Flight time and class downgrade without notice

[OzEire]

Today as I was checking my account for the exact departure time of my upcoming booking (while sorting out the hotel), when I opened the page I was shocked to see that the original flight was recorded as "already flown" and a new flight had been added - with different flight times and a J to Y downgrade!

No communication from VA on the issue. I wouldn't have known about it had I not checked the booking.

This is pretty poor IMHO, the very least VA could have done is to get in touch and offer options for a WP pax flying J (or anyone for that matter, but you see my point).

What should I expect from VA when I call about this ?

 

[Deleted member 29185]

What should I expect from VA when I call about this ?

They will give you other options. You decide what you want prior to ringing them and in my experience, they will alter to suit (ie. look at all the beneficial routes for SC accumulation if required).

I do however agree totally that this sort of coughpy service (not the sub, more the lack of notification) really sucks and VA definitely display LCC traits when confronted with fairly basic expectations. This was prevalent when they first switched to Sabre but I thought they would have woken up to the fact alterations without telling anyone is not just unacceptable as far as the pax is concerned, it's just plain stupid for any airline who wants minimal disruption. Others have suggested previously that they don't tell pax in case they want to change you again. Tell everyone at T-?? once, rather than multiple change notifications........

 

[pythonisman]

What should I expect from VA when I call about this ?

I encountered a very similar situation (albeit no downgrade) earlier this year when I was flying to the USA and my flight was cancelled due to a 777 out for unscheduled heavy maintenance.
No proactive contact, email or call (ever) as a plat flying J (sure it was a points upgrade, but still!).
They bumped me to a flight via Brisbane the next day. I called up and explained I was going for a conference and I couldn't fly the next day, and I was given a spiel about how I couldn't change my flight because I was on a points upgrade.

I stood my ground and they said they'd get back to me. They called me back fairly quickly and I ended up flying a day earlier than originally planned, still in J and via BNE, and after a few emails/ back and forths VA picked up the tab for my extra hotel night in Vegas and food and beverages for the extra day (as they should).

I ended up sitting next to a VA GM on the flight over and gave him plenty of feedback about how I'd received no notification of the change and he was receptive to it, but VA still never proactively called or emailed which I thought was ridiculous.

Not sure if you'll be in the same situation, but that was my experience...

 

[serfty]

About a year ago I had a situation when booked on an award VA*EY business, AUH to MEL that I was rerouted without warning to depart 12 hours later to BNE and then to MEL - BNE to MEL was in economy!

There seemed to be no reason for the reroute; the agent I spoke to with a call to Velocity "Platinum" result in being accommodated back on the original flight. The CSA indicated that EY had made the change.

 

[carwashhair]

Another similar experience here with the dread "already flown" message (which I only found out through checking my booking every couple of weeks). VA award flights booked in Y+ transiting through AKL were changed without warning, leading to the connecting flight being changed to one 23hrs later (turned out the re-scheduled flight left 40mins between international flights, thus inside minimum connection time).

Since I had accom and activities already booked, I called the Gold GCC and insisted on flying on the original date booked, and in the original class, or better. Took a while to fix but was firm and polite, and was able to be re-booked on a NZ flight in J. I was happy with the outcome, but feel a proactive approach would really head off any of these issues arising. As swanning_it says above: You decide what you want prior to ringing them and they will alter to suit.