SponsorSFC
Active Member
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2014
- Posts
- 690
That is correct I wasn't involuntarily denied boarding however due to the lightening strike the night before on the scheduled A330 aircraft the service was now going to be run by the significantly smaller 737 where some people were going to be denied boarding especially with a significantly reduced J cabin.
I was however offered by the ground staff at the gate to voluntarily give up my MEL-PER J seat in exchange for a refund of the points used and to be placed on another direct flight on an A330 to PER in J that was due to leave "within the hour". I was happy enough with this as I was relatively flexible with my arrival time and had only carry on.
The real problems started from this point as there was no indication that the replacement flight they were offering me was a seat on a plane that was not able to fly due to an engine issue that had been ongoing for around 3 hours at this stage. So this was subbed with another 737 staring the whole not enough seats for people travelling issue all over again as there were another 11 people that had been moved onto this flight plus all those who were originally booked on the "delayed" flight.
To further compound the issues I was supposed to have been paged and possibly offered a seat on a QF flight but I was somehow missed and my name was never called. When frantically trying to get me onto something that would get me home to PER that night I was also told I should have done all this in the lounge, which would have been great except I was told by a different ground staff member to wait at the gate.
I understand that VA have no control over certain mechanical issues such as a lightening strike or the engine issue with the 2nd plane. The real problem was a lack of information provided. If it wasn't for the efforts of a CSM named Steve who managed to squeeze me onto a flight to Sydney on standby I would not have been able to make the connection for the SYD-PER flight, however if there was not a no show on this flight I had no other options as the 18:10 MEL-PER was the same plane that was not able to fly due to the engine problem.
Now when I called VA today after being transferred to 3 different operators I was told they will offer me a refund of points for the MEL-SYD leg that was not in J so 6,900 points. That is not what I was offered to give up my seat and I would not have accepted that offer. Apparently this will have to be escalated, though I can't see how notes were not put on my itinerary that confirm what I was told by the ground staff.
I am really not happy at all with how this has been handled as I have constantly been told one thing will happen, I accept that then get told that this has changed again for the worse.
I was however offered by the ground staff at the gate to voluntarily give up my MEL-PER J seat in exchange for a refund of the points used and to be placed on another direct flight on an A330 to PER in J that was due to leave "within the hour". I was happy enough with this as I was relatively flexible with my arrival time and had only carry on.
The real problems started from this point as there was no indication that the replacement flight they were offering me was a seat on a plane that was not able to fly due to an engine issue that had been ongoing for around 3 hours at this stage. So this was subbed with another 737 staring the whole not enough seats for people travelling issue all over again as there were another 11 people that had been moved onto this flight plus all those who were originally booked on the "delayed" flight.
To further compound the issues I was supposed to have been paged and possibly offered a seat on a QF flight but I was somehow missed and my name was never called. When frantically trying to get me onto something that would get me home to PER that night I was also told I should have done all this in the lounge, which would have been great except I was told by a different ground staff member to wait at the gate.
I understand that VA have no control over certain mechanical issues such as a lightening strike or the engine issue with the 2nd plane. The real problem was a lack of information provided. If it wasn't for the efforts of a CSM named Steve who managed to squeeze me onto a flight to Sydney on standby I would not have been able to make the connection for the SYD-PER flight, however if there was not a no show on this flight I had no other options as the 18:10 MEL-PER was the same plane that was not able to fly due to the engine problem.
Now when I called VA today after being transferred to 3 different operators I was told they will offer me a refund of points for the MEL-SYD leg that was not in J so 6,900 points. That is not what I was offered to give up my seat and I would not have accepted that offer. Apparently this will have to be escalated, though I can't see how notes were not put on my itinerary that confirm what I was told by the ground staff.
I am really not happy at all with how this has been handled as I have constantly been told one thing will happen, I accept that then get told that this has changed again for the worse.
