CX "lied" about availability of alternative flight
May 29, 2016 | 9:48 pm
#61
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: UK
Programs: BA EC
Posts: 524
CX categorised their ground staff into many different categories, who usually stay with that category.
In the transfer desk, they are most familiar with what happen on that day. Eg last minute ticket change, re-schedule of on-day flight.
In the ticketing counter (outside restricted area) are familiar with most ticketing issue, like re-booking/re-issue of ticket, that will happen after "today".
In the lounge, they are normal customer service staff, which are not too familiar with everything.
In the transfer desk, they are most familiar with what happen on that day. Eg last minute ticket change, re-schedule of on-day flight.
In the ticketing counter (outside restricted area) are familiar with most ticketing issue, like re-booking/re-issue of ticket, that will happen after "today".
In the lounge, they are normal customer service staff, which are not too familiar with everything.
May 29, 2016 | 11:20 pm
#62
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Hong Kong
Programs: CX, UA, Shangri-La, Hyatt, Starwood
Posts: 8,245
To the OP, I understand how you want to call it a "lie" because it makes your argument more sound. But these things aren't always that simple. Honestly, you could've just had an incompetent ground staff or they really were given wrong information and passed it to you. Unhelpful? Yes. "Lying"? I'd actually doubt it.
CX gave you 10k. To be honest, when I read that, I thought "wow!" I actually thought you would've got nothing.
You live you learn. The guy below has very good advice, which goes along with my experience.
+1. Similar to what I said above, CX lounge staff are simply the wrong people to go to for irrops. If you are used to flying AA I can see the confusion, because their lounge agents are very good at helping pax and have a lot of power to do so, IMO.
CX lounge staff do NOT have this level of autonomy to make material changes to our tickets. Nor are creative irrops help really something they seem to consider a major part of their job. Even if technically feasible, the procedure is call back to someone either airside or the transit desk. This extra layer of approval is just asking for problems.
No matter if you agree or disagree, this is the way CX lounge agents have been in the decade I've been flying. You don't to them with problems. You go to transit desk or airside agents. I have learned the hard way myself Fwiw.
CX gave you 10k. To be honest, when I read that, I thought "wow!" I actually thought you would've got nothing.
You live you learn. The guy below has very good advice, which goes along with my experience.
CX categorised their ground staff into many different categories, who usually stay with that category.
In the transfer desk, they are most familiar with what happen on that day. Eg last minute ticket change, re-schedule of on-day flight.
In the ticketing counter (outside restricted area) are familiar with most ticketing issue, like re-booking/re-issue of ticket, that will happen after "today".
In the lounge, they are normal customer service staff, which are not too familiar with everything.
In the transfer desk, they are most familiar with what happen on that day. Eg last minute ticket change, re-schedule of on-day flight.
In the ticketing counter (outside restricted area) are familiar with most ticketing issue, like re-booking/re-issue of ticket, that will happen after "today".
In the lounge, they are normal customer service staff, which are not too familiar with everything.
CX lounge staff do NOT have this level of autonomy to make material changes to our tickets. Nor are creative irrops help really something they seem to consider a major part of their job. Even if technically feasible, the procedure is call back to someone either airside or the transit desk. This extra layer of approval is just asking for problems.
No matter if you agree or disagree, this is the way CX lounge agents have been in the decade I've been flying. You don't to them with problems. You go to transit desk or airside agents. I have learned the hard way myself Fwiw.
May 30, 2016 | 1:36 am
#63
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,641
The GDS' that the airport staff at the check in / lounges and gates are not the same as CX reservations' systems and therefore are unable to see other airline's availability. OP asked their staff to check for flights. They can only do so on their system first to see if the flight is operating. If they see it then they can check with the reservations department. Now internally, ie airside, there is very little anyone can do since the GDS are meant for check in and boarding services only. The GDS is a generic one - which means it can be used by any airline based on their needs for boarding procedures only. How many times have we asked a gate agent to check on such and such flight (other than the one shown on the board) that they ask you to go ask at the transfer desk per se.
The reason why a gate agent for a particular flight will ask you to go somewhere else if you ask about a different flight is because they are busy working on the flight they are assigned on. If you really insisted, they could get out of their current flight and look up whatever you want them to. But it's a nuisance.
If a gate agent is not trained on reservations, it's possible they don't know how. It's also possible that their sign-in specifically inhibits reservations access, although this would be highly unlikely and unnecessary.
If they didn't know how to use the reservations screen, they should have told the OP to go somewhere where he can get the correct information. Not flat out deny that the MH flight is operating, which is incorrect, whichever way you cut it.
There is also a lot of issues in place ... as his original coupon would have already be in use, the flight must first be unchecked , and then for the ticketing department to reinstate the ticket, then check if the availability on MH is still open. All this has to be done in limited time. Although the passenger said that he will pay for it, why doesn't he just call MH himself and book the ticket. CX can't do that.
I know people who worked at airports in Singapore, HK and YVR. Some with CX, and they tell me that it's not as simple as people think that they can do anything with their GDS. They are severely limited in what they can do.