Qantas Revenue booking cancellations (under covid19)

[equus]

So has anyone got their "voucher" issued?

Only a domestic, but voucher came through no problem. Cancelled some time Tuesday morning, and voucher email came through 4.30pm AEST that afternoon - and is present in MMB as a voucher.

 

[Pushka]

Same. I cancelled 2 x bookings Monday for vouchers but haven't received email confirmation. Both bookings remain in MMB in their original form although they return a generic error "unable to find this confirmation number." I look forward to dealing with this - not! - when it's time to redeem the vouchers.

That's pretty normal. Eventually you will get your voucher. As long as you get that generic error it means it is 'in process'. They are being swamped.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

That's pretty normal. Eventually you will get your voucher. As long as you get that generic error it means it is 'in process'. They are being swamped.

Yup - it took about two days to get my confirmation email about the voucher, so be prepared to wait for a while. Others got theirs within a more reasonable time, so there's hamsters throwing dice within the wheels of the IT machine to decide who should get their email sooner and who should be made to wait.

 

[maccaisking]

Has anyone with a Webjet booking cancelled their Qantas flights online? I have 2 x J tickets with Qantas I'm happy to have converted to a travel credit, but am concerned that cancelling online via the webjet site may be a normal cancellation rather than fee free to a credit as per the Qantas offer.

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

Wow my voucher came through in 20 minutes . Was expecting to wait days!

 

[burmans]

If Qantas cancels the flight you can claim a refund. That's a basic requirement under Australian consumer law. Qantas is conveniently not talking about that. Qantas' own refund policy also allows for it!

Yep, waiting for cancellations to come through

 

[Must...Fly!]

Finally got around to logging on to QFF. Nice to see ability to cancel classic reward on JL, HND-PVG for zero cost online. Just got to wait for the points and taxes to come back. Painless.

 

[warrens]

Day 4 and still no points refund. Mind you - no reply from "Customer Care" either

 

[BriarFlyer]

I don't know if the disparity in response time for getting vouchers is reassuring or not. Still, it is what it is and I feel for the staff who are dealing with this unprecedented number of cancellations.

 

[zig]

Voucher for one booking came through just now after canceling on Monday. Expires 12 months from the original date it was booked.

 

[Barks]

Thanks all for your replies. Guess I'll wait a bit longer then call if vouchers don't come through.

 

[leaving on a jet plane]

I know QANTAS like all businesses is doing it tough... but the law is the law and they know the risks of running a business (or they should and carry insurance to cover them).
Despite all this QANTAS still refuse to cancel paid tickets without a fee.
In my case (and I am not alone) I booked Business seats in the sale last August 2019 for MEL-JFK return for flight leaving April 28 2020. On sale these seats were $6,000 each but they wont give me the money back without deducting a $600 Per Person cancellation fee even though THEY cancelled the flight not me (yes I waited as has been discussed on this thread).
Instead they will only give a voucher. BUT here is the hidden rip off that boarders on criminal....You have to use the voucher by the end of September BUT you have to pay the difference for your new fare...so in my case the CHEAPEST replacement flights currently on the QANTAS site are $9,000 per person. So clever Mr Joyce wants to rip me off by $3,000 per ticket (x3) despite having the use of my money for 8 months...and you can bet his bean counters have already worked out that they wont advertise new discount fares until October 2020 so that they can recoup millions from the paying public who are locked into spending their voucher plus thousands more or face a total loss.
Why is the ACCC not all over this

 

[serfty]

Despite all this QANTAS still refuse to cancel paid tickets without a fee.

Qantas will refund but you are gunna need to push hard, they are just not drawing attention to their policy:
Compensation and Refunds Policy | Qantas

---

Customers are entitled to a refund in the following situations:

If we cancel your flight and we cannot offer you suitable alternative arrangements.
If we delay your flight to the extent that you have to cancel your travel.
If we make a significant change# to the scheduled flight time and we are unable to book you on an alternative flight that is acceptable to you.
If we cause you to miss a connecting Qantas flight on which you have a confirmed reservation.
If we are unable to carry you and you have a confirmed reservation.

---

Of course any conversion to a credit will likely create additional barriers.

However, if I booked a flight to travel on a certain date and the airline cancels it and offers no reasonable alternative, consumer law would indicate I am entitled to a full refund, not a travel credit. If they obfuscate I'm sure the ACCC may have something to say about that.

 

[froggerADL]

The last bookable QF1 flight is on 26 March so I assume all bookings after that date will be automatically cancelled and fully refunded. Would that be correct?

 

[Pete98765432]

I know QANTAS like all businesses is doing it tough... but the law is the law and they know the risks of running a business (or they should and carry insurance to cover them).
Despite all this QANTAS still refuse to cancel paid tickets without a fee.
In my case (and I am not alone) I booked Business seats in the sale last August 2019 for MEL-JFK return for flight leaving April 28 2020. On sale these seats were $6,000 each but they wont give me the money back without deducting a $600 Per Person cancellation fee even though THEY cancelled the flight not me (yes I waited as has been discussed on this thread).
Instead they will only give a voucher. BUT here is the hidden rip off that boarders on criminal....You have to use the voucher by the end of September BUT you have to pay the difference for your new fare...so in my case the CHEAPEST replacement flights currently on the QANTAS site are $9,000 per person. So clever Mr Joyce wants to rip me off by $3,000 per ticket (x3) despite having the use of my money for 8 months...and you can bet his bean counters have already worked out that they wont advertise new discount fares until October 2020 so that they can recoup millions from the paying public who are locked into spending their voucher plus thousands more or face a total loss.
Why is the ACCC not all over this

I would consider accepting a voucher IF the conditions were relaxed, for example like a gift voucher. Three year expiry and ability to use on cheaper fare with new voucher for the difference.

I share your concern that fares will be high when I’m ready to rebook.

 

[Jean Prouvaire]

I would consider accepting a voucher IF the conditions were relaxed, for example like a gift voucher. Three year expiry and ability to use on cheaper fare with new voucher for the difference.

Another potential sweetener Qantas could offer (not applicable to all bookings, but a fair number I reckon) - extend the travel period for the latest DSC offer. Ie, make PNRs generated during the offer period valid for travel through February 2022 (24 month window) or August 2021 (18 month window), instead of February 2021 (12 month window), given that the realistic window for travel might be cut by as much as half.

 

[Pushka]

I would consider accepting a voucher IF the conditions were relaxed, for example like a gift voucher. Three year expiry and ability to use on cheaper fare with new voucher for the difference.

I share your concern that fares will be high when I’m ready to rebook.

Those price rises are exactly what has occurred for cruises next year. I priced the exact itinerary/cabin/ship/dates for next year and the price had increased by 58%!

 

[leaving on a jet plane]

Qantas will refund but you are gunna need to push hard, they are just not drawing attention to their policy:
Compensation and Refunds Policy | Qantas

---

Customers are entitled to a refund in the following situations:

If we cancel your flight and we cannot offer you suitable alternative arrangements.
If we delay your flight to the extent that you have to cancel your travel.
If we make a significant change# to the scheduled flight time and we are unable to book you on an alternative flight that is acceptable to you.
If we cause you to miss a connecting Qantas flight on which you have a confirmed reservation.
If we are unable to carry you and you have a confirmed reservation.

---

Of course any conversion to a credit will likely create additional barriers.

However, if I booked a flight to travel on a certain date and the airline cancels it and offers no reasonable alternative, consumer law would indicate I am entitled to a full refund, not a travel credit. If they obfuscate I'm sure the ACCC may have something to say about that.

My understanding is that QANTAS will rely on the following section of their "Refund" policy to deny paying me (and all other affected passengers) the full refund. Their policy (just below the section you quoted goes on to read:
Important information
Disclaimer:* Delays or cancellations within our control include: engineering issues, Qantas IT system outages, delayed delivery of baggage to the carousel due to resourcing issues, late cleaning/loading of catering to the aircraft, crew/staffing issues or any other circumstance which we can reasonably control.
Delays or cancellation outside our control include: weather events, air traffic control issues, industrial action by a third party, security issues or any other unusual or unforeseen circumstances which we cannot control and the consequences of which we could not have avoided.
Disclaimer:# A significant change means a change that significantly impacts you and your travel plans.

They will doubtlessly claim the cancellation was "Out of their control..."
So they will get away with this on that technicality but it still leaves the second Hidden sting of them getting even more money out of you because all their replacement fares are at a higher cost than your voucher. this (as in my case) will total many thousands of dollars and I am not naive enough to believe they haven't already crunched the numbers and see this an an income redemption scheme. The no fee on the voucher option is just a sweetener for the big re booking sting that waits for you as September booking deadline approaches.

This matter needs to be taken up with QANTAS by a representative body with access

 

[serfty]

This matter needs to be taken up with QANTAS by a representative body with access

If it gets that far with me, I'll be looking to do some chargebacks on the credit card.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I think we need to understand the distinction between voluntary cancellations and cancellations by the airline.

The airline would like everyone to voluntarily cancel and get a voucher. This voucher comes with potentially huge profits down the track for the airline when fares will be sky-high, and you need to purchase a fare of equal or higher value than the original.

If you wait, Qantas will likely cancel the flight anyway, and then you're entitled to a refund.

edited: Having a bit more time to digest the above, there's an important distinction... the difference between events 'within' and 'outside' QF's control only affects the level of care you are owed by Qantas. In the former - within their control - QF will provide additional assistance such as accommodation and meals. If 'outside' their control, no duty for meals and accommodation.

However, in *both* cases, if alternative transportation cannot be arranged within an acceptable time, the passenger is entitled to a refund.

it appears initial EU261 rulings have determined that COVID-19 is an 'extraordinary' circumstance (source: onemileatatime). This has been deemed for several reasons including government restrictions and the need to protect crew health and safety (although the airlines only just wrote to us recently telling us how 'safe' it was on their planes!)

While EU261 may not apply to COVID-19 cancellations or delays, this only excludes compensation under the regime. It does not exclude the right to an actual refund of the fare for the cancelled flight.

If your flight is still operating (for example to London) and you no longer want to travel, the voucher *may* be a way to off-set hefty cancellation fees. If you no longer wish to travel, and there's a chance Qantas will cancel the flight anyway - I cannot see any advantage in converting to a voucher now. Wait for the cash!