Air fares?

[ELGT4me]

Hi guys/girls, can someone explain to me how you can book & pay for flights over the Easter period only to find the flight has been cancelled/ delayed for 4 hours? (The flight was booked 2 months ago & consists of 3 people) The flight number has changed completely & the departure/arrival times do not suit me at all!!! (GT Nationals @ Adelaide!!!) They might be virgins, but watch out when I get to Adelaide!!! (A blue is promised!!!) :

[Yellow_Festiva]

I hear that if a flight has not sold enough tickets to turn a profit then the passengers will be put on a new flight to fill a plane.

It will probably say something similar in tiny writing on the terms and conditions of the ticket.

[ELGT4me]

It appears the flight I had booked, no longer exists? Economic downturn!!! To be fair to the "virgins", I booked the flights through a "second party" internet booking agency, who demanded an extra $12 per seat as a "guarantee"I would get these seats on this flight. I will make a few phone calls & see how it turns out, suffice to say ,I am not impressed with either company!!!

[flappist]

You pay cheap, you get cheap.....doesn't happen with QANTAS

[RG]

Originally Posted by flappist

You pay cheap, you get cheap.....doesn't happen with QANTAS

No, with QANTAS you just don't get there at all

[JG66ME]

Originally Posted by Russell

No, with QANTAS you just don't get there at all

Russell

When I was stuck in Bangkok last year with that airport protest to do I was so glad I was with Qantas. You should of heard the Aussies bleat who flew elcheapo and couldn't get home.

Qantas looked after me, busing me to Phuket and then special flight to Singapore.

Mind, I am a Platinum Frequent Flyer. Last year I had 4 long haul upgrades to first class.

Steve

PS I hate Virgin with a passion. Scum Air would be a better name.

[XR6_190]

Originally Posted by flappist

You pay cheap, you get cheap.....doesn't happen with QANTAS

Wanna bet? I worked for them for 5 years, on average we had 2 canceled flights a day, (just out of Melbourne, not sure about the other ports) and that was just the flights canceled within 24 hours of departure, there were a lot more canceled earlier on. If they could cancel a flight instead of running it at a loss, they would, hardly ever saw a domestic flight go with less than 30 passengers on board.

In a way I can understand why they do it, after all they don't want to go the same way as Ansett, but I do think they owe it to the passengers to get them on a suitable flight, even if it means putting them on a different airline.

[ELGT4me]

Just an update guys, the 6.00 am flight from Perth to Aelaide no longer exists, I was offered the "red eye "to Melbourne, then a flight back to Adelaide. (Why would I do that flight with 2 toddlers?) The next flight I was offered left Perth @ 1830 & arrived in Adelaide @ 2030. : I would have been more than happy to accept a ride on another airline.I have been informed the "virgins" do not refund any money & offered a travel voucher instead. (I don't think so!!!) Mr Flappist, Qantas are no better,I booked a flight to Brisbane from Perth, the flight was delayed 3 hours, we were not offered an alcohol drink, even though we were 2 hours into the flight, which was by then 11.30 am Perth time, because, as the steward said "this is a morning flight sir". We were offered a special treat somewhere over Queensland, a muesli bar!!! I will not tell you where I suggested the steward should put his "special "treat. Flying back to Perth, the flight was delayed by 1 hour, I specified I prefer a window seat on left side of the aircraft as per my "frequent flyer" profile, instead I got an aisle seat on the right side of the aircraft.Oh, how I miss Ansett.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by XR6_190

Wanna bet? I worked for them for 5 years, on average we had 2 canceled flights a day, (just out of Melbourne, not sure about the other ports) and that was just the flights canceled within 24 hours of departure, there were a lot more canceled earlier on. If they could cancel a flight instead of running it at a loss, they would, hardly ever saw a domestic flight go with less than 30 passengers on board.

In a way I can understand why they do it, after all they don't want to go the same way as Ansett, but I do think they owe it to the passengers to get them on a suitable flight, even if it means putting them on a different airline.

OK I will rephrase that.

It never used to happen with QANTAS when there was no JetStar or Virgin. I have been on several flights where I was the only passenger.

With the new age of discounted aviation costs must be cut so instead of extremely well maintained aircraft commanded by old men with tens of thosuands of hours and cabin crew consisting of little old ladies (and men) who have been doing the job since the Wright brothers we now have aircraft constantly hovering around MEL, commanded by much lower time pilots and cabin crews that are chosen by the size of their boobs. (One of my mates drives for VB and the record for him is 3 Zoo and 2 Picture girls in the one sector, they look GREAT but are very ordinary at the job).

All the good stuff costs money and the money comes from freight (both self loading and boxes) so when the income is lowered everything else suffers.

When it was $699.50 return from Sydney to Melbourne the plane were always reliable, now it is $69.95 you get what you pay for.....

[big_waity]

Originally Posted by flappist

I have been on several flights where I was the only passenger.

I think there might be something in that ....
lol

[Mk II]

Originally Posted by flappist

OK I will rephrase that.

It never used to happen with QANTAS when there was no JetStar or Virgin. I have been on several flights where I was the only passenger.

With the new age of discounted aviation costs must be cut so instead of extremely well maintained aircraft commanded by old men with tens of thosuands of hours and cabin crew consisting of little old ladies (and men) who have been doing the job since the Wright brothers we now have aircraft constantly hovering around MEL, commanded by much lower time pilots and cabin crews that are chosen by the size of their boobs. (One of my mates drives for VB and the record for him is 3 Zoo and 2 Picture girls in the one sector, they look GREAT but are very ordinary at the job).

All the good stuff costs money and the money comes from freight (both self loading and boxes) so when the income is lowered everything else suffers.

When it was $699.50 return from Sydney to Melbourne the plane were always reliable, now it is $69.95 you get what you pay for.....

I think you will find that the A/C are just as well maintained as they always have been, if not better. I know exactly what maintenance goes into keeping a leading airline flying.

As i type this i am sitting in the hangar of one of Australia's leading airlines while a week long check on one of our A/C is being wrapped up. Let me just say that the work that happens is phenonminal. Every part of the A/C is gone over, every system checked and every defect, no matter how minor is fixed.

Also, as with everything new people are always coming on board. There is just as many "old men with tens of thosuands of hours" flying around as always, but with so many more flights flying these days we have had to find pilots somewhere, and every pilot was a first time flyer once.

Finally, "When it was $699.50 return from Sydney to Melbourne the plane were always reliable, now it is $69.95 you get what you pay for....". Im sure if you look around you will still find expensive fairs SYD to MEL, and the A/C will be reliable yes, and they may even fly while not being as full as cheaper flights are required to be. This is because profit margins are higher, so they can afford to fly with fewer people. A seat on a $69.95 will put you on an equally as reliable A/C, it just takes more people to book on that flight to make it a viable option.

Edit: To those people who constatly whinge about A/C delays, have you ever thought that the reason for the delay is because an engineer is fixing a problem? We could get your A/C out on time, but it wouldnt be safe to fly on, and personally iwould prefer to be 2 hours late then never arrive.

[ELGT4me]

Fair call my friend, but can you answer one question? My delayed flight to Brisbane was delayed because the pilot had to be flown from Melbourne that morning to fly the aircraft to Brisbane!!! The cabin crew that were designated for that flight were then redeployed onto another flight. Once that happened ,they had to find another crew to go to Brisbane. "Operational requirements" was the excuse used for the delay, how is this a maintenance issue? The delay on the return leg to Perth was caused by the lack of "check in" personnel @ the Brisbane terminal!!! In all honesty I have never had these issues when flying with the "virgins"

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Mk II

I think you will find that the A/C are just as well maintained as they always have been, if not better. I know exactly what maintenance goes into keeping a leading airline flying.

As i type this i am sitting in the hangar of one of Australia's leading airlines while a week long check on one of our A/C is being wrapped up. Let me just say that the work that happens is phenonminal. Every part of the A/C is gone over, every system checked and every defect, no matter how minor is fixed.

Also, as with everything new people are always coming on board. There is just as many "old men with tens of thosuands of hours" flying around as always, but with so many more flights flying these days we have had to find pilots somewhere, and every pilot was a first time flyer once.

Finally, "When it was $699.50 return from Sydney to Melbourne the plane were always reliable, now it is $69.95 you get what you pay for....". Im sure if you look around you will still find expensive fairs SYD to MEL, and the A/C will be reliable yes, and they may even fly while not being as full as cheaper flights are required to be. This is because profit margins are higher, so they can afford to fly with fewer people. A seat on a $69.95 will put you on an equally as reliable A/C, it just takes more people to book on that flight to make it a viable option.

Edit: To those people who constatly whinge about A/C delays, have you ever thought that the reason for the delay is because an engineer is fixing a problem? We could get your A/C out on time, but it wouldnt be safe to fly on, and personally iwould prefer to be 2 hours late then never arrive.

I am very impressed that a 20 year old office boy who works for Jetstar knows so much about the state of aviation around the time he was in kindergarten.

[Lightning Strike GT]

Originally Posted by flappist

You pay cheap, you get cheap.....doesn't happen with QANTAS

Yeah righty OOOO last flight from Syd to Bris on a Sunday night and as there was only 10 patrons on board they decided to can the flight
I had 4 missed calls from a priv no on the mobile with no voice mail message - it is QANTARSE policy not to leave voice messages unless it was urgent so I was told

[flappist]

Originally Posted by BF XR8

Yeah righty OOOO last flight from Syd to Bris on a Sunday night and as there was only 10 patrons on board they decided to can the flight
I had 4 missed calls from a priv no on the mobile with no voice mail message - it is QANTARSE policy not to leave voice messages unless it was urgent so I was told

So did you get a credit? Did you read the whole thread before posting?

Or do you need a nasal delivery solution for your keyboard......

[gcg2503]

After reading that description of the Virigin Blue girls I am kicking myself for booking my flight to the GT Nationals with Jetstar!

[flappist]

Originally Posted by gcg2503

After reading that description of the Virigin Blue girls I am kicking myself for booking my flight to the GT Nationals with Jetstar!

If you are in Brisbane, the Hamilton pub in Kingsford Smith Drv is the VB "local"

[ELGT4me]

Flappist,I think Qantas's problems could be summed up in 2 words, Geoff Dixon, he destroyed any morale or sense of pride in the place. Chris Corrigan tried the same with Virgin Blue,luckily Mr Brandson saw what was happening & rectified the situation. Up until now, I never had a problem flying with Virgin Blue, I paid for a service that now , no longer exists, the other services they offer do not suit my needs, therefore I think my money (including the credit card fees) should be refunded.

[Tha Jack]

Dont fly Tiger Airlines.Last flight back to Perth was with them because it was a third of the price.If you like waiting 5hours for your flight to take off and then another 2hr delay for it to bring you back home then by all means go ahead.I will never fly with a cheap airline again.I think the funniest thing was getting to Melbourne Airport and going to Terminal 3.It is a tin shed half way to Geelong by the time you walk from the main terminal.

[Fev]

i wish Ansett was still around, i dont remember ever having a problem flying with them all around Australia..

the few times since then, something has always happened..

[gcg2503]

Agree with you Steve

The saying goes, "pay peanuts, get monkeys"

In the last six years having done 9 (return) long haul flights - I only got upgraded once.........

I will try again on the Monday 16th when I fly home!

[Scott]

Not reading all this (love the bit about Flappist lol - still got an Arrow yeh?) but I fly lots and lots - seemingly, every month that goes by, more and more Qantas flights are delayed and the excuses given sometimes border on the ridiculous (like the time the flight was delayed for an hour so they could put a sticker in the toilets??).

Qantas used to be brilliant, now they are mediocre. The others are awful by our measure but relative to our neighbouring countries, our version of bad is still pretty good.

[ELGT4me]

Well at least Qantas & Ansett send/sent text messages advising of aircraft delays, At least 4 family groups on this flight had no idea it had been cancelled!!! Brett GODFREY, is that the "virgins" Australian CEO?

[gcg2503]

Originally Posted by GTP006

Not reading all this (love the bit about Flappist lol - still got an Arrow yeh?) but I fly lots and lots - seemingly, every month that goes by, more and more Qantas flights are delayed and the excuses given sometimes border on the ridiculous (like the time the flight was delayed for an hour so they could put a sticker in the toilets??).

Qantas used to be brilliant, now they are mediocre. The others are awful by our measure but relative to our neighbouring countries, our version of bad is still pretty good.

Hopefully you don't class Singapore as a neighbour b/c they beat Qantas pretty much hands down

Not even the same sport.........

[Scott]

Originally Posted by gcg2503

Hopefully you don't class Singapore as a neighbour b/c they beat Qantas pretty much hands down

Not even the same sport.........

No, but how about some horror stories from PNG & Indo instead....

[flappist]

Originally Posted by GTP006

Not reading all this (love the bit about Flappist lol - still got an Arrow yeh?) but I fly lots and lots - seemingly, every month that goes by, more and more Qantas flights are delayed and the excuses given sometimes border on the ridiculous (like the time the flight was delayed for an hour so they could put a sticker in the toilets??).

Qantas used to be brilliant, now they are mediocre. The others are awful by our measure but relative to our neighbouring countries, our version of bad is still pretty good.

No, aircraft gone, I don't even have a current medical or ASIC anymore, it is too much of a pain in the bum. But we agree on service levels dropping with air fares.

Also, yes Kingsford Smith is SSY, BBN is Eagle Farm, I was on he phine when I posted before and just wrote the wrong name.

[JerseyVics]

I've been checking daily on Sydney-Adelaide flights for Easter (leaving Saturday return on Sunday) will hold off booking until I find a cheaper fare (unlickely) and to be sure the flight isn't cancelled...

[ELGT4me]

Russ, why don't you leave Thursday night & fly back early Monday morning? Better chance of trying to get flights, plus you have 2 cars to wash when you get here!!! (I am the designated drinker) :

[JerseyVics]

I think a lot of people are doing exactly what you just mentioned as Thursday and Monday flights are the most expensive ones... I will see if I can get a good last minute deal which is doubtful or just leave it for next time.

Really looking forward to 2 dirty cars... I'll take them to the carwash for you, will be great opportunity for me to start learning driving on the wrong side of the street!

Cheers!

[ltd]

No offence to anyone who has posted here already but flappist does have a point. The A/C at Qantas are getting very old, and frankly the 787's that will replace the 767's and some of the 747's can't come quickly enough. Anyway, as A/C get more cycles on them things tend to become unservicable which necessitates engineers to come to the A/C at the gate to rectify the problem. This leads to delays for passengers. Whilst the maintenance is still top notch at Qantas and bugger all is outsourced, the A/C have problems a lot more often thanks to age. The A380's are a joke and have made Qantas the most hated airline in LA, and the A330's have stupid faults like fuel sensors failing constantly. BTW, what's the difference between a scarebus and a chainsaw? About 600 trees per minute. The 747-400ER's are the best though, anything with rego past OEE is your best bet. Qantas' biggest mistake was that they didn't get the 777-300ER which V now has, and as they are training pilots for the 787 the 777 would have been a logical stop gap as the cockpits are designed to be the same which hence would have lowered training costs.