harsh?? I feel for your predicament with your injury. And on a side note, at 6'7" I have been suffering a world optimized for shorter (normal) people my whole life

 

[kermatu]

Current flight load: J1 C1 D0 I0 Y0 B0 H0 K0 M0 L0 G0

 

[RichardMEL]

Whether status deserves recognition/priority is a separate issue. There is little risk of them knowing they didn't get the upgrade in preference to any other person. That's not a judgement on the right or wrong, just a statement of the situation.

Correct. Agree totally and I'm hardly naive enough to NOT think that certain people may, on occasion, get bumped up ahead of those who technically deserve it - I don't really mean VIP types, but say a mate of a check in or lounge agent, or some other favour being pulled somewhere (I had been told once that agents processing upgrades and the like are audited, but who knows how closely that happens, and that's a whole other issue). Again, those "rightlfully" in the pecking order wouldn't know - unlike a carrier like UA where one can see the upgrade list, at least when a flight is under airport control and one has checked in, it's opaque to us as customers so we wouldn't know, but that doesn't make it right either.

I'm just trying to basically agree with the others that sure it's fine to ask (I mean that old adage holds "if you never ask you never know") and all that but I think it's a bit rich to suggest that one isn't asking for anything much by asking to be pushed up the pecking order - for any reason.

I am also not trying to put down the OP's situation as I'm sure it's very painful and unhappy situation but I think QF's response is absolutely fair enough.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Again, those "rightlfully" in the pecking order wouldn't know - unlike a carrier like UA where one can see the upgrade list, at least when a flight is under airport control and one has checked in, it's opaque to us as customers so we wouldn't know, but that doesn't make it right either.

They might well find out if they were PS and above (ie higher status than the OP) and also had upgrade requests in and were unsuccessful but read this thread or the OP told all and sundry in the lounge and was overheard by those same pax.

It can be a small world sometimes.

 

[juddles]

Unless the people that were PS and above (ie higher status than the OP) also had upgrade requests in and read this thread or the OP told all and sundry in the lounge and was overheard by those same pax.

It can be a small world sometimes.

ozbeach, not sure if I understand your meaning, but I insist it is unfair to the status quo (status rank) for this sort of thing to be entertained?

 

[juddles]

To be clear, I have many times willingly swapped seats to make someone else's journey more pleasant, but what I perceive here is a desire (or worse, expectation) that these things occur as a QF decision.

 

[UP4014]

Travel insurance is the way to go, get them to pay for the upgrade and they will as long as the medicals support it.

I've been upgraded to 1st twice just as the "care giver" for someone else who needed to travel 1st as a result of an accident while O/S.

Most insurers will cover you up to $10K for an increased airfare and a carer if required for another $10K. After that it's usually a medivac anyway.

 

[juddles]

BAM1748, the OP should learn from you.....

 

[RichardMEL]

To be clear, I have many times willingly swapped seats to make someone else's journey more pleasant, but what I perceive here is a desire (or worse, expectation) that these things occur as a QF decision.

I think many here would be happy to help out a pax in this situation within reason. That's a very different thing though

in this case though, a flight showing all 0's in Y is unlikely to have wiggle room for this kind of thing.

 

[aussiel]

I think many here would be happy to help out a pax in this situation within reason. That's a very different thing though

in this case though, a flight showing all 0's in Y is unlikely to have wiggle room for this kind of thing.

With literally all seats bar 1 sold for the flight, I'd imagine the P1s, WPs and babies have all the bulkhead seats pre-selected.

 

[kermatu]

With literally all seats bar 1 sold for the flight, I'd imagine the P1s, WPs and babies have all the bulkhead seats pre-selected.

When I looked earlier all row 1 seats were blocked but unallocated (according to EF anyway). Most Y bulkheads were taken.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

ozbeach, not sure if I understand your meaning, but I insist it is unfair to the status quo (status rank) for this sort of thing to be entertained?

I totally agree with you Juddles. I was trying to convey that you cannot assume WP's would not find out that an NB had gazumped them for a points upgrade.

 

[love_the_life]

The OP's injury may not actually qualify them for a medical upgrade. They say it is sore to bend the knee and have soft tissue injury. Their insurance may not cover the extra cost of J to fly home. Insurance may class the injury as minor. They do have medical reports so maybe they will be lucky.
My advice is to strap the leg well and try for an aisle. Unless the insurance does something I don't think it is fair for them to expect an upgrade in front of others who have higher status (and by the look of the loading provided earlier would not get one anyway).