Virgin Australia Velocity - No airport ticket sales!?

At SYD international. Last minute change of plans and have to buy a walk up ticket. Due to flight times only a V Australia flight fits the schedule. There are no ticket sales at the airport. Now an a very expensive call to the call centre to purchase. Most bizarre- is this normal in OZ? I have never not been able to ticket from an airline at an airport before on several continents....

Corporate TA is asleep, and plans changed enroute to SYD, so town ticket office was not an option.

Internet?

Internet?

Was about to comment that maybe OP doesn't have access. Then realized my obvious mistake.

Looks like it's past my bedtime. :rolleyes:

Don't know about Qantas, but Virgin Australia have never offered ticket sales via the airport, though they will sell paid upgrades (but they still ring the call centre while you're there to verify prices)

There are net kiosks all around Syd Int so that was another option without the call centre surcharge

Don't know about Qantas, but Virgin Australia have never offered ticket sales via the airport, though they will sell paid upgrades (but they still ring the call centre while you're there to verify prices)

There are net kiosks all around Syd Int so that was another option without the call centre surcharge

Interesting.

I went to the service desk when I arrived and was told to go into town to purchase a ticket, after stating I had just come from there, the 'helpful' lady handed me a card with the phone number - absolutely no mention of said kiosks.

While 75% of my flights are sorted in advance the other 25% do require a human and are usually done at the airport prior to boarding. It seems to me those are the types of tickets the airline would want to sell. As for the selling of upgrades, I was told at check in - it could only be done 'on the phone and more than 3 hours before departure'.

All in all, very weird policy that would seem to discourage any sort of business traveller.

Don't know about Qantas, but Virgin Australia have never offered ticket sales via the airport, though they will sell paid upgrades (but they still ring the call centre while you're there to verify prices)

There are net kiosks all around Syd Int so that was another option without the call centre surcharge

Actually in the particular case in question, one of the tickets required (3 hours before flight departure) needed a call centre or human to help as the VA and EY websites only sell simple tickets.

For example, go purchase a ticket from SYD to LHR with a 3 day stop over in AUH. Possible?

Human yes, website no.

It would cost them millions to staff ticket desks, obviously they don't see it as making financial sense (they're a pretty small international operation anyway).

A Total Joke.Never put up with this nonsense back in the Ansett/Australian Era of the late Eighties/Early Nineties You could make the booking over the phone and pick up the ticket at the Airport and pay it for there and then.Now You have to do it online or have three days on your side to arrange the last minute flight changes.

A Total Joke.Never put up with this nonsense back in the Ansett/Australian Era of the late Eighties/Early Nineties You could make the booking over the phone and pick up the ticket at the Airport and pay it for there and then. Ah yes, I remember those days, hot breakfasts in WHY, decent catering in the lounges. As well as extortionate fares.

Dave

A Total Joke.Never put up with this nonsense back in the Ansett/Australian Era of the late Eighties/Early Nineties You could make the booking over the phone and pick up the ticket at the Airport and pay it for there and then.Now You have to do it online or have three days on your side to arrange the last minute flight changes.

Hmm. Give me a choice between being able to book on my phone/ computer/ tablet and being forced to go through that rigmarole and i would gladly take the present option.

That said, i can understand why the OP found it frustrating. Surprised there isn't some sort of arrangement that could be made at the airport if not a full ticket office.