Qantas told us our flight home from the US was cancelled. It wasn't
My partner and I were travelling on Qantas QF12 recently from Los Angeles to Sydney. We received an email from Qantas advising us that our Thursday night flight was delayed to the Friday at 9.40pm. The thing was, we weren't booked on the Thursday flight – we were booked on the Friday flight at 11.10pm. I tried to ring Qantas in Australia twice but the call centre just disconnected my call. I then called the call centre in the US; I was on hold for 45 minutes and then was disconnected. Meanwhile, we called our travel agent in Sydney, and she was on hold with Qantas for 143 minutes before they answered. She was told the email we were sent was a mistake and we were still booked on the Friday flight. It took Qantas over three-and-a-half hours to get back to us.
Mark Wheeler, Putney, NSW
Credit due
In May this year, I booked flights for my son and myself for Sydney–Melbourne return. I was ultimately unable to travel but was loath to cancel my part of the booking in case the entire booking was cancelled (there was just the one booking reference). As soon as check-in opened, my son checked in and I phoned Qantas to say I wasn't travelling and could I have a credit for the flight. As I had phoned just less than 24 hours before travelling, this was denied. My son, who lives in Spain and is here visiting for a few weeks, informed me that the flight was full, including the seat where I was supposed to be travelling. The phrase 'daylight robbery' comes to mind.
Carey Nolan, Cremorne, NSW
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The Age
17 minutes ago
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The number of points it takes to fly on the most generous, old-school Qantas Classic Rewards scheme has now, in some cases, increased by 20 per cent. These cases are mainly for business and first-class seats. The amount is on a route-by-route basis – how this scheme is, statically, priced. Loading (The other main, newer scheme is called Classic Plus and seats are dynamically priced based on the prevailing dollar cost – the only thing that is set is a point-to-price conversion rate: one point per 1 cent cost of an economy seat and one point per 1.5 cents of a business class seat.) So, the problem is on the redemption side. On the earnings side, Qantas earlier in the year upped the points that you earn on some flights. It's a bit of a 'give here' and 'take away there' situation … but indisputably, most frequent flyers will be worse off. What you can do about it If you're still keen on collecting Qantas points, it's time to step up that collection. Here are the top four ways I'm doing it. My shopping When I go to buy anything online, I always check first whether I can get it through Qantas Shopping. It's essentially just an online intermediary that partners with thousands of retailers to offer boosted earn rates, like five points per $1 spent. You'll earn points regardless of payment method, even when using discounted gift cards. Then there is grocery and other shopping: Everyday Rewards points from Woolworths, BIG W and BWS convert into Qantas points at a rate of 2:1. Watch for promotions such as 10x points on select items or bonus points for meeting a spending threshold. Gift card deals, in particular, can unlock big points. My power Some electricity providers, including Red Energy and Origin Energy, offer thousands of bonus Qantas points just for switching. Ongoing, you can get points for every dollar spent on your bills (2-for-1 for both providers, with the Origin Energy conversion via Everyday Rewards). Some promotions mean 20,000 Qantas points annually. And talking fuel, purchases at Ampol and BP can also get you Qantas Points either directly or through Everyday Rewards. My card charging Frequent flyer credit cards typically offer a hefty sign-up bonus of circa 100,000 points, plus points-per-dollar spent. Switching cards annually – but no more often as it could otherwise affect your credit score – can keep the bonus points flowing. And, naturally, clear your balance in full every month, as interest payments can wipe out any benefit. Loading (Note: a further threat to your ability to earn points – a future one but regardless worth filing away – is the mooted crackdown on credit card fees … these help fund the credit card providers' points programs.) My health Of course, Qantas has also devised a type of virtuous points circle where you usually get bulk points for signing up for products with its subsidiary businesses such as travel insurance and health insurance. For example, the new-customer health insurance offer is currently 130,000 points. But the free Qantas Wellbeing app also lets you earn points for simply walking, sleeping well and completing health challenges ... without needing Qantas Health Insurance. If you do hold a policy, you'll earn points at a faster rate. Hitting 10,000 steps daily and meeting sleep goals can net you up to 1000 frequent flyer points in the first month, and policyholders can keep this higher earn rate going. What about at the redemption end of it all … when it comes to converting all your hard-earned, extra points to longed-for flights? Whatever you do, resist the Points Plus Pay option. And only use Classic Plus payment if there is a bargain-basement sale price. Typically, these remain worse value than Classic Rewards, even after the redemption recalibration. Instead, plan ahead and pounce on the seats 353 days before your desired fly date, when the first tranche of Classic Rewards seats are typically released.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Qantas told us our flight home from the US was cancelled. It wasn't
Hanging offence My partner and I were travelling on Qantas QF12 recently from Los Angeles to Sydney. We received an email from Qantas advising us that our Thursday night flight was delayed to the Friday at 9.40pm. The thing was, we weren't booked on the Thursday flight – we were booked on the Friday flight at 11.10pm. I tried to ring Qantas in Australia twice but the call centre just disconnected my call. I then called the call centre in the US; I was on hold for 45 minutes and then was disconnected. Meanwhile, we called our travel agent in Sydney, and she was on hold with Qantas for 143 minutes before they answered. She was told the email we were sent was a mistake and we were still booked on the Friday flight. It took Qantas over three-and-a-half hours to get back to us. Mark Wheeler, Putney, NSW Credit due In May this year, I booked flights for my son and myself for Sydney–Melbourne return. I was ultimately unable to travel but was loath to cancel my part of the booking in case the entire booking was cancelled (there was just the one booking reference). As soon as check-in opened, my son checked in and I phoned Qantas to say I wasn't travelling and could I have a credit for the flight. As I had phoned just less than 24 hours before travelling, this was denied. My son, who lives in Spain and is here visiting for a few weeks, informed me that the flight was full, including the seat where I was supposed to be travelling. The phrase 'daylight robbery' comes to mind. Carey Nolan, Cremorne, NSW
