Qantas Revenue booking cancellations (under covid19)

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I just checked the original announcement, the free cancellation was to be done by 31 March, for flights up to 31 May. So if a flight in July was cancelled in March it might have been outside the window. I suspect, given the ACCC comments, that the OP might be able to rectify the issue.

I think the ACCC remedy was in relation to March to May flights. Flights in June and later fall outside the ACCC remedy window.

Someone suggested dropping a line to ACCC to get/give feedback.

Happy to be corrected by someone else who might have a better insight as the amount of money at issue is relatively a big deal.

 

[mrsterryn]

Well husband has hit the two months waiting. Going to see how this week goes.
I saw in the previous posts someone had success with refund when ringing up after eight weeks to query it
Anyone else had success of late ?

 

[Blackadder]

Hi all just a question regarding a self cancellation, and associated voucher.
I cancelled a booking in March, flying in July LAX-BNE-SYD-LAX , a sale fare in whY around $1100 , now I went to look at my voucher value today , and it is just over $240 in value. Before I try and sort through it with QF , can anyone offer a possible explanation on how I've lost around $900 off the original voucher?

Update: After speaking with the Customer service team, their explanation is it is a display error due to the voucher being reissued, and that the full amount should apply to any subsequent booking.

 

[Blackadder]

If you self cancelled the booking then cancellation fees would apply. How much was the cancellation fee on your booking? About US$600? The voucher value may be the fare amount less the cancellation fee applicable to your original booking.

If they took the cancellation fees , around US$600. However given the pandemic weren't the cancellation fees waived?

 

[astrosly]

If they took the cancellation fees , around US$600. However given the pandemic weren't the cancellation fees waived?

Depends on what the rules were at the time for the fee to be applied automatically. In March it may have been if the airline cancelled then fees would be waived but if you cancel the fees would be charged. I am not saying whether it is right or wrong I was given you a possible explanation for the difference as asked.

 

[maroonone]

My 18 Jul international flight was cancelled 10 Jun, still awaiting refund. I expect my late Nove won,t be cancelled until mid to late October I can still do seat selection but the flight isn’t for sale nor has it been for about two months.

Update today at 9 weeks since refund request. Recording states 8-10 weeks. Spoke to a person with no wait and was told it all looks good but if not received in next week to cal back at 10 weeks and they can manually process. We’ll wait and see.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Depends on what the rules were at the time for the fee to be applied automatically. In March it may have been if the airline cancelled then fees would be waived but if you cancel the fees would be charged. I am not saying whether it is right or wrong I was given you a possible explanation for the difference as asked.

Correct. you had to cancel by 31 March for flights on or before 31 May. If you cancelled flights outside that the normal cancellation fees would have applied.

QF may be retroactively fixing that.

 

[CaptJCool]

QF Annual report suggests refunds were significant but didnt clearly denote just how much.

However, as current unavailed travel is $2 billion at 30 June 2020 when it was $3.167 billion on 30 June 2019, there’s some scope to say while forward bookings collapsed, they, and refunds make up the difference.

I suspect post ACCC Action, they will continue to drain cash as refund requests keep being processed, and additional claims are made

 

[ChrisW.]

I hope this is the correct thread.

Just got an email with some cancelled Qantas flights and called the hotline (no waiting time at all as WP)

Was offered a credit card type voucher with +10% of the flight value. Also got told that can be used for Qantas flights only but also for paying the tax for reward bookings (it works like a credit card). Can be used until the value is $0 and has to be sued by the end of 2022.

Did not know this is a new option but that works for me if true as I can finally use it for reward bookings.

 

[ChrisMars]

I am wondering if use this credit for a flight that is likely going to be cancelled, you can get an additional 10%. Can be a great way to invest

I also got some cancellation notification today, must be this time of the month...

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

I am wondering if use this credit for a flight that is likely going to be cancelled, you can get an additional 10%. Can be a great way to invest

I also got some cancellation notification today, must be this time of the month...

Can you please advise which month and type of flight (international/domestic)?

 

[ChrisW.]

MIne was SYD-MEL for the end of September.

 

[maroonone]

Update today at 9 weeks since refund request. Recording states 8-10 weeks. Spoke to a person with no wait and was told it all looks good but if not received in next week to cal back at 10 weeks and they can manually process. We’ll wait and see.

Final update- rang QF Tuesday at 10 week mark - actioned straight await with email confirmation that night and money in Amex Friday. Now for the November Fiji refund adventure with the flight not yet cancelled but not for sale either.

 

[sxc]

I hope this is the correct thread.

Just got an email with some cancelled Qantas flights and called the hotline (no waiting time at all as WP)

Was offered a credit card type voucher with +10% of the flight value. Also got told that can be used for Qantas flights only but also for paying the tax for reward bookings (it works like a credit card). Can be used until the value is $0 and has to be sued by the end of 2022.

Did not know this is a new option but that works for me if true as I can finally use it for reward bookings.

I wonder how this would work with a credit card chargeback if in the extreme case of Qantas going bankrupt? Would you be able to claim the original booking back from your credit card?

Same question applies if you accept a future travel credit instead of a refund.

 

[ChrisMars]

Can you please advise which month and type of flight (international/domestic)?

Mid September CBR->BNE->DRW return, and Early October CBR->SYD->OOL return.
I think in total I got 6 notifications of schedule change over a 2 week period. I had to call and update the booking 3 times. I feel lucky WP have a short wait time with accommodating travel consultants, definitely the best perk for 2020 . Finger crossed no more schedule changes or cancellation.

 

[Melburnian1]

If they took the cancellation fees , around US$600. However given the pandemic weren't the cancellation fees waived?

Don't expect waiving to continue ad infinitum!

Rip-off change fees will be back, as soon as "he" thinks he can get away with it.

But he can't control the reluctance of many to board aircraft as much as used be the case.

-------------------------

"SYDNEY, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN) does not plan to permanently remove booking change fees, as major U.S. airlines have done, because it would damage its ability to manage revenue over the longer term, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

The Australian airline has temporarily waived the fees, even on its budget offshoot Jetstar, to provide passengers with more flexibility during the pandemic. But United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL.O , American Airlines Group Inc AAL.O and Delta Air Lines Inc DAL.N this week announced plans to do so permanently.

"I think when certainty comes back I am of the view it is a big part of how we revenue manage and yield," Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said...at...Pacific Aviation Summit.

"If every airfare is going to be flexible, your revenue management system I think fundamentally breaks down over the long term," he added.

Joyce said the airline's immediate focus was on adding flights that covered their cash costs, but that it would later lift ticket prices to help return to bottom-line profitability.

An expected hit to business traffic, driven more by economic downturn, is likely to lead to the airline to charge higher fares over time, he said.

"People may not even notice it," Joyce said of potential A$10 ($7.35) or A$20 increases to domestic fares.

The airline is running only about 20% of its usual domestic capacity because of state border closings.

CAPA Managing Director Derek Sadubin said the Australian domestic market was forecast to return to 30% of 2019's capacity levels by Christmas.

 

[Melburnian1]

Flight Centre has 89359 applications for refund of QF flights in its system.

Of these, only 23065 - just under 26 per cent - have been authorised for refund by QF.

10914 have gone 90 days or more without being authorised for a refund by the airline, and another 12480 are 60 to 90 days 'old' (presumably since being placed in the BSP system by FC).

The person who placed this information online claims that most of these bookings are likely to be for $10000 or more and that QF can't afford to repay them.

This must be a drain on liquidity for QF. No wonder it's reluctant to pay out.

 

[Melburnian1]

This is part of a 'Traveller' article on 'The Age'/'SMH' website on Sunday 13 September 2020:

(note QF refusal to comment!):

'...The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it received 19,260 complaints relating to travel between March and September, compared to 2337 during the same period last year.

An ACCC spokesman said businesses should honour the terms and conditions of each booking, and where refunds are due they should be paid "within a reasonable time". However he urged consumers to "remain patient" due to the "unprecedented and complex" nature of the circumstances.

"In particular, it may take travel agents longer to process refunds as they often have to wait for funds to be secured from their travel partners before processing," the spokesman said.

On Tuesday Emirates said the airline has processed 1.4 million refund requests worth $1.9 billion since March, with a further 10 per cent of claims to process. Last month Qatar Airways said it had refunded $1.6 billion to almost 600,000 passengers in the same period, with just 4 per cent of claims outstanding.

Air New Zealand said it refunded an average of $21 million a week between April and June, finally completing its backlog of claims at the end of August. Qantas and Virgin declined to provide details of their progress on refunds...'

 

[I love to travel]

This is part of a 'Traveller' article on 'The Age'/'SMH' website on Sunday 13 September 2020:

(note QF refusal to comment!):

'...The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said it received 19,260 complaints relating to travel between March and September, compared to 2337 during the same period last year.

An ACCC spokesman said businesses should honour the terms and conditions of each booking, and where refunds are due they should be paid "within a reasonable time". However he urged consumers to "remain patient" due to the "unprecedented and complex" nature of the circumstances.

"In particular, it may take travel agents longer to process refunds as they often have to wait for funds to be secured from their travel partners before processing," the spokesman said.

On Tuesday Emirates said the airline has processed 1.4 million refund requests worth $1.9 billion since March, with a further 10 per cent of claims to process. Last month Qatar Airways said it had refunded $1.6 billion to almost 600,000 passengers in the same period, with just 4 per cent of claims outstanding.

Air New Zealand said it refunded an average of $21 million a week between April and June, finally completing its backlog of claims at the end of August. Qantas and Virgin declined to provide details of their progress on refunds...'

And it's Qantas's game playing which people will remember. I understand they need to stagger, but 12 weeks plus is not reasonable conduct.

 

[Melburnian1]

And it's Qantas's game playing which people will remember. I understand they need to stagger, but 12 weeks plus is not reasonable conduct.

Often Australians have short memories, but because COVID-19 restrictions and media have dragged on for so long, you're on the money. No doubt it has all to do with QF trying to minimise the outflow of diminishing funds held by it.