Man livid as he's 'bumped from business class' so airline worker can take seat
A 78-year-old man claims he was removed from his business class seat so a pilot could sit down next to his wife.
Stephen Jones, a Vietnam war veteran, says he was asked to leave his comfortable spot in the well-heeled end of the plane during a flight back to Adelaide, Australia with his wife. During a stopover in Melbourne he was called to the Qantas desk.
"The Qantas employee there said 'I've got some bad news for you, you've been bumped'. It didn't register at first. I wasn't quite sure what bumped meant," he told Melbourne radio station 3AW. "She said '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'."
During the flight the Qantas employee sat next to Mr Jones' wife, but they did not speak for the duration, he alleges. The husband claimed the staff member would not look at his partner.
The 78-year-old said he was bumped down to economy (AFP/Getty Images)Mr Jones wrote a letter of complaint following the flight, and he received 5,000 airline points as a result. According to one online calculator, that can be redeemed for about £50 worth of flights.
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The spurned passenger turned down the offer, claiming it was a "little facetious". He added: "I'd be a hypocrite because I don't think anything is going to change unless there are ramifications or costs for Qantas when they upset their customers."
After Mr Jones went public with his complaint he received a call from Qantas 'Customer Care' promising to refund half his business class fare for the Melbourne to Adelaide flight. A spokesperson for the company explained: "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. We have apologised to the customer and explained why the downgrade happened."
The Mirror has contacted the airline for additional comment.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has published a handy guide for those who find themselves without a chair to sit on. It covers all flight departing from the UK, arriving in the UK on a UK or EU airline, or arriving in the EU on a UK airline.
Sometimes airlines will ask passengers if they would volunteer to get bumped, in which case it's up to them and the airline to agree compensation. Often, airlines will make an announcement at the gate offering compensation, which might be cash or vouchers.
If you are bumped without your agreement, you are entitled to compensation, as long as you checked-in for your flight on time. No matter whether you volunteered or were forced to be bumped, your airline must also let you choose between two options:
Your airline must offer you an alternative flight. It’s up to you whether to fly as soon as possible, or at a later date that suits you. Airlines often refer to this as being ‘rerouted’. If you want to fly as soon as possible, your airline must also provide care and assistance while you wait for the flight.
This includes food and drink, means of communication, accommodation and transport to the accommodation. The airline must provide you with these items until it is able to fly you to your destination, no matter how long the delay lasts or what has caused it.
If you don’t want to fly, you can get your money back instead. You’ll get a refund for all parts of the ticket you haven’t used.
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