QF 79 OCT flight cancelled, alternative flights involve 11.5 hr layover in SYD

[Steamrollersam]

I used a flight credit to book flights ADL-MEL-HND-SIN-SYD-ADL in J during the DSC promo flying early October. Got an email earlier this week about my flights being changed to ADL-SYD-HND involving a very long layover in SYD and arriving a day later than planned.

Now I don’t care too much where I go, I just want to go somewhere. I don’t mind arriving a day later than originally intended. I don’t mind travelling elsewhere (Italy, UK) either particularly since there’s still no clarity when Japan is opening its borders to tourists. I’m inclined to decline the revised itinerary and get a refund (not a flight credit I hope?), but I’ll lose the chance to earn DSCs if so, and this’ll be my third cancelled Japan trip in two years (bummer!). Alternatively I can spend a few hours on the phone this weekend seeking a better ADL-SYD (outbound flights Saturday and 5 months away so plenty of alternatives) but I’m paranoid enough to think the agent will stuff the whole booking up one way or the other (cabin class, DSC). What to do?

 

[Fergo747]

Before you worry about losing DSC, when was the flight credit from? If it was from a period outside the DSC period, even if your booking was made during the DSC window, it is likely that you would not receive the DSCs anyways.

This is because your flight credit has a PNR from your original booking attached to it so your current flights look like they were booked at the time the PNR was created (i.e. outside the DSC period).

 

[Steamrollersam]

Pretty certain I’d be eligible. Flight credit was from Jan 2022. DSC promo FAQ had this:

Will I earn double Qantas Points or double Status Credits if I use a Qantas Flight Credit?
Once you've registered for this promotion, Flight Credits redeemed for an eligible flight booking during the promotion period will earn the chosen reward. You can redeem your Flight Credit through Manage booking, by entering the credit reference number and your last name.

Had to ring qantas because I redeemed the FC for a multi-city booking and agent confirmed my current booking even using an old PNR would earn DSC.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Qantas cancelling flights on you generally means at a minimum you should be able to rebook on any QF operated flights that will get you there that work for you within 7 days of originally scheduled departure. You might also be able have the outbound to be similar to your inbound (i.e. QF to SIN then JAL to TYO). My recommendation would be to construct a routing that works best for you, call them up and request to be rebooked into that. Have the dates and flight numbers ready. Since Qantas cancelled the flight on you, the onus is on them to reaccomodate you regardless of what fare bucket you booked from, so long as there is business cabin availability.

Your paranoia with doing stuff over the phone like this is completely justified. Over the past 2 years Air Canada has cancelled my flights from Sydney back to Toronto over a dozen times. Each and every time I refused to accept what their online system was suggesting and got everything sorted over the phone. I would suggest that you don't hang up the phone until you receive the updated itinerary and confirm everything is good. In addition, keep a copy of all those booking emails and boarding passes and what not. That way should you have to appeal not receiving DSCs you'll have ample evidence to back you up!

Could you get a refund? Absolutely, but I suspect you are interested in travelling and earning those SCs! Be polite, but firm with them on the phone. To give you an example of a similar experience that happened to me last year, I booked a classic award for SYD to LDH during the 30% off promotion they had last year for a trip in August. QF cancelled flights to LDH due to the COVID outbreak and stay at home orders at the time. I gave QF a call and was able to get them to rebook me on flights taking off nearly a year later.

A parting shot: the biggest regrets I've had when it came to travel wasn't the trips I took but the ones that I failed to take!

-RooFlyer88

 

[docjames]

See if there’s a better times ADL-SYD flight either that day or day prior (connecting to a day earlier SYD-HND).

 

[Steamrollersam]

See if there’s a better times ADL-SYD flight either that day or day prior (connecting to a day earlier SYD-HND).

Problem is getting the call centre agent “see” these later flights on the same day that would get me a more reasonable connection time. I got an agent this morning say that the two ADL-SYD flights I can definitely see as available and made dummy bookings on are not open (12:55 and 14:55 same day) and he can only offer me a 21:15 flight that would mean I miss my SYD-HND. Useless.

 

[docjames]

that may be they are trying to keep the same fare class - they should be able to over-ride that as an involuntary change.

May pay to try again and tell them the flight you want due to involuntary flight change in your itinerary.

 

[Steamrollersam]

All sorted now. All ADL-SYD-HND in the morning and afternoon were priced similarly and heaps of J seats available in the two afternoon flight options I was keen on. First call centre agent just didn’t know what they were doing (SA?). I called again and got someone based in Fiji who fixed everything up for me and everything looks good on the emailed revised itinerary!

Worked out well in the end because the SYD-HND flight was my preference when booking my original flights, arriving early in the morning. MEL-HND arrival in the evening had fares way cheaper (>$1800) for two in J.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Problem is getting the call centre agent “see” these later flights on the same day that would get me a more reasonable connection time. I got an agent this morning say that the two ADL-SYD flights I can definitely see as available and made dummy bookings on are not open (12:55 and 14:55 same day) and he can only offer me a 21:15 flight that would mean I miss my SYD-HND. Useless.

From my experience, during airline initiated cancellations, the airline should be able to book you into the cabin you were originally booked regardless of fare code. If they continue saying they don't see anything ask them if their search is constrained to the fare code you were booked into. If they say yes, ask them and who again was it that decided to unilaterally cancel me from the flight I had confirmed reservations from?

If I was you I'd call back and try again, preferably during a time when knowledgable QF agents are working. Does anyone know when the NZ/AU call centre opens? I know it's a bit of a cough shoot these days whether you'll get such an agent but anything they can do to increase their odds helps. Remember to be friendly but firm.

that may be they are trying to keep the same fare class - they should be able to over-ride that as an involuntary change.

May pay to try again and tell them the flight you want due to involuntary flight change in your itinerary.

The other possibility is that there might be fare construction rules that prevent such an itinerary from being built (i.e. married segment logic). Again none of that should matter since the agent should be able to override such things. If they can't/won't ask to speak to a supervisor and explain the situation to them that the airline unilaterally changed your itinerary and you need to fix it so it becomes a legal itinerary.

-RooFlyer88