SMH Traveller Letters: Cold shoulder

[only4tehlulz]

Yesterday's / Today's top Traveller Letter in the Sydney morning herald has someone complaining about airline accommodations for a shoulder injury and a travel agent that did not make any arrangements

Traveller Letters: Airline’s cruel treatment after an injury overseas

“The failings of Qantas have been well documented. Less well known is the treatment by Qatar Airways of passengers returning from overseas with significant injuries.”

www.smh.com.au

Cold shoulder​

The failings of Qantas and its business strategy of making money from customers at any cost have been well documented. Less well known is the cavalier and cruel treatment by Qatar Airways of passengers returning from overseas with significant injuries. I broke my shoulder in Scotland and my travel agent in Australia organised my return flights. She didn’t book a seat because the flights weren’t full and she believed that Qatar would make the necessary arrangements to make sure I was safe and comfortable.

When I got to the airport the flights were “full, madam” but I was given a seat with an empty seat next to it from Edinburgh to Doha (and I had to argue very forcefully, once seated, to keep the empty seat next to mine) and then was seated in the middle of the middle row from Doha to Melbourne; and I noticed another passenger with a broken leg in a window seat. I don’t believe any other airline would have made such little effort to try to care for obviously injured passengers. It’s not hard to change seats for people even if the flight is full.

What are the collective thoughts on this letter, AFF?

It would be uncomfortable if someone with a bandaged shoulder has to tolerate getting bumped all the time on a 15hour flight but the passenger here seems to not have made any efforts ahead of time to ask or request any arrangements or try to figure out how the flight might work for her.

Kinda in two minds after reading this...

 

[jb747]

So, they basically thought they should get either an upgrade or empty adjacent seat…. Both can be purchased.

 

[mannej]

There are no two minds about this, it screams of entitlement.

 

[Lynda2475]

Sounds like they didn't have TI and also a useless travel agent to recommend not pre-selecting seats. Even without special needs one should pre book seats to avoid middle seat hell.

Agree reeks of entitlement, as airline and seat selection were within the passengers control.

 

[VPS]

PITA whingy whiny entitled - move on

 

[Pushka]

Yesterday's / Today's top Traveller Letter in the Sydney morning herald has someone complaining about airline accommodations for a shoulder injury and a travel agent that did not make any arrangements

Traveller Letters: Airline’s cruel treatment after an injury overseas

“The failings of Qantas have been well documented. Less well known is the treatment by Qatar Airways of passengers returning from overseas with significant injuries.”

www.smh.com.au

What are the collective thoughts on this letter, AFF?

It would be uncomfortable if someone with a bandaged shoulder has to tolerate getting bumped all the time on a 15hour flight but the passenger here seems to not have made any efforts ahead of time to ask or request any arrangements or try to figure out how the flight might work for her.

Kinda in two minds after reading this...

I think they are living on the 'Entitled Planet'. Bit like the unicorn. Seriously, this is why people buy travel Insurance. If this expectation is the trend then I'm glad I'm getting old. But worse - they actually get to whinge about it publically. Like it's a legit complaint.

 

[Ade]

didn't have TI

buy travel Insurance.

Pardon my ignorance, but how would TI help in this situation?

 

[Rich]

There are no two minds about this, it screams of entitlement.

Maybe just ignorance.

 

[Pushka]

Pardon my ignorance, but how would TI help in this situation?

If the injury is such that travel back is difficult then IT will cover for medical costs. If it isn't serious enough for them to cover then really she has no case for any complaint. The guy with the broken leg would certainly be covered for a spare seat. And the TA didn't book a seat? Oh c'mon.

 

[Lynda2475]

If you have a serious injury and it is deemed medically necessary for you to have a limb elevated or not to be bumped, good TI will pay for you to fly home in J or with a spare seat.

My friends hubby broke his leg skiing in Switzerland and needed surgery, his TI not only paid for the surgery in neighbouring France but for a J seat to get home since his whole leg was in plaster and could not bend, even though his original seats were in whY.

 

[Pushka]

If you have a serious injury and it is deemed medically necessary for you to have a limb elevated or not to be bumped, good TI will pay for you to fly home in J or with a spare seat.

My friends hubby broke his leg skiing in Switzerland and needed surgery, his TI not only paid for the surgery in neighbouring France but for a J seat to get home since his whole leg was in plaster and could not bend, even though his original seats were in whY.

We used TID for son and friend in Thailand. Friend was seriously injured in motorbike accident and had emergency surgery in Thailand, Bangkok and then flown home to Sydney for more surgery. Not only of course, did he fly back in J, but my son who was on same policy was flown back in Y, but also, weirdly, TI paid for the other friend to fly back to Australia, even though not listed on the policy.

And GoFundMe events for numpties who refuse to take out TI annoy the heck out of me.

 

[OZDUCK]

If you have a serious injury and it is deemed medically necessary for you to have a limb elevated or not to be bumped, good TI will pay for you to fly home in J or with a spare seat.

My friends hubby broke his leg skiing in Switzerland and needed surgery, his TI not only paid for the surgery in neighbouring France but for a J seat to get home since his whole leg was in plaster and could not bend, even though his original seats were in whY.

My friend 'destroyed' his knee hiking near Los Vega. TI paid for the normal usurious US emergency hospital fees. Then, as per your friend, because he couldn't bend his knee they upgraded him from Y to J for the trip back to Perth.

 

[ausfox]

We flew from Mel to France and return with Qatar in March. We were still each using a crutch following our road smash. A simple request for mobility assistance had us met at every landing with more assistance than we could have asked for. I cannot support criticism if assistance was not asked for.

 

[Pushka]

We flew from Mel to France and return with Qatar in March. We were still each using a crutch following our road smash. A simple request for mobility assistance had us met at every landing with more assistance than we could have asked for. I cannot support criticism if assistance was not asked for.

And of course, it is asked for and not assumed everyone will coming running. As she stated she had to assert her rights a spare seat on a previous flight, well, the conversations may have been interesting.

 

[Himeno]

Pardon my ignorance, but how would TI help in this situation?

A few years ago returning from a short trip to Tokyo, I run into a couple who were also on my flight. The woman had injured herself and they had to cut their trip short and return home due to medical requirements.
Due to the injury, their travel insurance booked her into business class as her leg had to remain elevated. The insurance companies medical staff who was dealing with the return trip and medical needs was also in business. The husband was in premium economy next to me.

If they didn't have travel insurance, they would have been in a Japanese hospital for half their trip, then sitting in economy for the return flight.

 

[drron]

And we did a DONE4 with mrsdrron in a Moon boot after a bad ankle fracture. Met at every airport and the treatment was exceptional at all airports except Aberdeen in Scotland where they tried to insist Mrsdrron couldn't fly unless she took the Moon boot off to go through security. A simple request for names in case we had to take legal action was needed.

 

[burmans]

Maybe just ignorance.

Well, it is quite possible to be both ignorant AND entitled. The OP seems to qualify.

 

[serfty]

Sad story of friends who on their umpteenth trip to Mauritius one them had an insect bite on their neck which became infected, resulting in quadriplegia.

TI arranged for them to be flown back to MEL via PER.

It took three middle 4s down the back of a 747 with two nurses and accompanying doctor.

The subject of the article appears rather entitled.