Why did Qantas forcibly remove a 78-year-old Vietnam Veteran from business class?
- Replies 30
It has been reported that Qantas forced an elderly gentleman out of business class and into economy for a flight from Melbourne to Adelaide recently.
Stephen Roy Jones, a 78-year-old former combat veteran, had already paid for a comfy, spacious business class seat but instead found himself cramped at the back of the plane in economy.
He and his wife were travelling back to Adelaide from the majestic landscapes of New Zealand when their peaceful journey was suddenly marred by this incident during a stopover at Melbourne.
According to Mr Jones, they were in the Business Lounge, savouring their coffees, when they received a startling intercom call.
The Qantas employee said, 'I've got some bad news for you, you've been bumped,’ he recounted to Melbourne radio station 3AW.
Mr Jones explained that it didn’t register at first, considering he wasn’t sure what ‘bumped’ meant.
The Qantas employee then went on to explain, 'I have to reissue your ticket for economy class, we have a tech who's flying to Adelaide, and his contract states that he must fly business class.'
'Bumped' from business to economy after you’ve already paid a business class fare? Sounds like the stuff of nightmares to us.
Mr Jones went on to say that the Qantas employee, now the occupant of Mr Jones' seat, chose not to engage in conversation with Mrs Jones, even though the employee knew Mr Jones had been what Qantas referred to as ‘involuntarily downgraded’.
As a result, Mr Jones penned a strongly worded letter to Qantas. In response, the airline offered him 5,000 airline points as a 'goodwill gesture'. Now, he didn't think this was a fair way to express 'goodwill', given that his payment had secured a business class seat, not a measly corner in economy class.
'The minute you take that (downgraded) leg, your claim for compensation reduces to almost nil,' stated Mr Lawrence, a lawyer who's evidently well-versed in the slippery terms and conditions of air travel.
He suggested that any disgruntled business or first-class passenger who finds themselves ‘involuntarily’ downgraded should decline to fly that particular leg in order to maintain a stronger case for compensation.
Qantas did apologise to Mr Jones and refunded half his business class fare in the end. They also clarified that the Qantas employee was not a tech but a pilot who had taken Mr Jones' seat.
Mr Lawrence explained that 'as part of their enterprise agreement, pilots that are flying to another city to then operate flights are to be provided with a seat in business class'. Explaining further, he said, 'This is just standard operating procedure from the point of view of the airline - not just Qantas, they all do it.'
As strange as it sounds, 'involuntary downgrading' is clearly a common phenomenon in the world of airlines, not just confined to Qantas. It makes us question — Has this ever happened to you before?
The moral of the story? Scrutinise the fine print on your ticket before flying and ensure you fully understand the terms and conditions. Do your research and select an airline with a reputation for prioritising customer satisfaction.
What do you think of this story, members? We’d be very interested to read your thoughts below!
Stephen Roy Jones, a 78-year-old former combat veteran, had already paid for a comfy, spacious business class seat but instead found himself cramped at the back of the plane in economy.
He and his wife were travelling back to Adelaide from the majestic landscapes of New Zealand when their peaceful journey was suddenly marred by this incident during a stopover at Melbourne.
According to Mr Jones, they were in the Business Lounge, savouring their coffees, when they received a startling intercom call.
The Qantas employee said, 'I've got some bad news for you, you've been bumped,’ he recounted to Melbourne radio station 3AW.
Mr Jones explained that it didn’t register at first, considering he wasn’t sure what ‘bumped’ meant.
Qantas 'bumped' Mr Jones from Business class to economy for a Qantas staff member. Image source: Shutterstock.
The Qantas employee then went on to explain, 'I have to reissue your ticket for economy class, we have a tech who's flying to Adelaide, and his contract states that he must fly business class.'
'Bumped' from business to economy after you’ve already paid a business class fare? Sounds like the stuff of nightmares to us.
Mr Jones went on to say that the Qantas employee, now the occupant of Mr Jones' seat, chose not to engage in conversation with Mrs Jones, even though the employee knew Mr Jones had been what Qantas referred to as ‘involuntarily downgraded’.
As a result, Mr Jones penned a strongly worded letter to Qantas. In response, the airline offered him 5,000 airline points as a 'goodwill gesture'. Now, he didn't think this was a fair way to express 'goodwill', given that his payment had secured a business class seat, not a measly corner in economy class.
'The minute you take that (downgraded) leg, your claim for compensation reduces to almost nil,' stated Mr Lawrence, a lawyer who's evidently well-versed in the slippery terms and conditions of air travel.
He suggested that any disgruntled business or first-class passenger who finds themselves ‘involuntarily’ downgraded should decline to fly that particular leg in order to maintain a stronger case for compensation.
Qantas did apologise to Mr Jones and refunded half his business class fare in the end. They also clarified that the Qantas employee was not a tech but a pilot who had taken Mr Jones' seat.
Mr Lawrence explained that 'as part of their enterprise agreement, pilots that are flying to another city to then operate flights are to be provided with a seat in business class'. Explaining further, he said, 'This is just standard operating procedure from the point of view of the airline - not just Qantas, they all do it.'
As strange as it sounds, 'involuntary downgrading' is clearly a common phenomenon in the world of airlines, not just confined to Qantas. It makes us question — Has this ever happened to you before?
The moral of the story? Scrutinise the fine print on your ticket before flying and ensure you fully understand the terms and conditions. Do your research and select an airline with a reputation for prioritising customer satisfaction.
What do you think of this story, members? We’d be very interested to read your thoughts below!
.png){kind=icon}
