VA2 (LAX-SYD) - cancelled connecting flight from SYD

[MikeG]

Not sure what the "fail" was. A flight was cancelled and they rerouted him on best available with a few hours delay due to actual overall travel time from the connection. No other impact.

Looks to me like a customer service success story as there was no impact beyond the cancellation (which isn't due to customer service, but actual loads and travel restrictions from the governments).

The virgin customer service lady seemed to have no idea what to do. She could not change the flight over the phone. She asked me to change it at the airport. That’s the customer service fail...

 

[muppet]

It’s a 5 hour delay.

Yeah and for the call centre, the flight attendant, pilots, baggage handlers and lounge staff it’s going to be a 5 hour wait on hold at Centrelink. Again. Perspective.

Post automatically merged: Mar 25, 2020

The virgin customer service lady seemed to have no idea what to do. She could not change the flight over the phone. She asked me to change it at the airport. That’s the customer service fail...

Very rarely will booking agents update a flight for IRROPs while the pax is in the air. It’s always done at the transfer desk. They never really know when the pax will arrive.

 

[AIRwin]

She could not change the flight over the phone. She asked me to change it at the airport.

The booking may have been already under airport control...

 

[MikeG]

And all these travel restrictions and flight cancellations may help with social distancing while in transit at SYD and MEL?

Like consolidating LAX-BNE into the LAX-SYD flight. More than 80% full according to my son.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The virgin customer service lady seemed to have no idea what to do. She could not change the flight over the phone. She asked me to change it at the airport. That’s the customer service fail...

Agree this is really annoying, but it has become somewhat standard practice these days. Airlines are reluctant to rebook passengers onto connecting flights too soon in case the flight the passenger is on gets further delayed. It's not just Virgin, but plenty of others too - like Emirates.

But it can also work to your son's advantage. As soon as he arrives and gets to the transfer desk they can put him on to the next available flight. So there may be quicker options than the current 5 hour delay. The five hour delay I maintain is completely fair and reasonable in the current extraordinary circumstances.

 

[MikeG]

Yeah and for the call centre, the flight attendant, pilots, baggage handlers and lounge staff it’s going to be a 5 hour wait on hold at Centrelink. Again. Perspective.

Post automatically merged: Mar 25, 2020

Very rarely will booking agents update a flight for IRROPs while the pax is in the air. It’s always done at the transfer desk. They never really know when the pax will arrive.

VA updated the flights 4 hours after the flight left LAX. I asked her why she couldn;t changr the flights again, and thats when she came unstuck. I asked to talk to her supervisor and she said this wasnt her area of expertise and that she was working voluntarily - so I asked to talk to a colleague, it went down hill from there. i just needed an answer and she couldn't even do that.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

VA updated the flights 4 hours after the flight left LAX. I asked her why she couldn;t changr the flights again, and thats when she came unstuck. I asked to talk to her supervisor and she said this wasnt her area of expertise and that she was working voluntarily - so I asked to talk to a colleague, it went down hill from there. i just needed an answer and she couldn't even do that.

She gave you the right answer! I appreciate you didn't know she was giving you the right answer, but attempting to escalate the call may have been a fruitless exercise, particularly given the suitable alternative arrangements.

 

[odysseus]

VA updated the flights 4 hours after the flight left LAX. I asked her why she couldn;t changr the flights again, and thats when she came unstuck. I asked to talk to her supervisor and she said this wasnt her area of expertise and that she was working voluntarily - so I asked to talk to a colleague, it went down hill from there. i just needed an answer and she couldn't even do that.

She's working voluntarily in an area outside of her expertise due to the exceptional circumstances. So coronavirus loads and cancellations are the fault of Virgin now?

I think you need to be realistic. If you had to fill in in an emergency for someone outside your standard area, I doubt you'd be an expert in every procedure either.

 

[MikeG]

She gave you the right answer! I appreciate you didn't know she was giving you the right answer, but attempting to escalate the call may have been a fruitless exercise, particularly given the suitable alternative arrangements.

So no-answer to why she couldn't change the flight was the correct answer???

 

[mannej]

OP - do you have any understanding of the term "Under airport control"?

 

[p--and--t]

Tone deafness epidemic in full flight again. 10,000's Aussies stuck overseas and not able to get a flight home and here we have a major disaster to carry on about because a domestic flight was cancelled and has been accommodated at no cost to the first available flight.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So no-answer to why she couldn't change the flight was the correct answer???

You mentioned in one of your earlier posts your post why she couldn't change it... 'said she couldn’t organise a change while his first flight was in progress'

As mentioned - this is now common practice by many airlines. Annoying - because it can mean pax miss out on a really good connection.

 

[AIRwin]

At least the flight arrived in CBR ahead of schedule...