Latest news with #C500
Sydney Morning Herald
13-06-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Warning over airline change-of-flight fee scam
Turbulence experienced My daughter bought a return ticket from Canada on Air Canada. She required a date change and Googled Air Canada and paid for the amended flight surcharge over the phone. The number on what looked like the official Air Canada website was, in fact, a scammer who charged her $C752 ($A851) for the flight change plus $C290 for the fare difference for the new flight. The scammer took her money, then contacted the airline and attempted to pay for the actual flight change fee ($C500), planning to pocket the difference with my daughter being none the wiser. However, the scammer attempted to pay the fee with a separate stolen credit card. Air Canada detected the fraudulent card and cancelled my daughter's flight ticket without notice. Air Canada refused to reinstate the booking or offer compensation for the cancelled flight. The airline told her to contact the insurance company, offered to her through its website when she paid for her ticket, but the insurer refuses to pay because the airline cancelled the ticket. Air Canada takes no responsibility and keeps directing her back to the insurance company. You have been warned. Karen Mentink, Burradoo, NSW Editor's note: This sounds very similar to the common visa and visa-waiver fee scams operating on the internet. You can read more about those here. Letter of the week: Road warrior Your story on driving in WA (Traveller, May 31) by Jane Reddy, brought back wonderful memories of two outback adventures also taken in motorhome mode. The first, with three young children aboard, was from Darwin to Alice Springs for a fortnight while the second, of three weeks duration, was from Darwin to Perth. Excellent advice was provided by your writer alerting readers to the availability of one-way rentals. We flew from Sydney, with return flights from the end of our fantastic road trips. This permitted us to drive from north to south, allowing the sun to highlight the brilliant landscapes ahead of us, rather than be squinting into the haze for hours on end. Both trips are wonderful, short outback adventures, but best done heading in the right direction. Bruce Pacey, Revesby, NSW Meal deal I also recently experienced the Qantas Dreamliner from Melbourne to Dallas Fort Worth (Traveller Letters, May 31). The person in front of me also reclined their seat fully pretty early in the flight. I, too, was not so keen to inflict the same discomfort on the person behind me. However, after buzzing for the flight attendant I discovered that if it was meal time and I needed my tray table down to eat or drink food, the passenger in front should not recline their seat. The attendant asked the passenger in front to put their seat up and my problem was solved, or at least for the period I was eating and drinking. I, of course, decided that I would consume all meals slowly. It allowed me to get some much-needed relief on a long flight from what would otherwise have been an uncomfortably cramped space. Jenny Richardson, Hughes, ACT
The Age
13-06-2025
- The Age
Warning over airline change-of-flight fee scam
Turbulence experienced My daughter bought a return ticket from Canada on Air Canada. She required a date change and Googled Air Canada and paid for the amended flight surcharge over the phone. The number on what looked like the official Air Canada website was, in fact, a scammer who charged her $C752 ($A851) for the flight change plus $C290 for the fare difference for the new flight. The scammer took her money, then contacted the airline and attempted to pay for the actual flight change fee ($C500), planning to pocket the difference with my daughter being none the wiser. However, the scammer attempted to pay the fee with a separate stolen credit card. Air Canada detected the fraudulent card and cancelled my daughter's flight ticket without notice. Air Canada refused to reinstate the booking or offer compensation for the cancelled flight. The airline told her to contact the insurance company, offered to her through its website when she paid for her ticket, but the insurer refuses to pay because the airline cancelled the ticket. Air Canada takes no responsibility and keeps directing her back to the insurance company. You have been warned. Karen Mentink, Burradoo, NSW Editor's note: This sounds very similar to the common visa and visa-waiver fee scams operating on the internet. You can read more about those here. Letter of the week: Road warrior Your story on driving in WA (Traveller, May 31) by Jane Reddy, brought back wonderful memories of two outback adventures also taken in motorhome mode. The first, with three young children aboard, was from Darwin to Alice Springs for a fortnight while the second, of three weeks duration, was from Darwin to Perth. Excellent advice was provided by your writer alerting readers to the availability of one-way rentals. We flew from Sydney, with return flights from the end of our fantastic road trips. This permitted us to drive from north to south, allowing the sun to highlight the brilliant landscapes ahead of us, rather than be squinting into the haze for hours on end. Both trips are wonderful, short outback adventures, but best done heading in the right direction. Bruce Pacey, Revesby, NSW Meal deal I also recently experienced the Qantas Dreamliner from Melbourne to Dallas Fort Worth (Traveller Letters, May 31). The person in front of me also reclined their seat fully pretty early in the flight. I, too, was not so keen to inflict the same discomfort on the person behind me. However, after buzzing for the flight attendant I discovered that if it was meal time and I needed my tray table down to eat or drink food, the passenger in front should not recline their seat. The attendant asked the passenger in front to put their seat up and my problem was solved, or at least for the period I was eating and drinking. I, of course, decided that I would consume all meals slowly. It allowed me to get some much-needed relief on a long flight from what would otherwise have been an uncomfortably cramped space. Jenny Richardson, Hughes, ACT
