Sorry! But I just feel compelled to get everyone's opinion on the matter!

Friend flew in J DXB-YYZ this week. Headphone port broken so could not listen to IFE. Apparently a few other people were having a problem and system was reset to no avail.

Friend was not amused (I'd be livid if it happened to me... I don't bring my own entertainment on EK flights because the IFE is so good) and is writing a letter.

IME, demanding something concrete usually works better than just sending off an angry email. Does EK usually give vouchers / miles / anything for these sorts of situations? Is there a 'going rate'? Friend wants to write the letter to vent I think but I am hoping she can get something too for the inconvenience. If not then oh well!!

Thanks!

The only time I've had EK offer any compensation (miles) is in case of delays of 7+ hours.

Delayed baggage, cancelled flights, missed connections, broken IFE, etc... gets you a form letter from CASA and nothing more.

I got 3000 miles for sitting in a seat which was soaked with urine. All I wanted was an apology.

I've got 5,000 miles for broken IFE (flying economy) and 15,000 miles for a chauffeur showing up late on a substandard car (flying first).

The first one came without me even complaining, apparently an apology and compensation was automagically given for all skywards members on that flight as the IFE was down for the whole plane.

The second one was a response to a letter, even if I didn't make any demands but merely pointed out that the standard of chauffeur drive in that destination has been less than expected for some time and that maybe Emirates should consider looking into it.

Instead of demanding compensation it may be more productive to merely point out that there was a problem which introduced considerable inconvenience and that you would appreciate if the consumer affairs looked into it. That implies that you expect compensation but saves the staff from having to deal with unnecessary ranting which is likely to make them sympathetic towards your cause instead of putting them on a defensive. That is assuming that the objective is to get compensation instead of anger management.

Interesting. I had a chauffeur no show on an F booking (in Dubai) because whoever I spoke to while booking the chauffeur drive messed it up. It was only when I called EK standing on the street at 1 am that I found out there was a mix up. I wrote to them asking for a reimbursement of my cab fare, they offered that and 5,000 miles. The money never showed up, but I didn't really bother beyond a couple of emails as it wasn't worth the time and effort. Now, I wonder why some people get 15k miles and others get 5k.

For broken IFE, I'd say 5k in Y, 10k in J and 15k in F is around what you should expect.

Ethnicity. Simple as that.

Lets not go there.

There could be a number of circumstances, but I was quite surprised of the level of compensation myself. Didn't really expect anything. I wouldn't go on blaming ethnicities [are you guys making assumptions of my ethnic background here?] but merely the discretionary components in the determination of compensation.

At that time, there had been a couple of other minor incidents that I also noted in my email, I was in the middle of a seriously hectic flying schedule with quite a few intercontinental flights booked in F, and I also suspect that on that route (which is one of my very regular routes) EK is working extra hard to cut into the marketshare of SQ and QF so they might be more willing to appear generous just to stop frequent flyers from being seduced by the dark side. Maybe in Dubai the competition is not that intense so they get away with less.

I agree. I think there's a range of possibilities such as your status at the time, the length of the flight or, perhaps more importantly, the fare you paid.

Recently complained to Emirates re the last leg of my trip into Glasgow. Kept on plane for 2 hours on arrival at Glasgow plus never got baggage for two days (no one got it due to them having difficulty opening the hold).

Was told that as it was force majeure, they wouldn't do anything - and that I should consult with my travel insurer.

Got mishaps like that, too. Say, can not land in MEL so have to fly to SYD and wait for the fog to clear. No compensation on those ones other than meal vouchers while waiting at SYD. That is, to my knowledge, pretty standard throughout the industry.