How Much Power Do Airlines Hold?

900dollaridoos on 22/02/2022 - 15:01
Last edited 22/02/2022 - 16:54 by 1 other user

Genuine question as much as it may read like a complaint due to me reaching the 2 hours mark on hold.

I've had the return for my multi leg (Cairo>Dubai>Singapore>Bris>Rural QLD) trip altered by Qantas. All legs were booked at once through Qantas, so no 3rd party involved, although some legs are Emirates.

I got a "friendly message to tell me of a small change" this morning that involves an additional 24 hrs layover in Singapore, which has a flow on effect if causing an additional 2 days to my date arriving at home. Aside from causing 2 days of additional annual leave waste and pissing off my employer, the long layover in Singapore will be awkward since I'm not allowed to use any of the facilities there due to visiting a dodgy country (Yemen) prior.

Most annoying part is, if I go on the flight planner there's actually an option that eliminates the Singapore leg entirely and even saves me a few hours compared to the original ticket I booked… it just costs an 1500 bucks.

So, can Qantas refuse to change to the better flight and force me to pay an extra $1500 all because they bailed on their original plan I purchased?

Side note, is the call centre designed for phycological warfare? Quiet music followed by loud distorted voices saying greetings that sound like someone has actually picked up, just to get your hopes up every 3 minutes.

Travel

Comments

  • CrowReally on 22/02/2022 - 15:08
    +1

    If you want to fly you're basically stuck with them, it's a monopoly.

    • HeWhoKnows on 23/02/2022 - 09:44

      Airline are changing flight schedules all the time at present
      Hence nothing new with OPs post except the higher risks and complications associated with COVID-19

  • boomramada on 22/02/2022 - 15:09
    +1

    Short answer is Yes, they can refuse. But you can try ask.

    • rmh876 on 22/02/2022 - 17:26

      I spent 3 hours waiting on hold for them yesterday, informed me they can only rebook me onto the one flight recommended. My partner’s app allows him more flexibility, I raised this…. The call operator said she’ll log an IT request. Hour later she’s changed the flight to the only one requested 🤦‍♂️ awful after sales. Swiss & Qatar call wait was 5min!

      • boomramada on 22/02/2022 - 19:04

        Qantas should be still better than Telstra and Virgin. I feel for you but it's covid side affects. Good luck.

  • RockyRaccoon on 22/02/2022 - 15:16
    -1

    Welcome back to the world of international travel.

    You can just add it to your stories about, pickpockets, cranky customs officials, bribery, taxi rip-offs that all well heeled travellers have in their biographies.

    Dont like being inconvenienced every now and again, and believe the world will revolve around you, then stay at home. The romance of travel truly only exists in facebook posts.

    Wait until you are bumped off a flight at midnight in a foreign country when the pilot decides freight gives a better revenue to the airline.

    • 900dollaridoos on 22/02/2022 - 15:25
      +4

      See you actually raise a good point. I was pretty much ready for the petty crime etc. that comes with visiting the third world for this trip, but didn't expect it to come from the smiling first world facilitator.

      Also expecting an agreed service worth thousands of dollars to be upheld or at least optimally managed by a billion dollar corporation is hardly expecting the "world to revolve around me". What kinda of boot licking nonsense is that??

      • RockyRaccoon on 22/02/2022 - 15:38

        It wasn’t meant personally, just like disruptions on international travel happen especially now in Covid restrictive times.

        I am trying to tell you, chill, international travel is like that even in normal times. Getting stressed won’t help.

    • Muzeeb on 22/02/2022 - 15:35
      +2

      when the pilot decides freight gives a better revenue to the airline.

      That's not a pilots job.

      • RockyRaccoon on 22/02/2022 - 15:40
        -1

        Was for Virgin Aust, according to their gate agents as expressed to 6 others stuck at the same time 5 years ago.

        • BHR on 22/02/2022 - 15:53
          +2

          Their gate agent lied to you.

          Pilot doesn’t decide what’s more profitable. Decision making is mostly limited to how much fuel goes on (which could limit the amount of weight left for passengers or cargo… but if that’s the case the company decides what’s the priority, not the pilot).

        • Muzeeb on 22/02/2022 - 16:19
          +1

          You were fed BS for sure.

          Just like every airline delay is blamed on air traffic control.

          • RockyRaccoon on 22/02/2022 - 16:42
            -1

            @Muzeeb: Point taken guys, and the OP expects to get good info from the call centre…

  • djkelly69 on 22/02/2022 - 15:32

    Have a read in the QFF forum on AFF. Happening a heap at the moment. Resolutions seem to vary greatly, and even then the O/S call centres seem to be f'ing things up or booking things you aren't allowed to do.

    The worst part is literally not being able to speak with the Aus/NZ call centres at the moment unless you are Platinum. This makes it basically impossible to get a reasonable resolution, because they are the only ones who actually know what they are doing.

    • 900dollaridoos on 22/02/2022 - 15:34

      Damn, yeah I had heard advice to find someone with platinum and get them to call. Unlucky for us scrubs haha

  • ausdday on 22/02/2022 - 15:42

    Just curious, are you calling Cairo Qantas or Australia Qantas?

    http://airlineshq.com/ticket_offices/qantas/cairo.htm

    perhaps you can try the other one:
    Cairo Office Contact Information
    Tel: +202 269 081 66
    Office Hours: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Sunday to Thursday)
    Closed on Friday, Saturday and Public Holidays.
    Airport Name: Cairo International Airport

    HEAD OFFICE (HQ) TEL NUMBER EMAIL
    Qantas Airways
    10 Bourke Road
    Mascot NSW 2020
    Australia Tel: +61 2 9691 3636
    Tel: +61 2 8222 2439
    Reservations: 13 13 13
    (24x7, call from Australia only)

    • ausdday on 22/02/2022 - 15:44

      Another possibility is to check whether Cairo Airport has Qantas ticketing counter or not?

  • p1 ama on 22/02/2022 - 16:43

    The way it works with airlines is that there are the business travellers with platinum status, their companies purchasing business class fares and flex fares, who are treated well because they're literally million dollar books, then there's everyone else.

    Easy to understand what's going on - they've sold you a leg they can't sell to anyone else, and you even paid more for it. They're not going to easily allow you to change to a more favourable leg they can sell easily.

    Not the most helpful advice, but to minimise headaches, I'd just avoid transfers. No reason to do "Dubai>Singapore>Bris>Rural QLD" when you could easily do the DXB -> BNE.

    • 900dollaridoos on 22/02/2022 - 19:52

      Initially Singapore was the only option back when I booked. I'm trying to swap them now

  • popsiee on 22/02/2022 - 16:45

    Nice OP someone eventually needs to pay part of the Covid bill.

  • rektrading on 22/02/2022 - 16:46
    +3

    The best way to get back at Qantas is to tell family, friends and social media how 💩 they're. There is nothing more satisfying than sticking it to businesses that treat customers like 💩.

    Well, they could go bankrupt like Ansett.

    • afah0447 on 23/02/2022 - 15:13
      +1

      Qantas is too connected politically to ever go out of business. They were bailed out to the tune of billions during covid lockdowns. Literally the govt just handed them billions and said we will keep you going whilst you have no customers, no need to pay us back.

      • Alligate on 25/02/2022 - 08:23

        Source? Are you mostly talking about Job Keeper?

        I dont necessarily disagree but it's a bit misleading to suggest that is isolated to qantas

  • djones145 on 22/02/2022 - 17:30
    +1

    invent teleportation and then you can laugh in their faces!

  • HairyChickens on 22/02/2022 - 17:41

    You can always swim

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