It's always worth contacting GD's office if the issue has merit especially as the OP was effectively ignored/messed around by Customer Relations. This sort of behaviour is a poor showing for a carrier which claims to be a premium carrier. Who cares whether the fare was discounted! Most of us travel on discounted fares, even many business travellers use A, D & C fares (sometimes even I!).

Again, what was the segment on which you were downgraded?

The segment was SYD-JNB. QF substituted aircraft at the last minute with no F cabin.

Keep us updated on the outcome of this sAAul.

Perhaps it being an AONE4 fare is a complicating factor with the rules on what happens when there is no first class cabin.

That was important, since if the flight was ex EU, downgrade rights/levels of compensation are enshrined in regulation. Since this was not the case, the point is moot.

Well it appears Qantas are using this rule against you
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NOTE: For flights where First or Business Class is not offered or available, passengers may travel in a lower Class, in the applicable booking code for that lower Class. The fare for the highest Class used applies, without compensation.
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However it's now up to you to throw that rule back at them as it's very gray. I interpret that as when booking the ticket, if a particular flight doesn't offer a certain class, it's my own choice to accept a lower class. But it doesn't mention what happens if there is an aircraft change like what you had. The rule says "not offered or available" - well when you booked it obviously was offered and available and QF should really offer a part refund.

FWIW I'm having a similar argument with LAN.

Exactly!

When booking a A/DONEx (or A/DGLOBnn etc.) one chooses whether or not to travel in a lower (or higher where applicable) class cabin at the time of booking.

For an airline to substitute equipment that does not support the cabin originally booked should be (and IMHO, is) completely different.

I don't see that it is different. The service was changed such that the highest offered cabin is business class and was accommodated in the business cabin. Under the fare rules, QF is perfectly correct in that there is no compensation.

If he wanted to travel in 1st in this instance, would need to speak to the airline at the time and ask to be rebooked onto another service that offered it which may have been a day later


Dave

Not sure if it helps the OP, but my wife and I were downgraded from F to J on an AONE with BA due to a staffing issue, and they gave us 1000 GBP each on prepaid credit cards. Got it at check-in, too, when they explained the downgrade.

It is important on how much notice the OP was/has been given about the downgrade. If at booking or with significant notice (4 weeks?) it is (in effect) a voluntary downgrade.

If it occurs (or the customer is informed) at check-in then it is an Involuntary downgrade!

BA have no real choice in this as they are an EU carrier and are subject to EU regulations which provide for 75% of the "fare" as compensation on long haul flights (in such cases), anywhere in the world.

Qantas are only subject to this on flights out of the EU.

The difference is if the pax chooses to ticket even though the class allowed by the fare is not available, vs the airline taking away a paid for class after ticketing.

I agree some compensation is warranted and/or change to other suitable flight in at least the cabin paid for. Otherwise there is nothing to stop airlines downgrading every leg for everyone on first or business class fare. I expect you would not be happy to be thus affected.

There is no difference whether the airline changes the flight before or after the ticket is issued.

I have had situation this year where I had a full F going back to UK and CX close to departure removed F from the SYD-HKG service I was booked on. I noticed since I was checking my booking a week before departure and so I had to choose between staying on that flight in J or finding another option.

I elected to rebook on another flight, albeit having to go via Melbourne rather than the more conveniant SYD-HKG.

The situation would have been the same if I had only found out at check in time. I doubt that there would have been any fare difference to refund if I had chosen to stay on the booked flight

Dave