Hello - I've just had a horrible and increasingly ridiculous flight from London to Wellington (NZ) with Quantas, and wanted to ask what the best way of making a complaint is, what I should ask for and expect from them. Any experience in this would be helpful!! Ok, here goes.

I was due to fly QF02 London to Sydney on Saturday evening, arriving Monday morning, and then connect on a direct flight to Wellington arriving Monday afternoon. I'm travelling economy for business with two colleagues (all on separate bookings). Were due to start work on Tuesday in Wellington - the fit-up of a touring theatre show.

QF02 was delayed twelve hours due to a defective engine. We were informed at checkin in Heathrow. We were offered a hotel, but I took the option of having my transport paid and went back home, returning in the morning. I need to sort out reimbursement with their customer service dept, which I haven't yet done.

The delayed flight was then fine, we had an hour in Dubai, and left the plane in Sydney at 7pm Monday. We were informed that we'd have to overnight in Sydney and then fly to Wellington Tuesday morning as we were too late to get a connection. All fine so far. These things happen. Then....

At the gate in Sydney, everything is chaos. Despite having the entire of Monday to sort this out, there are no handy little packages waiting at the gate (like I've had from Virgin before). Instead, a couple of hundred people have to try and queue to speak to three Quantas reps, with no direction, signage etc.

After half an hour of queueing, we finally reach the front my two colleagues are handed their hotel reservations and told that they'll be on the QF161 to Wellington the next morning. There no records for me, and no booking. I'm not on the rep's list - speak to someone else. After disembarking the plane at 7pm, I finally leave the airport at 8.45, being told that I'll be staying at the Novotel and flying via Auckland the next day, thus spending the whole day travelling and missing my first day of work entirely! I arrive at the hotel to find everyone who left the gate before me, since Quantas haven't actually rung Novotel to tell them who is coming. More waiting while the hotel rep tries to get in touch with the gate staff. I eventually get to bed.

Tuesday morning, back at the airport, the staff direct me around the kiosk system, which obviously doesn't work as I no longer have a booking ref for my new tickets. Finally speak to someone at check in, who says that nobody has associated my new ticket with my passport, so off to customer service for some more queueing. They check me in at the business desks next to customer service, tagging my bags to Wellington, and I go on and fly to Auckland.

Auckland requires a terminal change to the domestic Jetstar terminal, who ask where my bag is. Apparently, it's impossible to have a bag tagged through to Wellington as its switching from international to domestic, and that I won't get it when I arrive in Wellington. Its too late for me to go collect it from the international terminal, so I have to board. In Wellington, Jetstar repeat the same sentiments - that Quantas Sydney shouldn't have checked my bag through, and that they'll try and sort it out.

So, it's wednesday, I'm in Wellington with no suitcase, and I'm waiting on Jetstar calling me when it arrives (some point today, apparently). I'll have to go back to the airport and collect it when it does (the company I'm working for here will actually sort this out).

What should I expect Quantas to do about all this? Obviously, the initial delay isn't really the issue - they've offered accommodation and got me here as soon as they could. The issues are the terrible waits at the gate, the incompetence at sorting out the hotel, the additional waiting in the morning because nobody bothered to associate the ticket, and the loss of my bag due to stupidity by the Syndey Quantas check-in crew. I've lost a day at work, and spent hours queuing, and now I'm going to spend my morning attempting to buy toiletries and underwear! What do you think I should do?

Thanks!!