QANTAS Treatment of Frequent Flyer Bookings

[QPRsludger]

Qantas are very keen to extol the virtues of it's Frequent flyer program and are happy to boast about the profits made by it, they are also very keen to treat the bookings made using the program as little more important than staff travel seats.
Three weeks ago my wife embarked on our long awaited holiday to the USA. I am 65 and was treated for cancer last year and this was in a way a welcome break allied with my wife's long service leave.
We booked our rewards seats from PER to LAX via Brisbane in business class to LA months and months before we left.
We were issued boarding passes at Perth airport for our flights to Brisbane and also for the second leg to LAX
Whilst in the lounge in Brisbane we were informed that my wife would have to be moved to premium economy. We were first told an out and out untruth that there had been an aircraft change but the real reason was that Qantas had a more important passenger than a mere FF booked seat.
Despite our protestations we were told it was take it or leave it.
I think all parties in the Qantas FF program should be aware of the way Qantas treat their Frequent Flyers and I shall make it my business to let anyone I can know how we are treated
ONE WAY OR THE OTHER WE PAID FOR OUR SEATS TOO!!!!!
It was a disgusting way to be treated and I have no confidence in the program at all going forward.

 

[Happy Dude]

That really sucks dude. QF did exactly this to a good mate of mine on a revenue J ticket. All three of his travelling party (all WP) were bumped from J to Y when transiting at LAX enroute to BNE. Same reason, but at least they told him the truth.

He was fobbed off with no compensation at all until someone connected him with a QF exec of some sort who sorted out a reasonable outcome. Perhaps someone here will have some advice as to how to escalate this to receive satisfaction.

 

[dajop]

At their very worst they should at least refund you the 4000 pts difference between a Zone 9 Business award and Zone 8 premium economy + Zone 3 business, although a half decent customer focussed organisation would at the very least refund you the 24,000 between the standalone Zone 8 business and premium economy awards without a fight.

 

[QPRsludger]

Thanks for your comments.
They did in fact offer compensation both monetarily and points but it was presented as a take it or leave it scenario 5 minutes before we boarded.
My point is that these bookings should be treated as being the same status as bookings made with dollars. After all they have been paid for one way or the other and as I say Qantas loves to advertise the program and makes a HUGE profit from the scheme.

It is a once in a lifetime trip for us (which we are still enjoying) We have two more FF flights left on the trip and I hope it doesn't happen again to us.

 

[Happy Dude]

My point is that these bookings should be treated as being the same status as bookings made with dollars.

They are, as I mentioned in my post my mate was a WP travelling on a paid J ticket and the same thing happened to him.

Airlines do whatever they damn well please, often with impunity, leaving the uninformed traveller angry and short-changed. Please post the compo you received so the next poor bugger on the receiving end of QF's nastiness will know what they may expect.

 

[QPRsludger]

They are, as I mentioned in my post my mate was a WP travelling on a paid J ticket and the same thing happened to him.

Airlines do whatever they damn well please, often with impunity, leaving the uninformed traveller angry and short-changed. Please post the compo you received so the next poor bugger on the receiving end of QF's nastiness will know what they may expect.

My wife received US$600 and the points difference between Business and PE, but given the choice we would not have changed.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

My wife received US$600 and the points difference between Business and PE, but given the choice we would not have changed.

Be thankful you were on a FF booking. If you had been on a paid booking you would also have only received the $600 compensation, despite the fact that the actual fare difference would have been in the thousands of dollars. When Qantas downgrades they don't use the fares applicable on the day you booked, they treat the difference as being the fare you paid compared to the last minute, fully flexible walk-up fare. This leads to manifestly unfair compensation. At least with the FF booking the points can be easily worked out.

It sucks big time. If this had been Europe yuo would have received 75% refund of the points bewteen Australia and USA. A nice sweetener.

 

[Pushka]

They are, as I mentioned in my post my mate was a WP travelling on a paid J ticket and the same thing happened to him.

Airlines do whatever they damn well please, often with impunity, leaving the uninformed traveller angry and short-changed. Please post the compo you received so the next poor bugger on the receiving end of QF's nastiness will know what they may expect.

Agree. Qantas will bump down full fare paying passengers as described a couple of years ago in this forum, telling people to take it or leave it!

 

[wandering_fred]

Even if you are not asking for "further compensation" the Airline Consumer Advocate should be informed. There are reasons why the EU installed the Flight Compensation Regulation 261/2004 and numerous transactions like non-voluntary downgrades might provoke the same result here. Though perhaps the potential for such regulations will be an incentive for the airlines to be more customer "friendly", which would not be a bad outcome.

Airline Customer Advocate (ACA)

Just wandering
Fred

 

[Pleb Status]

Yet another example of the quality QF customer service experience that most pax extra to receive.

At least some sort of compensation was paid without having to take QF to the authorities...

 

[trippin_the_rift]

The type of treatment is not exclusive to Qantas. Other airlines have similar archaic "policies" as well.

I believe a FF redemption is worth the same as a full-fare revenue ticket, because, the FFP program ***ONLY*** works because there are aspirational redemptions. The OP's biz class redemption is proof of the program design and marketing in effect. The years of built-up loyalty prior to the OP making the redemption must be factored into the 'contributing value of FF redemption' (similar to CLTV but only for that redemption).

Therefore, the ticket should be treated with the high value the passenger places on it for the purposes of disruption.

My stance has always been that airlines should always be at a financial loss when they're intentionally disrupting a passenger. Therefore, a refund in ticket price between full biz and deep discount economy, PLUS compensation, would be my expectation.

Analyzing [and daydreaming] aside..... OP; sorry to hear of the circumstances. The airline really failed to deliver on your basic expectations.
As the trip was three weeks ago...can you inform us what Qantas gave you as compensation? Pressuring you to accept their offer 5-minutes prior to a once-in-a-lifetime international flight smells like coercion to me. Qantas is taking advantage of your emotional state.

I'd ask for 2x confirmed F seats on the return.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

My stance has always been that airlines should always be at a financial loss when they're intentionally disrupting a passenger. Therefore, a refund in ticket price between full biz and deep discount economy, PLUS compensation, would be my expectation.

Analyzing [and daydreaming] aside.....

except not daydreaming if you were living in the EU.

I dunno why. We spend so much time in Australia arguing about rubbish which we thing are national issues, but they real nuts and bolts never get a look in.

 

[Isochronous]

I'd like to see this tested at NCAT.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'd like to see this tested at NCAT.

I agree.

QF's 'rules' surrounding compensation in the event of a downgrade are not part of the contract when you buy your ticket. They are contained in some 'agency only' link, not accessible to the public.

I believe under consumer law you should be entitled to a full refund of services you did not get.

My advice is to always screenshot a copy of the lowest economy fare when you book a premium ticket. That way you can argue the correct fare differential. Don't forget that when Qantas bumps you they have likely given your seat to someone paying top dollar. So they profit twice from the same seat.

 

[Pleb Status]

except not daydreaming if you were living in the EU.

I dunno why. We spend so much time in Australia arguing about rubbish which we thing are national issues, but they real nuts and bolts never get a look in.

The QF bribes (aka CL memberships) are specifically targeted so that any consumer friendly legislation will never see the light of day in Australia...

 

[SOPOOR]

Absolutely disgraceful behavior

If i was paying for the flight, id do a chargeback via credit card straight away

Dont know how successful id be but at least make qantas jump through hoops

 

[HockeyMonkey]

Assuming schedule flexibility for the passenger, would you be entitled to demand to fly later in the class originally booked?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Assuming schedule flexibility for the passenger, would you be entitled to demand to fly later in the class originally booked?

yes.

 

[Ktan89]

Could they have rerouted you or put you on another OW partners metal?

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Could they have rerouted you or put you on another OW partners metal?

Anything is on the table. If you are booked through US-based carriers they seem to have extraordinary powers to re-route you on any airline, any carrier. Even outside alliances. QF on the other hand is unlikely to want to stump up $10K to buy a ticket on another airline. QF can't force a partner airline to release award space, so it would be a cash ticket (under whatever arrangements they have with other airlines to handle IRROPS).