There's no denying that travelling can be an exciting adventure, especially for those taking advantage of discounted airfares and special offers available to us after years of hard work.

However, some bumps along the way can be quite frustrating—and costly—as one Australian woman recently discovered.

Sydney-based small business owner Elizabeth Clark experienced quite the shock when she found out that her Qantas flight from Auckland to New York, scheduled for December, had been cancelled.

Not only that, but the airline then charged her an additional $19,000 for a replacement flight!

Qantas charged a small business owner from Sydney $19,000 after her original flight from Auckland to New York was abruptly cancelled. Credit: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio.

The 38-year-old initially spent $14,865 on her business class ticket and was looking forward to fulfilling her parents' dream of a white Christmas. But upon hearing that her direct flight was cancelled and the need to fork over another $19,000 for a new booking, Ms Clark understandably felt overwhelmed. 'My head was spinning. I felt sick,' she told a news source.

According to Ms Clark, a Qantas worker informed her that she must pay the hefty sum to secure a seat on another plane rather than simply transfer her booking.

'I'm getting asked to pay an extra $4,000 because my flight is leaving five minutes earlier,' she said. 'Us passengers, we're expected to pick up the pieces.'

While Ms Clark acknowledged that her situation might seem like a 'first world problem' to some, she recently lost both her parents and wanted to treat herself to a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. Her hopes of ice-skating with her young nephews and nieces in New York City and honouring her parents' wishes kept her from cancelling the trip.

As a seasoned traveller, Ms Clark has dealt with various issues with airlines in the past, such as cancelled flights and lost luggage. But this time, the additional $4,000 charge was too much. 'What about the people who don't know their flight has been cancelled?' she asked.

In response to the issue, a Qantas spokesperson said, 'We are reaching out to Ms Clark today to confirm her travel and apologise for any confusion.' It has been reported that the booking was not cancelled, and Qantas will confirm the ticket for the original price.

This incident coincided with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce promoting the airline's direct flight from Auckland to New York.

Starting last week, Qantas operates three weekly flights from Sydney to New York, increasing to four per week from October. These flights will transit through Auckland before a 16-hour direct flight to New York, previously having operated via Los Angeles.

This change means passengers will no longer need to disembark at Los Angeles International Airport, go through customs, and board a second plane to New York. The relaunch of the New York flights aims to bring Qantas back to 100 per cent of its pre-COVID international network capacity by March 2024.

Key Takeaways

• Elizabeth Clark, a small business owner from Sydney, was charged $19,000 by Qantas after her initial flight from Auckland to New York was cancelled.
• Ms Clark had initially spent $14,865 on her business class seat and was told she must pay the additional amount to secure a seat on another flight.
• Qantas has since apologised for any confusion and confirmed that Ms Clark's booking for the original price was not cancelled.
• Qantas is working to return its international network to pre-COVID capacity and recently announced the relaunch of direct flights from Auckland to New York.

Although this story may have a satisfactory outcome for Ms Clark, it serves as a clear reminder of the potential risks of air travel. As travellers, we must remain vigilant about our bookings, verify schedules, and not hesitate to reach out to airlines if we encounter any inconsistencies. After all, it is our hard-earned money that is at risk!

What do you think, everyone? Have you encountered similar incidents of unexpected flight cancellations and dreadful rebooking ordeals? Feel free to share your stories with us in the comments below!

 

[Rob44]

"reach out" to airlines that have stuffed up? What sort of euphemism is that? It is the CEO's higly paid responsibility to make sure that companies don't stuff up at the expense of the customer."Reach out " comes as begging for assistance; reach out you begging bowl........Qantas seem very competent at stuffing up.

 

[Cheezil]

There's no denying that travelling can be an exciting adventure, especially for those taking advantage of discounted airfares and special offers available to us after years of hard work.

However, some bumps along the way can be quite frustrating—and costly—as one Australian woman recently discovered.

Sydney-based small business owner Elizabeth Clark experienced quite the shock when she found out that her Qantas flight from Auckland to New York, scheduled for December, had been cancelled.

Not only that, but the airline then charged her an additional $19,000 for a replacement flight!

View attachment 22854

Qantas charged a small business owner from Sydney $19,000 after her original flight from Auckland to New York was abruptly cancelled. Credit: Pexels/Andrea Piacquadio.

The 38-year-old initially spent $14,865 on her business class ticket and was looking forward to fulfilling her parents' dream of a white Christmas. But upon hearing that her direct flight was cancelled and the need to fork over another $19,000 for a new booking, Ms Clark understandably felt overwhelmed. 'My head was spinning. I felt sick,' she told a news source.

According to Ms Clark, a Qantas worker informed her that she must pay the hefty sum to secure a seat on another plane rather than simply transfer her booking.

'I'm getting asked to pay an extra $4,000 because my flight is leaving five minutes earlier,' she said. 'Us passengers, we're expected to pick up the pieces.'

While Ms Clark acknowledged that her situation might seem like a 'first world problem' to some, she recently lost both her parents and wanted to treat herself to a once-in-a-lifetime holiday. Her hopes of ice-skating with her young nephews and nieces in New York City and honouring her parents' wishes kept her from cancelling the trip.

As a seasoned traveller, Ms Clark has dealt with various issues with airlines in the past, such as cancelled flights and lost luggage. But this time, the additional $4,000 charge was too much. 'What about the people who don't know their flight has been cancelled?' she asked.

In response to the issue, a Qantas spokesperson said, 'We are reaching out to Ms Clark today to confirm her travel and apologise for any confusion.' It has been reported that the booking was not cancelled, and Qantas will confirm the ticket for the original price.

This incident coincided with Qantas CEO Alan Joyce promoting the airline's direct flight from Auckland to New York.

Starting last week, Qantas operates three weekly flights from Sydney to New York, increasing to four per week from October. These flights will transit through Auckland before a 16-hour direct flight to New York, previously having operated via Los Angeles.

This change means passengers will no longer need to disembark at Los Angeles International Airport, go through customs, and board a second plane to New York. The relaunch of the New York flights aims to bring Qantas back to 100 per cent of its pre-COVID international network capacity by March 2024.

Key Takeaways

• Elizabeth Clark, a small business owner from Sydney, was charged $19,000 by Qantas after her initial flight from Auckland to New York was cancelled.
• Ms Clark had initially spent $14,865 on her business class seat and was told she must pay the additional amount to secure a seat on another flight.
• Qantas has since apologised for any confusion and confirmed that Ms Clark's booking for the original price was not cancelled.
• Qantas is working to return its international network to pre-COVID capacity and recently announced the relaunch of direct flights from Auckland to New York.

Although this story may have a satisfactory outcome for Ms Clark, it serves as a clear reminder of the potential risks of air travel. As travellers, we must remain vigilant about our bookings, verify schedules, and not hesitate to reach out to airlines if we encounter any inconsistencies. After all, it is our hard-earned money that is at risk!

What do you think, everyone? Have you encountered similar incidents of unexpected flight cancellations and dreadful rebooking ordeals? Feel free to share your stories with us in the comments below!

Qantas (& other airlines) should not be allowed to get away with this sort of thing, it happens way too often. Another example of corporate greed! So glad this woman has it sorted, but what for those that don't?