Who is responsible when QF issued ticket has changes by third parties?

[juddles]

Hi all,

just a small technical question for those that understand these things far better than me:

I bought a ticket direct through Qantas - it is BNE-SYD-SCL-LSC and return the same way. The main sectors BNE-SYD and SYD-SCL are on Qantas metal. The domestic Chilean leg is on Latam - it is not a codeshare, but was sold to me as part of the overall ticket by QF.

On the return, I was originally on a 10am flight from LSC-SCL, giving a 2 and a 1/2 hr connection in SCL to get onto QF28 back to Australia. Ample. But I received an email from QF advising of a "flight time change" - it turns out the LSC-SCL flights has been pushed back two hours by Latam, so now I have an impossible 28 minute connection in SCL.

I called up QF Premium Res and was not exactly happy with the interaction. There are no other Latam flights earlier that morning, so they told me they would change me to an evening flight the previous day - great, except that I lose a days work, and then have a 16 hr overnight "stopover" in SCL. I asked if QF would at least put me up in a hotel, but the lady simply said to me "This is a change by another airline. Take it up with them or your travel insurance".

Not happy, but before I make a fuss with QF, I would like to hear opinions as to who I should be dealing with.

Just as data points, the whole return ticket was booked as Premium Economy - so the BNE-SYD sectors are in a flex Y bucket, as is the internal Chilean flight. Only the long-haul segment SCL-SYD has actual PE.

Edit: and I am P1 status

 

[TheInsider]

Let's think of Qantas as a booking agent like webjet or Expedia etc, not as an airline. In this example Qantas isn't the airline that has delayed you or changed.
If a flight was delayed or misconnected or schedule changed would you expect Webjet or Expedia to put you in a hotel?

I'd be taking it up with LATAM or your travel insurance.

 

[juddles]

Let's think of Qantas as a booking agent like webjet or Expedia etc, not as an airline. In this example Qantas isn't the airline that has delayed you or changed.
If a flight was delayed or misconnected or schedule changed would you expect Webjet or Expedia to put you in a hotel?

I'd be taking it up with LATAM or your travel insurance.

I disagree and expect more. I will take it up with the P1 team.

 

[odysseus]

I think you can take it up with LATAM but if they don't normally put people up in hotels for long connections, then they won't now. And not all airlines offer that with stopovers so it's not a mandatory requirement.

Ultimately I believe your call will be that they should let you cancel and full refund if you wish, but they're not obliged to give you a hotel if you choose to take that connection. I also don't see how travel insurance will be involved.

 

[dajop]

Let's think of Qantas as a booking agent like webjet or Expedia etc, not as an airline. In this example Qantas isn't the airline that has delayed you or changed.
If a flight was delayed or misconnected or schedule changed would you expect Webjet or Expedia to put you in a hotel?

I'd be taking it up with LATAM or your travel insurance.

Sure, Webjet, Expedia or a bricks and mortar TA wouldn’t be expected to pay for night. But many might expect them to sort it out with Latam rather than the individual contacting them.

 

[Pleb Status]

Let's think of Qantas as a booking agent like webjet or Expedia etc, not as an airline. In this example Qantas isn't the airline that has delayed you or changed.
If a flight was delayed or misconnected or schedule changed would you expect Webjet or Expedia to put you in a hotel?

I'd be taking it up with LATAM or your travel insurance.

This is a pretty good summary as I see it as well...

 

[TheInsider]

Sure, Webjet, Expedia or a bricks and mortar TA wouldn’t be expected to pay for night. But many might expect them to sort it out with Latam rather than the individual contacting them.

It has been sorted out, Qantas notified of a change to their customer on behalf of LATAM and Qantas as the booking agent changed their flight to another one.

 

[Mattg]

Friends of mine had booked AKL-SCL-GRU-CNF with QF (I believe QF codeshares on LATAM operated flights) and there was a schedule change forcing an overnight stop in SCL. Qantas paid for a hotel in SCL for them. I don't see why they shouldn't in this case, but maybe my faith in QF is too high?

Is LSC-SCL on a QF or LA flight number?

 

[RichardMEL]

It's one of these tricky situation. LA changed the flight yes, but also you accepted QF's offered change (because no choice really). I think QF need to liase with LA to sort something out. Problem is you call or talk to LA and they say "Well you changed your booking" and will probably try to weedle out of it and say take it up with QF(which you did).

this is one of those super annoying situations where either carrier can pass the buck to the other and you end up with nothing. I can see that happening. Hope the SST or QF Res can do more than just putting you o a flight the night before.

 

[juddles]

Is LSC-SCL on a QF or LA flight number?

LA number - no codeshare there even though QF sell the ticket.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Something similar happened to me last year with a CX flight changed booked via Qantas. In the end I had to accept the altered flight and lost a day of my trip. It wasn't a huge deal to me as I was away for several months and the change was notified well before hand. But I can understand the grief it could cause, especially if given little notification.

 

[dajop]

It has been sorted out, Qantas notified of a change to their customer on behalf of LATAM and Qantas as the booking agent changed their flight to another one.

If there was a schedule changed that caused an overnight, surely some if not most travel agents would, if asked by the passenger, at least try to intervene by contacting their airline rep or industry number to at least find out if overnight accommodation could be provided? Especially for their repeat customers.

 

[Boca68]

Hi @juddles , I hear your pain, have encountered similar on one or two occasions. But, I think you are out of luck. It's certainly not QF's responsibility in the first instance. And upon calling LATAM, you will get the response, 'ticketed through 3rd party, we don't accept liability". It will be a merry-go-round of blame shifting. The P1 team won't be much help, but certainly worth a try at first.

Only thing I can think of, which I've done myself before, is in this case call QF cancel/delete the LSC-SCL leg only, Then book one way with SKY. I've used SKY (H2) usually quite cheap, a quick search I see fares for $50 - 65 USD one way. It's a bit left field, but you get were you want to g o You probably won't get anything back , but you will make QF28.

Edit: I don't see any AM flights LSC-SCL , Latam or others? Which flight did they change you to?

 

[oz_mark]

Where QF is the ticketing airline and the other airline is oneWorld, there are a few more options than if it is not oneWorld. Even so, if there is no suitable flight that day...

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Difficult one here. My heart says, "The SST will do what it can to accommodate you (no pun intended) and help out or at least go the extra mile," My head says, "Each airline will blame the other."

 

[juddles]

Thank you everyone for your views - that grounded me. In the end I sent email to the P1 team and they have advised they will help me with the accommodation. Given the opinions here, and my lucky status, i am sure that in general this would not have been covered. A small benefit from holding P1, even though it cost me .......

 

[docjames]

Help you (pay for you) or help you (find and then you pay)?

Typically in this situation, any airline is likely to re-route or amend flights, but wont typically cover ancillary costs brought on by the change (I refer to them as "ground expenses").

The other option perhaps to avoid a terrible layover may have been to get QF to negotiate with LA to re-route you via LIM and LAX onto a QF flight from LAX.