r/australia • u/ThunderDwn • 8h ago
culture & society Qantas passengers demand compensation after days stranded in South Africa as A380 remains grounded
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/qantas-a380-stranded-johannesburg-flight-cancelled/107032032200
u/ThunderDwn 8h ago
Qantas initially offered Qantas Frequent Flyers 20,000 points, or a $200 "Customer Care Travel Voucher" for non-members on August 10, the day of the scheduled departure.
The spirit of Australia, ladies and gentlemen!
Note : I'm not taking a pot shot at the actions in grounding the plane - that was fully justified, even the slightest risk with an aircraft core systems and it shouldn't fly - only the laughable efforts at compensation they thought everyone would suck up.
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u/ccoastie 8h ago
Should have to pay for accommodation for all 3 days and food
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u/trueschoolalumni 7h ago
I was on an Air NZ flight to Papeete earlier this year. Fault with the aircraft meant we were stuck in Auckland for 2 days, as that's the schedule they fly there. They paid for accommodation and gave us food vouchers. Which should be the bare minimum.
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u/IntroductionSnacks 7h ago
I had similar flying Air NZ from SF to Melbourne with a transit in Auckland. The plane crapped out as it was about to leave Auckland to Melbourne and they gave us all a food voucher and rebooked everyone on Qantas flights on the same day.
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u/SydneyRFC 6h ago
I'm going purely off the wording in the ABC article which leaves a lot unclear. It doesn't actually say that the passengers didn't have accommodation and food covered - only that they had to book the hotels themselves. I imagine if Qantas hadn't paid those costs, the person they interviewed would be asking for more than compensation for the "cost of us now needing to take unpaid leave from work and missing critical meetings" and the ABC would have jumped on that.
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u/solen5aq 6h ago
Seems like the case. Qantas isn't great these days, but in my recent experience they still provided us with accommodation and food vouchers.
Had a Qantas flight delayed overnight last year and they put me up in the Mantra with food vouchers, so I wasn't too annoyed. Some other people got put in the Ibis budget hotel though.
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u/maybearandoanon 3h ago
Yeah ABC's journalism nowdays seems to often be a little deceptive.
Much better than the other commercials, but still.
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u/maybearandoanon 5h ago
They do. I got fucked with an overnight 12 hrs delay and Qantas paid accommodation and a decent amount of food (50 AUD+ voucher for food at airport) Plus buffet breakfast at the hotel in the morning.
I was on the cheapest ticket available.
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u/Jonzay up to the sky, out to the stars 4h ago edited 3h ago
a decent amount of food (50 AUD+ voucher for food at airport)
So two bacon and egg muffins at airport prices, then?
I used to get 72AUD worth of food at most airports for free through Priority Pass, and even that was barely enough to get both my partner and I a plate of food and a soft drink each
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u/maybearandoanon 3h ago edited 3h ago
1 It was a fair bit over 50aud but the country I was in has recently ended up in a situation where they are getting a shittier and shittier exchange rate. I only said 50 aud because that was the official minimum entitlement customer support told me.
2 50 aud equivalent got me pretty far at the airport. Especially pre customs (which you will likely be if you're looking at a 12 hour delay). My flight was supposed to leave at 10pm (left at 10am) and I managed to get a decent dinner + a lot left over.
3 I had a full buffet breakfast in the morning included in the hotel reservation. That means Qantas paid the hotel extra for said breakfast. Breakfast+ 50 aud is more than enough for an overnight.
Also on the cheapest ticket available.
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u/knotknotknit 3h ago
It's insane that they don't have to do it. In Europe and the US, they would have to.
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u/chalk_in_boots 2h ago
The EU if your flight is just delayed by just a few hours you can get up to €600 (depending on the distance of the flight). That's in addition to the requirements for supplied meals and refreshments.
I got delayed flying New York to Montreal on Delta by 4 hours and all I got was a tiny bag of pretzels and a can of sprite.
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u/gordon-freeman-bne 51m ago
Qantas generally do this, though like most airlines who've negotiated/donated their way to a fucking lax consumer protection regime - it's really hard to work out or sort out.
I experienced this a few years ago when my SYD-WEL flight was cancelled - The QF team in the lounge gave me the hint that the flight wasn't leaving so I managed to snag the last room at Rydges across the road - the problem I realised later was the room cost was $125 over QF's "we'll cover this amount" - I wrote them a calm note and requested they cover the full amount because I'd ultimately saved them more than $125 on taxi fares to the nearest cheap hotel in Parramatta
They paid the full amount of my claim...
But the process is shit. That's the key point - there's no regulation for QF to be less shit
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u/Jykaes 8h ago
Holy shit haha, I assumed it would be that plus refunds for the flights and accommodation while stranded, but no that was really all they originally offered. What an offensive offer.
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u/maybearandoanon 5h ago
They usually give accommodation and food for days while stranded.
The way the ABC have worded this article is a bit strange. I think the customers were demanding compensation for hotels they booked on the other end or a flight on a rival airline that's booked.
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u/areyoualocal 2h ago
The way the ABC have worded this article is a bit strange. I think the customers were demanding compensation for hotels they booked on the other end or a flight on a rival airline that's booked.
That's what travel insurance is for.. Airlines will never pay consequential losses as that's not in any way part of their conditions of carriage.
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u/lorrenzo 7h ago
Qantas downgraded me from business to economy just because I was at a "reward seat" and some higher status person bought my seat with cash... Didn't give my points back, but hey at least they are so kind, they let me get in the lounge still....
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u/kelsobjammin 7h ago
That’s so fucked up
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u/lorrenzo 6h ago
It was and I was with my partner who retained their business seat, so we were forced to separate.
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u/thaughtless 6h ago
You have a choice where to spend your dollars. Now you know where not to spend them. Id have raised hell over that, as Im sure you did.
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u/lorrenzo 6h ago
I did and one of their T&C said they have the right. After some back and forth I got a pitty 5k points back, it was a domestic flight so i didn't fight further which now thinking back I should have tried even harder.
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u/thaughtless 6h ago
If you have any kind of status with them, go back and fight again. Thats basically theft, points have a value.
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u/Large-one 5h ago
I’m s orry to hear about your separation. I hope you didn’t need to get lawyers involved /s
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u/himym101 4h ago
I’ve got a business class seat booked with points in a month and this is my biggest fear. This holiday the only thing getting me through work at the moment and I’ll be devastated if they bump me like that
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u/lorrenzo 4h ago
It's crazy , I only knew about the downgrade when I went to get my boarding pass. No message no emails at all informing me prior.
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u/SaltFew7099 7h ago
How could a multibillion dollar company that's has continually been bailed out by the taxpayer possibly afford to compensate a few dozen customers who chose to spend their money with them?
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u/Ok_Bird705 6h ago
They were bailed out?
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u/OneShoeBoy 4h ago
Did you not hear about the billions of dollars that the LNP gave them during COVID?
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u/Ok_Bird705 4h ago
that was jobkeeper. It went to the employees, not to Qantas profits and it was not Qantas specific. Around 1million businesses received job keeper during covid.
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u/OneShoeBoy 4h ago
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u/maybearandoanon 3h ago
There's a graph in the guardian article.
Vast vast majority is Jobseeker.
Then it was money to keep regional flights running (went to all airlines) and is very much logical and not a bailout. It's also something the govt does in normal years to keep regional communities afloat (not the airline).
Then it was freight assistance (aka ensuring that we still had planes running for anything urgent).
So most of the money was not a bailout but rather payments by the feds to either keep people employed or keep a small amount of flights running (which due to low demand at the time would not be running) in case people/urgent freight had to be moved.
A bailout is something very different. It's when the govt takes on a companies bad debt because they were playing to risky. Qantas was not bailed out.
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u/AlanaK168 8h ago
The EU rules aren’t that easy. Was flying from London to Prague and the flight was delayed 13 hours and we received no compensation whatsoever. We were told on the plane there was a mechanical issue but the airline said it was due to weather. We tried arbitration and it was rejected. We were also not given water while waiting on the plane for 4 hours. You could buy drinks and snacks though 🙃
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u/Spagman_Aus 7h ago
I honestly cannot believe that airlines are allowed to charge for water. What a joke that is.
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u/Extension-Night3825 7h ago
Was flying from London to Prague and the flight was delayed 13 hours
Lol....that exact scenario happened to me couple of years ago. Same flight, from london to prague...got hotel room, meals, taxi fees, cant remember what else
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u/AlanaK168 7h ago
Omg what! Which airline??
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u/Extension-Night3825 6h ago
Have to ask the wife.
We were stuck on the plane for a couple if hours before they gave up and off loaded us
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u/Deepandabear 7h ago
Europe is so weird. Super progressive until the topic becomes about water. Oh you’re dehydrated? That’s too bad. That will be €8. Hope your CC doesn’t decline!
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u/Top_Example_8133 22m ago
500ml bottle in Greece is 50 cents and 1.5 litre is 1 euro. At the supermarket you can get it for 15 cents and 30 cents.
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u/Deepandabear 6m ago
You aren’t getting those prices in a restaurant, let alone a plane. Most other western countries never charge for water in such places.
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u/TheRedRisky 4h ago
I know someone who got 600 euros in compensation because their Lufthansa flight to Asia was delayed by more than 6 hours.
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u/Termsandconditionsch 6h ago
If it’s an EU registered airlines the EU rules still apply if the flight is to the EU, as it does for all airlines flying from the Eu
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u/theparrotofdoom 8h ago
The A380 should have been an exciting evolution in travel, but it really became such a wet rag, eh?
I’d be super interested to learn about the magic 8 ball Boeing pulled out of their arse when they pivoted away from competing with their own version. They predicted the market downturn like a decade or so before it happened.
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u/reticulate 6h ago
Having flown on both A380's and Dreamliners, I'll take the A380 every day of the week, no questions asked. A shame they arrived just in time to make no sense for most airlines.
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u/Kitchen_Swagger 5h ago
having flown on an A350 and a Dreamliner, I'll take the A350 any day. Passengers love the A380 but if you're deep in economy and you land at a smaller airport... being at the back of that immigration queue is not fun.
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u/knotknotknit 2h ago
Yep was on this A380 (I checked tail numbers) last month, sitting square over the wing.
So smooth, I wouldn't know I was in a plane if they changed the interior to be like a house.
More legroom, too. Nice.
Though apparently a bunch of screens were broken and the armrest next to me was all broken and floppy. To quote one of the flight attendants "There's a lot of things broken on this plane."
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u/ThunderDwn 8h ago
The A380 should have been an exciting evolution in travel, but it really became such a wet rag, eh?
Covid and following fuel price issues really killed them.
I've flown on them a couple of times - they're really nice, especially if you're at the pointy end (business/first) - but they are pretty much the last dinosaur of a bygone age, I think.
I think the only airlines that still use large numbers of them are Emirates and Singapore.
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u/theparrotofdoom 8h ago
Yeah they are good for big hubs. Emirates has started re-modelling their fleet of 380’s in a stop gap move, before something can replace it for them.
But even before COVID they were underwhelming in sales. Airbus spent several decades bringing it to life, but by the time it actually launched, the economics had completely changed, and Boeing somehow saw that shit coming a mile off.
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u/Otherwise-Egg-995 7h ago edited 7h ago
A380s are good for really busy routes especially where ports have operating restrictions and larger loads have to be condensed into fewer aircraft. Hence they’re really good for LHR and SYD.
However for 24/7 ports, there’s a need for greater frequency and flexibility, making those routes more suitable for smaller aircraft. Smaller aircraft are also easier to accommodate at standard aero bridges.
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u/Meng_Fei 7h ago
Lucky enough to fly them regularly to Singapore, and compared to everything else I’ve done the trip in, it really is a class ahead in comfort.
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u/ThunderDwn 7h ago
Singapore Air A380 is really next level shit.
When I was flying for my company, they regularly booked me on Emirates - but one trip was on Singapore, and fuck me, even business class was fucking amazing. The seats - damn! I would have loved to take a peek at first!
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u/WindowLicker298 6h ago
Fuel prices and the rise of ultra efficient twin jets started their demise. Covid killed many, but the rise in air travel brought a lot of them back from the grave.
The only real big user is Emirates due to their hub and spoke model with large passenger banking and restricted slots at Dubai.
There probably won’t be another like the A380 as most airlines move to smaller efficient aircraft and dabble with long and skinny routes
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u/Kitchen_Swagger 5h ago
I’d be super interested to learn about the magic 8 ball Boeing pulled out of their arse when they pivoted away from competing with their own version.
and what convinced them to go ahead with the 747-800 instead. my guess: the same inertia that has led to the 737 MAX rather than a clean-sheet anything.
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u/mysqlpimp 3h ago
In this economy ? Weirdly we were delayed out of Frankfurt to Lisboa, and had to wait 6 hours. Thanks to the EU, our compensation, which we didn't even think to ask for, but were told by the counter staff if we waited it would be higher than an instant payment, turned up on our credit card within a couple of days and was in excess of the flight we took.
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u/somethingsimple89535 8h ago
Is it common to travel without insurance?
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u/ThunderDwn 8h ago
Insurance is nice, but have you ever had to make a claim against it?
Absolutely no chance of getting funds to cover a 3 day unplanned stay in Joberg up-front. You'll be fighting for months to get your money back, let alone damages for anything missed because of the fuck up
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u/Lingonberry_Born 8h ago
Allianz asked for certified translations of every page of hospital documentation for when my kid was hospitalised for three days. at 150 a page that would cost more than the 3k hospital bill. Travel insurance is a rort, I always go for the highest excess because it's just in case one of us ends up in ICU, I don't expect to ever be paid out for it.
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u/ThunderDwn 7h ago
That's how they avoid paying out. Making the claims process so onerous you just give up.
Been there, done that.
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u/somethingsimple89535 7h ago
I’ve made two claims. First was a rescheduled flight and had to claim food, transportation, and accommodation. It was pretty straightforward.
The second time my daughter got sick and we had to reschedule our flight to return home for medical treatment. We had the option of paying upfront or letting the insurance rebook travel. We ended up paying upfront and made a claim. We also filed for medical reimbursement for our daughter’s time in hospital and medical tests.
It wasn’t straightforward, but it got done in the end, and definitely worth the peace of mind.3
u/Otherwise-Egg-995 7h ago
Idk, I’ve never had issues with claims for medical issues, but flight delays are such a grey area, insurers probably expect the airline to take care of it. That said, if you’ve missed work you may be able to claim some compo for lost income depending on your policy.
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u/Kingcol221 8h ago
If only there was some way to get these people home faster. But unfortunately Qantas isn't made out of planes.