Passenger fury over Qantas stranding in Los Angeles

[webfact]

Qantas passengers stranded in LA airport
Melanie Kembrey

LOS ANGELES: -- Qantas passengers spent a night on the floor of Los Angeles Airport after their flight to Sydney was delayed 23 hours due to an "unfortunate sequence of events".

Travellers were due to take off on flight QF108 at Wednesday midnight California time, but the departure was set back due to a technical problem with the aircraft's on-board cooling system.

A Qantas spokesman said a replacement aircraft was organised, but the initial delay was compounded as the cabin crew had exceeded maximum work hours and had to be replaced.

The Sydney Airport curfew, which restricts landing at the airport from 11pm to 6am, further extended the delay.

It's understood that staff attempted to find hotels to accommodate the passengers, but couldn't find any available lodgings in the early hours of the morning.

Full story: http://www.theage.com.au/business/aviation/qantas-passengers-stranded-in-la-airport-20140808-101qni.html

[theage]2014-08-08[/theage]

[Humberstone]

A similar thing happened to me when travelling with TG back to LHR. The flight was postponed by 20 hrs due to a technical fault with the navigation system. However, TG very quickly managed to sort out accomodation for all those who wanted it at the airport hotel.

 

I can understand the passengers anger here and am very surprised that in a city the size of LA the airline and airport couldn't find rooms for one night. Notwithstanding the fact that LAX should have its own hotel, the area is surrounded by chain hotels.

[ABCer]

Similar things happen from time to time with every flying person. Qantas is neither the best nor the worst of airlines. FURY is misplaced in this case. You can always switch to Malaysian and save.

[jacko45k]

Similar things happen from time to time with every flying person. Qantas is neither the best nor the worst of airlines. FURY is misplaced in this case. You can always switch to Malaysian and save.

 

Not  me, I was put into a nearby hotel, and given meals on the 2 occasions extended delays occurred.

I am sorry to inform you that, according to other threads I have been reading, Qantas has indeed entered the latter of your 2 categories!

To be left on an airport seat for 23 hours surpasses the poor treatment expected of budget carriers.

Comparisons to Malaysian airlines are unfair after their 2 tragedies.

 

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[webfact]

The Age Headlines
Passenger fury over Qantas stranding

http://omnyapp.com/shows/the-age-headlines/passenger-fury-over-qantas-stranding

[CNXBKKMAN]

Hotels in LA are super busy in August. Trying to find 300 plus empty rooms available ASAP would be impossible at this time of year. I guessing QF did all they could.

[monkey4u]

Qantas  a company that should give up before it collapses

Crap service does not help it

[Asiantravel]

A similar thing happened to me when travelling with TG back to LHR. The flight was postponed by 20 hrs due to a technical fault with the navigation system. However, TG very quickly managed to sort out accomodation for all those who wanted it at the airport hotel.

 

I can understand the passengers anger here and am very surprised that in a city the size of LA the airline and airport couldn't find rooms for one night. Notwithstanding the fact that LAX should have its own hotel, the area is surrounded by chain hotels.

 

 

That is absolutely no exaggeration! There are hundreds of places right on the doorstep of LAX maybe not all three or four-star but considerably better than the floor. I can't believe for 1 min they couldn't find room for passengers even if they had to spread them around a bit.

[harrry]

They probabely were unwilling to pay the high season surcharge.

QANTAS was once a good airline even if the personal service sometimes lacked but it is now another Ryan.

[ozsamurai]

Not uncommon, I have spent a few nights on the floor in Seoul with Korean... Northwest did it to me at JFK...  its just being cheap, sales will reflect it.. I don't fly Korean or NW anymore

 

Oz

[shirtless]

How dumb is Australia, we could not find one person in our own country to run Qantas , Now we pay the price , we would be better off if we outsourced our politicians to India just like our workforce just give them a mandate that they can do nothing and change nothing.of course we would save on salaries .

[VocalNeal]

If one knows the plane is going to be delayed and there is an airport hotel , Best to just rush down there and book oneself a room. Pronto regardless of the cost.  If no airport hotel, at least one would hope they have showers.

Trying to remember where but I was stuck in an airport once and they had a sort of hostel, maze-like place with bunks and showers, where one could sleep etc. My delay was small but a shower makes one feel better.

[than]

It is not the first technical problem on a Qantas plane this year. this is rise suspicious about Qantas plane check.

This company is in financial diffculty...

[TVGerry]

Technical problems aside, it's not right for an airline to make their paying customers sleep on the floor like that. Pay the premium to the hotels and make passengers share rooms if necessary but 20 hours on the floor is just wrong.

 

Qantas sucks for this.

[Robert24]

well they have serious financial problems so they will save as much as they can and cut service more and more. I took them 2-3 times on my flights to Australia before but changed back to Cathay, Singapore Airlines or Thai Airways. Any of them are way better.

[weegee]

Qantas....Thats what you get when Unions and over the top demands coupled with Regulations are in control....lol...maximum working hours exceeded. The Staff do very little even when they are supposed to be working....Qantas was good when REAL Australians ran the show, too late now....bye bye

 

 

[Sydebolle]

Be reasonable, shit happens.

Possibly the understaffed ground crew could not handle a B747 load of passengers; try to find +/- 200 hotel rooms within an hour, transport from/back the airport, luggage handling etc.

 

A compound delay is - in many cases - regretfully not foreseeable when the first irregularity happens. Once a plane has a technical fixed, then it's the crew block hours, the slot by the air traffic control, night ban hours etc. etc. 

If the crew exceeds their block hours then you rather sit tight on the ground than flying with a (cockpit) crew which had not slept for 24+ hours too.  

What do you think the Qantas brethren in West Africa, the Russian Far East or South Asia would have done? 
 

[Asiantravel]

Be reasonable, shit happens.

Possibly the understaffed ground crew could not handle a B747 load of passengers; try to find +/- 200 hotel rooms within an hour, transport from/back the airport, luggage handling etc.

 

A compound delay is - in many cases - regretfully not foreseeable when the first irregularity happens. Once a plane has a technical fixed, then it's the crew block hours, the slot by the air traffic control, night ban hours etc. etc. 

If the crew exceeds their block hours then you rather sit tight on the ground than flying with a (cockpit) crew which had not slept for 24+ hours too.  

What do you think the Qantas brethren in West Africa, the Russian Far East or South Asia would have done? 
 

 

 

 One phone call by Qantas staff to one of a number of accommodation agencies and I'm sure they would have jumped at the opportunity to help Qantas.

 

But as Harry said in post number 10 it is not the premium airline it used to be.

 

 

http://www.laxhotels.net/

[Cats4ever]

Qantas....Thats what you get when Unions and over the top demands coupled with Regulations are in control....lol...maximum working hours exceeded. The Staff do very little even when they are supposed to be working....Qantas was good when REAL Australians ran the show, too late now....bye bye

 

 

 

Gee mate, what is a REAL Australian? The previous boss, Geoff Dixon, he's one, and he sponsored Alan Joyce into the company. A large part of servicing is now offshore. Generally I have found the staff to be a lot better than management. They have stopped flying to where a lot of people want to go. Not everyone is off to blighty or the states. Maybe you are too busy working hard to get around your preconceptions?
 

[Thai at Heart]

Similar things happen from time to time with every flying person. Qantas is neither the best nor the worst of airlines. FURY is misplaced in this case. You can always switch to Malaysian and save.

 
Not  me, I was put into a nearby hotel, and given meals on the 2 occasions extended delays occurred.
I am sorry to inform you that, according to other threads I have been reading, Qantas has indeed entered the latter of your 2 categories!
To be left on an airport seat for 23 hours surpasses the poor treatment expected of budget carriers.
Comparisons to Malaysian airlines are unfair after their 2 tragedies.
 

My sister was on the SQ flight that got divered over Xmas. She was on the floor in amlaty with a newborn for 2 days.

[Offroadlanna]

Don't forget that this happened in the USA and most probably some of the passengers would have needed a new visa to enter the US to leave the airport premises

[Chicog]

How dumb is Australia, we could not find one person in our own country to run Qantas , Now we pay the price , we would be better off if we outsourced our politicians to India just like our workforce just give them a mandate that they can do nothing and change nothing.of course we would save on salaries .

 

You could always have James Hogan back. He managed to run Gulf Air into the ground and the only reason Etihad is still running is they throw money at it, and it's renowned for chronic delays.

[Chicog]

Don't forget that this happened in the USA and most probably some of the passengers would have needed a new visa to enter the US to leave the airport premises

 

Not to mention being photographed and fingerprinted.

[harrry]

Be reasonable, shit happens.

Possibly the understaffed ground crew could not handle a B747 load of passengers; try to find +/- 200 hotel rooms within an hour, transport from/back the airport, luggage handling etc.

 

A compound delay is - in many cases - regretfully not foreseeable when the first irregularity happens. Once a plane has a technical fixed, then it's the crew block hours, the slot by the air traffic control, night ban hours etc. etc. 

If the crew exceeds their block hours then you rather sit tight on the ground than flying with a (cockpit) crew which had not slept for 24+ hours too.  

What do you think the Qantas brethren in West Africa, the Russian Far East or South Asia would have done? 
 

Understaffed ground crew is no excuse for anything.  The airline has the responsibility of ensuring its staff is adequate.

[Wat dee]

Qantas....Thats what you get when Unions and over the top demands coupled with Regulations are in control....lol...maximum working hours exceeded. The Staff do very little even when they are supposed to be working....Qantas was good when REAL Australians ran the show, too late now....bye bye

 

 

Wow, never realized Aboriginals actually ran the Quantas! If You have other interesting information please share.

[laolover88]

I stopped flying QANTAS because the service crew kept on waking me up to forcefeed me fruitcake

[leggo]

Hotels in LA are super busy in August. Trying to find 300 plus empty rooms available ASAP would be impossible at this time of year. I guessing QF did all they could.

 

Nonsense!

 

[tx22cb]

I wonder whether QANTAS had different treatment for 1st Class passengers vs Economy in this situation.

[MK1]

Qantas....Thats what you get when Unions and over the top demands coupled with Regulations are in control....lol...maximum working hours exceeded. The Staff do very little even when they are supposed to be working....Qantas was good when REAL Australians ran the show, too late now....bye bye

 

 

The mechanism that caused the grounding was a defective cooling system not the unions. One would conceive that this is consistent with perhaps an airline avoiding scheduled maintenance timelines to save on costs and management not having an immediate contingency plan to remedy the problem. This event clearly shows that Qantas is an overrated and overpriced airline.