henkybaby

Maybe they are upset the merger did not go through or maybe there is some other reason but today I was told that BA Gold is not that important to Qantas.

I am on the QF150 (LAX-SYD) tonight and I fly First. Not 'real' First (according to the lady at checkin) but 'poor First'. (In other words: not F but A). How do I know? Well, I tried to get myself moved to the QF12 (A380) which has plenty of availability in R and F (8 seats open).

The story started Wednesday afternoon when the QF help desk in the US told me that there should be no problem switching flights at the airport since there was so much availability anyways. I was happy and celebrated New Years in Vegas with some extra champagne.

Upon arrival at LAX (early as advised) the whole world changed.

To cut a long story short: No Go!

Staff at the airport has to call 'middle management' to OK this. They did so right in front of me. Middle management (God bless them) probably also had a hangover and decided no. Why?

• "You're only an A fare" (It is only an airplane, it is not called the R380 now, is it?)
• "You're only BA Gold, not QF Plat" (Er... As far as OW is concerned I am doing pretty good I thought)
• "We are very protective of our product" (That somewhat felt like an insult... As if I was somehow going to degrade their product by being on board.)

Mind you: I know the rules. I know the reasons. But still. If the flight gets downgraded to a 747 they always argue that the ticket only gives the right to transportation, not to a certain plane or type. Why is that not true the other way around.

Also I am a little annoyed that the USA desk told me to be on the airport on time to get the flight changed meaning I am now in the lounge in stead of having dinner somewhere nice...

However, I still have a chance. The (actually very nice) lady at check in is going to give it another try 1,5 hrs prior to departure. Maybe 'middle management' will then start to appreciate BA Gold members flying on paid inventory, even if it is 'only in A'.

Thanks for letting me rant.

I do want to add that the ground staff at LAX are the nicest people and that I honestly feel they did their best. But somehow Qantas got confused and actually lets middle management take decisions. Where will it end?

I will keep you posted. And I will do that here since I am flying on BA stock (AONE6) and feel mistreated as a BA passenger.

Radioman

Hi
Well I hope you get sorted out and someone helps. I can only say that I found Qantas so helpful last month when I was flying with them, even though I was booked in the cheapest eco ticket I could find they did treat me well and I received everything that I would expect as a BA Gold.

Hope to read a good outcome from your trip.

Regards
J

Kiwi Flyer

If there is no availability in your booking class then your only option is to upgrade. No different to me wanting to fly a later JNB-LHR flight the other day but I could not as there was plenty of availability in full fare business but not the discounted business I was ticketed in. Oh yes this as QF WP. I wasn´t disappointed because I know the rules.

There is no discrimination here. It is not a OW benefit to release availability in booking classes where there is no availability.

PS your FT profile says BA silver not gold

Fraser

I don't see the problem. Your RTW ticket is in A class and QF don't have A on the A380. Singapore Airlines have done the same thing with their A380 product. No miles bookings or RTW in Suites on their product either.

I'm afraid the Qantas US helpdesk gave you false hope.

henkybaby

Please understand my 'rant' correctly. I understand and know the rules. I was very happy that the USA QF help desk told me that it would not be a problem to bend those rules since the load factor was so low. I was overjoyed even. They specifically told me that A class would become available within 24 hrs of departure but that there was no saying when exactly. Best thing I could do was to show up at the airport in plenty of time. So I did.

Now I was talking to QF here...

I forgot to mention there was a note made in my booking that I had called and what they had advised me. My problem is the complete lack of understanding by 'middle management'. The ground staff understood. I was misinformed (by QF) and therefore (as a First class passenger and yes, also as an OW Emerald) I expected a little more consideration from that same middle management.

The arguments that followed after I protested that I was indeed misinformed by QF and not trying to BS my way onto the plane were what I was annoyed by. Nothing more, nothing less.

And yes, I am BA Gold. I do not update my status here the minute it changes. Sorry. I'll do it now.

PS: I was also waitlisted for the flight. How can you be waitlisted for a flight on a ticket that will never ever ever get you on that flight? Also I have heard from other RTW travellers that sometimes QF does allow A fares on their new baby. They even said so themselves 'now if you had been a QF Plat'... THAT was why I mentioned that BA Gold is not as important to them as QF Plat...

And I am really just disappointed. Don't read too much into it. Still a bummer.

number_6

A inventory LAX-SYD is pretty difficult to get most of the time, A380 or no A380. Even as WP (higher than BA Gold in your description) it is difficult. So do not feel slighted. QF has a long tradition of flying with empty F seats -- and leaving standby A and award F pax behind. This has been forever so (at least the past decade). Unlikely to change. And yes, the phone reps always try to put a brave face on it and tell you that you can standby at the airport. Of course you can; and you did. Sometimes standbys do clear, but more often than not the seats fly empty. When I'm in the F cabin, I'm happy to see empty seats; not so happy when I am on the standby list. But this is life, and your BA Gold status had nothing to do with it. If you don't like it, buy R and avoid the problem. But of course that costs a lot more (I don't buy it either; but have managed to get several award F tickets on the A380 instead ... ironic that I cannot pay A to QF to fly it, but can do so for FF currency).

ps. the BA Eurogold thing has really watered down the product, since QF knows how easy it is to get BA Gold at times. But BA does the same thing to QF -- no Arrival lounge access at LHR for WPs, only for BA Golds.

number_6

Thank god we are in Oneworld; QF does make awards available for A380 F (unlike SQ). I have several to prove it (and I wasn't even trying). QF does severely restrict A inventory at all times, and more so on the A380 than 744s. Some days of the week never have inventory, so which day you travel is also a consideration for A.

henkybaby

Again: I have no problem with the rule, but with the execution. The CSD is as much a companies representative as the middle management is. I don't mind flying First on a 747. I never expected the R380. What I do object to is that I wasted 7 hrs of my day because QF cannot inform me properly. I did mention that this misinformation was actually in my booking and still 'middle management' did nothing?

henkybaby

PS: A inventory on LAX-SYD is easy. With 2 747s a day there is 17 left for today, 16 for tomorrow and so on.

Fraser

I stand corrected.

I thought QF WPs did get access (judging by the sign outside the T4 Arrivals) or is it only when arriving from Australia?

henkybaby

I am slightly bewildered by the way QF handles this 'issue'. Although I agree that I have no right to change to the Q12 I do believe I have a right to be treated as a First class passenger.

At check in they assured me that they would contact me one hour prior to departure to let me know if the change had been approved or not. "Don't worry sir, we will make the lounge staff come find you!".

When I went to find to lounge staff 45 minutes prior to departure instead it turns out that nobody informed them of anything and that the flight is (obviously) closed for boarding. Again: a brush off story by QF staff to get me of their back??

I assure you: I am a friendly, quiet kind of guy who asks things politely. No high horses, no demanding, no DYKWIA type at all. It is because of this I am baffled by the whole handling of this. A simple: 'we tried but failed' would have sufficed...

elitetraveler

I usually have great experiences with QF in the air flying Europe-Asia, however, I also had an unpleasant experience with QF ground staff at LAX traveling on a OW RTW in A that was incorrectly booked by BA into the QF LAX-JFK segment on a direct connection from CX (it has to be QF to QF).

That said, the QF representative was particularly unhelpful and quite condescending. I was actually at the FL with AA issued BP for the QF LAX-JFK flight when he paged me to inform me he was offloading me about one hour prior to departure.

He could care less I had flown LHR-SIN on QF on the same ticket, so I wasn't some OW lice trying to steal a ride on his airline. All in all, it wasn't about the rules, it was about the attitude.

adrianjc32

QF decided that they did not want to pay for it anymore. The Arrivals lounge is not a part of the Oneworld network.

ba273

Do you not think that maybe the person who took your initial call simply didn't realise that the flight you wanted to transfer on to was that evening operated by an A380. And that if it had been a 744 it wouldn't have been a problem.

I'm sure everyone of us has made a mistake whether it's giving somebody directions or advice - that's life.

And as for BA Gold not counting on Qanats, I'm sure people would be maoning if QF passengers got preference over BA passengers on BA planes. The OWA is not as good as it could be, look at the difference in carry on allowances! it differs for each carrier in the same cabin.

It's the same the world over people with status on the carrier their flying on will always get preference.

Let's be honest *one fares, whether A or D are fantastic value, I've flown from Syd - Lax on my last RTW trip, and the price of that one flight was probably more than I paid for the RTW ticket. I'm not suprised Qantas restrict access to the A380. I'm a BA Gold, but for my forthcoming flight to EZE BA will not carry me as they say because I'm starting from ARN I paid too little for the ticket, so I have to go with IB. That's life, I still get to where I want to go.

It was just unfortunate, that's all.

TheAAdmiral

[QUOTE=

I assure you: I am a friendly, quiet kind of guy who asks things politely. No high horses, no demanding, no DYKWIA type at all. It is because of this I am baffled by the whole handling of this. A simple: 'we tried but failed' would have sufficed...[/QUOTE]

Henky. I enjoy your photos on airliners.net and hope to see this trip online soon.

Safe Travels and Happy New Year!