Downgrade compensation
Oct 3, 2012, 1:54 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: KYE
Posts: 4,156
Downgrade compensation
I am booked on the short hop CBR-SYD in business and was surprised today to find that the flight got changed to an ATR.
I tried to change to other flights but it only shows the early morning or late afternoon service options, and these will cost an additional 74 dollars to change to as DJ decided a couple weeks ago to jack up the prices by 20%.
Any recommendations, or if I stick to the ATR service will I get some form of compo?
Thanks
I tried to change to other flights but it only shows the early morning or late afternoon service options, and these will cost an additional 74 dollars to change to as DJ decided a couple weeks ago to jack up the prices by 20%.
Any recommendations, or if I stick to the ATR service will I get some form of compo?
Thanks
Oct 3, 2012, 5:02 pm
#3
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Tasmania, Australia
Programs: M&M SEN, Amex Plat, Club Carlson, Marriott, HHonors & Accor Gold, Velocity Silver, Qantas Bronze
Posts: 3,767
OP, did you consider that perhaps DJ had two options? 1) Cancel that flight completely, or 2) replace it with another aircraft? Which one would be preferable for you? The option 1) would give you better chance for compensation for sure…
Oct 3, 2012, 11:23 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: KYE
Posts: 4,156
The least they could do is ring up affected passengers and offer them either a partial refund, changing to earlier/later service, or putting them on QF (if QF has a flight with Business within +/-1 hr)
Oct 4, 2012, 4:12 am
#7
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Tasmania, Australia
Programs: M&M SEN, Amex Plat, Club Carlson, Marriott, HHonors & Accor Gold, Velocity Silver, Qantas Bronze
Posts: 3,767
Are you serious? Putting you on competing airline??? Come on...
Have you ever been in business class for example on LH intraeuropean flight? Much longer flights than your CBR-SYD... Pleeeeease, get real... BTW, who would pay that amount of money for such a short flight anyway??? Government paid bureaucrat???
Oct 4, 2012, 4:53 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: KYE
Posts: 4,156
As for the later comment about LH, well AU is not EU, and DJ is not LH.
And no I am not a Government paid bureaucrat, more of a spoiled brat :P
Oct 4, 2012, 9:33 am
#9
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: GLA
Programs: AF/KL FB Plat 4L, VA Vel Silver, BA EC, LH M&M
Posts: 1,825
I would agree that VA should offer some compensation here. I would write them a letter and ask for a partial refund of the fare.
Rebooking passengers on a competitor's flight happens regularly in the airline business (at least in Europe from my experience). However, typically this is done only when a flight is cancelled or heavily overbooked and there is no reasonable alternative on the original carrier. In the case of downgrading, this is not a typical procedure.
Rebooking passengers on a competitor's flight happens regularly in the airline business (at least in Europe from my experience). However, typically this is done only when a flight is cancelled or heavily overbooked and there is no reasonable alternative on the original carrier. In the case of downgrading, this is not a typical procedure.
Oct 4, 2012, 11:25 pm
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: KYE
Posts: 4,156
Spoke with customer service this morning. They told me that I will be reimbursed the cost of the flight at check in because of the change in aircraft and the downgrade but still get business class service (baggage allowance + lounge +SC/points).
Oct 8, 2012, 2:00 am
#11
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Sydney, AU.
Programs: QF. UA. Avis. AMEX.
Posts: 1,558
Well you sure wouldn't book the E90 for the seat given it is just a Y seat with the seat next door blocked anyway. I would take the refund and ask for a seat block. :-)
+1 on DJ not being LH and I hope it stays that way. EU travel in J isn't smart or glamorous and that's not the type of flying I want to do in AU.
I add myself to the type who flies short-hall J when ever I can and I am no govt employee either but if I was then I would have to be pretty senior to get J travel, would fly J for about the same price as others fly Y and would be paid less than what i would earn in the corporate sector for the same type of job.
+1 on DJ not being LH and I hope it stays that way. EU travel in J isn't smart or glamorous and that's not the type of flying I want to do in AU.
I add myself to the type who flies short-hall J when ever I can and I am no govt employee either but if I was then I would have to be pretty senior to get J travel, would fly J for about the same price as others fly Y and would be paid less than what i would earn in the corporate sector for the same type of job.
Oct 8, 2012, 4:27 pm
#12
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Tasmania, Australia
Programs: M&M SEN, Amex Plat, Club Carlson, Marriott, HHonors & Accor Gold, Velocity Silver, Qantas Bronze
Posts: 3,767
I also said "for example on LH". It is the same on every airline all across the Europe and on much longer flights than CBR-SYD. Believe me...
I still cannot understand why would anyone pay such a premium for such a short flight. Yes, I might be biased since I pay for all my flights from my own. I fly in business anything that is longer than three hours, but would never ever justify to myself paying premium for these short hops.
Oct 11, 2012, 2:43 pm
#13
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Sydney, AU.
Programs: QF. UA. Avis. AMEX.
Posts: 1,558
I have done a substantial amount of EU travel and US travel in J/ F respectively. So I am very familiar with the differences between DJ and flying in the EU. So yes I am saying that DJ has a much better offering especially on shorthaul flights.
Given you are an AMEX Plat card holder means you currently could see you sitting up front for pretty much the same price as a Flexi-Y fare even on your own $$$. Given the choice of J or Y I am not sure why you would take Y at the same price. But that is your choice as value is in the eye of the beholder and varies on an individual basis.
Given you are an AMEX Plat card holder means you currently could see you sitting up front for pretty much the same price as a Flexi-Y fare even on your own $$$. Given the choice of J or Y I am not sure why you would take Y at the same price. But that is your choice as value is in the eye of the beholder and varies on an individual basis.
Nov 3, 2012, 3:37 am
#14
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: SYD
Programs: Miles & More, Virgin Velocity
Posts: 46
I would agree that VA should offer some compensation here. I would write them a letter and ask for a partial refund of the fare.
Rebooking passengers on a competitor's flight happens regularly in the airline business (at least in Europe from my experience). However, typically this is done only when a flight is cancelled or heavily overbooked and there is no reasonable alternative on the original carrier. In the case of downgrading, this is not a typical procedure.
Rebooking passengers on a competitor's flight happens regularly in the airline business (at least in Europe from my experience). However, typically this is done only when a flight is cancelled or heavily overbooked and there is no reasonable alternative on the original carrier. In the case of downgrading, this is not a typical procedure.
Nov 3, 2012, 8:21 am
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: KYE
Posts: 4,156
Thought of updating this.
When I checked in the night before, the plane suddenly became E90. I thought fair enough.
Next day, just as I was about to head to the airport to check in my gear (was around noon, or -2 hours from departure) I got a call from DJ in CBR. They were advising me that my flight got cancelled and that I could be rebooked on the 1:05PM flight or one of the later ones in the afternoon (from 4PM onwards). I wasn't able to make it to the airport in time for the earlier flight, and the later flights had no business except for the 5PM service which I eventually picked.
What's surprising is that when I rocked up at 1PM to CBR to drop of my bags, the staff acknowledged that the service was cancelled but I had not been rebooked as per the phone conversation. It's as if they didn't bother to change it or wanted to make it look like I asked for the change.
I missed my 4PM meeting in SYD, got stuck in the rush hour going west and had to stay up late as a consequence (had to do some large format printing that evening). I am going to write to DJ about this. I know some might think could have gone an hour earlier (impossible for me) or 2 hours later (what's the point?! I missed my meeting anyway, and it won't be business service).
On a side note, the flight time was 26 minutes but we spent like 10 minutes taxiing in CBR, another 25 taxiing/on hold in SYD! Service has improved food-wise. Gone are the cheapo crackers and heavy banana bread. There's also one more grape instead of the three! The The salty ice-cream was great.
When I checked in the night before, the plane suddenly became E90. I thought fair enough.
Next day, just as I was about to head to the airport to check in my gear (was around noon, or -2 hours from departure) I got a call from DJ in CBR. They were advising me that my flight got cancelled and that I could be rebooked on the 1:05PM flight or one of the later ones in the afternoon (from 4PM onwards). I wasn't able to make it to the airport in time for the earlier flight, and the later flights had no business except for the 5PM service which I eventually picked.
What's surprising is that when I rocked up at 1PM to CBR to drop of my bags, the staff acknowledged that the service was cancelled but I had not been rebooked as per the phone conversation. It's as if they didn't bother to change it or wanted to make it look like I asked for the change.
I missed my 4PM meeting in SYD, got stuck in the rush hour going west and had to stay up late as a consequence (had to do some large format printing that evening). I am going to write to DJ about this. I know some might think could have gone an hour earlier (impossible for me) or 2 hours later (what's the point?! I missed my meeting anyway, and it won't be business service).
On a side note, the flight time was 26 minutes but we spent like 10 minutes taxiing in CBR, another 25 taxiing/on hold in SYD! Service has improved food-wise. Gone are the cheapo crackers and heavy banana bread. There's also one more grape instead of the three! The The salty ice-cream was great.