Unexpected Aircraft Change - Seeking Advice

[gabratron]

Hi all,

We recently booked a Qantas Classic Reward Seat from Melbourne to Tokyo Narita with the first leg on China Airlines Business Class Airbus A350-900 to Taipei, and the second leg on JAL Business Class from Taipei to Tokyo.

We received an email about updated flight details, and upon checking online, we discovered a change in the aircraft type for the first leg from A350-900 to Airbus A330-300. While the timing remains the same, the A330 is notably older compared to the A350, and we're disappointed with the switch.

We understand last-minute changes can happen, but selling a different product is frustrating. We were excited about the A350's top-class cabin for the start of our Japan trip.

Has anyone experienced this, and is there any recourse for such changes? Clicking the "change" button directs us to call Qantas, but we're hesitant based on past experiences.

Appreciate any advice or insights. Thanks!

 

[Mwenenzi]

Change of aircraft means no recourse ~ compensation. More so on non QF flights. Aircraft changes are not uncommon.
Check you still have business class seats.

 

[RichardMEL]

As above. QF isn't obliged to offer you anything because of this - it's a CI choice to swap the product on the route they/'re flying. Heck, it may even change back again. Apparently QR is notorious for scheduling one thing and showing up with something else. That's the luck of the draw sometimes with airlines with fleets with differing products (and in this case, QF actually finally has a long haul widebody fleet with consistent J product pretty much - which is quite rare!).

An equipment change (scheduled or operational) is not a reason for anything to be done - specially as the schedule itself isn't changing.

So your options are to find rewards seat(s) on alternative routings for your journey (unlikely but I suppose possible) and pay the change fee to change if you find something (and of course run any inherent risks with ticket reissues or indeed some other carrier change) or basically "suck it up" as an experience, and again hope perhaps some other swap happens again in the meantime.

We've all been there in one way or another. It happens but you're paying (via points) for the transport, not the specific product or configuration.

 

[mrsterryn]

Definitely can understand the disappointment. I was looking forward to seeing what PE was like on the refurbished A380s. Unfortunately I got the old one .
However Qantas still got me from point A to B which I believe are in their terms and conditions

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi all,

We recently booked a Qantas Classic Reward Seat from Melbourne to Tokyo Narita with the first leg on China Airlines Business Class Airbus A350-900 to Taipei, and the second leg on JAL Business Class from Taipei to Tokyo.

We received an email about updated flight details, and upon checking online, we discovered a change in the aircraft type for the first leg from A350-900 to Airbus A330-300. While the timing remains the same, the A330 is notably older compared to the A350, and we're disappointed with the switch.

We understand last-minute changes can happen, but selling a different product is frustrating. We were excited about the A350's top-class cabin for the start of our Japan trip.

Has anyone experienced this, and is there any recourse for such changes? Clicking the "change" button directs us to call Qantas, but we're hesitant based on past experiences.

Appreciate any advice or insights. Thanks!

Can you move dates? Is the a350 flying on another flight the same day or a day earlier/later? Are there award seats? You might want to change if you have flexibility as the a330 is still angled lie flats. Not a great product. We had a family member (in their 70s) travel one way on the a350, but back on the a330 and they really disliked it!

 

[jase05]

Would definitely be trying to move dates. The A350 product is excellent but the A330 product is dire and should be avoided IMO

 

[PERLHR]

Maybe there is more discussion on QF aircraft change than just this particular forum. ...is there? It seems to happen to me quite a lot. Yet another SYD-PER A330 service booked a wee while ago has changed this morning....yep to the dreaded 737 yet again. Getting sick of it.