Quantas is telling me they won't refund my tickets even with a doctor's note. They say they don't have to follow the policies of American airlines - that they can do what they want. They won't change for a fee. They won't apply to other tickets. Nothing! Can they do this? $924USD!!!!!

to my knowledge they (legally) can do this. Don't you have any travel insurance? A year's coverage including cancelled travel arrangements (because of illness, accidents) etc etc costs me about SFr 170 = US$ 120). TCS = Touring Club Switzerland provides this kind of coverage (TCS is what AAA is in the US).

If you paid by Credit Card, have a word with the card issuer, they normally indemnify you against such losses.
MF

Did you buy your ticket through a travel agent? If so, they should go to bat for you. If not, find the nearest QF sales office (not ticket office -- sales office) and have a chat with them.

You might mention that everyone on FT is interested in the outcome.

And Rudi's suggestion is EXCELLENT...

...don't hold your breath for a formal response from Quantas. I took a trip in November, full First fare (grrr) and a change was made on the return to an alternate destination. In asking the Quantas agent at the LAX counter if there was any increase or decrease in the fare, she typed a few keys and replied that it was an even exchange. Since my original ticket had me connecting in LAX to CO for my trip to IAH and my change was connecting with AA on a QF code-share to DFW, I thought that strange and looked up the fare myself in Saabre when I got home - they lied! The fare was $1100 less. My corporate travel agent that booked the tix called Quantas and was told to put the issue in writing and that they would respond. It's now Feb and they are telling me at least another 3 weeks. I gave Quantas $11K for airline tickets and this is how they manage the relationship with their customers - amazing.

Perhaps it is just the criminal bent of the Australians at work - remember why they were sent there in the first place!
MF

Merry, don't go there, we're trying to keep FT free of xenophobia - and your remark was definitely uncalled for - a few points about the British come to mind but I'll restrain myself.

MM: English! But you can say what you like about the British (or English).

As for Xenaphobia, did what I said imply a hatred or fear of Australians? I don't think so. Please don't let your own sensitivities allow things to turn from light humour to abuse.

Remember this? - from the "Just for Merry" thread...

hnechets posted 02-02-99 06:16 PM MST (US)

Guys and Gals:

Feel free to flame me for this, but...

Can we get off *serious* nationalism? Merry is a tough nut, to be sure, but his posts are not (to my interpretation, at least) meant to be 100% serious. We can yank each other's chain, to besure, but when it starts getting serious, I think it's time to lighten up.

Please Flyerfolk, let's not lose a precious opportunity to learn from each other in a non-threatening manner!

You are ALL da best!

In all humility,
-Harry

Abiding:

Your QF Sales Rep is: John Owen PHONE - 800-227-4399

DuhWane:

Your QF Sales Rep is: Mark Hawley PHONE 800 227 4293

If it were me, I'd pester them.

Hope this helps...

Merry is on the right track. The clue is to go back to our national origins - a nation whose proud founding fathers were either from convicts and British officers. Neither really respected the rules: one broke 'em, the other re-wrote them, as they liked. Look at the very name QANTAS -- breaks the grammatical rule that a U always follows a Q! Australians don't care, they like it! Abiding and Duhwane: be pleasantly persistent, and keep a sense of fun - that way you can win the game in the end, and enjoy the process. Go get 'em, mates!

P.s. Actually QANTAS is the abbreviation of Queensland And Northern Territory Air Services. QANTAS is the second oldest airline in the world, after KLM, and it has never had any revenue passengers killed in a crash of its aircraft. If safety is your top priority, the record stands unblemished, and unrivalled. It also had the first round-the-world service flying Super Constellations. So don't let a counter agent turn you off what is actually quite a good airline!

Having heard all the nice things about QANTAS, one must note however, that they are the only airline in the world (to my knowledge) that charges a $20 account keeping fee for their FF a/c, not to mention their joining up fee.

By all means fly with them but give serious consideration to another FF program. I wish we had some real competition here in Australia to stop Qantas doing things like this.

cheers peter

(An Australian but frankly one who is not very impressed with Qantas just at the minute)

Dear all

I have just sent the following email to Qantas. Others may wish to do the same.

cheers Peter







Hi

I just thought you may be interested to read
about a discussion that is going on a
Internet bulletin board at the moment

The internet reference is

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/000777.html

May I preface my remarks by saying that I
have flown on Qanats just once and found
your service to be very good and the flight
quite enjoyable. It is a shame to see the
good name of your airline tarnished
by the some of the allegatiosn that are
flying around.

It appears as though you have applied the
strict letter of the law in relation to
a cancelled airfare. You are entitled to
do this but you are buying yourself a lot of
bad publicity in the process.

How about doing the right thing and being a
little lenient on the chap.

I might add that I am taking my first Qantas
international flight this March (I have just
booked). I have flown a bit before with
Ansett both domestically and internationally
and they have always shown themselves to
be reasonable in these sorts of situations.

If you can't bring yourself to refund the
chap's fare how about at least offering
him an opportunity to switch the flight
to another date or destination?

Finally I note that the discussion has also
thrown up a separate (and more serious
allegation of lying by Qantas staff). Whilst
I would be surprised if this was true and I
feel it is a matter you should clear up at
the earliest opportunity.

These matters are being aired on a website
that has thousand of readers per day. I am
sure that if your Managing Director saw
these comments he would have a fit.

Thanking you for your patience.

cheers peter

[This message has been edited by Rudi (edited 02-09-99).]

This discussion really should be under Qantas, otherwise the Buzz just becomes huge. Guess that all we can ask of each other is that we try to use the relevant airline, if at all possible -- even though often there are broader issues involved.
p.s. Qantas has only foreshadowed a FF admin. fee of Australian $20 once every 2 years, to apply from next July onward, to apply to those who do not have any elite status. It is a try-on. Let us also object to that imposition?